Circe: A Book Review

25th of December 2025

Let’s talk about Circe.

I will start off by saying I didn’t even want to finish the book when I was halfway through. I seriously didn’t want to spend more time treading through a book I unfortunately found incredibly banal.

It stands as an all time favourite for many of my pals, but how metaphorical does a Greek retelling have to be? I really got my hopes up after reading Miller’s ‘The Song of Achilles’, but instead of a whimsical journey, I got a very beautifully written, femininity graced Teams meeting.

It pains me to say that Circe didn’t do it for me.

As much as I’m averse to Circe, Miller’s storytelling (for those who like pure retellings with no other storyline) & lyrically stunning literature is once again second to none. She crafts her sentences dripping with splendour and elegance.

Prose wise? Gorgeous. Grandeur. Plot wise? Dense. Dull. Dare I say boring?

Although, there was a bit of an eyebrow raise involving romance, feminine rage and revenge, and yes, the interesting part had something to do with romance. Call me cliche, but it was intriguing.

It goes like this: (Spoilers!)

Circe meets Glaucos, a mortal fisherman. Circe falls in love and makes Glaucos a God. Glaucos meets Scylla, a beautiful sea nymph. Glaucos casts Circe aside. You get the jist.

And like the respectable woman she is, Circe transforms Scylla into an abhorrent sea monster. I will admit, I put the book down for a minute and clapped.

The story stretched into the whole “I’m taking the original myth of Circe and putting it on paper.” And there’s nothing truly wrong with that, just to me it’s a mildly disappointing retelling that is somehow many people’s favourite.

I’d reccommend this to someone who enjoys a femininity etched mythological retelling, with a few gripping elements, sparks of revenge, true hunger, and passion. And someone who enjoys drinking warm soda. Kidding!