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3.5 stars! Spoiler free review!
I don't get the hype for this one. I liked it and I liked the story and Circe and her growth as a character and Goddess, but I wasn't blown away. I expected to be consumed by this book, thinking it would be a page turner, but ended up as more of a fun background kind of read. I wasn’t speeding through it ready to get to the end.
What I liked:
What I loved and what made me want to finish the book was that Circe has an incredible character arc. I love a goddess that does not love her own divinity for she understands the burdens it brings. For her alone, for her hardships and her romances and the sheer badassness that she develops by the end, that is what made reading this book worth it for me.
What I didn't like:
The plot felt a little like a kiddie roller coaster?? I need better metaphors, but essentially it was like hills every now and then of excitement, with an occasional bigger hill that led to an interesting climax, but nothing WILD. Could be this type of story where it's more of a "what my life was like" / "prequel to the real me" kind of story. They may not be for me because they don't generally have the extreme build up to exciting ending I'm looking for in fantasy stories.
The ending was extremely lackluster for me. I kind of finished this book thinking... “That’s it? That’s how it ends??” Like what was the real point or intent? Following her through her life in this retelling was more like reading a long, in-depth prologue than a fantastical standalone.
Altogether, I didn’t hate it, and really only liked it because of the magic and seeing Circe turn from a naïve baby goddess to a badass witch. I really like Circe as a main character. However, I wanted more twists and turns in the plot, more pulling of my heartstrings, the plot was meh. The ending also meh.