A Beautiful Evil by Bea Fitzgerald

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✦ BLURB ✦

When the Gods make the first human woman, Pandora, they impress on her just one certainty: that she has been made to love and be loved by her husband, the titan Epimatheos. But certain that the gods who torture his brother Prometheus do not bring Pandora as the gift they claim, Epimatheos wants nothing to do with her.

Hurt and confused, Pandora struggles to find purpose and meaning in her new life. Worse, having failed the very gods that made her, how will she ever earn their love again? Though with Matheos's brooding melancholy, constant snipes and seemingly permanent glower, Pandora's beginning to suspect she was made for some other purpose: because surely it's not to love this insufferable (albeit rather handsome) man.

But as Pandora and Matheos work to uncover the truth of her creation, that fated connection between them feels increasingly difficult to ignore. And with that comes greater risk. Because Prometheus left his brother with one final warning: that their love would be humanity's doom.

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Beautifully bitter, wickedly funny, and mythically messy - Pandora finally gets her say.

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✶ PRE-READING ✶

The myth of Pandora is so often reduced to “curiosity killed the world,” but there’s so much more to unbox - pun 100% intended. I was especially intrigued to see how Fitzgerald would interpret Epimatheos, the less famous but still crucial brother to Prometheus. After enjoying Girl, Goddess, Queen and The End Crowns All, I was expecting clever mythwork, sharp-tongued leads, and a fair bit of heartbreak. I wasn’t wrong.

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✶ POST-READING ✶

As I thought... Fitzgerald’s signature blend of biting wit and mythological flair is in full force here. Pandora is clever, emotionally complex, and constantly searching for meaning in a world that tells her her worth lies in obedience. Her arc - from a wide-eyed creation trying to earn love to a woman forging her own purpose - is beautifully executed. And Matheos? Prime sad-titan material. Tragic, snarky, and frustrating in exactly the right ways.

It surprised me by... ...being much more about agency than romance. The love story simmers (and sizzles), but the core of the book is Pandora choosing herself - even when the gods, the world, and her so-called destiny try to tell her otherwise. It’s also sneakily funny: the divine dysfunction, petty sibling arguments, and dry observations land like modern satire, and the pacing keeps it all sharp.

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✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

📚 Circe by Madeline Miller – another reimagined woman of myth, seeking power in a world that denies it
🎬 The Sandman (Netflix) – divine politics, strange magic, and mortals caught in the wake
📖 Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe – for readers who love messy gods, complex romance, and mythic girlhoods
📺 Orphan Black – yes, hear me out: the question of what it means to be created, owned, loved, and free

✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦

Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

🎵 Featured Song: “Control” – Halsey

“I’m well acquainted with villains that live in my head…” Pandora’s journey toward self-determination pairs so well with this moody, powerful track.

🎶 Vibe Album: WAX by KT Tunstall – full of punchy rebellion, shifting tones, and themes of control vs freedom.

🎧 Artist Recommendation: Florence + the Machine, especially her Dance Fever era - ethereal, feminine, dangerous.

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✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

🎨 Colour Palette: copper, indigo, deep wine red, lightning-silver
🎬 Soundtrack: Clash of the Titans (2010) meets Fleabag Season 2
🍂 Season: late summer - when everything’s still golden but storm clouds are threatening
🌀 Mood: “What if I wasn’t made to be good?”
🌸 Scent: scorched fig, storm air, and cold bronze

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★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

The Tower – Storyteller’s Tarot
Pandora’s Box becomes the Tower in this myth-woven deck - a perfect, chilling match. The card shows ghostly skulls and insects pouring from the open box, with legs visible nearby from someone injured or possibly dead. It’s not just the crumbling of illusions - it’s the aftermath of divine recklessness.
In A Beautiful Evil, Pandora is both the spark and the fallout. She’s blamed for what was inside the box, but never asked whether she agreed to carry it. This card reminds us that the gods might have built the structure - but it’s Pandora who has to survive its collapse.

A Beautiful Evil publishes on the 7th of August, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.