All the stories are true | The Alchemyst

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

Published: May 22nd 2007 by Delacorte Press

Genre: young adult, fantasy

Goodreads summary: Read the first book in the New York Times bestselling The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, perfect for fans of The Maze Runner and Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

He holds the secret that can end the world.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Sometimes legends are true.

And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

REVIEW

After hearing my boyfriend talking about this series for two years, I finally gave in and read it. It totally felt like this book had been written almost ten years ago, so I feel like my younger self would have loved it so much more than my twenty years old self did, but it was still a good book. This book was written like YA was back in the day, but my expectations have changed, here was the problem.

Starting with the plot, this book was quite predictable, because it’s the type of book we’ve all read a thousand times before, with teenagers finding out our world is bigger than they thought and they’re special snowflakes meant to save it. I don’t think many things happened, it really felt like an introduction to this world, but it has so much potential for the rest of the series. As The Alchemyst was more of a set-up, the main storyline was pretty cool and I’m eager to see where the author is going with it. I enjoyed that this book had multiple points of view, especially with John Dee’s one, which was interesting, as he was the antagonist of the series and it’s rare to have it.

The world was interesting, because it was based off every lore of ever, which means the author has infinite possibilities, so I’m excited for this. He talked about Egyptian mythology, but also Celtic’s with the Morrhigan, which reminded me, in that aspect, of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. However, I was annoyed at the amount of info-dump there was during the book, which led to irritation and boredom while reading it. There was so much information I couldn’t process all of it, so it’s likely I’ll have forgotten most of it by the time I read the second book. Because of that, Nick’s point of view was one of the hardest to get through, because he was explaining the world All. The. Time.

I never understood how Nicolas had escaped Dee for so long, as his alias was “Nick Fleming”. It was so obvious that it was ridiculous. I think the author didn’t dwell too long on that, but because of it, I felt so convenient that Dee found him just when Josh and Sophie were there THAT summer. But whatever. I still need to give this book a bonus point because the author remembered his characters had parents and thought an excuse for them, because it rarely happens, you know? Nevertheless, I found the magic system to be amazing and I cannot wait to read more on that (but please, no more infodump).

While the main characters were deeply annoying, I think that Scott portrayed realistic teenagers. They felt hot-and-cold, being real clever at times and totally dumb at others, but well, I could understand it. It prevented me to care for them though… But maybe it’ll be better in the sequels. Nevertheless, I liked the situation the author put the twins in, because it will lead to so much tension in the next books. I cared more about the secondary characters, because they were mythical beings, which made them so much more interesting.

Overall, I took way too long to read this and because of that, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. I still went through it pretty quickly, so it still had an addictive quality to it, but it was predictable and had tons of info-dump, even though the world was interesting. This book must be aimed at middle schoolers, even though the characters are fifteen, in my opinion. I have hopes the sequel will improve a lot, because the characters will get through some development, and the plot will be more exciting.

Have you read this series? Do you think it improves in the later books? Are you fascinated with alchemy and want more books about it?

Is the Apocalypse coming? | Riders

Riders (Riders #1) by Veronica Rossi

Published: February 16th 2016 by Tor Teen

Genre: young adult, fantasy

Goodreads summary: Riders. A new fantasy adventure from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Veronica Rossi.

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?

REVIEW

Going into Riders, I was a bit anxious, because I had seen mixed reviews about it. If you’ve read Under the Never Sky (if you didn’t, you should!), don’t expect a similar book, because it definitely wasn’t. In my opinion, Riders was pretty unique and I loved that the author choose to include the lore around the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

For 75% of the book, Gideon, the main character, was describing what had happened to him, because he found himself in a tricky situation in the first page of the book. I think that it was really interesting that Rossi chose to tell the story this way, because it almost felt like it was a report. Riders felt like a standalone, because overall, almost everything was resolved in the span of this one book, the sequel will be more Daryn’s point of view. Indeed, the beginning of the book was more about finding the others Horsemen and then get through with their quest. It was a lot to process at times, but at the same time it was a bit slow and repetitive during some part of the book.

This book was set in different locations all around the world, it wasn’t just about the U.S. – which I’m kind of sick of, these days – but also set in Italy and Norway. You could find this same diversity in the cast of characters, which I wasn’t expecting. Out of the four horsemen, two were typical Caucasian males, when the two others weren’t (but no spoilers!). I really enjoyed that aspect, because as an incarnation of the four horsemen, the boys were chosen and it showed that they were equals. The ending was definitely crazy, with a plot twist I wasn’t expecting (I was pretty naïve on that one, apparently). The author wasn’t scared to hurt her characters, which I totally respected, because they were fighting demons/fallen angels, after all.

