This Grecian play is about Prometheus, a Titan who defied Zeus and is now being torturously punished for it. After Zeus overthrew the T|| 3.5 stars ||
This Grecian play is about Prometheus, a Titan who defied Zeus and is now being torturously punished for it. After Zeus overthrew the Titans (with Prometheus’ help), he settled himself as a pure tyrant with nothing but cruelty and narcissism to his name. He saw no use for humans and wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth to be replaced by a new race. However, Prometheus took pity on the human creatures and decided to give them the gift of Fire, and with that gift gave them the knowledge to stay alive and improve their lives. Zeus, furious for being defied, puts Prometheus in chains for this and orders him to be tied to a cliff’s edge for many, many years, where he will feel nothing but torture and misery. Prometheus knew that he would be punished for his selfless act to help the humans, but even he did not imagine his punishment to be so cruel. Thus, the play mostly shows him lamenting his bad fortune and hopeless future to whoever will listen, but yet he never loses his spirit or his belief in his own righteousness. He screams taunts of Zeus’ inevitable downfall, and refuses to offer any help in the future. The play shows us that Prometheus may have lost his freedom, but he did not lose his fiery heart or his desire for revenge.
HERMES: “You think I am to blame for your misfortune?” PROMETHEUS: “To put it bluntly—I hate all the gods who received my help and then abused me, perverting justice.” HERMES: “From the words you speak I see your madness is no mild disease.” PROMETHEUS: “I may well be insane, if madness means one hates one’s enemies.”
All in all, I think this was a very sad story that showed the evilness of the Gods, even towards someone to whom they owe their rule. We see how Prometheus, who acted out of nothing but the goodness of his heart and willingness to teach, will have to suffer dire consequences by the hands of the evil Zeus, who, by tradition, is truly one of the most cruel and disgusting Gods in the whole of Greek mythology. Honestly, Zeus and his weak-minded minions made me want to rage and riot, as per usual. That said, I do think the play itself lacked a sense of action, suspense and urgency. The characters spoke a lot of words discussing the past and future, but we don’t actually get to see any events unfold in the present. Therefore, the story was a little bit stale....more
This is the definition of female rage (gone wrong).
I was in a constant inner-battle with myself between hating Medea for every disgust|| 4.0 stars ||
This is the definition of female rage (gone wrong).
I was in a constant inner-battle with myself between hating Medea for every disgusting thing she’s done and rooting for her to take revenge on Jason. I kept coming back to the question whether my revulsion towards Medea rivaled the one I felt for Jason. I couldn’t quite make up my mind about what I was feeling, which made this all the more interesting.
If only Medea hadn’t taken her ire out on innocents…...more
Yea, I’m not feeling this whatsoever anymore. The characters have become very ridiculous, annoying and bland, and the romance is also s|| 1.5 stars ||
Yea, I’m not feeling this whatsoever anymore. The characters have become very ridiculous, annoying and bland, and the romance is also starting to feel a little weird to me. Their interactions have lost all traces of chemistry, and it just feels forced and superficial now. Their first kiss was literally so random and wasn’t cute at all. I’m also starting to feel a little uncomfortable with how naive and childish Persephone is; her romance with Hades is honestly starting to seem more like he’s just babysitting her.
Also, I truly don’t like how the rape plotline is just not being dealt with properly. Apollo has been completely getting away with it, and Persephone just doesn’t do anything about it. Why is she just going about her days, not dealing with what happened to her? She should really tell someone. I don’t like that her trauma is being milked like this for drama, and that it’s now already four volumes later and there’s still no change in that situation whatsoever.
Honestly, this whole series just drags on and on and on. I’m truly done with it at this point.
Pfft okay, I think I’m really over this now. The pacing is horrendous, and there’s literally no progression at all. Nothing seems to be|| 2.0 stars ||
Pfft okay, I think I’m really over this now. The pacing is horrendous, and there’s literally no progression at all. Nothing seems to be moving forward.
I’m so sick and tired of Persephone’s “I need to stay a virgin” shtick, and I’m even more done with Hades’s “I’m gonna bottle up my feelings and just continue to be in a relationship with someone else” thing. This was all already pretty annoying at first, but the fact that it’s still happening? Yea, I’m bored.
