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.
The Review
It's kind of rare to find a book with such epic, sweeping proportions as Circe done well. I've found attention to detail tends to get lost in most books that have such a large scale as this one. But Miller didn't fail in her descriptions of anything. In my opinion, this is the right way to right an epic. It is filled with lush flora and fauna, the people are never just a single shade of emotion, but a mix that fluxes and flows like the tide. I truly felt that I lived for centuries through Circe, a woman who has been kicked again and again by everyone in her life, even strangers who come in the most minimal of contact.
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I related with this woman, a slow learner who trusts people too readily even when she knows she shouldn't. She is powerless for so long that I think when she has control, she doesn't know what to do with it. Well, for a while anyway. She is a reckoning when she comes into it. I loved watching her grow from a kicked puppy to a veritable force of nature who shapes her own destiny and protects her own like a wounded bear. Much like the hawk she is named for, she watches and waits. I found myself crying and raging with her, laughing and triumphing.
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My favorite aspect is naturally the feminism and damning the patriarchy that confined her--a gilded cage is still a cage--but the monsters are a nice treat too.
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This is one of the easiest five stars I've ever given. The language is pure poetry, the progression natural. Rich in myth and lore, magic and gods vs. mortals, I loved every minute of it.
