A review by ginalucia
Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 
Orphia and Eurydicius is a great concept that’s pretty well executed. It’s just not my cup of tea.

If you're expecting a gritty retelling, this isn’t it. Orphia and Eurydicius takes a more light-hearted approach, with some solid representation and a great message woven in.

It leans heavily on feminism and equality in gender (and sexuality). While it does this pretty well, sometimes it’s a little too on the nose. Perhaps a little too forced. I’m all for this in a myth retelling (in fact, I look for it), but this just didn’t feel real.

Throughout the book, I felt a disconnect between being told Orphia's music and poetry are divine and actually believing it. 

This is always going to be hard to achieve, especially when it comes to the arts. But because we’re rarely shown her poetry, it makes it hard to feel anything because of it.

It made huge and impactful scenes, well, lack impact. 

I feel this could have been avoided with a shift in perspective. The entire book is in first person, which makes some of the scenes feel like bragging. We almost need an outside witness to describe them instead.

Overall, Orphia and Eurydicius is a fun ride that’s very easy to read. While it may not have worked for me, it may be just the Greek myth retelling you need.

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