I love Hecate, Hera, Artemis and Eros so much! They’re the kind of support squad everyone deserves. Opposingly, I literally want to kill|| 3.0 stars ||
I love Hecate, Hera, Artemis and Eros so much! They’re the kind of support squad everyone deserves. Opposingly, I literally want to kill Zeus and Apollo. They are the worst pieces of garbage.
Anyway, I feel like the romance is starting to lack a little bit and it needs to pick up the pacing. We hardly got any interactions between Hades and Persephone, which is kind of disappointing, since that’s the most interesting part of this whole series.
And what’s up with the fact that Hades just continues to be in a relationship with Minthe, and that he’s actually trying to make it work?? It’s really annoying, and kind of makes me lose respect for the guy. Like, dude, you either love Persephone or you don’t; you can’t have it both ways. Urgh.
Okay, this was already so much better than the previous volume. Whereas the first one felt messy, this one actually had structure and a|| 4.0 stars ||
Okay, this was already so much better than the previous volume. Whereas the first one felt messy, this one actually had structure and a real narrative.
The characters also feel like they have a bit more depth now, and their interactions are all strangely humorous or endearing. I especially like how Persephone’s character is developing, because she’s just so precious.
The relationship development is also cute, and I love how indulgent Hades is with Persephone. He’s totally whipped for her, and I love that. So, taking that in mind: what on earth does Hades think he’s doing getting together with Minthe again?? Like, WHY!!??
This was kind of cute, I guess? I’m not sure what to say, to be honest. The plot is so painfully simple it’s barely even there, but the|| 3.0 stars ||
This was kind of cute, I guess? I’m not sure what to say, to be honest. The plot is so painfully simple it’s barely even there, but there are definitely a few good scenes in here.
The main characters, Persephone and Hades, don’t have much depth to them, but their relationship is pretty adorable. The instant obsession and relentless pining from Hades’s side is always gratifying, and one of the reasons I love retellings of this myth so much.
I do want to point out that the drawings for all the female characters are overly and unnecessarily sexualized, which truly annoyed me and even made me a little uncomfortable.
The ending was extremely intense, though. Definitely a lot more heavy than what I ever thought we would get considering the light tone of the rest of the story.
All in all, I thought this was okay, but I have to admit that I expected more from this because of all the hype it had.
The classical myth of Galatea and Pygmalion is commonly known as an epic love story, but I found this retelling to be a much more reali|| 4.0 stars ||
The classical myth of Galatea and Pygmalion is commonly known as an epic love story, but I found this retelling to be a much more realistic interpretation. After all, it was Pygmalion's disdain for women and his belief that all of them were whores unworthy of his time that drove him to create his own "perfect" woman; first as a statue while later bringing her to life with the help of Aphrodite. Taking that in mind, was I honestly meant to believe that, with a misogynistic and revolting motivation as that, he would have treated his "perfect" woman in any other way than what this story showed us? I think not. This is exactly the kind of man he would have been: a filthy, creepy, disgusting pig. There was absolutely no love involved in any part of their story; only control, condescension and rape. Galatea was a victim, not a product of true love....more
When I read Circe I completely fell in love with this author’s gorgeous writing, and I just knew I had to read this book as well. And w|| 5.0 stars ||
When I read Circe I completely fell in love with this author’s gorgeous writing, and I just knew I had to read this book as well. And wow, am I glad that I did, because this was yet another piece of art. The prose enchants to the bone and the story feels so deeply visceral that nothing quite compares to it. The words flow so naturally and the descriptions are so beautiful; it can do nothing but make your heart feel completely full, and then, at the end, leave it behind aching and broken.
If you’re familiar with The Iliad, you will know the heartbreak and tragedy that awaits Patroclus and Achilles. You might think this would take the suspense out of it, but it does not. Instead it makes the entire story feel incredibly important somehow. Like every moment of life we get to see from them feels precious because we know it will all end so soon. It gives the story intense weight and deep emotion from the very beginning.
The love story we get to see between these star-crossed lovers is intense and magical; they are intwined in a way that is almost impossible to understand, but somehow the author makes us understand. We see the dedication these men have towards each other, the complete adoration, and the utter devotion. Of course, we also see the troubles... How Patroclus is always expected to be in the shadow, and how Achilles will eventually let his pride eclipse all else. It is not all rainbows and sunshine, and in the end there can be no love, no matter how strong, that will stop things from falling to pieces.
