One day, I will learn to temper my expectations of these Disney books.

Today was not that day.

I was *so* excited about this book because (1) representation; (2) Hercules is a criminally underrated Disney movie; and (3) the Muses are one of the best parts of said criminally underrated movie.

But this book...just fell flat for me. Putting aside the fact that this is Disney's version of the mythology (see: Zeus apologizing at the end and just generally being a Good Dude) which can be tricky to overlook when you're a recovering Academically Gifted kid who went through a very long (is still going through?) hyperfixation-on-Greek-mythology period, this was just a very "flat" book for me.

I actually started this book back in January, but got busy with work and didn't feel the need to pick it back up. I only did so this week because I am pathologically unable to DNF a book (see above) and work has slowed down for a bit.

The Muses in the Disney movie are such dynamic characters, and to me, they all read the same. The only one who seemed differentiated was Thalia, but otherwise, I sometimes got distracted and couldn't remember which Muse was speaking.

The romance? Very unnecessary, IMO. They're *The Muses.* Literal goddesses -- we have to side-step (and rewrite) mythological history at the end of the Disney movie in order for Hercules and Meg to be together; how on earth can Ree and Sivas be together? (And Sivas is a *textbook* example of the flatness of the characters here: I have *no* idea why Ree likes -- is in love with? -- him. He's in love with her (yay Insta-love trope) but all we know about him is that he's handsome and picks his sister up from dance class. THAT'S IT.

There was also very little world-building -- having watched the Disney movie so many times, I feel like my brain auto-filled in the background, because the text wasn't giving me much to work with. Even the Underworld was only cursorily described, which meant the overall effect of the story was dialogue and some basic internal conflict. And a lot of repetition and telling-not-showing -- all of which combine to be...fine. Not great, not awful.

No shade at all to Farrah Rochon, because I think she's doing the best she can, but it just feels like there are training wheels on these Disney books that I wish Disney would take off. Just because a book is marketed as YA (and I would almost really categorize this as Middle-Grade) doesn't mean we have to simplify the story + characters. I actually just read [book:The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy|75289797] which *is* a Middle-Grade book and the character and story were much more nuanced and richly developed.

An immediate hit with our older tweens and younger teens, Bemused by Farrah Rochon hits the currently popular target of "Disney but make it new." I would recommend this book for school libraries or public libraries where Disney adaptations are already popular since the source material (Disney's Hercules) is perhaps less well known that other properties. Thank you to NetGalley for access to the arc.

Thank you Disney Publishing Worldwide book for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. I was excited for this book as I have ready many previous works by this author. This book started a little slow for me but the story quickly picked up and was very interesting. I think it’s fitting as a young adult telling of the story of the muses. Nice to see this author do a novel for a younger audience.

This was so fun! It is the origin story of the Muses from Disney's Hercules.
In this story the Muses are teens who find out that their mother is actually the Titan Goddess Mnemosyne who has been hiding from the Olympian Gods for years. Minutes later, Mnemosyne is kidnapped. Now the sisters have to travel to Thebes and solve the clues she left in her journal to find and rescue their mother.

This is a CLEAN read combining adventure, mystery, fantasy and Greek mythology.

I am definitely purchasing this one for my library.

"Hercules" is one of my absolute favorite Disney films, and the Muses are one of the reasons why. They're brassy, sassy, and just plain fun. (Admittedly, the best part has always been that the heroine is named Meg, but I digress.) So, I really wanted to love this book, but...I didn't. Frankly, I struggled through the first hundred pages until I finally admitted that I just couldn't do it anymore, and DNFed it. The dialogue is positively TEDIOUS, and tries too hard to make the characters sound ~lofty and ~erudite, when part of the fun of the Muses in the film is that they're totally down-to-earth and colloquial. I just wasn't feeling it, and there are too many other things to read.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting look into the origin of some largely underutilized characters from the Hercules movies.

I love the recent trend of Disney story to YA book. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this early!

Prose was pretty wordy and felt like it was trying harder than necessary to tell me what it wanted to say. Not as approachable for the YA audience.

Bemused is a Disney origin story of the Muses from Hercules. I have found these stories to be hit or miss in the past, not living up to the charm of the movies they are based on, but this one was stronger than others. I liked the story of their goddess mother and the five daughters each with their unique gifts. I wish a little more time was spent on each one and I would love to know more about their future as well outside of just singing for Hercules.

