The Song of Achilles has captured the hearts and minds of readers across the world, and for good reason! This retelling of the Trojan War puts Patroclus and Achilles’s relationship at the center, equal parts breathlessly romantic and wrenchingly tragic. You might think you know the story of the Trojan War, but Madeline Miller has brilliantly given the tale new life. The only bad thing about it? You can only read it for the first time once. So! If you’re looking for a good hit of that The Song of Achilles energy, look no further!
Not only is this a beautifully imagined retelling of the myth of Styx, goddess of the underworld river, it is told in the most absolutely gorgeous verse. It is truly stunning! This breathtaking work takes place a generation before Hekate, the first book in Nikita Gill’s bestselling trilogy. You don’t necessarily have to read these in order though, and they are each amazing works on their own, that provide insight and perspective into these powerful female figures. We think we know their stories, but trust me, these retellings give so much more depth and perspective!
Another amazing reinterpretation of Greek myth is the Daughter of Sparta duology that reimagines the myth of Daphne and Apollo. So many traditional tellings of myth are male-dominated but hello! The women kick butt too! And this is a heart-pounding adventure that follows Daphne as she must find nine mysterious items stolen from Mount Olympus. Only the gods’ waning powers, the state of the mortal world, and her brother’s life hang in the balance. NO PRESSURE.
Did someone call for breathtaking romance and tear-jerking tragedy? AHEM. Well Emily X.R. Pan’s luminous An Arrow to the Moon combines a classic Romeo and Juliet tale with the myth of Chang’e, Chinese goddess of the moon. When I tell you this book will sweep you off your feet, I am not kidding! I wanted to live in these pages, the prose was so beautiful. Lyrical and incandescent, transportive and just… incredible! Simply incredible! Please, for the love of all that is good read this book! Also, if you’ve already had the chance to dive into this tale you should definitely check out Emily’s first novel, The Astonishing Color of After!
Laini Taylor’s prose just slays me every. Single. Time. It never fails to amaze. Combine that with her intricate and unparalleled plotting (I mean, the foreshadowing – I can’t even), creative worldbuilding, and uncanny knack for writing heady romance, and you have yourself a book for the ages! Strange the Dreamer is a modern classic, and if you loved the star-crossed romance between Patroclus and Achilles, you will adore the love story that develops between these pages! And good news for those of you already awakened to Strange the Dreamer’s charms – Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy is just as good!
Epic in scope and with word-smithery to match the finest of bards, The Diviners series has it all! Okay, sure, a paranormal thriller set in 1926 New York City might not be your first thought to follow up The Song of Achilles, but just hear me out. I already told you this series is epic, and it’s a beautifully built epic beginning with a serial killer on the loose crescendoing into a fate-of-the-nation battle between good and undead evil. And the subtle character relationships Libba Bray creates are so nuanced and human you can’t help but be sucked into the human drama of it all! There are also passages that are just so gripping, and the words so unbearably perfect, that I think about them all the time!
