Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I really liked Mars House, but Pulley in this new book returns -- sort of -- to her m/m romance historical novels. Though, in fact, we're in prehistory in this one. The novel takes place in Thebes just after the Trojan War; Dionysus arrives, in the middle of a drought, and chaos ensues, but in an entirely therapeutic fashion. The main character, Phaidros, is delightful; he mostly outshines Dionysus, but I still enjoyed their romance.

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

The Hymn of Dionysus is wild like the cover, strangling you in the ivy that grows through the pages and grips you by the throat. At the same time, the story burns your patience down until the smoke of the fire suffocates you, and you feel like you’re getting mad, just like Phaidros, the main character.

While reading, I had no clue what I was going to write in this review. I’m not a huge connoisseur of Greek myths and gods, and once again (I always do while reading Natasha Pulley’s books), I read slowly, full of fear I’d miss something relevant, confused because I didn’t understand what was going on, and in awe of the vivid world Natasha Pulley built. .

Even though I did understand the underlying themes from the beginning, it took me almost two-thirds of the book to understand the story itself. I just let the words carry me on their journey through an ancient world, and I waited and waited. Until something finally clicked, and I was internally shouting: You fool! You know this is Natasha Pulley's writing! I couldn’t let go of Phaidros by then, so of course, I read the rest of the story in one sitting.

This story is about duty, about honor, about doing what you’ve been told. About suffering so much that it turns people numb and cruel. But what if there’s another world, too? One where you feel like you can breathe again and just let go? With only a bit of suffering and bursts of joy, and maybe a little madness. Natasha Pulley madness, that is …

Now, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Natasha Pulley's sequel to Valery K, which she apparently wrote, will be the next book she releases. I already said it before: We need that book!

This was wonderful, but I didn’t expect anything less from Natasha Pulley. Beautiful and complex and funny and sad and unflinching. This is what a myth should feel like.

I am a sucker for all things Greek mythology and I will say that I know a lot about each god and Dionysus is one that I feel gets the least love.

This was a wild ride, it was intense, thought provoking and an overall fantastic time for me. This has made me want to read everything I can by Natasha.