Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Le Chant d'Achille

I had high hopes for this since it’s been all over booktok, but it was not for me. The beginning was slow and the only world-building was in the form of mythology name dropping. Since I find myself rusty on those names, I’m sure many of the references were lost on me…

Also few of the characters were likable…mostly just Briseis. Patroclus does go from mildly annoying 10-year-old to a noble man by the end. The “hero” on the other hand… 🙄

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jenny_englishsnob's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Song of Achilles is based on Greek mythology, but it doesn't just retell those myths; it is truly different and original. This is a tale of soul mates and selfless love that follows Achilles' epic journey through war, honor, and fate, blending moments of deep personal connection with grand mythological events. It is narrated by Patroclus, a young prince exiled by his father and taken in by Achilles' father (the king), and follows his life-changing bond with the hero. Miller's writing vividly captures this young love story, complete with longing, jealousy, ego, and questioning, in a very honest and beautiful way. There is a lot of death, sorrow, and violence, particularly toward the end—after all, we are talking about the battle for Troy, which lasted many years. This is my only criticism: how long and drawn out the war story became. The first 2/3 of the story was stronger. The fighting and revenge were exciting at first but got a little tedious toward the end.

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goemonxiii's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I don't normally read books like Song of Achilles, but it was thoroughly enjoyable for what it was. I liked viewing Greek Mythology through the lens of Patroclus, Patroclus and Achilles' relationship was interesting to read about, and I like how this book is introducing a new generation to Greek Mythology. Is this book a must read? No. Is it good? For what it is, yes. The only thing I didn't like was the "passive voice" in later chapters when major things are happening (hopefully you'll understand what I mean if/when you read it). But, for young adult fiction, the plot wasn't stupid, there weren't any glaring problems in terms of themes or messaging, and it was well-written in terms of word choices and how the story was presented.

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caljpg's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

When I read this, I really enjoyed it. Then I went and read some other opinions and they had some good points about how poorly the female characters are written. It was also brought to my attention that the author changed something from the original mythology that she really shouldn’t have. She had the princess do something to Achilles that in the original, Achilles did to her. Hearing all of these things, I have complicated feelings toward this book 😭

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