Book Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction,
Pages: 408
Format: Ebook
Rating:

Goodreads summary: Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

The Song of Achilles, I will never forget you.

This book kicked off my Greek mythology era. I picked it up after seeing how well-loved it is and finally decided it was time to see what the hype was about. As someone who loved Greek mythology growing up, this felt like slipping back into a world I hadn’t visited in years—only this time, it was deeper, richer, and far more emotional than I expected. While I’d definitely knew what that the Trojan War was in a general sense, I had never read The Iliad or studied the story closely. We all know Helen of Troy and the face that launched a thousand ships. But I found this retelling by Madeline Miller to not only be beautiful, but also an enlightening and engaging history lesson..

I adored how the mythological elements were weaved in. There were moments where I laughed at my own Disney-fied misunderstandings of certain things, like how Heracles kills his wife (sorry Meg!), that opened my eyes to the heartbreak and complexity in these ancient stories. Learning new details like Chiron being the one who trained Heracles and not Phil?! What about the song about going the distance! But I’m losing the plot, this story was about Achilles and Patroclus.

The pacing starts off slow for me, especially in the first 100 pages, and since I’m a reader who loves dialogue, the narration was lot for me at first. But once the story picked up, I was hooked. There’s this slow, emotional pull that drags you in before you even realize how much you care. 

But the heart of this book? Patroclus. I found him to be such a gentle, quietly strong narrator. His kindness, his pain, his growth—especially when he finds purpose outside of Achilles as a healer in the war—was so well written. I also really appreciated his friendship with Briseis.

As for Patroclus and Achilles? Their love felt real. It wasn’t rushed or overdone—it grew. From friends to something deeper. Their relationship wasn’t the spicy kind of romance; it was raw, loyal, tragic, and beautiful. The moment at the end when Patroclus and Achilles are dead, and Pyrrhus refuses to let them be buried together? That absolutely shattered me. But the fact that Odysseus tried? Ugh. That will stay with me.

The theme that hit hardest for me was love. Not casual love—but soul-deep, consuming love. The “if you die, I die” kind of love. And Madeline Miller’s writing captures that in a lyrical, emotional way that sticks with you long after the last page.

Achilles himself? Let’s just say… my feelings changed over time. I loved him at first—loyal, fierce, protective—but his stubbornness in the second half made me want to slap him. It made the ending that much harder to read.

I gave this 4.75 out of 5 deer-stars. I’d absolutely reread it. I’ve finished it weeks ago and still think about it often. The only reason it’s not a full 5 is because of that slower beginning. But otherwise, I loved it. If you’re a fan of mythology, romance, or even just a good emotional gut punch—this one’s for you.

P.S. I’ve already read Circe (review coming soon!) and while it was good, The Song of Achilles still holds first place in my heart.