The characterization in this story is also truly incredible: Achilles as the fated hero, and Patroclus as the fated nobody. Still, we see that even though Achilles is the man who has it all, who could do anything, he is not necessarily the person who will use those gifts for good. Instead, Patroclus, with no particularly special talent at all, will be more of a hero at heart than Achilles ever was. However, the fates did not give Patroclus the power or destiny to be a hero, so no matter how strong his will may be, he cannot do what Achilles could have done, if only Achilles had been willing to set aside his pride... A pride that turns out to be so indestructible that it will doom them both....more
This tells the story of Circe, the renowned witch of Aiaia and the unwanted daughter of the sun god, Helios. She was banished by the Go|| 5.0 stars ||
This tells the story of Circe, the renowned witch of Aiaia and the unwanted daughter of the sun god, Helios. She was banished by the Gods after she cast a spell that turned a beautiful nymph into a terrifying monster, and was forced to live in exile on an island for all of eternity. She is most known for the role she played in Homer’s Odyssey in which she turned men into pigs and was described to have her own type of romance with Odysseus. Now, we get to hear her side of the story.
Truly, if there is one thing this novel does with the utmost perfection it is developing Circe’s character arc. We see her grow from a passive, naive and abused girl to a hardened and wise woman. We are with her through all her loneliness, rejections and pain, and through it all, we see her grow with those experiences. She grows into a woman who demands respect and reverence, which was something she never got before, and she demands it for her character and actions rather than her divinity.
“You are wise.” “If it is so, it is only because I have been fool enough for a hundred lifetimes.”
When it comes to the writing, I am not even entirely sure how I should explain. I am no wordsmith myself and I will not claim to know all that much about highly esteemed literature. However, I do know a well-written book when I see one, and I can assure you that this was surely that. The prose was hauntingly beautiful and the pacing was just right. This book is obviously a retelling of a classical story, but while reading it, it felt like an Epos in its own right.
Also, I really liked how we revisited a lot of the popular classical myths, only now from Circe’s perspective. The way we got to see the Gods and the classically famed heroes through the eyes of someone like Circe definitely put a whole new spin on these tales. It was not glory or bravery we saw in them, but instead we saw greed, arrogance and cruelty.
The ending was exactly what I wanted it to be. I was so glad that Circe finally (for the first time in all of eternity) found the person who deserved her and who saw her worth, but most of all, I was so happy to see Circe finally stand up for herself and fight back so she could have her own place in the world. It was deeply satisfying. It might have been a simple life she would have in the end, but she wouldn’t have wished for anything more than that.
“You have always been the worst of my children. Be sure you do not dishonour me.” “I have a better idea. I will do as I please, and when you count your children, leave me out.”
All in all, I would say this story came very close to sheer perfection....more
Hmm. I'm not sure what this was, exactly. I suppose we could simply call it mythology, but that doesn't really seem adequate. I guess th|| 3.0 stars ||
Hmm. I'm not sure what this was, exactly. I suppose we could simply call it mythology, but that doesn't really seem adequate. I guess there is also an underlying romance plot, but it isn't one between Kleon and the Minotaur. Instead, the romance lies within the memories of a person they knew before this novella. Erotica is definitely a word that comes to mind as well, but I wouldn't say it's the sole focus of the story, and neither are the sex scenes very descriptive. Maybe horror would be an okay description of this book, but I honestly don't think the monstrosities and torture were explicit enough for it to fall into that category. I actually think 'drama' would probably be the best genre to shelve this under: it has most of the elements required for it, and the 'sad' (or maybe ambiguous?) ending definitely also fits with that.
I have to say that the idea of this book definitely was an interesting one. It has a good premise, and some underlying thoughts that I found thought-provoking. The final twist at the end (not the epilogue, but right before) was also one that I found to be particularly surprising, but also rather.. beautiful. I'm not sure how I feel about, but it definitely shocked me, and made me feel things. The epilogue itself was actually kind of funny, in my opinion. It puts the true myth of Theseus and the Minotaur to shame, but not in a crude manner. I thought it was tasteful yet humorous, and also interesting to think about how stories are truly just stories, and people can often take the credit for whatever they want.
My biggest problem with this novella was my frequent disconnect with the writing and dialogue. It was rather stiff, and could have been a lot better had it been written with more of an emotional quality....more
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: January 2024 | ★3.0 stars
I’m gonna be honest:|| 3.0 stars ||
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: January 2024 | ★3.0 stars
I’m gonna be honest: I keep on rating these books a little higher than I would have if I didn’t have a strong nostalgic love for them, but rating them anything lower than this would just feel like a straight up betrayal to my childhood. However, I am going to say my real and honest thoughts in this review. So, here we go.
These books are all very repetitive and formulaic. Every single installments follows the exact same format: Percy has a big problem at school that gets him expelled, he then goes to camp and is only there for one or two days until he gets sent on a quest. On this quest he has a bunch of battles with monsters, a couple of dreams where he can see the past and the present, and a couple of half-friendly interactions with gods or heroes or other mythological figures. Of course, the book then always ends with the quest being completed, after which we have a little recap of how the prophesy for that book ended up being right in its own vague way. The end. It’s always the exact same, which wouldn’t be too much of a problem if there was at least more to these stories than just its formulaic plot. But there isn’t. Not really. There’s no depth, there are no meaningful conversations, there is no interesting development. Everything is just always the exact same; each book is the same, each character stays the same, each relationship stays the same. You can easily skip ahead in the story as much as you would like and nothing will have really changed. It feels stale and empty and simple.
Also, this next thing I want to talk about is not really interesting for these books as a whole, but I wanted to say it anyway: Percy and Annabeth have absolutely no romantic chemistry or development together. I remember this being classified as an epic slow burn and I must have also been a fan of them somehow when I was a kid, but there is literally no romance. Not only that, I would argue there is hardly even a true friendship between them! I tried to pay attention to how they actually interact with each other and came to the realization that they pretty much don’t interact. They never even really talk. They just travel together on their quests, but that’s it. There is nothing deeper going on there. They don’t confide in each other, they don’t act shy or sweet or interested towards each other. They just both exist. Hell, Annabeth only ever seems to care about Luke, while Percy was more interested in Calypso or even Rachel! Annabeth is really cold and almost uncaring towards Percy, but whenever Luke comes up she becomes incredibly passionate; she cares about him so much, and I’m pretty sure he was her true love. She would have never gotten together with Percy if Luke hadn’t turned evil. I’m pretty sure about that. And Percy isn’t much better in his feelings; he doesn’t pay that much attention to Annabeth, he doesn’t get shy around her, he doesn’t admire her or pine for her. We are literally in this guy’s head so we know what he thinks; and he thinks of both Calypso and Rachel in a much more romantic light here than he ever has about Annabeth. I mean, Annabeth literally kissed him and the next chapter he meets and falls in love with Calypso. He never even thinks about that kiss. Not then, not later. He did not care. These two do not seem in love. They do not even seem to feel that much affection for the other. I can’t remember what will happen later on in their “romance” and I’m sure that their relationship will eventually grow, but the fact that they are still so indifferent towards each other after supposedly being close for years is a pretty sad thing to realise.
All in all, I don’t actually think these books are that good. They do not hold up for me as an adult. I know I loved them as a kid, and that’s the intended audience, so of course they’re still not a complete failure in my eyes (hence, the decent rating). But I’m still very disappointed because I had really high hopes that these books would be better in quality. I guess I had thought that younger me had a little higher standards. But I guess I did not. Then again, it also feels unfair to judge in this way because it’s not like adults are always meant to like the same things kids do.
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: January 2024 | ★3.5 stars
Okay, I don’t really|| 3.5 stars ||
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: January 2024 | ★3.5 stars
Okay, I don’t really feel like talking about the plot (I mean, it was fun with lots of action but still not a lot of depth; what more is there to say?), so I’m just going to go over the characters and say what I thought about them this time. Is this useful to anyone? No, probably not, but I feel like writing it down, so I might as well share:
-Am I in the minority when I say Zoë was the star of this book? Because if I am, that would be shameful! She was so brave and so fierce and so loyal. She was completely ready to sacrifice herself; her tragically heroic story really brought out some feelings in me. Not to mention, her character was just so genuinely and deeply interesting to me. She had a backstory filled with betrayal, grief and a need for revenge, but she also grew in this story and learned to trust and admire people she would have sneered at on instinct. Lastly, she cracked me up too. She acted so high-and-mighty and her uptight, old-fashioned attitude was oddly charming and funny to me. I just really liked her. A lot.
-Artemis was iconic and was showing some serious queen behaviour. She was just so righteous and noble and ready to fight for the world. She was the only god who truly seemed to care about the people around her and even about the innocents she does not personally know. I would love to know more about her and all the other girls in the Hunt.
