The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller | Mythology is Gay AF, My Friends

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Date Read: April 16 to 19, 2018

First Published: 2011

Kindle

Adult, Mythology

Rating:

Re-Readability:

Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.
Achilles, ‘best of all the Greeks', is everything Patroclus is not — strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess — and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative companionship gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper — despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel and deathly pale sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.
Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate.
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

So, here is the thing about putting expectations on a book. Sometimes, it works out great. But for the most part, it doesn't. Unfortunately, this case is of the latter. Look, I'm not going to say this is a bad book, because it's not. So no need to fight me to the death on this one.

But be that as it may... I felt disappointed. It simply wasn't the life-altering experience I was let to believe I would have, and in some cases, it wasn't what I wanted it to be at all. I wholeheartedly, unabashedly blame Tumblr. I have seen so many Patroclus and Achilles posts, usually in connection to some of my all-time favorite couples (Pynch, Andriel, and Evak, for example), that I have already decided I am going to fall in love with Patroclus and Achilles and their story before I opened the first page.

And I did... but I didn't. You see, the thing I loved most about those other couples was how long we spent watching the two become what they are. We watched them become friends, we watched them react to each other and with each other, and by the time they were together, we didn't need words or confirmations of love because we knew it in our bones. There was no doubt, no questioning, that they were meant for each other--forever and always. We were shown, not told. That's the kind of storytelling that I love.

In THE SONG OF ACHILLES, things were different. I felt like I was told of everything, instead of being shown and drawing my own conclusion. I was told "after that, they were best friends". I was told that they "talked about this, and this, and this". But I didn't actually get to see these interactions happen. I didn't get to see them as best friends, inseparable companions. I felt like I was robbed of many of their conversations and interactions - scenes that would make me feel their friendship and love and fully believe in it. Instead, I was simply told that they happened and was expected to understand that their strong love grew from these mysterious, shared memories that I wasn't privy to.

Now, it's not that I didn't believe their love, or that I didn't cry there at the end, because I DID. Not gonna lie. It's just that I felt like it could have been told in a better way.

But enough about that. Let's talk about things I loved. For example, the way Achilles was fiercely protective of their relationship and adamant that no one will take it from them. It's 2018 and still, for some incomprehensible reason, gay relationships are not accepted everywhere--and this story takes place in Ancient Greece. Got to love a hero who isn't afraid to love, until death and beyond. And while I'm still a bit skeptical that no one seemed to care about this illicit relationship, I was so there for mutual love and support!

I general, I think the lasting and unshakable relationship between Patroclus and Achilles is the strongest part of this novel. No matter what or who comes in their way, these two will be together. Protecting each other and understanding each other.

That being said, there was a lot of things I wanted to see outside of this relationship. Like Patroclus becoming a valuable part of this war, and perhaps understanding his own worth a bit better. There was precious little of this, and I wanted to see (NOT BE TOLD) of people appreciating his medical abilities and his kind nature. I also wanted to see him interacting with more people in general.

Especially since I knew this story will not get a happy ending. Not with Achilles as one of the main characters. So, at the very least, I wanted my heroes to be happier throughout it. Though I have to admit, some of my trepidation about reading a novel that could only end in tragedy was lessened by the characters aware of their own fate. It would have been so much more difficult to know what is to come while they rushed at it blindly.

And finally, the writing. I have seen people praise it to mars and back, totally enamored with Miller's style and composition. I am, unfortunately, not one of those folks. While I did find Miller's style to be beautiful at times, I mostly felt like it was too damn much. Too flowery or trying too much, to the point that I would literally cringe. I'm kind of sad to be alone in this because it seems like everyone loves it so damned much, but I could not get used to sentences like;

"One by one, Achilles caught the remaining fruits, returned them to the table with a performer’s flourish. Except for the last, which he ate, the dark flesh parting to pink seeds under his teeth. The fruit was perfectly ripe, the juice brimming. Without thinking, I brought the one he had thrown me to my lips. Its burst of grainy sweetness filled my mouth; the skin was downy on my tongue."

Or

I kissed his neck, the span of his chest, and tasted the salt. He seemed to swell beneath my touch, to ripen. He smelled like almonds and earth. He pressed against me, crushing my lips to wine.

Like... why? Why take such a long time describing figs in such a cringe-worthy way? And I didn't need to know Achilles "ripened", thank you very much. I'm okay with the good ol' "hardened". This writing literally made the coming together of two characters I loved feel awkward, overly done and weird. And can someone please explain to me what some of this even means? "Crushing my lips to wine"???

I can't even.

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan | Book Review

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Heroes of Olympus #2
First Published: 2011
Paperback/Kindle
Young Adult, Mythology
Rating:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth
Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.
Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.
Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

I originally read this book around three years ago, and even back then I felt it was hard to review. I didn't understand why back then, and I don't really understand now. But still, I'm going to try and put my thoughts and feeling in semi-coherent manner.

The first time I read this book, it took me a full week. This might not sound that long, but for someone with an average of two and a half days to read a novel, and someone who read the entire Percy Jackson series in a week, it is. The second time, it fit snugly in the average with three days total.

I feel like this second read may have been "easier" for me because I felt more in the loop, having re-read the entire Percy Jackson series a few months prior so instead of trying to wreck my brain to figure out all the references, I was nodding and being like "yeah, yeah" the whole time.

