Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.
They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
REVIEW: As you all know by now I am a huge fan of Greek mythology and everything that comes with it. I was so excited when I was gifted this book by my TikTok friend @jensreadsbooksslow and to dive into the story of Achilles. I think what I loved most about this book is that we are getting the whole story from a vouyer point of view with Patroclus. Seeing the whole story through his eyes was such a great choice. I loved that this story was told as an epic love story with the war and the plight of the Gods in the background. The writing was absolutely incredible, in a way that only someone with a love and true understanding of Greek mythology could write. At first I was disappointed that there was no twist or modern spin on the story but then I took a step back and decided to appreciate it for what it is, a heart-wrenching and poignant retelling of one of the greatest love stories that is hardly ever acknowledged. I had forgotten a lot of this story and I'm glad that I could hear it again like I was hearing it for the first time. This was a solid 4 star read for me and I will definitely be checking out Circe as soon as I am able.
Publication Date: September 1, 2011