Printed Passion: Happy Holidays and a book review!!

So I probably should have given all of you amazing people a heads up before I dropped off the face of the earth...I'm sincerely sorry for that. Rest assured I have been productive, if not writing-wise academic-wise.

The last few weeks leading up to finals are terrible, just so you know.

Anyway...

I survived, and I'm back!! I've sincerely missed this blog and all of you. This winter break I'll be jumping right back into the pool of amazing blogs and contests and (ugh) querying. Can't wait to see what you've all been up to!

As for me, I have a TON of reading to catch up on, and I started with this month's book for my AWESOME online book club, YA Today. I seriously love these ladies!

Anyway, this month we read/are reading DESTINED by Jessie Harrell! (My pick! :D)

Isn't the cover GORGEOUS??

Here's the blurb:

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

Simply put: it's a retelling of Cupid and Psyche, one of my favorite myths of all time. Unlike most Greek myths, this one is tender and (in some cases) has a happy ending. It's a true love story, not just a god lusting after a random woman.

***Side note: 'Cupid' is the Roman name for the god. In this book, and in any other stories using the Greek terms, he is named Eros. Just FYI :) ***

I knew before I even picked up this book that I would love it, just because I love the story so much. It was fun to read it in more detail from the point of view of a very spunky Psyche (contrary to how I normally envision her). There were definitely flaws in the writing and format (which is why this book isn't making it onto Afterglow Book Reviews from me), but I was giddy throughout the entire story and read it all in one sitting.

This really is a fun story about the power of love and what love really is. There were a few deviations from the classical myth that I liked and others I wasn't crazy about (though there was one I LOVED) but overall it stayed true to the classic myth, but Jessie brought her own spirit to it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sweet love story that's easy to read, but definitely to those familiar with the myth or who like Greek mythology. Even if you're not super familiar with Greek mythology, Jessie does a pretty good job of explaining who the different gods and nymphs and other figures are, though the story deals mostly with Cupid (Eros) and Aphrodite.

I'd give this book three and a half out of five butterflies, but I round up :D