I was thrown off a little in the beginning, because I’m not used to read books with only a male’s point of view, but I got used to it quickly. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Gideon’s character in the beginning, because he was macho (ugh), but he went through many character development during the book, which felt realistic. Nevertheless, I loved that his character was so realistic, trying to find ways to cope with what happened to him a year before, which still made him likeable. Moreover, I learnt a lot about the army reading this book, because Gideon had been training to become a Ranger before the accident happened, which was a bit outside of my comfort zone, as I avoid books about the military most of the time.

Out of the rest of the boys, Bas was definitely my favourite. Rossi managed to give us fleshed-out characters, even when she had five main characters. Daryn’s character wasn’t as developed as the others though, but I think it’s because the sequel will focus on her. She was still a pretty tough character and I loved how she was still the leader of the team, despite being the only girl there. I’m intrigued to learn more about the seekers in the next book, because it felt mysterious, as we weren’t in her head.

The team spirit definitely wasn’t there between everyone in the beginning, but the characters worked a lot towards that, so it was a success in this. The last chapter showed it, for there was a real bond between Marcus and Gideon, when they almost were trying to kill each other in the beginning. About the romance, the connection between two of the characters happened pretty quickly, but I enjoyed how it built up and how it ended up in the first book. I’m looking forward to see what happens between them next.

Overall, I found Riders to be a unique book that I quite enjoyed, even if it wasn’t perfect. I would recommend it to you if you’re looking for a badass and original adventure, even though it could be slow at times. Don’t expect this one to be similar to Under the Never Sky, though, but it showed how Rossi evolved as a writer since her debut novel.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Did you like Veronica Rossi's first series, Under the Never Sky?

Greek gods, have you abandonned us? | Legacy of Kings

Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals #1) by Eleanor Herman

Published: August 18th 2015 by Harlequin Teen

Genre: young adult, historical fiction, fantasy

Goodreads summary: Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to a newcomer…

Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But she doesn’t account for her first love…

Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.

And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the shocking details of real history, New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known, Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

REVIEW

When I first heard about this book, I was definitely intrigued, because of the time period it was set in. In YA historical fiction, we mostly have novels set in the 19^th century, sometimes 18^th century, but let’s be real: that’s pretty much it. So of course, being this huge history nerd, every time I see a book set before those time periods, I add it to my TBR (even though they’re not always great, like Into the Dim *sobs*).

Because Legacy of Kings was written by a historian, the world was totally accurate, and I actually could grasp how people had lived during this time period. There were also so many myths the author mentioned, that intertwined with the story perfectly. Moreover, the fantasy aspect of the novel also depended upon the historical setting, because it was about the gods, the mythological creatures and so on. However, be warned that in this first book, we don’t see that much of the fantasy aspect, but it’s definitely introduced and we’ll get more of it in Empire of Dust.

This book had seven points of view, which was definitely too much. It actually took me quite some time to get through the first seventy pages or so, because each chapter introduced a point of view. I quickly adapt though, but at times some points of view felt a bit unnecessary. It didn’t help me to connect with some characters, as they were more secondary than anything. I particularly struggled with Zo, because she was so far from the action (but I’m sure it’ll be better in the next book!) and Jacob, because he was so self-centred, and the author kind of forgot his point of view at the end of the book, haha. Nevertheless, all of these points of view helped to understand the bigger picture and I liked that.

Legacy of Kings definitely felt like the first book in a series, because it was introducing so many aspects, the world, the characters, but also multiple subplots. It definitely set up to be an amazing series and it showed that so many things will happen in the latter books, but as a standalone, I didn’t feel like I had enough closure, because it was an introduction. I still liked it though, because I was invested in most of the storylines and it got me totally intrigued. But I’ve seen it bothered many readers and I can understand why.

I was really engrossed into the story during almost the whole book and am excited for the next one. However, I was a little disappointed because I had guessed the final plot twist early on… I think that plot-wise, it was heavy, because there was so much going on, for seven characters. I don’t think I would advise you to start fantasy with this one, even though I loved it. This novel was also quite dark, which I liked, because it wasn’t sugar-coating anything.

