“I envy the mortals. It’s because they’re weak and damaged that they can love.”
I’ve been posting more reviews lately, which only means I’ve been loving more books lately! Though I planned for this post to be craft-centered, I had to switch it to a review once I finished LOVELY WAR by Julie Berry.
Because this book broke me.
In a good way, of course.
Where to start? Because even now, after finishing LOVELY WAR a day ago, my heart still feels like it’s plastered between its ink-stained pages. I still feel ensorcelled by Aphrodite’s tale of two couples who prove that War is no match for Love.
Julie Berry spins a story of war and grief and hope and love, and these threads are woven into a shining tapestry that is reminisced by Aphrodite, a Greek goddess, to display to her husband Hephaestus what love really looks like. With the help of Ares, Hades, and Apollo, she narrates the stories of Hazel, James, Colette, and Aubrey – four young adults desperate to survive World War I, both at home and at the front.
Their stories ripped my heart out and shattered it into a thousand shards, only to gently lace it back together with the shining finale, which I quite honestly didn’t expect. I also adored Julie Berry’s take on each Greek god and their motivations. Hades was probably my favorite, as he’s nothing like the vengeful, evil, murderous character you might be familiar with from the myths and – let’s be honest – the Percy Jackson series. Aphrodite was amazing as well, and I did not anticipate her twist at the end.
I was teary when I shut this book. My chest ached – that resonant ache you feel when a novel is so, so good. Even now, I still feel immersed in this luminous, wonderful story. And I will carry this book with me until the end of my days. LOVELY WAR is one of those timeless tales, one that seems to be woven of dreams and stardust, and I can’t recommend it enough.
“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”