Audiobook Review – Circe by Madeline Miller, Narrated by Perdita Weeks (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 12 hours and 8 minutes
Publisher:‎ Hachette Audio
Release Date: April 10, 2018
ASIN: B07944YFPW
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook from Audible
Rating: 4/5 stars

“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 thrilling 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.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I bought this on audiobook through Audible.

Thoughts: This was beautifully written. I always enjoy mythology retellings. It was interesting to see Circe as a flawed character who made many poor decisions throughout her life. The story does get a bit long and repetitive as the book continues, but overall it was enjoyable.

This story follows Circe from her a beginning as a dryad and daughter of the sun god, Helios, to her seclusion to a deserted island by Zeus where she gains a reputation as a fearsome and powerful witch.

Although and I enjoyed the mythology and beautiful writing style, I thought this was weak in a number of areas as well. The story is long for what it is, and there are vast portions of the book where nothing really happens. Circe herself is somewhat boring. She spends literally centuries taking what the gods dealt out and then suddenly decides to do something about it centuries after the initial act? Why, what was the change? Is she really that dense that it took her centuries to figure out she could do something?

I think we are supposed to be sympathetic to Circe, but she is just as selfish as those around her. Are we supposed to be engaged with the fact that she is maybe less evil than the other gods? Or that she feels bad about her actions and that makes a difference?

I did like seeing all of these Greek deities from Circe’s viewpoint. I enjoyed the beginning of this book much more than the middle/end. Things just get too boring and drawn out as the book progresses.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was absolutely beautiful and very pleasant to listent to. There are a couple times where the narrator mixes up voices, but there is a huge cast of characters here so that wasn’t a huge deal. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was beautifully written and I enjoyed the unique mythology retelling. The story did start to feel very drawn out, and I was frustrated by Circe’s naivete and inaction for vast portions of time. I thought this was better than Song of Achilles, but it is also a lot of the same. Beautifully written but a bit over-hyped in my opinion. If you are a huge fan of mythology or Circe in particular, this is a good retelling and I would recommend it. Just prepared for it to be slow at parts.