Eleanor Herman chose to have so many strong female characters, which I was so excited about, because it’s the Antiquity! I don’t mean I like all of them, but they were all so interesting. Indeed, the author wrote realistic characters, who all had their own agendas, even if it made them flawed, like Olympias, who was more on the villainous side, or Cynane, a morally grey princess. Moreover, can we talk about how Olympias has snakes everywhere and I’m scared to death of snakes?? I will never go near this woman, seriously. I would have liked to have more of Alexander’s point of view, because the book was supposed to be about him, but it was more about Kat, even though I liked her.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the dynamics between the characters, sadly. In the first chapter, the author hinted something was going on between Kat and Jacob, but I didn’t like how he treated her during the whole novel… At some point, something was also going on with Heph and I had no idea where it was coming from. So yeah, sometimes it felt a little bit forced. However, I liked the friendship between Heph and Alex, they were so loyal to each other and Cynane was definitely jealous.

The action definitely picked up during the last chapters of the novel and I was addicted. The characters will have to face so many enemies but I can’t wait to see it. Moreover, I’m curious of the paths some of them are going to take, because they will be farther away from the palace, as the war is starting.

Overall, this book was a very good introduction to a new epic series and I loved reading it. It definitely had flaws though, like the number of points of view or some dynamics between the characters, but my enjoyment of the novel was so high. It was also quite dark, which is so fitting in fantasy. If you haven’t yet, you should read this one, especially because Empire of Dust, the second book, is coming out at the end of June! 

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Are you excited for Empire of Dust? Have you read other YA novels set in Ancient Greece?

A romance-driven plot which only redeemed itself at the end | Sword and Verse

Sword and Verse (Sword and Verse #1) by Kathy MacMillan

Published: January 19th 2016 by HarperTeen

Genre: YA high fantasy

Goodreads summary: Raisa was only a child when she was kidnapped and enslaved in Qilara. Forced to serve in the palace of the King, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery. Everyone knows that Raisa is Arnath, but not that she is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that, although she may have a privileged position among slaves, any slipup could mean death.

That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s approached by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the Resistance could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved, an honorable man she knows wants to help the slaves.

Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees.

And Raisa is the one holding the key.

REVIEW

I have super mixed feelings about this one. The two halves of the book are totally different, it's insane. I was tempted to DNF it, to be honest, but I was anticipating it so I really want to give it a chance... And it got better. It was actually an addicting read, because I read it in a few sittings, but that doesn't mean it was a great read.

Things that I did not like

- The first half of the book almost only focus on the romance. But well, I only felt like the plot was based upon the romance, so NO.

-I was mostly bored.

- The fact that there are huge time gaps bothered me. You'll tell me that it's more realistic that nothing happens for months, and I agree, but the transitions weren't done well enough for me. It totally threw me off than we started when Raisa was fourteen and in the end she was eighteen, or so. For example, I'd have liked to see her Selection, it would have been interesting.

- The characters felt a bit flat to me. We didn't even really get to see how Raisa and Mati felt in love... Or it was just insta-love? I don't know… I felt like they were the only important characters in the story, and I wasn't even able to relate to them. The secondary characters were there, but we didn't get to see them a lot, except maybe Jonis, but that's all.

- Where was the character development? Raisa felt the same from beginning to end.

- It was totally infodump-y. In the beginning, I got an headache because too much information at once, it was hard to process.

Things that I liked

 - MacMillan was able to create a rich world that I was really interested in. I loved how religion was important here, and that we got to see the mythology at the beginning of each chapter (even if sometimes, I just didn't care).

- The ending was amazing. I wasn't expecting anything at this point but it was actually fast-paced and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. I was impressed by this ending, but it felt a bit rushed and I wanted this book to be more like that.

- This book is a fantasy standalone, which is pretty rare, but in this case it works, because of the way it ended. I read somewhere that the author was working on a companion book, which told the story from another character's perspective. If it's Jonis, it could be interesting, but if it's Mati, I don't see the point, at all.

-It didn't involve a love triangle, for once. The plot was romance-driven anyway, so it would have been useless.

- Finally, the idea behind this book is so important. Never forget that knowledge is power

Overall, I found that the first half of the book was completely different from the second, and I was so relieved, because it's one of the reasons I finished the book. I wasn't a big fan of the romance, especially since it was the focus of the first half of the book, which underwhelmed me. The characters felt a bit flat and didn't go through a lot of development, sadly. It was set in an interesting world though, I was actually fascinated by it. Moreover, the ending totally redeemed the book and it was worth it to read until the last page.

Were you excited about this book? Have you read it yet? Did you think we got too much romance?

