Reviews

Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John

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applejuice2401's review

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adventurous reflective slow-paced

3.0

th3bookthief's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

hjs999's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

(Probably really 3.5 stars) This is a gender-swapped re-telling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth - Orphia, daughter of Apollo, discovers her strength and skill at the art of poetry, and falls in love with Eurydicius, a gentle shield-maker. The story touches on the basic points of the myth (well, keeping in mind that my knowledge of the Orpheus and Eurydice story is mostly based on the Hadestown musical), and adds a lot of extra depth - I am mostly not a poetry sort of person, and consequently the poetry sections didn't really work for me at all (but that's very much a me thing, I'm sure other readers would get more out of it).

Review copy provided by NetGalley.

claudiacg's review

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adventurous emotional 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? No

3.0

fuzzball's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

scaliatine's review

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adventurous sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you are a fan of Hadestown or the story of Orphius in general you will likely enjoy the book, however for me the climax of the story faltered by the authors interpretation of the motivation that causes Orphia's tragedy. It felt to undermine the entire character that had been beautifuly built through the books prose. That one small change at the pinnacle point made it not have the emotional payoff I was expecting, being familiar with the myth. So be cautious, and lower any expectations you might have.

taliamelesi's review

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4.0

A Gender-bend retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orphia is both a skilled warrior and a gentle poet. Eurydicius is the ultimate soft boy. The novel seeks to question “typical” gender roles in relationships and celebrating those who break free of the expectations of society.

We meet Orphia during her warrior training under the supervision of Apollo, until her estranged mother Calliope brings her to Mt Parnassus to study the art of poetry under the guidance of the muses.

The book is so poetically written and there are some lines that made me melt. It showcases such a deep, passionate love so strong it transcends death. The line that stayed with me the most was “Let me live again, if only for a moment, with my soul repaired”.

As with many myth retellings there are strong feminist themes that I really enjoyed. In particular the criticism of men in myth become tragedy while women become a cautionary tale.

I would definitely be interested to read more gender-bending myths in the future!

My thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.