Circe: the retelling of the mythological Greek witch with gods, monsters and legendary heroes

Circe by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the mythological Greek witch, Circe. Helios, the god of the sun and the mightiest among the Titans, has a daughter, Circe. Circe is not like his other children. Not as powerful as her father nor as alluring as her mother. When she doesn’t find her place among the gods, she turns to mortals for companionship and she discovers that she does possess a power. The power of witchcraft to transform her rivals to monsters and become a menace to the gods. When Zeus becomes threatened by her power, Circe is banished to a desecrated island. There she hones her craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with famous figures. As she battles some dangerous foes, she finds herself pitted against the one Olympian who is the most terrifying and the most vengeful. In order to protect everything and everyone she loves, Circe summons all her strength and her knowledge of the gods and her potions. 

As a fan of Greek mythology since high school, I have wanted to read Circe for a while and I got the chance to listen to the audiobook (narrated by Peridita Weeks). From the opening chapter to the final pages, readers are taken deep into the world of gods, monsters and heroes of legend including Hermes, Scylla, and the cunning Odysseus. While I did not know the entire Circe myth, I was excited to see her interact with the characters that I did know and gasped at the parts of the myth that I did not know. There were a few moments that I even laughed as Circe would call out the antics of certain gods like Hermes. With gritty actions, this story grabbed me and took me on a wild ride through ancient Greek mythology. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and Ms Weeks’s narration really made the story exciting and engaging. If you enjoy retellings of Greek mythologies, I highly, highly recommend Circe. 

Circe is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

His Spirit of Christmas: a retelling of A Christmas Carol in the Crescent City

His Spirit of Christmas by Liz Talley is a part of the New Orleans Ladies novel series with the themes of the Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. It is Christmas time in the Crescent City and Brennan Henry doesn’t have time for the holly, jolly spirit of the season. He is too busy boosting the family business. However, it all changes when his grandfather hands over a lot of money to a complete stranger as part of his True Spirit of Christmas campaign. Mary Paige Gentry is kind, compassionate and plenty of sass to counter his humbug attitude. Brennan and Mary Paige spend time together as part of the campaign and Mary Paige’s outlook on life and Christmas challenges everything Brennan thought to be real or right. As sparks fly between them, will Brennan put aside his dollar-and-cents attitude for a true spirit of Christmas? 

His Spirit of Christmas is an enemies to lovers, grumpy-sunshine romance. Brennan is a man with a painful past who hides his pain behind a realist attitude. Mary Paige is a woman who despite having her own painful past is determined to spread kindness around her. I loved the themes of past, present and future from A Christmas Carol as Brennan and Mary Paige spend time together. I also loved the idea that a painful past does not mean a painful or empty future. I enjoyed Brennan’s grandfather as a man who is determined to make sure his grandson has joy and love in his life and not all business. His Spirit of Christmas is a cute, fast paced Christmas romance. There were great moments of laughter and tears filled with Christmas magic. If you enjoy Christmas romance, I highly recommend His Spirit of Christmas. 

His Spirit of Christmas is available in eBook

For She is Wrath: an romantic fantasy reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo

For She is Wrath by Emily Vega is a romantic fantasy retelling of the classic The Count of Monte Cristo (1846) as one Pakistani girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her including Mazin, the boy she once loved. Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania spent three hundred and sixty four days in prison plotting her revenge. When Noor, a fellow prisoner, has a plan to escape and a way to put Dania’s plan into action, they team up. Armed with dark djinn magic and a new identity, Dania puts her revenge into action. One by one, she brings down those who betrayed her. What she didn’t expect was that her feelings for Mazin still burned bright. As her game for vengeance intensifies, Dania is at risk of losing herself and her heart to the only boy she ever loved. Can she find her revenge without losing her humanity? 

I’m not a huge fan of romantic fantasy and retelling of classic novels can be hit and miss; however, I was intrigued by the premise and its gorgeous cover. I love The Count of Monte Cristo and it is a novel you don’t usually see reimagined. I was still a bit skeptical if this story could live up to the classical story. From the opening chapter to the closing page, I could see the elements of the classic novel in For She is Wrath; however, it has its own elements which make it a fast paced, action packed adventure. Dania is a woman consumed with revenge and yet she can’t help her connection to Mazin. She soon realizes that the plot against her, as Edmond Dantes does, wasn’t all she thought it was. I was hooked and could not put it down. I highly, highly recommend For She is Wrath. 

For She is Wrath will be available October 29, 2024 in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Wild, Beautiful and Free: a poorly executed retelling of Jane Eyre

Wild, Beautiful and Free by Sophfronia Scott is the story of one woman’s journey. Born the daughter of an enslaved woman and a Louisiana plantation owner, Jeannette Bebinn, is raised with her white half sister. When her father suddenly dies, she finds herself on her own at twelve years old. She is denied her inheritance by his vindictive wife and sold into slavery. All on her own, away from everything and everyone she knows. Jeannette faces injustices due to her mixed race. Escaping from enslavement, she travels, going from place to place, searching for purpose, love and a place in a country recovering from the Civil War. In a world which tells her that she doesn’t belong, Jeannette must decide whether she will bend to the expectations of the world or embrace her true self. 

With its beautiful cover and intriguing premise, I looked forward to reading this story. However, from the opening prologue to the closing chapter, I struggled to get into Wild, Beautiful and Free. It felt so flat. There were so many deep themes of death, freedom, identity, purpose and yet the only time Jeannette shows any real emotions is when she falls in love? I really, really wanted to like this book. It is beautifully written with great descriptions and settings and yet, I couldn’t connect with Jeannette. I was shocked to learn this story was supposed to be a retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. As Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classic novels, I did not see that connection at all! Unfortunately, I do not recommend Wild, Beautiful and Free. 

Wild, Beautiful and Free is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Christie Affair: an disappointing retelling of Agatha Christie's mysterious disappearance

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is a story centered around the famous disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. Agatha Christie is one of the most famous mystery writers of the 20th century. When she was last seen on December 3, 1926, her disappearance was the type of mystery you would expect Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to be able to solve. She would be located on December 14, 1926 at the Swan Hydropathic Hotel with no memory of how she got there or why she was there. Those eleven days would be debated for years as Christie refused to answer any questions about that time. Perhaps the greatest mystery wasn’t her disappearance at all, but what she discovered. Nan O’Dea was Archie Christie’s mistress. A woman who lured him away from his devoted and very famous wife. But why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage? Why hatch a plot years in the making? Why resort to murder? How was Nan tied to Agatha Christie’s disappearance? A story of star-crossed loves, heartbreak, revenge and murder. 

Agatha Christie was the first mystery writer I had read and her disappearance has always been a point of fascination. And I looked forward to reading The Christie Affair as a possible explanation of what happened. Ms. de Gramont’s story is marketed as a “brilliant re-imagination of one of the most talked about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century.” However, it fails to deliver. I was bored and confused from the start. The story is told from the perspective of Nan O’Dea, the fictionalized version of Nancy Neele, the real life mistress and second wife of Archie Christie. An omnipotent narrator, Nan is able to tell the reader about scenes where she is not present and the thoughts and feelings of other characters, which was very off-putting. In my opinion, the 2008 Doctor Who episode, “The Unicorn and the Wasp,” did a much better job at an fantastical and imaginative explanation about the famous author’s disappearance. The Christie Affair is less about Agatha Christie and more about Nan. I do not recommend The Christie Affair . 

The Christie Affair is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook