jini066's reviews
123 reviews

This is probably the most annoying and tedious book I've read my whole life. I've never been more relieved to have finished reading a book as I am while writing this. 

Maybe this is because I've never liked reading biographies and Circe is written exactly like one, neither am I familiar with her myth but I think she's one of the dullest and most hormone-driven heroine I've read of. Maybe this was what the author intended to shape out her character better but in no way is this a "feminist" retelling. It is more of a woman taking wrong decisions her entire life and suffering because of it and then somehow evolving into something even more shallow, selfish and stupid.

The entire story is just Circe circling back to how she's better than all the gods and how even though she doubts her powers she's infinitely stronger when in fact what she is actually, is exactly like her father and brother and mother, if not 10 times more foolish.

I empathise and sympathise with her for the first time she welcomed sailors in her household and what followed that. But one would think she'd be more guarded henceforth, but nope! She just now sleeps with almost every man that speaks two kind words to her without seeking sex for two whole days! Even though she realizes the men only use her for serving some of their own means, she refuses to Harbour a single shred of dignity, and favors her hormones instead. She designs it as her "using them like they use her" or something of the sort but in the end only her heart is broken somehow and she's wallowing in self pity and I have to survive that as a consequence of my bad choices 😮‍💨 Not to mention that my girl literally slept with an entire family's whole generation lol. Idc how normalized incest was among the gods, in mortals it was not, but someone educate circe on that please.

And DO NOT get me started on how Goddamn annoying Telegonus was. I hated every page he appeared. He was nothing more than a lapdog waiting for the crumbs the street goers would give him out of pity. Literally no one in this book had a spine or a functioning brain and I am infinitely sad of having wasted so much of time thinking it would get better from the next chapter onwards. I'm still however glad that it is finished and I would be looking to regift this little bundle or misery to someone i'm unwilling to spend my money on.

So fair to say, Miller's TSOA will be the only book that rises to my personal hall of fame. Thank you if you're reading my miserable rant. 
Signing out.

This book deserves more than 5 stars. It's a jewelry of modern literature.