Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson

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✦ BLURB ✦

I’m a liar, to begin with.

Well, if I’m being exceedingly honest with you, I was nothing at all to begin with. Then I was my father’s testicles. Then the weaver of Fate itself, which is when the lying started. After that, it all got a bit complicated.

Weaving herself a web of lies and careful deceptions, Aphrodite convinces everyone she’s the goddess of love whose rightful place is among the Olympians. But being a goddess isn’t quite like she thought. Those who oppose Zeus tend to disappear, or worse. And one day, Aphrodite decides she’s had enough…

From the award-winning author of Herc, this is the riveting tale of how a nobody became a goddess, and then planned to take down the most powerful god of them all.

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the goddess of love, lies, and long games

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✶ PRE-READING ✶

Phoenicia Rogerson took us into Heracles, Megara and Eurystethus’ head in Herc - now we’re going even bigger. Aphrodite is the goddess I’ve been waiting for someone to do right: clever, ambitious, dangerous, and fully aware of the game she’s playing. I’m expecting sharp prose, divine dysfunction, and a feminist streak that bites back.

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✶ POST-READING ✶

As I thought... Aphrodite narrates her own myth with wit, venom, and a slippery sort of charm that makes you both root for her and wonder if you’re being played. I loved the way Rogerson dug into the politics of Olympus, showing how love and power intertwine - and how Aphrodite weaponizes both with masterful precision. It’s not a romantic story; it’s a story about romance as strategy, as vulnerability, and as revolt. The prose was lush, biting, and often funny in a “you’re laughing but you’re nervous” kind of way.

It surprised me by...…slowing down in the middle just a touch more than I expected. There were stretches where things got a bit talky or tangled in divine exposition, and I occasionally found myself wishing for a little more doing and a little less explaining. But it never fully lost momentum - I was always ready to see what Aphrodite had planned next.

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✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

📚 Circe by Madeline Miller
📺 House of the Dragon (if Rhaenyra was in love with chaos and looked flawless doing it)

✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦

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

🎵 Featured Song: “The Archer” – Taylor Swift (because vulnerability as power, baby)
🎶 Vibe Album: Reputation – Taylor Swift (she’s wearing a golden girdle and burning down a throne room, let’s not kid ourselves)
🎧 Artist Rec: BANKS – moody, seductive, with an edge of menace

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✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

🎨 Colour Palette: Gold, oxblood, marble white
🎬 Soundtrack: Dark orchestral pop with dramatic strings and a heartbeat bassline
🌾 Season: High summer, storm incoming
😈 Mood: Sly rebellion
🔥 Scent: Myrrh, pomegranate, and danger

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★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

The Empress (Tarot of the 78 Doors)
She’s framed not as a ruler on a throne, but as a woman welcomed by children - open, vulnerable, and full of grace. For all her games and seductions, this Aphrodite longs to be held, not just admired. She wants love to mean home, not war. In this novel, her power isn’t just in beauty - it’s in her desire to belong.

Aphrodite publishes on the 14th of August, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.