CW: PTSD with Flashbacks (War Veteran); Psychological & Emotional Trauma; Infanticide & Child Death; Depictions of Blood, Wounds, Beheading; Starvation; Wrongful Imprisonment; Slavery; Mob Violence; Intoxication

This book was a luscious, consuming read for me. I fell in love with Phairdos, our narrator, from the beginning. He is an intriguing blend of harsh and gentle, honest and sarcastic, honor-bound and selfish, and most of all, layered with traumas he seeks to unravel. I couldn’t ask for a better storyteller and guide. I also loved Dionysus’s portrayal in the book, in his mult-functions of person, god, instigator, and resolver. Also, their dynamic together was deliciously taut and tender.

I also enjoyed Pulley’s prose, which could oscillate seamless from plush to stark as the situation required. It packs heavy emotional impact in its highest moments. It also offers intriguing retellings and interweavings of various myths, which I enjoyed.

This is my first read by Natasha Pulley, and I think her style is not for me. I was thrown off by the historical setting written with very modern language and feel, including a first-person narrator speaking directly to the reader. The story seems imaginative, but I had such a hard time following it and feeling engaged that I cut my losses early.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

i did not finish this read sadly and it is not bc i didn’t enjoy but i just wasn’t in the mind space for this kinda genre. i always like to put this on my pause category and plan to pick it up at another time!

Natasha Pulley puts magic in her writing.

This novel absolutely transported me. Pulley's writing is rich, her characters are real and fascinating, and this world is vibrant. There is so much research that went into this novel, and yet it's not another heavy historical fiction snooze-fest.

I know that many historical Easter-eggs went over my head while reading, but it doesn't matter. The story is rich and beautiful and if you're a little lost along the way, that's only natural.

If you're new to Pulley, I would suggest not starting with this one (unless you are a big and knowledgeable Greek history fan).

I can't wait to reread this novel in many years and see a different story unfold as I do.

This is my first time reading this author, and I have fallen in love with her writing style and the story she created. It is epic at its finest.

The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley is a lush, myth-infused tale that weaves history, magic, and queer longing into a hauntingly beautiful narrative. Atmospheric and emotionally resonant.

when will an author be brave enough to say “actually my greek mythology retelling is NOTHING like the song of achilles”

what i liked
• pulley’s writing style isn’t at all the typical tone of a reimagined greek myth; it’s lovely but quirky and anachronistic and quite british. i think it worked here, but don’t go in expecting a traditional or straightforward retelling. (this sometimes irks me, but it didn’t here!)
• the romance between phaidros and dionysus was unexpectedly delightful. the way they encounter each other throughout phaidros’ life was chef’s kiss and theres just something so satisfying about a MC who believes they’re unlovable being proven wrong.
• the fourth wall breaks so easily could have been annoying (i am not a deadpool girlie. 9 times out of 10 a fourth wall break does not work for me) but instead i found them clever and charming.

what i disliked
• the way pulley writes women bothered me. i don’t know if this is a pattern in her writing—based on other reviews, it sounds like it is—but there’s a stark difference in the way she writes men vs. women. her male characters are complex and sympathetic; her female characters are either cardboard cutouts or complicated, but without the same grace the male characters are permitted.
• the genre’s insistence on comparing every greek mythology retelling to the song of achilles, no matter how inaccurate. this book is nothing like TSOA outside of being (1) a greek mythology retelling that (2) features an m/m romance. in fact, i’m struggling to come up with a single comp in all the mythology retellings i’ve read—pulley’s style is really quite unique.
• this is more of an observation than a genuine dislike, but this book is surprisingly chaste for a book about dionysus. iykyk.

This book went on longer than I expected but I kept reading - it was a rich, detailed story. It takes time and lots of words to create an ancient city and culture. The city is Thebes and the culture is primarily that of the Sown, a duty driven military. Phaidros is Sown. He has been raised in the military by his commander/guardian, Helios. Helios happens to be the brother of the queen of Thebes. Phaidros has an early memory of saving a baby with Helios, a baby who was said to be fathered by a god. This memory is key to the story of Phaidros life. Eventually, he returns to Thebes and is assigned by the queen to find her runaway son. There is lots of magic and intrigue, miscommunication, etc. A long complex story unfolds but I never lost interest.

I know that Pulley has written some fascinating novels. This was the first of hers for me. It is a long and intriguing retelling of a story from ancient Greece.

