More of a long fairy tale than a simple retelling. The author has taken a Roman version of the myth and added a very large dollop of her own storytelling, bringing in elements from other folklore, such as the three-object quest and turning the goddess Hekate into another Baba Yaga, down to her hut on chicken legs. Fascinating and highly recommended. ( )

I really appreciated the Author's Note which calls mythology "organic, evolving structures constantly being adapted to new circumstances and cultures". It's true and and insightful.

The genre of alternative mythology stories is so broad now, it is those evolving structures that can make it difficult to embrace every story that is told. Forgive the comparison (as I'm not a fan of it anyway), but it can in a way start to feel like the equivalent of Harry Potter fanfic. We can read the original mythology, but other author's can rewrite it to their heart's content. And not every retelling is as successful as the last.

That's not to say that Psyche and Eros isn't a well told tale. McNamara does a great job of embodying both of these characters and drawing you into their story. But yet I felt an emptiness at the center of it as well, as if there was a crucial part of their relationship that was left completely unexplored.

If I'm being honest, the Clytemnestra slander really was the biggest strike for me. But to each author their own experience! ( )

In the ancient world, the mythology of Eros and Psyche has been one of the most enduring and spun myths. Its story has been changed throughout the centuries, added on, embellished, retold, and interpreted differently by many. The original myth comes steep in Greek Mythology. A beautiful young woman named, Psyche, was admired and adored by many, but never married. Most of the males who came across her preferred to admire and adore her from afar, but never offered for her hand in marriage.

Many saw Psyche as a goddess and began worshipping her instead of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, and in doing so, angered the goddess that she made her son, Eros, take his arrows to strike Psyche into falling in love with the ugliest males. Eros went to do his mother's bidding but only ended up falling in love with her instead that he whisked her away to be his wife.

Eros and Psyche’s marriage was kept secret, and Psyche became overwhelmed by curiosity about her mysterious husband. Even her jealous sisters, seeing how well their sister was living, planted the seed in her head that he must be ugly. This would be seed enough to cause Psyche to use a light to see his face and in doing so, he would vanish from their home in order to punish her.

Psyche would plead with Aphrodite to be given the chance to see her husband again, but Aphrodite, already angered by the fact the mortal woman she had sought to punish, now stood before her pleading for help. She would be given three tasks, each one to be most difficult than the other. She would be helped by the Gods with each task and be finally reunited with her husband.

In this version of the tale, Eros is not the son of Aphrodite but rather one of the primordial gods that had been birth during the early stages of life. His arrows would cause trouble, not only with the mortal realm but also with the new Gods that would ascend to the thrones after the fall of the Titans. While he watched his gifts cause trouble, Eros would decide that he would withhold them. That is until the birth of Aphrodite, who would in turn, adopt him as her "son" and force him to do her bidding.

Psyche, on the other hand, is the daughter of a King and Queen whose bloodline goes back to one of the most heroic men in mythology, Perseus. She wanted to live up to that expectation and to the prophecy that believes she would conquer the monster. Taught by Atalanta, Psyche seeks to carve her name as her ancestor did, but when she meets Medusa, she begins to question everything about her life.

But when Psyche angers Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love sends her adopted son, Eros sends a cursed arrow to be buried into Psyche's heart, but Eros ends up pricking his finger and becomes enamored with her. Taking her with him to his home as his wife, Eros, and Psyche settle into a secret married life. To be able to spend time with her and avoid the curse of being awakened, but one night Psyche's curiosity, fed from her conversations with Zephyrus and Prometheus, gets the best of her and she brings a torch into their room to find see her husband's face. Believing the curse has been awakened, Eros flees from home leaving his wife alone.

Through the story of Psyche's journey to find and unite with Eros, McNamara explores the themes of self-discovery, transformation, and the integration of our inner selves. She argues that by embracing our own Eros and Psyche energies and finding a balance between them, we can achieve a greater sense of wholeness and fulfillment in our lives.

Final Thought:

This unique perspective on the myth of Psyche and Eros offers readers a new way to understand and work with their own desires and passions. It challenges us to examine our own relationship with intimacy, love, and meaning, and to consider how we can integrate these aspects of our lives to live more authentically and fully. ( )

Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara
Reimagined mythology.
The god of love falls in love with a mortal, but under a curse, if she ever sees him in his true form, they will forever be parted.
It’s part love story, part tragedy in a retelling of the current fantasy type of storytelling.

Cruelty, betrayal, love, sacrifice, trickery, war, multiple names/identities.
All the standard fair of the mythology expectations.
Yes, I listened and enjoyed the love story and cried at their separation but was the lie worth the impact? Mythology isn’t a favorite of mine.
Following their stories, it’s too much tragedy and trickery for me. ( )