This retelling of the Psyche and Eros myth is engaging. Psyche is a young girl who wants to be a hero and tries to make the prophesy that she would be come true. Love in the form of Eros derails her ambitions as she falls in love. The problem, unbeknownst to her, is she cannot see the face of her love or he will be stolen from her. Going back on her word to Eros has devastating consequences. Will she be able to overcome the consequences of her decision and also become the hero she was meant to be?

When she was born, a prophecy claimed that Psyche, the princess of Mycenae, would conquer a monster that even the gods feared. Due to this, Psyche was raised to fight from a very young age and honed into a fearsome warrior by none other than Atalanta herself. But when Psyche unintentionally offends Aphrodite, her skills with a bow and blade can't help her.

The goddess of love enlists the help of Eros, the god of desire, to bestow a curse on Psyche. Eros has no time for petty squabbles with mortals but can't refuse. But things take a dire turn when Eros accidentally pricks himself with the cursed arrow intended for Psyche. Not even the gods are above curses, and Eros is doomed to yearn after Psyche, who will be ripped away from him the moment their eyes meet. Eros and Psyche soon wed, and neither can help the feelings that start to grow. But when Psyche accidentally sees her husband's face, it sets off a chain of events that will change both of their lives.

The story of Psyche and Eros has always been one of my favorite myths, so I've been looking forward to this for a while. While it kept most of the bones of the original myth, you could tell McNamara took a lot of liberties. I was wary at first, but I think it worked in McNamara's favor. The writing was vivid and lush, and the world and the characters were well-developed. The dual POVs worked well because they let you see both Eros's and Psyche's growth and how their views on what's truly important in life changed. However, I did find Eros's chapters slightly more interesting. It did bum me out how McNamara brought in the Trojan War and characters like Achilles and Clytemnestra because there have been so many retellings focused on those stories already that it took away from this one. It felt unnecessary. Most Greek myths end in tragedy, but this one is hopeful despite all the challenges, and overall, I enjoyed it.

This book was incredibly well written. I would be giving a higher amount of stars, but I think the book ended hastily and without much sense.

I literally gave up halfway. I can’t even fairly review this because I lost interest so early that I couldn’t finish the book. I thought for a story about the diety of love and sex it would be more passionate but it was dull and disappointing.

As a lover of Greek mythology, this book grabbed my attention. I have not heard of either of the main characters so I was drawn to learning about them. Their story was, in my opinion, very moving. Psyche was given a prophecy from birth but grew into her own woman. Eros a god who withdrew himself from the world discovered the beauty in the mortal world. Their story also shows how with love anything can be done. Loved how the other gods and goddesses were intertwined into their story but in a new light. Recommend this book for lovers of Greek mythology and anyone who wants to learn more about greek mythology.

I have mixed feeling about this book. I liked the characters and their relationship, but I felt like there was never any growth or depth on the relationship. Things seemed to happen very quickly and didn’t cause any big emotions while reading. It read very much like the Odyssey or other Greek mythology works, so maybe it is fitting for the genre and I don’t know enough about it!

A wonderful modern retelling of a classic story
This one went quickly for me. I read it in only a few days.
Love the cover <3

I had hoped that I would really enjoy this book, but unfortunately I ended up DNF’ing. There was a lot of background at the beginning, which is necessary, but I didn’t really enjoy it. It was a huge information dump. The story was just also very slow moving for me so I decided to quit while I was ahead. I did skim through the rest of the book and it seems to pick up in pace. Going forward I’d recommend this to Greek mythology lovers since I believe that is the audience and it definitely caters to that.

The myth of Psyche and Eros has been one of my favorites for a long time. So when this book came across my feed, I knew that I was going to read it.

Psyche became one of my favorite heroes after this retelling and my heart was warmed by the love that is shared between Psyche and Eros (cupid).

Plus, this retelling had so much drama that I couldn't put it down. Out of all the greek myth retellings I have read in the past year, this one was VERY well done.

Lyrical and sweet, exactly the kind of story I hoped it would be, and one I'd read again. Comparisons to Song of Achilles are definitely apt, and I'm off to preorder a physical copy immediately. Love love love!

This was an entertaining retelling of Psyche and Eros. I think the author did a good job making the characters her own, but I did feel like she changed the original myth a little too much to the point that Psyche felt like a completely different heroine. At times the dialogue leaned a little more into YA which took me out of the story a little since I was expecting more adult characters. Overall I think it was a good story, just be prepared going into it that this is a very different tale than what we're used to from the original myth.

Psyche and Eros is a retelling of the Greek myth of the same lovers. The author provides a note at the end of the novel which gives more insight and explanation for the myth, legends, and other retellings.

