Absolutely breath-taking. Absolutely brave and tender all at the same time. As a queer person who went through religious conversion therapy, this book (while the protagonist did not formally experience it beyond her mom but certainly that level of trauma is intense by itself) resonated deeply. I mourned for the loss of love and rejoice at the glorious reunion. Chinelo wrote so candidly and so, fluidly.

Please have a read, the world that the author creates and the story that this book encompasses is important.

Just a heads up as well: some content warning for rape mentions and scenes of sexual coercion. it is hardly graphic but it can still be upsetting.

I'm sorry but this book is beyond words. Any words I will say will be UGLY and an UNDERSTATEMENT compared to how the book made me feel and how it immediately went into my TOP TEN FAVES EVER. I love Rivers Solomon's works. Their work of fiction is so awe-inspiring and it completely renders me begging me for more. I shelved it under "books that make me angry because how dare it ends" because how dare indeed!

I am swooned and completely taken by Yetu and Oori's development, I am in awe at the world-building of the marine life and the ocean, I am enthralled by how the history is now divided and shared and what it means for all of them. It took me just a day to complete the book and honestly, I cannot wait to go back into this world and experience it again.

I picked this book up with the promise of learning about the Old Malay world and its extensive history, in a setting that felt right at home. While I loved the premise of mystery and adventure for ancient artifacts, this novel fell almost flat. I struggled to not just end the book by page 80 because the pacing was too slow for my liking. The writer conveyed history through info dumps and while I mostly do not mind as it is based on history, it lacked an in-depth description of the various sights or experiences that Irin faced. Every time the author finally described something, it was rushed and over so quickly. The process of grief that Irin faced was quickly resolved for the sake of plot. It was not as immersive as it could have been. I was not entirely drawn by the way the writer wrote the story, it was the adventure that hooked me in.

Overall, I gave it a three star read because while I loved everything that the book promised it to be, it did not meet my expectations of it.

Madeline Miller has a way of fleshing out her characters and weaving tales stylistically. The pacing of this book is incredible, the characterization of Circe and others were eloquent and felt relatable. Circe tells a tale of defiance and empowerment, of finding herself in the abyss of Godness Immortality. While the relationship that Circe holds at the end is something I do not agree with, this book still deals with a lot of issues from sexual violence to sexism poetically.

This book makes me excited to explore more of Madeline Miller's books. I have Song of Achilles in the list and I cannot wait to read it next!

HELLA GAY

idk man like madeline is really a good author idk what else i can add to this