Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, understand that this is a tale of "What if Achilles and Patroclus were more than just close comrades?" If you can't get on board with that already, this is not the book for you. At its core, it is a romance story between two men in a familiar setting most of us are well acquainted with. The classic tale of the Iliad aside, I loved this story. I loved reading this as a "what if this happened with these two young men" type of story especially because it isn't entirely unbelievable considering in those times, relations between men were common enough in their younger years that it wasn't a huge offense. I was happy for the story to be told in the point of view of Patroclus instead of Achilles, as it made it more interesting for us to see through the eyes of the normal guy who is friends with the one who has the big destiny. It also doesn't dwell too much on the "oh do I like him more than a friend?" "Is this normal to like another man?" cliches that plague homosexual romances in books. It lets us see the actual relationship for a majority of the book instead of just the build-up to it which makes the ending all the more harder. Those who know the story of the Iliad know it will be a tragic story, but it's still a phenomenal ride alongside the two lovers and when the ending strikes you it becomes heartbreaking. I was almost crying reading the final pages but also smiling and keeping hopeful that it would end at least on a somewhat lighter note. This is one of my favorite reads now and I cannot wait to read more by this author and hope the others are just as intriguing as this one was.