In Luna McNamara’s version, Psyche is the princess of Mycenae and granddaughter of the hero, Perseus. Upon her birth, the king went to the Oracle who prophesied that Psyche would conquer a monster feared by the gods. The king circumvents societal expectations of women to have Psyche properly trained as a warrior.

Years later, Psyche has angered goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite enlists her “adopted” son, Eros, to deliver a curse on the girl. Eros is one of the last elder gods from before the birth of the Olympians. He has become disgruntled with his purpose as well as many of the other immortals. When he is forced to deliver the curse, he accidentally strikes himself with the arrow.

The main thing I loved about this novel was how the description pulled me in and kept me riveted. The story was beautifully well written to the point that I understood Eros and his disdain for the other gods, as well as his weariness of his own power.

Although it is a retelling, I enjoyed the liberties that the author took. Specifically, making Psyche a warrior instead of just a princess. While I would have related with annoying siblings who get Psyche into trouble, I actually enjoyed the only child Psyche who loved her mentor and cousin like true siblings. It made it easier to understand how she could so quickly fall in love with Eros despite their rocky start.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Psyche and Eros was one of my fave greek myths growing up. So finding this gave me a bit of a thrill. It's a beautiful retelling, and I'm pretty sure fans of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint will enjoy this!

I wasn’t familiar with the mythology behind Psyche and Eros’ story before this book but this is a stunning rendition. There are a ton of myth retellings out there so it can be tough to sort through the mediocre ones. This book is a diamond in the rough. So adventurous, so many great cameos from other gods, and characters you genuinely want to spend time with. An unexpected 5 stars!

Eros, primordial god of desire, messes up a task handed down to him from his demanding adopted mother, Aphrodite. Instead of cursing the mortal woman he was aiming for, Eros ends up cursing himself and he falls irrevocably in love with Psyche, a fierce Mycenaean princess. The bounds of the curse are such that if the two would-be lovers ever come face to face, they will be forever separated. Eros's tricky friend comes up with an absolutely inane plan that somehow works, and the two live in pitch-black bliss for a time. They are doomed to enact the curse though, and each will have to overcome the odds, defeating a monster feared even by the gods, in order to return to one another.

I loved this slightly twisted retelling of the myth of Psyche and Eros! I think the addition of Psyche's childhood and background stories make this novel special, lending it a more emotional quality than the myths usually have alone. Eros is also humanized a good bit, struggling with his eternity and the powers he has unleashed upon humanity.

As Luna McNamara details in her author's note, "eagle eyed" mythology connoisseurs will notice a few deviations from the traditional story, but the majority is the same and I think some of the tweaks (the inclusion of Medusa and Atalanta, specifically) really enhance the feminist perspective of the narrative. The pace is excellent and the detail is vivid; I finished this book in two sittings because it was so engrossing!

Thank you to Luna McNamara, William Morrow, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Psyche and Eros.

Let me get right into it. This book is a lot of world building, a lot of Psyche's point of view, a bit of Eros point of view, and really lackluster on them being together. Also remember this book is a retelling, not all the characters line up to Greek mythology.

This story is not for someone who wants non-stop character togetherness. These characters are brought together by a curse and then separated. The characters are immature in my eyes because they are not forthcoming to one another and there is a slight disconnect.

I go give this a 4.5 because the author did a fantastic job with her story telling. The author did a great job portraying that sometimes all relationships need is more communication and openness.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book.

This was a fun take on an old story! Not my favorite version, but still very enjoyable. Thank you for the early copy!

If you're looking for a stunning, feminist reimagining of the tale of Psyche and Eros, look no further. While the bones of the story we've all read and loved remain, the way it's been written through the eyes of the women and girls who lived through ancient Greece completely transforms it into something tragically beautiful.

I find it difficult to write a review on a book such as this one because half of the contents are things readers will already know, such as Eros striking himself with one of his arrows and immediately falling in love with Psyche. Or the way she was never allowed to lay eyes on him lest something terrible happen. The other half, the reimagining, would be spoilers, so what is a girl to do?

I'll just tell you that if you like stories with bittersweet, emotional endings (and beginnings and middles), flawed characters, and immense commentary on the silent suffering of women at the hands of "heroic" men, this is an incredible read.

I rate Psyche and Eros five out of five stars.

Readers will cry, laugh, and cry again, and fall in love with this against all odds story of romance, secrets, and forgiveness.

I loved this book! I've been interested in Greek mythology retellings and this was one of the most interesting to me, possibly because I'm less familiar with the tale of Psyche and Eros than others who have reviewed this book. I enjoyed the dual narrators, and the ways in which the author portrayed Psyche especially, as a woman who was unafraid to seek her own life. I would recommend this book to any fans of fiction!

I really enjoyed this one! What a fun, fresh take on greek mythology. I don't know and really don't follow Greek mythology, but I enjoyed the storyline.