Note that I came into this book without much knowledge in Greek/Roman mythology.

I found this book to be quite enjoyable. From the prophecy around Psyche, to her training with Atalanta, to her meeting Eros (and beyond), the book wove quite a compelling and engaging tale, and the narration was done well.

Psyche was set on living out the prophecy and despite the misgivings of other adults, her parents fostered her training. However, throughout her journey, she did make some egregious errors in judgment. I really enjoyed Eros’s POV, given his lifespan and his take on being a god, as well as hearing about the competitiveness and tiffs between gods.

Overall, a great Greek mythology retelling!

Special thanks to the NetGalley and Harper Audio for this ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

I've spent a couple of days trying to figure out how I wanted to rate this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc of this one. The narration was very well done for me, and I would recommend listening to it.
This particular rendition of the Psyche and Eros tale has many liberties taken with it. Though I like some of the changes, others change who the character is at their core.
The depiction of Eros, and the relationship he had with Aphrodite was well done for me. Changing Psyche however wasn't my favorite choice. Yes, I love that she is strong in this story. I felt like it partially took away some of the feminine nature of her character. I loved that the Psyche of legend was such a feminine staple.
The way the rest of the story went was entertaining for sure. But I think I would have preferred the story without such historic characters.

This is an intriguing version of the Psyche and Eros myth. I appreciated this take on Eros as a god who is older than the Olympians and is completely over them and their power plays. The parts about Iphigenia and the Trojan War brought a lot of depth to Psyche’s story and personal growth, even if those scenes did break my heart a little.

The audiobook is narrated by Rachel Petladwala and Joshua Riley. I enjoyed both their performances. They did a great job bringing the story to life.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Harpercollin's for providing both an eARC and advance audio book in exchange for an honest review.

You haven't read a Psyche and Eros' myth like this.

Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara is a fantasy retelling of the Greek myth, Psyche and Eros. Psyche is a princess, destined to slay a monster that is feared by the gods. But when she angers the love goddess, Aphrodite, Eros is sent to bestow a cruel curse on her. But Eros wants nothing to do with inflicting more chaos onto humanity, so he pricks himself with the arrow instead, forever yearning for the woman who will be doomed when their eyes meet. Thrown together by fate, Psyche and Eros must fight together to change the tide of the Trojan War, and not loose their hearts in the process.

I LOVE the Psyche and Eros myth, and am super happy to see it getting the same treatment as A Song and Achilles and Circe. This book is absolutely wonderful, and I will continually find myself reading it, over and over again. Which is an honor very few books get bestowed upon.

*rounded up from 3.5 stars*

This took me a bit to get into, and as I love mythology retellings (especially Greek mythology), that is saying something. It was a slow start, but it did end up picking up the pace. I wasn’t super familiar with Psyche and Eros’ tale, knowing just the basics. It did end up being a good story, and I couldn’t put it down in the second half. It just took a while to hook me. This was told in a dual POV and the narrators did a fantastic job. Overall, a good listen.

Psyche always thought she was going to be a hero, and for good reason: it was prophesied. But it didn’t give much detail. She trained to slay monsters, and was ready for action. But when she is swept off her feet and taken to a magical house, and can only see her new husband at night, in the pitch dark, she starts to wonder if the monster is closer to home.

I really enjoyed this story. I have seen some of the reviews that complain about how different this story is from the actual myth. Since I have heard the original , I don't need to hear it again, I like it when I can find an author that can tell a story I have heard before and change it up, make me excited to listen/read it again. I thought the author did a great job giving us an exciting story that is very enjoyable. I listened to this on audio and liked the narrator. This was one of the most enjoyable stories I have listened to in a while. If you enjoy stories about Greek mythology and you like retellings that put a small spin on the original, I think you will definitely want to give this one a try.

"Psyche and Eros" retells the love story of the mortal Psyche and the god Eros. McNamara created a great plot for this story; it was easy to follow and packed with ancient Greek characters. The characters were also really interesting and nuanced. Psyche was hard for me to connect to and like for me, but I still liked reading about her and found her interesting. Ironically, the gods are the most human in here; McNamara explores their jealousies and loves throughout the book. I enjoyed this read, and I'll definitely check out more work from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 25%. I just could not get into this book. I was sadden about it, but I think it just wasn't my taste. The narrator for the audio book was positive as their voice was not monotone and added to the story.

