Circe by Madeline Miller

Okay, so full disclosure, this novel doesn't have substantive LGBT+ content (although there is a decidedly queer accent to its conclusion) but it is so exceptionally incredible and we love it so fiercely, we just have to share it with you. Think a feminist retelling of The Odyssey where gods and monsters rage and scheme so palpably, you can feel it!  Circe blew...our...minds! 
 
Woman. Witch. Myth. Mortal. Outcast. Lover. Destroyer. Survivor. CIRCE.

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child – not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her occult craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beasts. Yet a woman who stands alone will never be left in peace for long – and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything. 

So Circe sets forth her tale, a vivid, mesmerizing epic of family rivalry, love and loss – the defiant, inextinguishable song of woman burning hot and bright through the darkness of a man's world.
 
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2019
 
“An epic spanning thousands of years that's also a keep-you-up-all-night page turner.” –  Ann Patchett
 
“Captivating ... Will entertain and enchant.” –  Sunday Express Magazine
 
“Horror, heartache and grit pour from the pages of this exquisitely written and compelling novel. An alchemist with words, Miller continues to rejuvenate the classics with her exceptional talent … Circe is one of the best and most rewarding books of 2018.” –  Uli Lenart, Attitude
 
“Enough magic, enchantment, voyages and wonders to satisfy the most jaded sword-and-sorcery palate. Miller approaches Odysseus's story from Circe's point of view, richly evoking her protagonist's overlapping identities as goddess, witch, lover and mother.” –  Adam Roberts, Guardian, Books of the Year
 
“A triumph.” –  The Times, Books of the Year
 
“Circe back as superwoman … Homer's witch get a kickass modern makeover… Miller's Me Too-era, kickass portrait of a woman trying to defy the men and Fates arrayed against her is enchanting… Blisteringly modern.” –  The Times