-Percy, of course, was still a good guy. Childhood me remembers him as being more goofy and sarcastic though, but so far, he’s just… well, a good guy. Nothing super special. Which is odd, cus I could have sworn he was one of the most charming and funniest book characters I know… but I’m not really seeing that yet. I still really like him! I just don’t really love him with a deep passion or anything like that.
-Annabeth was hardly in this story, but somehow I found her surprisingly annoying; the fact that she considered joining the Hunters, meaning she would choose to never see Percy again, just irked me in all the wrong ways and the fact that she still kept on defending and mooning over Luke got on my nerves as well.
-I’m not a Thalia fan. At all. She is so rude and hostile for no reason to Percy (and to most people in general, to be honest) and the fact that she was so close to being tempted to basically ruin the world?? Um, that doesn’t sound like a very good person to me. Thank you, next.
-I liked Bianca. But well. Much good that did me…
-Grover was… there. He doesn’t have much of a personality these days besides loving nature, stalking the Hunters (in such a creepy way; what’s up with that?), and obsessing over Pan. I was pretty shocked at how little he seemed to care about Annabeth’s disappearance and possible death. I would have assumed he’d feel some type of emotion about that, but no. I guess not.
-I know Rachel was only in this for like 0.1 seconds, but I loved her?? I vaguely remember her being someone a lot of readers dislike, but I’m not sure why because she seemed really funny to me here. Very mouthy and sarcastic and just overall like a breath of fresh air. I can’t wait to see more of her.
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: January 2024 | ★3.0 stars
Oh my god, Tyson is || 3.0 stars ||
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: January 2024 | ★3.0 stars
Oh my god, Tyson is just so freaking cute; I love that adorable little cyclops so much! He was utterly endearing from beginning to end. I just kept going “awww” at everything he did or said. He was just so pure and innocent, and my heart broke into a million pieces every time someone was mean to that precious boy :( He honestly deserves the whole world <3
All in all though, I have to say that this book had way too much action and not nearly enough emotional value. I would have just really appreciated more depth to the story and development for the characters and their relationships. I mean, right now everything felt quite superficial, simple and even a bit empty…
Of course, I know this series is for kids, and I vividly remember loving these books with my whole heart and soul when I was young, so really, my opinions on it now should be taken with a pinch of salt since I’m no longer the target audience.
This book was really a very interesting read. These myths are so cool to know about and it makes it even more awesome to think that peo|| 3.5 stars ||
This book was really a very interesting read. These myths are so cool to know about and it makes it even more awesome to think that people used to actually believe these stories rather than them just being regular pieces of fiction. These myths were intended to be believed instead of merely entertain. This knowledge gives these stories an extra little boost which any other 'fantasy' novel would obviously miss. It’s fascinating.
Aside from this, however, I do have to point out that the way these myths were written down in this particular book did not grip me completely. The stories were told in a rather stiff manner, never diving deep into any emotional territory. I suppose this must have been necessary to stay as close as possible to the source material of these myths and I can applaud it for that, but it did lower the entertainment aspect slightly....more
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: August 2019 | ★3.5 stars
I remember absolutely|| 3.5 stars ||
➛First read: February 2014 | ★5.0 stars ➛Second read: July 2016 | ★5.0 stars ➛Third read: August 2019 | ★3.5 stars
I remember absolutely loving these books when I was younger, but it was still pretty great now!
The story was super interesting and was told in such a smart and compelling way. Once I picked up the book, there wasn’t a moment that I felt bored. The book didn’t spend much time obsessing over details or scenery, which are things I find extremely uninteresting to read in a book. Thank the gods the author didn’t do any of that!
It was very easy to bond with the characters as they felt real, with some flaws, but with overall only good intentions. I think many people can also relate to the characters or at least think their reactions to the situations they are put in are similar to how you would react as well. The main character, Percy, especially, is really well-written. He is not stupid or annoying in any way, which makes it so that the experiences he has feel really real to the reader. It’s like you would experience it that way too. This book did, however, miss a sense of emotional value, but this has to, of course, grow over time, so I don’t really hold that against the book. I think this might even be a good thing, because emotions always hit harder and deeper when they are built over time, instead of just instantly being bombarded with feels you don’t even have yet. I’m sure the emotional value will come in the next book or maybe the one after that (if memory serves me right, that is).
