Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe
by Madeline Miller

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
BookExcerpt
Website
Facebook
Instagram | Twitter

Just released: April 10, 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Retelling
Hardback: 400
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.

PeekAbook:



My two-bits:

Loved the storytelling style of this lesser known goddess/witch. I liked how Circe and her perspective were presented in a colorful and engaging way - not your usual historical mythological tale that can be a bit unfeeling.

Loved seeing Circe in a different light to the point of feeling empathetic.

~*~
* part of Rooster Summer Reading Challenge 2018 (here)

The Return of Sir Percival by S. Alexander O'Keefe

The Return of Sir Percival:
Guinevere's Prayer
by S. Alexander O'Keefe

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
BookExcerpt
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter @SAOKeefe

Just released: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Genre: Historical, Mythology
Hardback: 376 pages
Rating: 5

Return of Sir Percival series:
Guinevere's Prayer, Book 1
book 2 - tba

First sentence(s):
Aldwyn Potter stared at the Frankish coast from the stern of the Mandragon, his eye fixed on the walled settlement drifting in handout of the morning fog a league to the south.

Seven years after the death of Arthur Pendragon, Sir Percival, the last surviving knight of the Round Table, returns to Albion after a long and futile quest for the Holy Grail. The peaceful and prosperous home that he left a decade earlier is no more. Camelot has fallen, and much of the Pendragon’s kingdom has been subjugated by the evil Morgana and the Norse invaders who once served under her banner.

Although the knight desires only to return to his ancestral lands and to live in peace, he vows to pursue one last quest before he rests—to find Guinevere, the Queen of the Britons. This journey will force the knight to travel the length and breadth of Albion, to overcome the most fearsome and cunning of enemies, and to embrace a past that is both painful and magnificent.

My two-bits:

Loved this premise in general - of Sir Percival's story.

Although familiar with King Arthur and his Round Table via movies, I have not actually read any of the Arthurian tales. However, this was not a problem. The story does well in describing some of the past history to understand the present that Sir Percival finds himself in when he returns from his Holy Grail quest.

This story is a good start to a series with an introduction to Sir Percival and his heroics while he was on his quest for the grail. He is one of those characters that gets you at "Hello".

As with many hero stories a sidekick is at hand. Capussa plays that part and is a formidable character in his own right. The pair ooze unbeatable.

Sir Galahad also makes an appearance and goes through interesting transformations of his own after the Round Table's fall.

I was a bit surprised to read about Guinevere's interactions with these two Knights of the Round Table. I knew about her and Sir Lancelot, but never knew how she got along with the others - makes me curious.

And so, some romance. The relationship between Sir Percival and Queen Guinevere begins (or continues).

The villain of the tale, Morgana, does her damage (or tries).

BUT, Merlin and his magic are at hand to bring some lively action to the story.


~*~
* review copy courtesy of author and Author Marketing Experts

Touch by Natalia Jaster

Touch
by Natalia Jaster

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
BookExcerpt
Website

Published: 2014
Publisher: self
Genre: Mythology, New Adult
ebook
Rating: 5

*Mature YA: sexual content and language. Intended for readers 17 and older*

The myth of Eros isn’t the truth. Her story is the truth . . .

Love is an immortal bad girl. With a strike of her arrow and a smirk on her face, she pins human hearts together against their will. It’s for their own good, of course—silly, clueless creatures that they are.

But Love has never loved. Not until the Fates parcel her off to a small, frostbitten town littered with needy souls. Not until she crosses paths with Andrew, a crippled boy whose gaze locks onto hers. Yet how can this be? Mortals don’t have the power to see deities.

The longer they’re friends, the more Love wishes she could touch Andrew. In gentle ways. In other tempting and reckless ways as well.

It’s impossible. She isn’t a true part of his world. She’s an outsider whose fingers will only ever sweep through him. A mischievous, invisible goddess who’s destined to be alone. And he’s destined for someone else. By order of the Fates, it’s Love’s duty to betray his trust. To seal his heart while ignoring the gash in her own.

Or she could become human. For there is one very tricky, very dangerous way to do so.

If only Andrew felt the same about her, it might be worth the risk.

My two-bits:

Sweet love story between a goddess and human. Because it the first time for the goddess to fall in love, a young adult love story enfolds. The couple goes through the usual ups and downs found in a teen romance along with the added element of meddling immortal gods.

