The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

Short summary:

The Song of Achilles is a Greek mythology book based on the tale of Achilles. Achilles is a demi-god, which means that his father was a god and his mother a mortal being. This tale follows prince Patroclus and his friendship to Achilles. Together they go on adventures to find themselves, but also each other. As Achilles must go to war in Troy to fulfill his destiny, Patroclus goes with him on one last adventure.

Bookcover:

I like the cover of the book. It is blue-ish, which is often associated with Greece. The symbol on the book cover is a bow in shape of a heart, it symbolizes the book. There is also another book cover with a helmet on it, but this one is much more beautiful.

What I liked about this book:

This book was such an attention-grabber, it had me captivated from the first page until the last page. Even though, I already knew the fate of Achilles, I still was intrigued to how this book played out. The character Patroclus is the very opposite of Achilles, I liked that. I also liked the fact that this book was written of the point of view from Patroclus, this way you could understand the character Achilles better. The LGBTQ+ representation in this book is also great, since the Greek were famous for sleeping around...

The end, of course, had me crying. However, it was beautifully written.

What I disliked about this book:

I knew the story of Achilles already before reading this book. That is why I was a bit upset to read so little about Briseis. She did have a little part in the book, but I would have love to read more about her. As I would like to read more about the history of Achilles' mother. She was a sea-nimpf which intrigues me. She was portrayed as the "villain" of the story, even though the background on her character was vague.

Overall review:

This book is an easy five star review. If you would like to read more fantasy, or start beginning to read fantasy, this book is the best start you could have. The characters are a bit difficult to remember with their old Greek names, but eventually you'll get the hang of it.

!SPOILER ALERT!

Favorite moments:

My favorite moments were the ones were Achilles and Patroclus really bonded, especially at the beginning of their relationship. For example, when they needed to survive in the cave with Achilles' mentor. The tension, the conversations, the sexual curiosity to each other.