Year Pub/Re Pub: 6/13/23
Book's cover: very symbolic with arrows, flowers, and a butterfly
Format: e-arc
Source: Thanks for the ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. I voluntarily give an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Page Count: 352
Setting: Greece
Genre: Sci-Fi, historical romance
Tropes: Greek mythology re-imagining, LGBTQ rep., forced proximity, magic
Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone
HEA/HFN ending: HEA
Epilogue Included: yes, their little family
Character(s)POV Spoken: H/h alternating POVs

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Psyche is born with a prophecy from the Fates that she will conquer monsters feared by the gods. Her father makes sure she is prepared by receiving a "boy's education," and being trained as a warrior. Eros's love arrows don't have quite the right HEA for his victims.Eros accidently cuts himself on a cursed arrow. Will the prophecy come true and can Eros break the curse?
M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc.: M/F
Representation: LGBTQ, femme fatales
Contains Cheating: no for H/h, but many other gods do
Contains Children: yes, story begins w/ newborn Psyche and moments of her childhood
Flashbacks: yes, stories about the gods. Psyche's strong personality from childhood. Taught to be a warrior by Atalanta.
Amount of Sex In The Book: enough, h was a virgin their 1st time
Overall Smex Rating: 3

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
Hero: Eros/Cupid
Hero Description: God of desire who shoots with a bow and arrows to make gods and mortals fall in love, but it always ends badly.
Hero Likability Rating: 3

Heroine: Psyche
Heroine Description: Princess of Mychanae. Trained and educated like a male. Prophecy states she will conquer monsters feared by the gods.
Heroine Likability Rating: 5

Secondary characters:
Zephyrus- god of the west winds, Eros's friend
Aphrodite- goddess of love, Eros's adopted mother- evil, insecure
Alkaios and Astydamia-Psyche's parents
Zeus the Thunderer- king of gods
Atalanta- human huntress who trains Psyche
Iphigenia-Psyche's cousin. Mother and father are Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, was a priestess of Artemis but parents forced her to leave and marry Achilles.

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO
OW/OM/Exes: no
Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no

CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS: mentions rape, murder, physical abuse (not to H/ h)

AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Luna McNamara
New or read before & any favorites: new

PERSONAL OVERVIEW
Overall Rating: 4
Do You Recommend This Book: yes
Will You Re-read This Book: yes
Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: If you liked The Song of Achilles you will enjoy this. There are even a few scenes with Achilles and Patroclus.

New Vocabulary/beautiful words:
loam-fertile soil of clay, Prometheus shaped first humans from clay.
chiton-long woolen tunic worn in ancient Greece
palanquin - cover used to carry someone used in ancient Greece
apotheosis-the elevation of someone to divine status; deification

With all of the Greek and Roman myth retellings, this one stands out to me as one of the better written ones. While the author admits taking some creative liberties, the story of Psyche and Eros is told in beautiful language that captures the wonder and heartbreak the gods can cause.

Here's the deal. I LOVE a good feminist mythology retelling, but this one was not a good one. There's a complete disregard for the traditional outline of Greek mythology. For example, if Psyhce is the granddaughter of Perseus and Andromeda, then she could not possibly be present at Helen's wedding to Menelaus. It's pretty well established that there were 3 generations of the Perseid dynasty before the line of Atreus, of which Agamemnon and Menelaus were the 2nd generation, so IF Psyche is the granddaughter of Perseus and Andromeda, she could not possibly also be the niece of Agamemnon and Menelaus. That's just one of the MANY plot holes that are basic Greek Mythology 101 type problems. I just prefer when my retellings follow the actual myths and retell them while staying fairly loyal to the source material. This one was not for me.

I loved everything about this book from the cover to the plot. I could have read 3000 more words and been happy. I loved these characters

A retelling of the tale of Psyche and Eros from Ancient Greek legends. The writing is fluid, descriptive, and lyrical, leading you along as the story of Psyche, a young woman loved by a cursed God, and Eros, God of Desire, accidentally cursed to love a mortal woman, unfolds.

Though the writing was well-done, at times I felt there was a spark missing from the tale. Instead of a passionate love story, this reads as a history of a story long ago, and you can feel the nostalgia in Psyche and Eros’ recounting of their tale. While that nostalgia evokes a sentimental chord in my heart, the passion missing in the telling of the tale, from the characters’ perspectives, and the implied depth of love between Psyche and Eros which had them fight the Gods to remain together, fell a bit flat.

A quick, light read that would appeal to those interested in descriptive retellings of ancient myths and legends.

A new take on the classic myth of Psyche and Eros, and what a fantastic one it is! The story follows Psyche, the princess of Mycenae who was prophesied to conquer a monster feared by the gods. She was raised as a warrior, trained to fight and kill monsters, something completely at odds with the society she is raised in. She wants nothing more than to become a hero, but she somehow manages to offend the goddess Aphrodite who in turn enlists Eros, the god of desire, to deliver a cruel curse to her. An unexpected thing happens when Eros accidentally pricks himself with the cursed arrow that was meant to curse Psyche to fall in love with the first person she saw and be forever separated from them. Eros the god of desire has never truly been in love, he has spent his time just laying low and living day by day watching humans and the mischiefs of the gods... and now suddenly he is consumed with a desire for Psyche but knows he cannot ever show her his face or else they would be separated. Now Eros and Psyche find each other married, but with gods who scheme to get revenge against Eros, and all his lies... can their love survive and is it true? This was such a fantastic retelling of the story. I enjoyed it so much and it did remain true to the myth while adding in so much more depth and layers. I liked that we got to read from both Psyche and Eros’s POVS and see how both of them fell for the other and how much they both go through to get back together. This is seriously the perfect read for fans of Greek mythology!

*Thanks Netgalley and William Morrow for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

It's a tough road trying to rewrite an already perfect story, especially one that's been told countless times by the great storytellers of history. I can't believe this is McNamara's first novel - it's fantastic. Both romantic, and adventurous, it maintains all the magic of the original story. I loved the appearances by other well-known names in mythology, the references to real events, tying conflicts and persons together in a comprehensive family tree. It could have been saccharine, it could have been a case of celebrity name-dropping, but it was done so well. I can't wait to read more from Luna McNamara in future!

I personally wasn’t getting into the story or feeling invested in the characters. I just read Neon Gods so maybe that’s part of it. But this existed in a weird middle ground where it isn't completely it's own story but it's also *not* the original myth

"Psyche and Eros" is a readalike for people who are looking for more books after "Circe" or "The Witch's Heart."

Psyche and Eros was more than I expected it to be. A rom-com retelling of the myth that fused with hits of literary that just works. I plan on purchasing the hardcover when it comes out.

NetGalley arc reader!

I absolutely loved this take on the myth of Psyche and Eros. The shifting perspectives and fourth wall breaks worked wonderfully with the tale of gods and lovers. Despite the challenges the couple face, the ending is worth it. 10/10 recommend!

Four stars! A truly fun retelling of my favorite greek story. I absolutely loved the characters and the interplay with greek stories.

I found character of Phyche not to work with the classic perception of the story and her training as a hero to make her character less relatable for me. What I loved about the classic mythology is that she is so very human. But as the story progresses I thought the interplay of her story and those of other well known greek females to be inspired and I looked forward to the progression of her character. I was expecting more character development between her and Eros and thought that the romance aspect was lacking depth. But it worked well with the story and overall I truly enjoyed this book. I had picked up this book expecting an adult romance but in reality it is more appropriate for the adult fiction collection.

One of the original rom-coms, the tale of Psyche and Eros is spell binding! McNamara truly did her due diligence with research and historical references! The perfect read for fans of Greek Mythology, and ultimate love stories where love conquers all! Really well written!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the arc copy of this book.

Eros and Psyche is a favored myth of mine. It’s different than most Greco-Roman myths with women. This one is one of the first beauty and the beast stories. The story of falling in love with a soul is beautiful. And this I enjoyed most about the book.

In this retelling, Psyche is a warrior instead of just a maiden. Eros is a primordial deity instead of the son of Aphrodite. These changes don’t bother me in the slightest. The basic story is there although it had many minor changes. It’s told in dual pov, which was nice I thought.

What I loved is that Hecate (Hekate) was present. She is one of my favorites. Many of the pantheon show up as the story progresses. The gods and goddesses all had distinct personalities.

The scenery could have had a bit more description. Thankfully I’ve watched enough things that take place in this time period to imagine what hasn’t been described.

Thank you again NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to review this arc copy.

For readers who enjoy Naomi Novik and Lore Olympics, Psyche and Eros tackles Greek mythology in the fresh manner that Nettle & Bone tackled fairy tales. Full of lyrical narration, Psyche and Eros follows Psyche, a girl who dreams of fulfilling the prophecy about her to become a hero despite being a woman and Eros, the god of desire who is rather lacking desire to do anything at all.
The novel is an excellent addition to fiction that portrays a strong female protagonist and dives into deep questions about sexism, heroism, desire, purpose, responsibility and different types of love. It’s a full story that plays with Greek mythology while also humanizing the gods. Readers cannot help but root for Psyche and Eros, find themself intrigued by Hekate and like Demeter, Zephyrus, and even Medusa. It’s new and familiar at once, a story for readers to look for their favorite gods while also absorbing a believable tale to be added to the stories that is Greek mythology.
There are many things done well here, from making the characters well rounded, the villains interesting and perhaps a little vulnerable, to great writing, good pacing and a well tied up plot. I imagine many readers will find something to enjoy as they dip their toes into the interwoven lives of the Greek gods!

Overall it was an interesting retelling of the mythology. I did enjoy the characters and how they developed but the negative comment I have is that it was slow. I found my putting the book down because i was bored with the pacing. Although some portions kept me hooked, it was still outweighed by the slow pacing.

I loved this retelling of Cupid and Psyche. I don't think I've ever read an in depth story about Cupid, and know him simply as the cherub with the heart bow, right? Wrong. Eros was one of the first gods born from Chaos, and has divinity over desire. He hates what his power does to gods and mortals alike, and McNamara gives him a little taste of his own medicine a la Aphrodite, the new goddess of love. Psyche is a greatly developed character, and the many other gods and events sprinkled throughout make this a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys retellings. You won't be disappointed.

I'm not really familiar with the tale of Psyche and Eros, so I really enjoyed reading their story. I know this is a retelling, but I'm sure how it relates to the original. Pacing was a little slow, but overall I really liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG! I love this myth so much and this book did not disappoint!! Beautifully told, with so much heart, drama, and adventure. I’ll reread this one over and over again.

I liked this a lot actually - classical myth retelling an are always hit or miss for me. This was easy to read and follow, and I enjoyed the characters. Oftentimes historical fiction books can feel really bogged down for me but this one didn’t - I feel like I flew through it.