If you've ever read "The Odyssey" or "The Illiad," you are likely familiar with Greek mythology and it's characters. Madeline Miller, the author of "The Song of Achilles," breathes lives into Homer's epics and gives a new perspective from minor characters. Miller's new book, Circe, does just this from Helios' witch daughter's POV.

Circe is a strong character starting from humble beginnings. She lives among the Titans, who scoff at humans and their small lives. Circe herself doesn't have the same powers as the gods but begins to find her abilities in witchcraft. Afraid of her powers, Zeus has her banished to a deserted island for eternity, where famous figures throughout mythology visit and broaden her perspective on life and mortality.

Even if you're not very familiar with Greek mythology, Miller does an amazing job at giving enough description of each character make them familiar without frontloading exposition. Not knowing a lot about Circe and characters outside of "The Odyssey," I was intrigued by Circe's adventures and never felt lost.

The first half of the novel is a little slow paced and takes a bit to get into, but the end of each chapter just leaves you wanting more. I found myself having trouble putting the book down, wanting to know what would happen next. Having Circe's life expand over centuries and centuries allows for lots of characters to explore and change. Watching Circe herself change is super satisfying, as it's not something I expected, but makes a lot of sense. All of the events of the novel build up to the conclusion in a satisfying way.

This is another five-star, book for me, and I'm hoping to see what else Madeline Miller writes, I hadn't read "The Song of Achilles," but I'm planning to pick it up now that I've read her work.