14 Books Like Circe to Read Next
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Did you love Circe by Madeline Miller? Here are more books like Circe to read next!
This Greek myth retelling focuses on Circe, who is mentioned in The Odyssey, and gives life and depth to a female character who is not fully developed in Greek mythology.
According to the Greek myth, Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios and an ocean nymph Perse, was banished by Zeus due her use of witchcraft.
Because Zeus felt threatened by Circe’s power, she faced a lifelong exile on a remote Greek island, where she occasionally had different visitors (some friend and some foe) over the years.
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14 Books Like Circe by Madeline Miller
1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
If you enjoyed Circe by Madeline Miller, then be sure to read her other book The Song of Achilles. This was her debut novel and it is also a Greek myth retelling like Circe.
This one focuses on the events of The Iliad and tells the story of Achilles and the Trojan War, through the perspective of Achilles’ companion Patroclus.
It’s very similar to Circe in writing style and the fact that it is another book based on Greek mythology.
2. The Question of Red by Laksmi Pamuntjak
The Question of Red is a retelling of the epic Mahabharata. Just like Circe it is mythology-inspired and is revolves around a strong female character.
The author adopts character names and mythology from the Mahabharata. In this epic, Bhisma, a warrior kidnaps Amba who is betrothed to King Salwa. Amba falls in love with her captor and he loves her as well.
Similarly in the book, Amba and Bhisma’s unrequited love story is the result of political instability in Indonesia during the 1960s. Fate was testing Amba, she was bounded to the destiny her name holds.
This is my favourite book up to date. I cried so much reading this book, it is not for the faint-hearted and may cause a book hangover!
Read More: 15 Best Books Set In Indonesia You Must Read
3. Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
The very famous Lore Olympus series from Webtoons is now a graphic novel collection. This is just the first volume, volume 2 and volume 3 were recently released.
Lore Olympus is a modern greek mythology retelling of Hades and Persephone’s story.
Shades of blue and pink are widely used throughout this comic to represent the worlds of Hades and Persephone.
Each god and goddess is represented by their own color which makes it easy to remember who is who in the story.
Read More: 11 Books And Webtoons Like Lore Olympus To Start Reading Today
You might also want to checkout my review of the first volume here.
4. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Ariadne is another novel focusing on a female character from Greek mythology.
While I did not enjoy this one quite as much as Circe, I still thought it was a good book and if you enjoy Greek myth retellings, you will probably enjoy this one.
Ariadne is a princess of Crete who is known in mythology for helping Theseus kill the Minotaur. However, this book goes further into her life afterwards, along with the life of her sister Phaedra.
5. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale is the first book in the Winternight trilogy, which is one of my favorite book series of all times.
This is a historical fantasy set in medieval Russia. It blends real historical events with Russian folklore, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.
This book feels similar to Circe for me in that it has a powerful female character at its center and the writing feels like you’re reading a fairytale.
6. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Switching back to Greek mythology, A Thousand Ships is another story that focuses on lesser known characters and female perspectives.
In this case, you see the Trojan War through the perspectives of women who are impacted by it: the Trojan women captured by the Greeks, the Amazon princess who fought Achilles, Penelope waiting for Odysseus to return, and the three goddesses whose feud started it all.
7. Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
If you are a fan of mythology retellings about powerful female characters then you will enjoy Kaikeyi. This novel tells the story of the infamous queen Kaikeyi, from the Indian epic the Ramayana.
It is a tale of fate, family, courage, and heartbreak, an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark on the world.
It feels very similar to Circe because you are following a strong female character from myth throughout her life.
8. The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
If you like retellings, The Queens of Innis Lear is a great book to pick up. This one is inspired by King Lear by William Shakespeare, but set in a fantasy kingdom.
It’s about an aging king and his three daughters who he will choose an heir from, and is full of complex interpersonal conflicts between morally gray characters.
9. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi is a fantasy novel that is perfect for fans of Circe because the two books have a couple of things in common.
This one follows an isolated main character, Piranesi, who lives alone in a magical house that makes up an entire world.
The writing style of Piranesi has a similar lyrical feel to the writing in Circe.
10. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
For another book inspired by Greek mythology, The Silence of the Girls is a good one to check out.
This book is also based on the Trojan War, and told through the perspective of Briseis, who was captured by the Greeks.
It gives more depth and dimension to a female character only mentioned in passing in The Iliad.
11. Deathless by Catherynne Valente
Deathless is a very strange book, but one I enjoyed nonetheless.
It is a retelling of the Russian folktale Marya Morevna and Koschei the Deathless, set against the backdrop of a strange alternative version of St. Petersburg in the first half of the 20th century.
The writing style is very beautiful and it has a powerful female main character.
12. Elektra by Jennifer Saint
From the same author of Ariadne comes Elektra, Jennifer Saint’s newest novel.
This is also a Greek myth retelling and a study of a female character from mythology, this one centering around the titular Elektra.
She is the daughter of Agamemnon, famous war commander of the Greek army at Troy.
This book seeks to answer the question of whether Elektra can escape her family’s bloody history, or is her destiny bound by violence, too?
13. The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
The Witch’s Heart is a great book to read after Circe if you are looking for more myth retellings focusing on a female main character who is a witch.
This book is inspired by Norse mythology, but has many similarities with Circe. It’s about a witch named Angrboda who is banished by Odin and falls in love with the trickster god Loki.
14. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Finally on this list of books like Circe is The Palace of Illusions. This is another book similar to Circe that is great for fans of myth retellings.
Inspired by both true history and Indian mythology, this novel provides more depth and dimension to the female character Panchaali from the ancient epic poem the Mahabharata.
Books Like Circe to Read Next
These are the best books like Circe to read next.
If you enjoyed Circe by Madeline Miller, hopefully you will find another favorite among these books that feature mythological settings, beautiful writing, and strong female protagonists.
All of these books similar to Circe are ones I would highly recommend reading next.
Get these books like Circe here:
- Sign up for a free trial of Audible: Get 30 days of free access to thousands of audiobooks, and one free premium title of your choice. Perfect for listening on the go!
- Sign up for free trial of Kindle Unlimited: Get 30 days of free access to unlimited ebook reading on any device. You will unlock access to over two million titles instantly!
- Sign up for free trial of Amazon Prime: Get 30 days of a free trial offering free two-day shipping on all purchases, plus access to hundreds of new ebooks each month.
