I could have doubled or even tripled the quotes that I liked at the bottom of this review. I became a smarter and richer person after reading (listening) to this book. Author Kate Quinn, of The Alice Network, says, “The language is rich enough to bathe in”, which is exactly how I felt. The brilliance came through in her dialogue, rich vocabulary and how words could be used as weapons or enchantment. She’s lived a thousand lives in her life of eternity. She discovered her own magic, used magic for good and evil, sacrificed over and over again, protected herself, risked her life numerous times and sought forgiveness when necessary. She was unloved and unwelcome in her own family, has loved and lost, loved and won and learned to ultimately love herself. During this time, she suffered from loneliness and banishment. Through brilliant storytelling, we watch Circe, a young nymph, grow to be a revered and powerful witch-goddess. She is the ultimate example of female resiliency and heroism. In the audio book Circe is pronounced ‘Sir-see’, yet upon further research, it can be pronounced ‘Sirs’, ‘Sir-kee’ or even ‘Kir-kee.Ĭirce is a compelling, strong and magical character. The only Circe (Cersei) I was aware of is from Game of Thrones. I read The Odyssey in high school, but had no recollection of Circe. This literary novel is a take on Circe, from Homer’s The Odyssey. The narrator, Perdita Weeks, has a captivating voice, which allows you to get lost into Circe’s world of magic and madness. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.Ĭirce may be one of the best audio books I’ve ever listened to. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power-the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. But Circe is a strange child-not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born.

Circe book genre