Hercules is my favorite disney movie ever. Like, I have a tattoo of Meg permanently inked onto my body kind of favorite movie. So when I heard there was a book about the Muses coming out I immediately requested it, no further information needed. And I think was definitely a fine story, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I read it as a teen. And yes, this book is aimed for teens - so it did its job there! It's definitely a me problem, it just read a little too juvenile for me. That is totally my fault, which is why I'm still giving it a 3 star. I believe people will really enjoy this book, it just wasn't for me

Thank you NetGalley and Disney press for the eARC of this novel in exchange for a honest review.

I love the concept of this novel. I was hopeful this was something I could use for my classroom when we talk about mythology- but it did not interest me the way I was hoping it would. For something to work in the middle school classroom, it has to be engaging from the first chapter, and this book did not do that for me, unfortunately. I really did want to love this!

I really wanted to like this book... I love Disney re-tellings! I love Hercules! I love stories about women! I love Greek mythology! The way the muses were written Bemused, however, just fell so flat. I actually DNF-ed this one... not my cup of tea. I am sorry, Farrah Rochon!

Thank you to Disney Books and to netgalley for the ARC.

As a self confessed Disney Kid, I was so excited to receive a copy of this book, taking the classic Hercules but retelling it from the Muses POV. This gave a very clever way of looking back at the story that will introduce this tale to a whole new audience.

I enjoyed this retelling of Disney's Hercules but from the point of view of the 5 Muses. And this retelling makes a reader look at the original story in a new light.

This was a 3.5 rounded up to 4, I'd say... as a huge fan of Hercules (favorite disney movie growing up, and still to this day), I have always loved the muses and appreciated a book dedicated to their backstory. Something in the end didn't make sense to me, given how many times I've watched the movie so that irked me but for the most part, it was a good story (especially for actually-young-adult readers. I am an almost 40 year old who still loves YA, but I appreciate when they can still appeal to an older audience. I think this one leads to an actual younger audience and nothing wrong with that. I think I could get behind it more as a fan of the movie, but may have been less invested otherwise. Overall, good story. Thank you for the opportunity to have an early copy!!

I'm very picky with Greek mythology (my culture) and unfortunately this one didn't land. The mythological aspect wasn't too bad compared to others--with the caveat that this IS Disney, after all, not original fiction per se--and my main issue lay with the actual sisters. Most of them felt the same whilst the author/Disney not giving them enough time to flesh them out. The writing was passable, but not standout in YA. At times the plot dragged whilst also feeling very shallow. An entertaining read for some, but recommended for those who aren't likely to look too close when it comes to culture and mythology. Would've liked Disney to have chosen a Greek author for this to do it justice properly.

To start Rochon. Can she write a bad book? no.

Hercules? Are you kidding me? I know this isn't about him but a pre-part of the story that brought us his story.

THE MUSES?? Shriek and dance! yes!

So I love all of the above and we get a story on the not so well known muses. This book has already been ordered and will be on my HS library's shelf as soon as possible.

I loved this book, getting to dive in and get more of a back story on the sisters and what they had to go through after their mother had been taken by Hades. All the things they had to face as sisters.

If you love Disney, Greek mythology, back story, sisterhood, and beautiful writing THIS book needs to go on your TBR list today. Or just forget the TBR and read it today.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

This was a story that didn’t really need to be told, and I don’t think it was told well either. I’ve really enjoyed some of Farrah Rochon’s other work, but this was a miss. It has the feel of an after school special, and the character voices are all over the place (with the exception of Thalia).

Farrah Rochon does it again! I loved her previous Disney books so I knew this one would be excellent. It’s so fun, and each muse clearly has her own personality and character. Pain and Panic were perfect too! I know I would have been obsessed with this as a kid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Easily a new favorite Disney book!

Rochon perfectly captures the muses we know and love from Hercules the movie, and let's us see them in a new light. When their mother is taken by Hades, the girls have to work together to get her back. They face trials and tribulations where they will need each of their unique gifts to succeed.

I adored this story and related the most to Calli. Being the eldest sister, having to become the leader, the parental figure at times and most of all a role model - I understood her. Each of the sisters had such bright and vibrant personalities! I loved getting to know each one. I really hope Disney decides to add more books for these beautiful young women, there is so much more story to tell!