In this book readers will find warriors, rescued children (who will grow up), witches, marriages, relationships, mythology, magic and more. All is intricate and the story is told in an involving way.

Pulley fans and those who have read books by Natalie Haynes, Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint may well want to read this novel.

Kirkus Reviews says: "This love story is witty, bittersweet, surprising, and compellingly readable." I agree.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for this title. All opinions are my own.

Natasha Pulley can be kind of hit or miss for me and I’m pleased to report that this was a hit. I can see how people expecting a straightforward Greek mythology retelling would be disappointed, but I love how inventive and new this felt. A real example of someone ransacking (lovingly) myth for inspiration and just… going for it, in ways that I think many authors are too scared to do with myth retellings. I love that this book gets weird!

I requested this book, because I typically enjoy Greek mythology re-telling a with recent favs being Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne and Elektra. However, I DNF-ed this book at about 10% because of the tone. It was a mix of childlike and military which made it difficult for the story to hook me.

Did I know what was going on? Maybe 40% of the time. Did I have a good time? Absolutely!

The overall premise of this book really captured me, but then I started reading it and had no idea what was happening. I struggled a bit with the setting initially, but once I started to figure out who people were I was locked in. This is really outside my comfort zone so I didn't feel too bad for feeling so dumb while reading this. It definitely makes me want to read more in this subject matter and to seek out more of Natasha Pulley's writing.

The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley is a captivating blend of historical fiction, mythology, and lyrical prose. The story weaves together themes of identity, love, and transformation, drawing inspiration from the ancient Greek god Dionysus. Pulley’s writing is atmospheric and rich in detail, creating a vivid world that explores the complexities of human emotions and desires. It's an engaging read for those who enjoy mythological retellings and thought-provoking narratives.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i truly enjoy retellings of mythology, and despite the overabundance of stories in this genre, i will always read the latest retelling. i was overjoyed to see that pulley wrote a retelling of dionysus, as that is one god i truly never see retellings of.

while this is a retelling of dionysus, we do not focus solely on the god, which rather disappointed me. the entire story is in the pov of phaidros, the child soldier who saves dionysus as a baby, and then continuously “bumps” into the god throughout his life.

i really would have preferred a true retelling of the chaos god, but alas this was a fine start.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

My favorite book of the year! Any book by Natasha Pulley is a wonderful treat, and I savored every word. This is a story of love, of family, of found family, of truth. I loved Phaidros and his journey to discover what is truly important, and where he owes his greatest loyalty- to duty and honor, or to himself.

This Greek reimagining explores the origins of Dionysus through the eyes of Phaidros, a child raised as a soldier and who has dedicated his life to his duty to his Queen. Phaidros is an interesting character to view this story through, given his loyalty to his community and how Dionysus challenges Phaidros’s acceptance of his society’s norms. It even goes as far to show how Phaidros’s values can be twisted to harm him.

I typically enjoy a Greek retelling, however The Hymn to Dionysus is not what I would recommend to someone looking for a more faithful retelling. The author takes some artistic liberties with this retelling and even uses mythological names that fans of this genre will recognize, but these characters are not necessarily who they’re named after.

The plot of this book was a little difficult to follow at times, but it does wrap up nicely in the end. The way the story closes felt like a nod to fairytales and myths of the past.

Overall, this book is a solid 3/5.

This was stunning. Rich and lovely and compelling. It's not quite what I expected, but I think that's sort of the point. For whatever reason, I thought this would be a Dionysus story with "Thebes" as a backdrop - aka, a purely novel interpretation of the myth, focused on Phaidros, with maybe some other gods making cameos. And it is that, but it's also a retelling, with original characters drawn into the forefront, and I'm really happy I didn't know that going in because, oof, do I normally not vibe with Greek myth retellings. But this, for me, is a retelling as it should be: dancing to and away from the usual throughline, going off-road a bit and then coming back to center. For this reason, I'm not sure that people who usually love Greek myth retellings are going to enjoy this. Because there's a lot that's just about life in Thebes, life as a Sown soldier, PTSD, plus the separate and smaller trauma of having to teach teenagers. For me, that made it feel very well-rounded and I think this is what I would always want this kind of story to be: with the myth that powers the story more often than not in the periphery.

