This book tore out my heart, stomped on it, gave it a kiss, and then shoved it back into my chest. I devoured it, cried so hard, and have still been thinking about it days later. 

Madeline Miller's writing is poetic and captivating. Imagery, battles, and descriptions jumped from the page, painting a gorgeous image of Achilles, Patroclus, and all the years they shared together, through high and low. Everything felt so emotion heavy, like that was what the plot fell back on, rather than the characters or the story. In some ways, this was really great. It made everything feel important, tied in to the characters and what decisions they made, and really tugged at your heartstrings when you let it.

But I did feel somewhat disappointed in the characters and their development. This wasn't necessarily helped by the writing style seeming detached in places or the fact that it fell back on emotions and poetic writing so much. Patroclus, despite being the main character, felt a bit flat and bland. Unless he was with Achilles, what did he have to show for himself? Achilles could stand on his own, but Patroclus and Achilles never spoke about their emotions, and really just hardly spoke to each other about anything important, which made it hard to connect with both of them, and made many of Achilles' decisions feel like they came out of left field. The book was so focused on their relationship and on getting to the end goal that it almost forgot that each half of a whole is still a substantial, standalone piece. 

Yet, still, the plot felt fleshed out, real, and choices seemed to matter. Knowing what they were hurtling towards didn't make it any easier, and if you really paid attention, you could pick up the pieces of what went wrong and where. This was a Greek Epic, through and through.
And then, of course, I sobbed at the end. Sobbed. Like, unable to function for a good half hour afterwards. 

It's worth reading if just to feel the emotions and lose yourself in the world for a little bit. As much as it hurts, it also heals, and I did genuinely really love it.