Book Review: Destined by Jessie Harrell.

Product details:
Publisher: Mae Day Publishing.
Paperback, 368 pages.
Release date: November 17th 2011.
Rating: 3 out of  5
Ages: YA.
Source: Received from author for review.

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.

Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.

A charming retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Psyche and Eros, Jessie Harrell’s Destined gives a modern twist to this tale of star-crossed lovers with its use of contemporary language which will make it resonate with modern day readers young and old alike.

Destined introduces us to Psyche, the most beautiful girl in all of Greece, who spends her days greeting the adoring crowds who have come to worship her beautiful face. She’s about to learn that beauty comes at a price, though, when she attracts the attention of the goddess Aphrodite with disastrous consequences. Unimpressed by Aphrodite’s son Eros who she finds arrogant and rude, Psyche rejects him, angering Aphrodite and leading to a chain of events that will change her life forever and take her on a dangerous journey across the land which she hopes will lead her to the happiness she’s been longing for.

While I have only a passing knowledge of the myth of Psyche and Eros, I love a romantic tale, and in Destined the romance is sweet and sensual and full of longing as we discover how Psyche and Eros journey from disliking each other at first, to falling in love so deeply that they can never bear to be apart. The character of Psyche is an interesting one, and it is a testament to Harrell’s skills that she makes this character who is beautiful and sometimes conceited one that we eventually root for as her inner strength shines through and she shows herself to be a character of substance. The pervading message throughout the story is that real beauty comes from within. It may be easy to fall in love with a beautiful face, but it’s what’s inside that counts. Along with some wonderfully descriptive writing, Harrell has really done her homework research wise with an abundance of evocative descriptions that make Psyche’s life in ancient Greece really come to life.

While Harrell uses a historical setting for her story, Psyche speaks in contemporary, often informal language which at first can seem out of place against the ancient settings and customs depicted in Destined.  It’s a style that took me a while to get used to, especially since I have read a lot of  works with similarly ancient settings and I am more used to formal language when reading text of this type, but eventually the ancient setting and modern language sit well together, and they will make this text all the more accessible to its intended YA audience.

With its fairytale like qualities, dashing male lead and a good dose of romance, Destined is well worth checking out especially if you are a romantic soul and want to read a charming tale where love prevails against all odds.

                                                                                                              

Check back on Monday when Jessie will be featured as a Delightful Debutante as part of the Destined blog tour and one lucky reader will win an e-book of Destined!