What made this work so well as it does? As always, it's what makes every good book work well: the characters. Phaidros as a narrator is perfection: brutal soldier; funny and sharp; deeply traumatized. You just want the poor guy to be able to get some sleep! And you really can't turn around in this book without someone enjoyable to read stepping into a scene. Everyone is so wonderfully drawn, and you end up feeling sympathy for even the most marvel-like characters. Nothing they do here ever feels over the top or just a way to maneuver them into their positions in myth, which is a hell of an achievement. Doubly an achievement? The Follow the Lady baby switcheroo! I was prepared to cringe through an Oedipus-style reveal - especially with how Pulley was so careful to cast doubt on Phaidros's memories - but I should've had more faith in our guy Helios because the real story there? Perfect. (Maybe not as perfect as getting a scene with Helios though!)

The writing is also really lovely, although I have to say there were A LOT of little errors like dropped prepositions or word order reversal ("he went the to house") that an editor should've caught, but probably couldn't on account of being either a) eliminated by the publisher or b) badly overworked. I started reading this on an ARC and finished on the published e-book version and...yeah. Not much difference in terms of little errors cleaned up. I shudder to think what books are going to look like going forward, not so much for a writer at Pulley's level but for someone who really, really needs the bolstering efforts of an editor. Grim.

Going back to the contents themselves, my only real complaint was that there was a bit of pacing issue near the beginning. There's A LOT of backstory dropped in; a major character dies; and then Phaidros is back in Thebes and it feels like things grind to a halt. It recovers very well, but I almost didn't make it over that hump. I'm so glad I did though, because this was outstanding. I would absolutely recommend this, and especially to people who don't normally go for this sub-genre. This was gorgeous and layered and I'm looking forward to whatever Pulley puts out next - plus to going through her already published works.

This book was marketed towards fans of The Song of Achilles and Elektra, so I went into this expecting something that would appeal to fans of Greek mythology like myself, but this is really not... that. Some of the other reviews mention that this book is more intended for fans of Natasha Pulley's other works (which I've never read) and that makes more sense.

Misleading marketing aside, I really wasn't a fan of the worldbuilding here. Using the names of Gods for regular people was confusing. The age gaps and power imbalances in the relationships were uncomfortable to read, not to mention the issue of slavery.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated books of the year early.

Natasha Pulley will always be an auto-read author for me, as no one can weave together a tender romance between two complicated people as well as she can. Every time I am struck by the magic and the connection between these two characters, am lost in the story, and fall in love with the entire book long before I reach the final pages.

Fans of mythological retellings looking for something fresh and enchanting should not miss this.

✨ Thank you to Bloomsbury and Natasha Pulley for this ARC!

I went into this book expecting a Greek myth retelling—or maybe a fantasy novel with a Greek myth-inspired setting—but honestly? I’m still not sure which it was. From the writing style to the pacing to the way major events unfolded, this book was a unique experience, though not always in the best way.

💡 What did I love the most?
Natasha Pulley’s writing is undeniably beautiful and has a very distinctive style. It’s lyrical, atmospheric, and immersive. But I’ll be honest—for the first chunk of the book, I had no idea what was happening. There’s a dreamy, almost disorienting quality to the storytelling that makes it feel like you’re floating through a myth rather than reading a structured narrative. Some readers will love this. Others (like me) might struggle to connect.

🌪️ Let’s talk pacing
The pacing here is slow, and the chapters are long. This made it difficult to stay fully engaged, especially since the book already had a hazy, meandering quality to it. If you love slow-burn fantasy with poetic prose, this might be right up your alley. But if you need tight storytelling and clear stakes, you might find yourself checking how many pages are left in the chapter… a lot.

⚰️ A Major Character Death… That Barely Happened?
One of the biggest letdowns for me was how a major character death was handled. It felt rushed, almost glossed over, and lacked the emotional weight I expected. This was a pivotal moment, and yet, I was left feeling nothing—which is never a good sign in a story that hinges on relationships and mythology.

📌 Read if you like:
🏺 Greek mythology
📖 Dense, literary writing styles
🐌 Slow-paced fantasy with long chapters

⚡ Do I recommend this book?
This is a tough one. If you’re a fan of poetic, dreamlike writing and don’t mind ambiguous storytelling, you might love this. But if you’re looking for a clear, emotionally gripping Greek myth retelling, you may walk away feeling confused (like I did). It’s a beautifully written book—but one that might not work for every reader.

2.75 rounded up to 3