I went into this only knowing the very basics of the myth so with that, I loved this book. The story is timeless but the characters are so well written. I truly hope Luna McNamara decides to write more even if it isn't more wonderful retellings.
The choice of two narrators will always be superior. Each was amazing and made the experience all that much better.

Psyche and Eros is a literary, historical romance set in Greece during the Trojan War. Psyche is a warror princess who trained with the likes of Atalanta after her father learned of her destiny to "slay a monster even the gods fear." Eros is the God of Desire who is indifferent to love, even avoids it, as he only sees it as causing pain and suffering to both gods and mortals alike. When Eros is sent to shoot one of his arrows at Psyche, he accidentally pricks himself instead, causing him to fall in love with her. Psyche is eventually kidnapped and brought to his home under the guise of marriage, though she cannot see his face in the light, as that would "cause a curse to befall her." The question then is, can Psyche fall in love with a man she cannot see, who kidnapped her and will not let her return home?

I really wanted to like this, but I felt as though it was marketed heavier to the romance market due to the current mainstream popularity of romances, while also trying to catch the Madeline Miller fans, as several authors are attempting to, currently. This novel fell short of being as moving and lyrical as Circe, while also missing much of the romance I was hoping to feel upon reading this. What I think is one of the main issues of this novel is that Luna McNamara changes much of the characters, history, and myth itself to fit her narrative. There are much better reviewers who explain this in detail than I possibly could, but the main point I am trying to make is that Circe is praised for its characterization, prose, and female empowerment, but Circe sticks close to the myth she is originally known for. McNamara changed Psyche's entire personality to fit that as what she sees a feminist to be, as a woman who falls into traditional gender norms could not possibly be a feminist...or so we are made to feel through the descriptions of Psyche's time in the women's quarters during Helen's marriage. Psyche is changed to be that as someone who has trained with a bow, knows how to survive in the wild, fight monsters, trained with the hero Atalanta, and she never cries, not like the original depictions of Psyche who cried at every challenge stirring the hearts of those who could help her.

Historical details are also altered in ways that feel nonsensical, but perhaps I am not educated enough in greek history to understand why these changes were made. Gone are Psyche's sisters, and even familial relationships are changed.

The romance is also...not very romantic. While obviously Eros would literally have insta-love, Psyche seems to develop feelings for this stranger rather quickly, all through conversations that are mentioned and the reader is not privy to. The narrative would have been much stronger had the relationship had more time to bloom and not have pages wasted on the Trojan War, a subplot that does very little to strenghthen the story.

The narrators were pleasant to listen to and did a great job with pronouncing the Greek words and names, no complaints there.

As for who I would recommend this book to, I would say that Madeline Miller fans would probably enjoy it, as would Maggie O'Farrell fans, but romance fans in general would be best to stay away, as the best part of romance (the journey) is entirely glossed over.

Many thanks to Harper Audio and Netgalley for providing an advanced reader's copy of the audiobook for an honest review.

There’s a lot of artistic liberty taken with the story, but I can’t say I hated it. It’s Psyche and Eros meets Hercules with all the trials and tribulations.

A beautiful love story with a strong and strong-willed woman who learns what it means to really be a hero.

I personally, don't care for a change in narrator even if there's a change in POV. They never do the voices the same.

I'm an absolute sucker for retellings, and I was not disappointed by this one! I loved the way Eros was depicted. It was different but really grew on me, and Psyche was such a strong character I couldn't help but love her. It's Greek mythology, so there was definitely some tragedy, but I also loved all the little connections I saw. So many of the characters referenced in this book now have their own retellings (Atalanta, Elektra and Achilles to name a few). The depiction of Persephone being the queen of the underworld that everyone fear while Hades is just kind of there was so funny (and accurate tbh) to me, and I loved that too. I would absolutely recommend this book!

A beautiful re-telling of the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros. Full of magic, mystery and heroics, this story did not disappoint. Eros was tasked with cursing Psyche on Aphrodite's order. Instead, he ends up cursing himself and falls irrevocably in love w/ Psyche. Unfortunately, if they look into each others' eyes they will be torn from each other. Of course this happens and then we get to see how far these lovers will go to get back to one another. And we also get to find out if it's really love or the curse of Cupid's arrow. I especially loved how quite a few Greek tales were woven into the fabric of this story. It's also lovely to have 2 voice actors reading for Psyche and Eros.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for this Audio e-arc.*

QOTD: Do you have a favorite Greek retelling rec?!

