But this is what
I could not give up:
I could not give up myself
Psyche has known Loveβscented with jasmine and tasting of fresh oranges. Yet he is fleeting and fragile, lost to her too quickly. Punished by self-doubt, Psyche yearns to be transformed, like the beautiful and brutal figures in the myths her lover once spoke of. Attempting to uncover beauty in the darkness, she is challenged, tested, and changed by the gods and demons who tempt her. Her faith must be found again, for if she is to love, she must never look back.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 UpβIf the Greek gods lived today, would Psyche be a film star, compelled by her father to act however he directed her? Would Hades have been abused by his parents? Would Aphrodite own a dress shop selling clothing made of petals and butterfly wings? Would Orpheus be a rock musician who hides his talent by working as a bartender until after hours, when he plays for strippers? It is Block's genius to cast the gods with all their beauty and horror, manipulativeness and self-destructiveness, cruelty and tenderness into a modern society that feels a lot like California. This novel in verse, which begins with Psyche's (sometimes graphically described) affair with Eros, spirals down through Hades, and flows up again to Joy, will hook readers with its vivid imagery and the immediacy of its emotions. It may also send them hunting for Bulfinch's Mythology (Random, 1998) to learn more about the sources of the stories. Riveting and brilliant, this is a must for most YA collections.βMiriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright Β© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Far from action-packed adventures of brave heroes on perilous journeys, these contemporary retellings of Greek myths are erotic and intellectual, and they are for older readers (including adults) who can appreciate the meanings of the complex metaphors. These aren't playful fractured fairy tales. True to the original myth, Block takes Eros to Psyche's bed at night; Psyche loves him, though she has been warned never to look at him. Block also brings a contemporary sensibility to stories about other mythic figures, including Echo; Persephone; Narcissus, who loves himself; and Orpheus, who plays guitar in a seedy nightclub, where he has sex with the strippers before he meets Eurydice. Readers who don't get the allusions will be confused, even lost, but the short vignettes of urgent free verse make for a fast read, with delicate moments as well as scenes of monsters close to home. Block raises the edgy question, "Is beauty monstrous?" Hazel Rochman
Copyright Β© American Library Association. All rights reserved