The first thing I look at when choosing a book to read is the back overview. As soon as it started to talk about Mythology, I was hooked. This book has a ton of plot twists and forces the main character, Circe, to step out of her comfort zone after she gets exiled to a remote island by her father for using her magic powers in an unsafe manner. Circe adapts and changes when she is exiled to Aiaia. Learning to use her magic while in exile expanded her knowledge of what she is capable of. She had the power to transform anyone or anything into whatever she desired. Turning a mortal man she loved, Glaucous, into a sea-god, or smaller objects like acorns into mushrooms. 

Circe, one of the many children of Helios, the sun god, and the nymph, Perse, was always picked on for her size. She was much smaller than her siblings and would get bullied, mainly by her older sister Pasiphae, who Circe helps in birthing her child, a Minotaur.  My favorite part the author incorporated was including Gods and Titans like the story behind Prometheus, and also how the Minotaur was born. 

All the characters have an interaction with Circe, which makes it a fun read. The description Madeline Miller uses really makes it easier for the reader to understand. I could picture every sentence and what was happening around Circe. I don’t think I would read this again, but as a person who doesn’t like reading, this book definitely changed that. I understood what was happening and didn’t have to question myself about what was about to happen. If this book became a movie, I would script it the way the book reads, the exact same way the book is written. 

I enjoyed Miller’s storytelling on how characters grow and what their weaknesses are. More conflict would have upped the rating on the book though, having introduced some of the more well-known gods (Other than Zeus, Kronos, Prometheus, The Minotaur, Apollo, Odysseus, etc.) would have been a cool addition to the book. I liked that some of the Gods interacted with Circe, but one that would have been cool to have seen in the book was Hera, Zeus' wife. Just because Zeus was mentioned. I definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy reading Mythology and the stories behind the Gods and Titans. It made me want to read deeper and also got me thinking about how these characters alter Circe’s actions.

I also recommend it to people who are interested in how characters develop and what to watch for when they start growing. Working their way through the problems they are faced with makes it interesting to read, especially the cliffhangers at some of the endings of chapters. Watching the main character step out of their comfort zone shows a lot about who they really are and what type of person they are based on how they approach obstacles. I feel like this book did a really good job of how a young girl, like Circe, is introduced to love and how she must change because she is a God, and the first man she loved was a mortal, then turned into a God using her powers. She then realizes that love is a gift to anyone if they are willing to transform into the person they want to be. Miller directed this novel toward young females and how it relates to them.  I feel like the main point of this book is, In order to find love, you must grow and adapt to the surrounding obstacles. 

I really recommend Circe to people who are intrigued by how being immortal isn’t always the best, it made me question a lot of the actions she made and how they differ if Circe were to be mortal. Living your life knowing that one day you won’t be here, forces people to find their meaning in life just like how Circe is trying to find hers, except she has to deal with being immortal.