Review: Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

Greek Mythology inspired books have always been popular and lately they don't seem to leave the bestsellers list. Adult fiction books like Circe and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, kids books like The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, Romance series like The Dark Olympus by Katee Robert, are all very popular. And really, I am not surprised. I am myself a huge fan of Greek Mythology inspired stories. Are you?

If so, there is a new one just out that has captivated me. Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara is everything you could hope for in Greek Mythology inspired books and more. It has gods, magic, adventure, tragedy, and love. 

A prophecy claims that Psyche, a human princess, will one day defeat a monster feared even by the gods. Because of the prophecy, Psyche's father goes against what is expected of women at that time and allows her to be trained to fight and hunt, mastering blade and bow, like any boy would. 

But Psyche, unintentionally and unknowingly angers the love goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite sends Eros, her adopted son and the god of desire, to pierce Psyche with a cursed arrow. Eros, accidentally pricks himself. He finds himself wanting someone he can never have. The curse is that they will be torned apart the moment their eyes meet. Eros never tells Aphrodite his arrow didn't fly true and has to be very careful to not be anywhere near Psyche and ignite the curse. Angering a major god like Aphrodite is not something even he, a god himself, should do. 

Psyche and Eros' story takes place parallel to the Trojan War and the book mentions the Titanomachy (the war between gods and titans). But if you don't know what those are, not to worry, and maybe that is even for the best. The author takes many liberties when mentioning the other gods and their many arguments and wars, and so, like most reimagined stories, it does not always stick to the classics. The reader gets a glimpse of many of the other gods in mythology without the focus on the main characters being lost. If anything, the side characters added a lot of fun and adventure to the story. For example, one of my favorite bits was Psyche's journey to the underworld and 'bumping' into a family member, another god you will immediately recognize, and the fun spin the author took on that character's story kept the book refreshing and entertaining.

The hardest thing to believe is that this was Luna McNamara's debut book. I need more, and so will you!