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Psyche: The Laugh of Aphrodite
A cursed love. A descent into darkness. A journey beyond the edge of the divine.
Psyche’s fate was written in the stars—until she betrayed Eros, her lover and her curse. Now, cast into a nightmarish odyssey through realms of gods and ghosts, madness and devotion, love and sacrifice, she must traverse a world where the veil between mortal and divine is razor-thin. Bound to Eros by something more sinister than love, he may be the key to her salvation… or her ruin.
Set in a moonlit world of Mediterranean horror and occult forces, where gods and spirits linger at the edges of dreams, Psyche’s journey unfolds in longing, transformation, and surrender to a force that tears at the soul. Inspired by the Bhakti poetry of mystic saints like Andal and Mirabai, this is a lush, gothic reimagining of Psyche and Eros—where passion is both a blessing and a curse.
For fans of haunting mythology retellings, dark fantasy romance, and gothic horror, this tale of divine transformation is perfect for readers drawn to tragic love stories, eerie atmospheres, and mythological fantasy.
Psyche’s fate was written in the stars—until she betrayed Eros, her lover and her curse. Now, cast into a nightmarish odyssey through realms of gods and ghosts, madness and devotion, love and sacrifice, she must traverse a world where the veil between mortal and divine is razor-thin. Bound to Eros by something more sinister than love, he may be the key to her salvation… or her ruin.
Set in a moonlit world of Mediterranean horror and occult forces, where gods and spirits linger at the edges of dreams, Psyche’s journey unfolds in longing, transformation, and surrender to a force that tears at the soul. Inspired by the Bhakti poetry of mystic saints like Andal and Mirabai, this is a lush, gothic reimagining of Psyche and Eros—where passion is both a blessing and a curse.
For fans of haunting mythology retellings, dark fantasy romance, and gothic horror, this tale of divine transformation is perfect for readers drawn to tragic love stories, eerie atmospheres, and mythological fantasy.
274 pages, ebook
Published March 3, 2025
4 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 19, 2025
2.5⭐️ This book is very interesting and I’ll explain. First off, I recommend anyone who is not familiar with the Greek mythological story of Eros and Psyche to read it beforehand. I went into this blind and was so confused for a lot of this book. I had to look up the story and really read the original not just get synopsis to understand what was going on in this book.
Second, the writing style of the author is very “flowery” which is not necessarily bad but I think its execution in this made it hard to understand what was actually happening. There were several times where I missed what happened in the plot because the author described it so arbitrarily instead of telling the reader more straight forward, especially for important plot points. I think it would be helpful for there to be a be balance between the flowery writing and direct depiction of plot points or a better handle on how to convey plot points clearly within the flowery writing.
Third, there needs to be a better incorporation of background information about the story and/or a better plot set up in the first 10-20% for those readers who don’t know the story. Previously, I have been able to read other mythological spinoffs without having to read the entire original story beforehand. And while reading the story beforehand is not bad it just really set me back because I lacked understanding and have a hard time going with the flow for too long without knowing any context 😅.
Lastly that leads me to saying, in my opinion, this wasn’t a spinoff or “original retelling’. It was kind of just the story rewritten in a more “flowery” and obscure writing style. At least that was my impression throughout the book as nothing different appeared to happen that deviated from the original story, but that might have been the point and there is a chance I may have missed it because of my confusion with the writing style and intention from the author.
I did like Psyche as a character and wanted to know more about her but her characterization was a bit different than I’m used to. Like, the reader never got an explanation of her emotional outbursts. I was really curious where they came from and wanted to know a bit more about her inner workings. However that may not be the appropriate style for all mythological retellings, of this I am unsure.
Overall it was a good/okay book and once you know what’s going on with the plot the toxicity and drama of the relationships in the book was entertaining at some points! I do hope that Penelope Lys continues to write more and improve!
Second, the writing style of the author is very “flowery” which is not necessarily bad but I think its execution in this made it hard to understand what was actually happening. There were several times where I missed what happened in the plot because the author described it so arbitrarily instead of telling the reader more straight forward, especially for important plot points. I think it would be helpful for there to be a be balance between the flowery writing and direct depiction of plot points or a better handle on how to convey plot points clearly within the flowery writing.
