Psyche is a 2021 fantasy novel by Talitha Holland that retells the myth of the Greek princess Psyche and her romance with the god Eros in a Mythpunk style filled with deliberate anachronisms, a multi-cultural set of side-characters and a strongly modern point-of-view. The novel was first published on Wattpadd
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The first section of the book deals with Psyche growing up under a curse, having been born with both exceptional beauty and intelligence since having one or the other is a blessing, but in a female both are unacceptable. Psyche grows up lonely, with only her older brother as a companion. He tutors her in his lab, which is filled with puzzles and science experiments that she enjoys. She is also bullied by her two jealous older sisters.
The second section of the book has Psyche grown into a teenager and thanks to Aphrodite's curse, forced to marry a monster or see her beloved home Atlantis destroyed by an earthquake. Aphrodite sends her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with a monster, but he pricks himself with his own arrow and falls in love with her. He has The Zephyr take her to his palace in the clouds where he marries her but forbids Psyche to look at him. She assumes he is protecting her from his ugliness, but since he is kind she is happy.
When Psyche's sisters visit, they are jealous and plant doubt in Psyche's mind about Eros. Fearful that her coming child will be a monster, she looks upon him and realizes who he is. Furious at this betrayal, he casts her back down to earth, though she keeps her little dog with her.
Aphrodite sends her on three quests, that the goddess presumes will be impossible, but thanks to both her kindness and her cleverness, she succeeds. Eros realizes the value of forgiveness, and he even tries to help her, but she's already helped herself. She forgives him as well, and they marry again, with her ascending to godhood.
This novel provides examples of:
- Achilles in His Tent: Eros gets so upset at Psyche's perceived betrayal, he won't help her with the quests Aphrodite gives her.
- Animal Lover: Young Psyche can't stand the idea of her sisters' burning ants alive. Later, she develops an attachment to the puppy that Eros gives her.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Psyche's reward at the end of the novel.
- Atlantis: Psyche is a Princess of Atlantis, and the mythical island has a great deal of anachronistic technology and is in touch with cultures on other continents.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Psyche's older sisters are going to burn some ants alive, and little Animal Lover Psyche rescues them. They help her out much later.
- Best Friend: Hermes is this to Eros, and often serves as the truth teller.
- Big Brother Instinct: Psyche's older brother is the only person who understands her until Eros comes to do so.
- Canon Foreigner: While Psyche has two sisters in the original myth, Prince Nikolas is an original character.
- Cupid's Arrow: Eros is the Greek version of Cupid, and he gets pricked by one of his own arrows when he sees Psyche.
- Deadpan Snarker: Hermes provides a lot of truth-telling.
- Deity of Human Origin: Psyche becomes this at the end.
- Divine Date: Eros lays out a beautiful meal for Psyche to welcome her to his cloud palace.
- Fantastic Romance: Psyche is a human; Eros is a god. She goes through many trials, and he eventually gets his head out of his a** and thus she is elevated to goddesshood and they marry as equals.
- Gorgeous Greek: Psyche is this, even if she is from Atlantis. Her sisters are both described as beautiful as well, though just not as beautiful as Psyche.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Eugenia and Euphemia are not pleased to see that Psyche lives in a grand palace and is happy with her monsterous husband.
- Hot God: Eros is this, though he hides it from Psyche so she won't figure out she isn't married to a monster.
- Heroes Love Dogs: Eros gives Psyche a puppy, and she becomes Psyche's companion on her journey.
- Happily Arranged Marriage: The main plot of the novel, at least from Psyche's POV. Eros chooses her.
- Ice Queen: Aphrodite is this.
- Kicked Out of Heaven: Eros furiously boots Psyche out of the cloud palace when she breaks her promise and looks upon him. Nearly everyone thinks this is an overreaction and even his Best Friend Hermes calls him out on it.
- Love Goddess: Aphrodite is a general love goddess, while her son, Eros, is the god of sexual and romantic love and serves as The Matchmaker.
- Follow
- A Minor Kidroduction: Psyche is introduced as a sensitive little girl who is horrified by her sisters' animal abuse.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The book opens with a prologue featuring Eros helping a young man defeat a Sphinx and then matching him up with a nearby widowed Queen. He's pretty proud of himself before later finding out the young man is Oedipus. The other gods tease him about this.
- Pretty Boy: Eros is described as this.
- Princess Protagonist: The heroine, Psyche, is the daughter of a Greek king and queen.
- Sexual Karma: Psyche is willing to marry a monster to save her people. She is rewarded by being married to the God of Sex instead. She doesn't mind this turn of events.
- Stalker with a Crush: Eros realizes that he is becoming this, but he also realizes he's a better option for Psyche than the monster his mother wishes to force upon the girl.
- Talking Animal: The ants speak collectively, with "We" and repeat themselves but they can talk.
- The Underworld: Psyche's final task is to journey into the underworld and obtain some of Persephone's beauty.
- Vanity Is Feminine: Aphrodite, Eugenia, and Persephone are all portrayed as very vain. Even Psyche, who thinks she does not care about her own beauty, does not like the idea of losing some of her looks.
- Youngest Child Wins: Of the three sisters, Psyche ends up a goddess, while her jealous sisters are gruesomely punished.