The characters were likable including those with imperfections.

I liked how this mythology and its gods/goddesses were presented.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge - square: Based on Mythology

Ariadne by S.D. Hines

Ariadne
by S.D. Hines

Visit S.D.:
Amazon
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads

Published: 2013
Publisher: Story Merchant Books
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, YA
ebook: 143 pages
Rating: 4

Heroines of Classical Greece series:
Medusa
Ariadne: A Tale of the Minotaur

Three thousand years before The Hunger Games, a conquered nation was forced to send their finest youths to fight and die, facing an invulnerable creature they had no chance of defeating.

ARIADNE: A Tale of the Minotaur--one of Hines' Heroines of Classical Greece series--is a contemporary retelling of the classic tale of Theseus and the Minotaur, a story with more twists and turns than even the Labyrinth holds.

Prophesied in lost Atlantis, the Grand Conjunction is rapidly approaching, the day when a unique astrological alignment makes all things possible. But more is at stake than the fate of young Theseus, prince of Athens, and his fellow Athenian tributes. This single day will decide the destiny of nations, a vanished people's resurrection--and give birth to a god.

It is also the story of Daedalus and Icarus, of an immortal yearning for love, and the greatest and basest that humanity offers. A power will soon be released that will destroy the world unless it is tamed by the newborn god who is born of a man and monster. But who is the man, and who is the monster?

The secret lies not only in the Labyrinth, but IS the Labyrinth.

And the only person who can save two worlds and tame the monster is the weakest and meekest of all: Ariadne, the beautiful daughter of Minos, king of Crete.

My two-bits:

Great way to get into Greek mythology.

I was not too familiar with the Ariadne story other than her part with helping Theseus in the Labyrinth. This story gave some good background and character development of Ariadne who is a heroine, indeed.

I also liked learning about the Minotaur and watching his character and person evolve throughout the story. Fascinating.

And, this story's perspective of Theseus makes a more well-rounded version - one who is not as golden as portrayed in other retellings.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of publisher

* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge

Medusa by S.D. Hines

Medusa
by S.D. Hines

Visit S.D.:
Amazon
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads

Published: 2013
Publisher: Story Merchant Books
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, YA
ebook: 252 pages
Rating: 4

Heroines of Classical Greece series:
Medusa
Ariadne: A Tale of the Minotaur

In one of the most compelling tales from classical Greece since Mary Renault's Bull from the Sea and Fire from Heaven, author Scot Hines retells the legend of Medusa in a way that makes her feel like a contemporary millennial girl with very special problems.

Despite a semi-miraculous birth in the temple of Athena, Medusa is nothing more than a devoted priestess of the goddess, distinguished only by her beauty and piety. But after she is raped by the god Poseidon, her entire world is ripped asunder and she flees Poseidon's wrath through ancient Greece and beyond for the inconceivable crime of resistance.

In her wanderings, she encounters dangers and horrors, but also friends in unexpected places. Pursued by Poseidon's fury and his assassins, she is finally cornered in Egypt with only two choices: fight back or be destroyed with all she loves. But her only hope lies with the father of her children, the great love of her life and the man who is prophesized to kill her: Perseus.

As one in Hines' Heroines of Classical Greece series, MEDUSA will leave you longing for more--and you'll want to move immediately to ARIADNE A TALE OF THE MINOTAUR.

It’s intelligent YA with an emphasis on “A.” You'll want to recommend it to your friends--and especially to your daughters.

A committed bibliophile and neurologist Hines lives in Alaska and helps provide health care to some of the most incredible people in the world, the Alaska Natives. When not working, he is planning some wild adventure to the arctic, Patagonia, or the Himalayas. But more than anything, he loves blending tales of history, mythology, and science, and sees nothing incompatible in the mixture.

My two-bits:

I grew up with the stereotype of Medusa from the movie Clash of the Titans (1986). So, thought she was just an ugly monster with killer looks.

This book brought a better perspective of this mythical creature (so complex) and historical background that puts Medusa in a better light (in my eyes).

The relationship development between Medusa and Perseus was also interesting to read about especially knowing how it would end between them.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

* part of Bookish Bingo challenge