The palace of Eros

De Robertis (The President and the Frog) explores the machinations and vulnerabilities of a Greek deity in this engrossing queer retelling of Eros and Psyche. When Aphrodite learns that Psyche, the youngest of King Lelex's three daughters, is considered by many to be more beautiful than her, she afflicts Lelex's domain with a drought. Lelex, hoping to appease the deity and end the curse, seeks guidance from Athena's oracle, who instructs him to lash Psyche to a rock so that a monstrous husband can take her. Lelex agrees, but both he and Psyche are unaware that the oracle had conveyed a message from Aphrodite's daughter Eros, who's come to feel "she existed to bring pleasure to this girl, to bask in her, to offer her all the passions, all the world." Eros arranges for Psyche to be swept by winds to her palace, where the two fall in love, despite Psyche's ignorance of her partner's divinity. The clever protagonists, who find ways to overcome more challenges from Aphrodite, intrigue, and De Robertis especially shines in their depiction of Eros, who strikes an uneasy bargain with her mercurial and toxic grandfather Zeus. Admirers of Madeline Miller will be pleased. (Aug.)

A deity and a mortal fall in love in this queer mythology retelling. The latest from Kirkus Prize finalist De Robertis is a gender-bending and feminist retelling of the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros. Psyche, the youngest of three daughters, is wild, loud, and uninterested in taking a suitor. As tales of her beauty spread through the kingdom, crowds of leering men begin to flock to her home to see if the rumors are true: Could Psyche really be more beautiful and interesting than Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty? Furious and jealous, Aphrodite asks her daughter Eros, who reigns over love and desire, to destroy Psyche. As a devastating drought plagues the land, Psyche's father gives her up to her fate by tying her to a cliff so her "monstrous" marriage can begin. Instead, Psyche is carried to a palace beyond her wildest dreams. Created by Eros, who has fallen for this human girl, the beautiful and bountiful home is shrouded in secrecy from gods, goddesses, and humans alike. Within the palace, they can be together--as husband and wife (or something in between)--just so long as they are always cloaked in total darkness. As Psyche realizes all the ways her dream home still falls short, she makes a decision that changes the trajectory of their lives--and the mythical world--forever. The novel deftly explores gender and power dynamics within and between the mythical and mortal realms. As Eros describes how their love is dangerous because of their rule bending, Psyche realizes that "cages" can and do "apply to women and goddesses alike." Though the pacing suffers at times under the weight of the subverted mythology, De Robertis' prose is as sharp and beautiful as ever. Their meditations on gender, desire, and freedom soar off the page. The author's retelling provides a space to dream of a world where those "born perfect yet outside the rules" of their time may find ways to step out of the shadows and into the light. A vulnerable, sensual, and joyous journey about living and loving in one's truth. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.