Third, there needs to be a better incorporation of background information about the story and/or a better plot set up in the first 10-20% for those readers who don’t know the story. Previously, I have been able to read other mythological spinoffs without having to read the entire original story beforehand. And while reading the story beforehand is not bad it just really set me back because I lacked understanding and have a hard time going with the flow for too long without knowing any context 😅.
Lastly that leads me to saying, in my opinion, this wasn’t a spinoff or “original retelling’. It was kind of just the story rewritten in a more “flowery” and obscure writing style. At least that was my impression throughout the book as nothing different appeared to happen that deviated from the original story, but that might have been the point and there is a chance I may have missed it because of my confusion with the writing style and intention from the author.
I did like Psyche as a character and wanted to know more about her but her characterization was a bit different than I’m used to. Like, the reader never got an explanation of her emotional outbursts. I was really curious where they came from and wanted to know a bit more about her inner workings. However that may not be the appropriate style for all mythological retellings, of this I am unsure.
Overall it was a good/okay book and once you know what’s going on with the plot the toxicity and drama of the relationships in the book was entertaining at some points! I do hope that Penelope Lys continues to write more and improve!
March 12, 2025
3.5 ⭐, rounded up for the baby satyrs.
Essentially, this is a book about vibes, aesthetic, and imagery. It is filled to the brim with lush descriptions of locales and emotions. I greatly enjoyed Lys' portrayal of the gods, presented here as truly uknowable, cosmic beings. Except for my buddy Hermes breaking the fourth wall, I loved that part.
Characterization for our main girl felt a little weak, same for her romance with Eros. It seemed like all of Psyche's intense emotions came out of nowhere, especially the bit about her love being there before he was even born? Though on the other hand I understand this, as myths themselves are usually very fast-paced and you just have to accept that these two people were head over heels in love.
A beautiful debut overall, and I sure hope Ms Lys decides to retell more myths :)
Essentially, this is a book about vibes, aesthetic, and imagery. It is filled to the brim with lush descriptions of locales and emotions. I greatly enjoyed Lys' portrayal of the gods, presented here as truly uknowable, cosmic beings. Except for my buddy Hermes breaking the fourth wall, I loved that part.
Characterization for our main girl felt a little weak, same for her romance with Eros. It seemed like all of Psyche's intense emotions came out of nowhere, especially the bit about her love being there before he was even born? Though on the other hand I understand this, as myths themselves are usually very fast-paced and you just have to accept that these two people were head over heels in love.
A beautiful debut overall, and I sure hope Ms Lys decides to retell more myths :)
October 19, 2025
This.
I really enjoyed this story.
It was almost like falling into a fever dream.
The MC was something. She had this air about where I wasn't sure if she was actually an adult or something was a little off about her...but I loved her for it.
It's quite the tale.
Quite the adventure.
It is a book I would read again.
A young women who was sailed off onto a lone island.
There she is wed to a man that she knows not much about.
When he is gone it is just her.
She never gets a chance to meet his mother.
He has one request.
Do not talk about him to her sisters...
and yet...she does.
From that point on her world is turned upside down when she takes their advice.
If only she hadn't listened to her sisters I think her life would have been far easier...but at the same time...I think she grew from the harshness that fell upon her.
I really enjoyed this story.
It was almost like falling into a fever dream.
The MC was something. She had this air about where I wasn't sure if she was actually an adult or something was a little off about her...but I loved her for it.
It's quite the tale.
Quite the adventure.
It is a book I would read again.
A young women who was sailed off onto a lone island.
There she is wed to a man that she knows not much about.
When he is gone it is just her.
She never gets a chance to meet his mother.
He has one request.
Do not talk about him to her sisters...
and yet...she does.
From that point on her world is turned upside down when she takes their advice.
If only she hadn't listened to her sisters I think her life would have been far easier...but at the same time...I think she grew from the harshness that fell upon her.
September 29, 2025
It was very pretty prose, but as other folks have said, it helps to read the original myth first. It's told from Persephone's point of view, so you miss parts of backstory from other characters, and I felt it ended kind of abruptly.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews