☆ the song of achilles (a smol book review) ☆

☆ the song of achilles: a small book review ☆

------ spoilers ahead!! ------

author ☆ madeline miller

page count ☆ 378

genre ☆ fantasy, historical fiction, romance, mythology, retelling

trigger warnings in the book ☆ war, murder, violence, graphic death and blood descriptions, death, slavery

"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."

this book was absolutely beautiful, and i think will probably be one of my favourites (im hoping to buy my own copy soon !!). i loved reading about patroclus and achilles, and i honestly should have stopped reading after they left chiron. i really should have.

at the beginning, i had to adjust to the absence of modern, casual english (e.g. don't -> do not). one may argue that it made the book heavy and wordy, but i found it perfectly fine - it may have even added to the book because it was set in ancient greece. the names of people were also a little hard to wrap my head around in the first few chapters. 

some people might not enjoy patroclus' descriptions of achilles every other page, but i sure enjoyed them. i cant find the words, but it made me feel the way patroclus felt when loving achilles. you notice the small things about them, whether it may be a collarbone or their hair (dont take my word for it, though, ive only ever experienced this through the book!). im not sure, but it made me understand just how much patroclus admired achilles.

although patroclus and achilles' relationship wasnt perfect, i still found it adorable. i started crying at the end, seeing achilles without patroclus was painful, and patroclus dying in general was sad. not just seeing patroclus die, but achilles too and everything else that happened in the last 50 pages.

theres a lot i could say about this book, but i dont want to ramble on about how much i loved it. overall, i really loved the book. it was well written, and lacked boring moments. i enjoyed the retelling of this myth, and patroclus and achilles' relationship through a queer, romantic lens as apposed to a friendship. i definitely recommend this book, especially if you enjoy greek mythology - or dont.

my star rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

☆ i cant believe patroclus' soul was just... stuck there until his name was engraved on the tomb

☆ speaking of death, i know that achilles was a hero and powerful and all, but the true hero of the war was patroclus. he went out there doing the job that the almighty hero wouldnt do. he knew it meant certain death, but he went anyways. not for his glory, but to save achilles' reputation. and after his death he wasnt even acknowledged! he was just seen as a servant, undeserving of respect.

☆ i also cant believe briseis is just stuck there because her body was never found :(

☆ writing this review was annoying af because i felt like i was spelling patroclus' name wrong the whole time and had the check the book to see the spelling and make sure every time lollll