I was surprised to find how much I love Greek mythology retellings a couple years back because it was never a topic that interested me much before. Because of that, I went into this Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara with high hopes. All in all it was a solid read!

I don’t know a lot about the story of Psyche and Eros so I can’t speak to how accurate the portrayal was, but I did enjoy reading the version we’re given by McNamara! I unfortunately did feel like their story took forever to get off the ground because the author wanted to prove she did her research beforehand and introduce us to SO many characters that hardly mattered to the couple’s story. It just removed me from the story I was there for!

I loved Psyche and how badass she was but didn’t really feel like the romance was developed enough in the early stages to have me overly invested or rooting for her and Eros. I would have loved more of her just being a warrior though because I felt like those parts are where the book truly shined!

Overall I enjoyed this audiobook and the narrators did a phenomenal job (I looooove a romance with dual narration)! Just left me wanting a little less noise surrounding the love story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was really disappointed by this book. I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology, and this story took a lot of liberties in the retelling of Psyche’s story. Overall, I was not a fan and found it incredibly hard to keep interest.

Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. I think I’ve now realized that Greek retellings are not my bag. The prose was absolutely beautiful, and the author knows how to write a story. It was definitely me, not the book. If you like retellings, like Song of Achilles, or Circe, you’ll likely really enjoy this book. Definitely give it a try.

Thank you to Harper Audio for the ARC audiobook via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this reimagining of the story of Psyche and Eros - a fresh take on their story. McNamara did a great job including so many familiar names from Greek mythology within this retelling, both gods and mortals. I loved watching the relationship between Psyche and Eros blossom. The dual POV between both characters created a wonderful depth and the narrators did a fantastic job with both characters. The alternating POVs between both characters kept the pacing of the story more engaging.

With Greek retellings, I know that authors may take liberties with the source material and this one is no exception. So if you are looking for a story that stays 100% true to the source material, you may find yourself disappointed. There were some choices McNamara made that weren't really explained or justified as to why she chose these changes. She made Psyche the niece of Aganemnon and cousin of Iphigenia. She made her an only child instead of having sisters and Iphigenia was more of a stand-in sister for Psyche. McNamara also chose to make Penelope the sister of Helen and Clytemnestra rather than a cousin. As these changes don't affect the heart of the story, I'm not sure why they were made in the first place.

Personally, I don't mind the changes. I did enjoy the modernization of the classic Greek myth, making Psyche an aspiring warrior and hero. I enjoyed the conflict within the story regarding Psyche's unconventional upbringing and the opinions of others around her along with her emotional conflict with her duty as a princess to marry and provide male heirs versus her desire to become a hero. Something reminiscent of the pressure many women feel to have children in today's society.

As someone who didn’t know too much about Psyche and Eros, I really enjoyed this book. I wish it had some more time to develop the romance and give us cozy times instead of straight out telling us the Greek Myth, so I can see people who are familiar with the story not being too drawn by this book, but since I didn’t I still really enjoyed it and loved the dual POV.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

This is much more a reimagining than a retelling, and if you're familiar with Psyche and Eros, don't expect this to reflect the mythology that you know. McNamara plays fast and loose with mythology even changing well known family trees (which didn't feel like needed changes for the overall plot so I'm not entirely sure what the purpose was). There's a moment in the plot where the narration mentions how one piece of Psyche and Eros' love story would be shared for generations which is an acknowledgement of the known version of their story. To me, that makes all the changes McNamara made all the more frustrating.

While I enjoy badass warrior women, not every feminist story needs to feature a woman that can fight, there is power in quiet femininity too. I really liked the Eros chapters but I didn't like this version of Psyche.

Overall, we're flooded with Greek mythology retellings right now, some of them are done really well, but for me, this one is a miss.

Rachel Petladwala and Joshua Riley do a good job with the audiobook narration.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. I thought this was going to be a sexy retelling of the myth. Instead, it was a complete overhaul of who Psyche (traditionally) was and she's replaced as a "bad-ass warrior girl". I only made it 25% into the story - the two characters had not met. I was also listening to this and the narrator reading Eros portions voice was so incredibly grating. Like I get he's portraying an arrogant cocky god, but ew.

This would be a great title for someone who's reading the Greek retellings like Circe + Song of Achilles. In the end, it was the narrator's voice, Psyche's persona + the enumerable additions of other Greek myths that I couldn't finish.