Title: Psyche and Eros
Publisher: William Morrow
Author: Luna McNamara
Pages: 347pp

Eros is a primordial being and one of the first elementals; his whole purpose is to bring love and desire to mortals and the gods alike. After eons of matching these pairings, it all starts to seem mundane to the god. He is not like the Olympians who need amusement, drama, and an audience. He isn’t overjoyed when he brings two mortals together or amused when he strikes some god with one of his arrows for revenge or some other needless thing for another god. Mostly he likes being alone, but appreciates a visit now and then to his seaside abode. His seemingly only friend was Zephyrus, a god of wind, who is adequate company.

Things get complicated when his adoptive mother Aphrodite, goddess of love, requests his assistance. She wants to teach a young mortal girl named Psyche the error of her ways; the girl has not brought offerings or prayers to the goddess. This seemed petty, but Eros went along with it; what could he say to Aphrodite? The goddess used magic to bind a curse to an arrow of her making and urged the god of love and desire to let it strike Psyche. When she looked upon the face of her love he would be taken from her for all time, leaving her grief-stricken. When Eros sees Psyche lying asleep in her bed, he reaches for the enchanted arrow and accidentally nicks himself with the tip. This sets off a chain of events even the gods cannot stop. Psyche, a girl trained by the hero Atalanta, was more than anyone had bargained for. She was not your average mortal girl; she was a princess and the granddaughter of Perseus. This accidental slip of Eros’ hand changes him and fills him with emotions that he has never felt, let alone faced. Will Eros and Psyche overcome this curse or does Aphrodite have more tricks up her sleeve?

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case it’s the opposite. Luna McNamara’s Psyche and Eros is beautiful inside and out. The story of Eros and Psyche has always been a favorite of mine and now even more so. She incorporates so many gods and heroes that, for anyone who is a fan of Greek mythology, this is a must read. The way she works her magic around all of these myths while changing some things and expanding on others is remarkable. There are so many characters and she works them in seamlessly. Did you ever imagine how things worked out for Atalanta or what kind of person Iphigenia was? Just ask Luna McNamara. 

While this book can be enjoyed by anyone who likes a good story, I would definitely recommend it for readers who love Greek mythology. If you haven’t read the great Greek myths, then I would suggest reading at least a few of them before you read this book. Getting to know about the pantheon and the heroes will definitely make this book even more special. 

[Reviewed by Chastity King.]