Much like it's predecessor, The Son of Neptune is split between three heroes, and three point of views told in third person, with four chapter in a row from each. Each character has it's own voice, strengths and weaknesses, and together they make a really interesting team.

But Percy is still my fave #sorrynotsorry. It was curious seeing him from other people's perspective, though, having lived in his head for five books. And it was nice seeing his devoted boyfriend side, without once seeing Annabeth in this book. Though, as much as I like the fact he remembered her, I would have liked more explanation as to why that happened. If Percy made himself remember with his love, then I don't think his love for Sally would lose the match, you know? And if Hera left him that memory... why?

I liked Hazel, the only girl in the group, because she has a really interesting backstory and some cool powers, but at the fight for the coolest child of Hades, Nico still wins by far for me so I guess she was a good character, but not an incredible character for me.

Frank is such a bad name for a hero (imo) but it fits this dorky, mismatched guy. The Heroes of Olympus series seems to be going all out with these crazy backstories, and Frank's just one of those. The most interesting part about him is how unlike his godly father he is. Talk abut a shocker! I just wished Frank's powers went into some more description, because it felt rather abrupt this way.

One thing to think about while reading this book is that Percy Jackson has grown, and so have Riordan's books. Our heroes are not little kids anymore, and love plays a major rule in everything that goes on around them. A much bigger one than it had in PJ. And not only that, but the level of puns, hints and play on words has been upgraded as well.

Much like all of Riordan's books, it's astonishing how clever he is, how funny he can be and how he can use seemingly random events and characters from previous books and give them a starring rule in this one.

The most interesting thing of this book is hands down the Roman Camp, because it's the first time we see a hope for the future for our heroes. Yes, Percy and Annabeth and the gang are strong and have survived so many things, no one really thinks about them possibly dying in the future (prematurely, I mean). But when you think of it, Demi-God mortality rates are super high. All one needs is one monster he's not fast enough at defending against.

The Roman camp crushes that fear and gives us (and the characters) a door to a better future, one with kids and families and normal lives (also, Percy is thinking about that type of future with Annabeth. Total swoon!)

Another super interesting subject the roman camp brings (which I have wondered about the entirety of the PJ series), is that demi-gods decedents can also hold powers, and are still stronger than regular humans. This kind of opens up a whole can of possibilities for Percy and Annabeth's children (what? I'm a shipper. I live for these things haha)

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan | Book Review

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Heroes of Olympus #1
First Published: 2010
Paperback & Kindle
Young Adult, Mythology
Rating:

Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper. His best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids”, as Leo puts it. What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea — except that everything seems very wrong.
Piper has a secret. Her father, a famous actor, has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?
Leo has a way with tools. His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.

You might be a bit surprised I'm only reading this now. In actuality, this was a re-read because I've finally decided to commit myself to the whole series but I can't remember all that went down in the first couple of books.

I feel kind of sad I don't have a review for the original read because it's a bit harder to compare the two experiences, but The Lost Hero fared a lot better than my re-read of the Percy Jackson series, which took months on months to happen.

The first thing I noticed, which may have gotten past me the first time around, was how smart it was of Riordan to start this series with these heroes. The first time I remember wanting the comfort of my beloved characters; Annabeth, Percy, Grover... But that's precisely why Riordan had to start the series this way. He had to first disconnect it from the Percy Jackson series, and second... make us want the next book (PERCY) like an addict needs his next fix.

What I really enjoyed in this re-read is noticing all the puns, all the play-on-words, all the little hints Riordan throws around all the time. It was discovering a new layer to the story. It was in a whole other level than PJ, I'll tell you that.

So what is the Lost Hero about? The worst enemies of the gods are stirring. And as usual, the gods need their children to do their dirty work. Which is how Jason finds himself in a school bus without any memories, with Piper and Leo who claim they're his best friends.

Jason, Piper and Leo must go on a quest to return Jason's memories, save a father and a goddess. This is the beginning of the Prophecy coming into fruition, and the enemies they're about to face are many and versatile. They will need to use all the weapons in their arsenal - beauty, brains and a whole lot of winging it - to succeed.

So how are these new heroes compared to the OGs?

I love love love Leo. He's honestly one of my favorite characters in this whole universe. He's quirky, funny, and so so lovable. The only thing I can't figure out is how many godly creations are going to tell the guys Leo is super important before everyone figure out that LEO IS NOT JUST A SIDEKICK DUMB-ASSES!

Piper is pretty cool. I adore the name because of Charmed (best tv show eva! haha) and Piper is a good character by the power of character growth alone (and other elements). She grows up a lot throughout the gang's short journey, finding a sense of confidence and comfort in herself that she lacked at first.

Then we have Jason. Jason to me is the Captain America of this series. This is not a good thing, as it took me about four movies to finally like Cap as a character, and Civil War for me to actually love him. To me, Jason is a little too perfect, which makes him boring. It wasn't until Cap was put in a test of his morals and loyalties divided that he became interesting. Jason, at this point, is just not interesting to me.

The gods and the monsters we encounter throughout the novel are top notch, as always. Riordan still manages to breathe fresh air into the mythology, with twists and turns and gods awful descriptions that you can wrinkle your nose at.

All in all, a really strong opening to a series.