After playing through Hades II recently I had a bit of an itch to dive into Greek mythology. I ignored the itch until I finished our most recent book club read and had a couple weeks until the next one started, and this book had just been sitting on our side table staring at me for months. I knew very little of the story of Achilles or of the author Madeline Miller. I expected a story of war and tragedy. I got a story of war and tragedy and also a gay romance!
The book is half setup, half action — a slow build with a lot of character and plot setup. I was really glad I stuck with it after not being sure for the first few chapters, as the book really is an incredible story and narrative with a writing style that was incredibly enjoyable to read. I found myself binging the end of the book to wrap up the story (I really had no idea) and the pages just melted away.
This type of read has not historically been in my wheelhouse but it absolutely is now. I have her newer book Circe on my want to read list when I get the urge to dive back in.