A character-driven book I wanted more action from | Ungodly

Title: Ungodly (The Goddess War #3)
Author: Kendare Blake
Published: September 22nd 2015 by Tor Teen

Goodreads summary: For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn't know could fill a book. That's what her opponents said. 

So she was wrong about some things. So her carefully planned assault on Olympus left her team beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods illness. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.

But all is not lost. Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and submits to his death, or the Fates arrive to speed it along. 

And Cassandra is up there somewhere, too, on a quest for death... with the god of death himself.

REVIEW

This book was the conclusion to the Goddess War trilogy, I was excited to read it, because the second book left off on a cliff-hanger. Now that I’m looking back, I feel like this trilogy was more character-driven than action-packed, and I’m kind of regretting it, because I was expecting more action from it.

I really enjoyed that we got three points of view in this book, because at the end of the second book, the characters weren’t at the same place and were looking toward different paths. This switch between the points of view made me kept reading and totally renewed my interest for the plot.

Kendare Blake expanded the world of this trilogy and we finally got to see the Underworld – literally everyone expects it in Greek mythology novels – I liked to see how Persephone was dying. However, I’m wondering: did we see Zeus in this trilogy? I feel like we didn’t but maybe I read too fast and missed the part where he was? I don’t know but it is awkward not to see him.

The romance was so good in this book, I’m happy Henry and Andie got together – even if the whole world was begging them to be together I’m kidding. I also got a soft spot for Thanatos with Cassandra, even if it is twisted, him being death and everything, but I don’t mind, she deserves to be with someone after all the events of the previous books.

My favourite moments featured:

1)      Hephaestus who was so cool and steampunk-y (evn if it’s urban fantasy). He was a noble character, even if I doubted him for a moment. And the lunch with Hermes was everything.

2)      When the Moirae possessed Cassandra, it was unexpected and disgusting but AWESOME.

I felt the ending was a little easy, I actually didn’t remember it while writing this review, three days after I finished the book (and here, everyone discovers or not my reviews are scheduled LOOOONG after I’m reading the books).

A promising book based on Chinese folklore that let me down | Soundless

Title: Soundless
Author: Richelle Mead
Published: November 10th 2015 by Razorbill

Goodreads summary: From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei's home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into a crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

REVIEW

Funny thing well definitely not for the author, every time I’m going back on the Goodreads’ page of this book, the ratings are getting lower and lower. To be honest, I was so excited about this book, because it was based on Chinese folklore, it was a fantasy, and it was written by Richelle Mead, author of the amazing Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. However, if I hadn’t known she was the author of this book, I wouldn’t have guessed, because it was so different from her previous works.

In the beginning of this book, I felt so bored, the pacing was really slow and not a lot happened. Fei and Li Wei decided to do something 25% in and this book wasn’t even 300 pages long! I was confused during the first chapters of the books, because I felt like the world had just been thrown at me, with no explanations. I felt it was more a dystopia than a fantasy, because it had such a typical dystopian novel plot… When Fei regained her hearing, I found it pretty easy, because she just had to read the words of someone who could read to understand what it was like, it was unrealistic.

Fei was a brave main character but she didn’t stood out to me, she felt like every other YA heroine I’ve read before, I lacked of connection toward her. I really didn’t like her relationship with her sister, because Fei was doing everything in her place – without asking her opinion sometimes – it was pretty irritating, especially when you know that Fei was the younger of them. I had actually forgotten that detail and thought it was the contrary, until I read other reviews, it’s how confusing it is. The romance she was into was pretty cheesy and predictable, like : “Oh I’m promised to someone I don’t love but this guy I’ve always swooned over starts to get interested in me.”

The plot started to be interesting when Fei discovered other villages. However, the climb before that took forever, I just wanted it to stop. The explanation behing why Fei’s village was lonely and treated differently was interesting, but I wasn’t blown away or anything…

This book is labelled as “Chinese folklore” but sadly, it was almost non-existent. Actually, it felt like the only reason I could think this book was set in a China-esque country was the name of the characters AND THAT’S ALL. This Chinese folklore I was promised was set in the last two chapters of the book…

Final thoughts:

I was expecting a lot of this book, because I love Richelle Mead, she always writes funny books with swoon-worthy characters. I’ve always loved getting into one of her books, because I knew I would love it. I was expecting the same of this one, but I felt let down. It was a short book where not a lot happened and that felt more like a slow first book in a series. I have this weird feeling that Richelle Mead was trying to prove she could do other things than Vampire Academy and Bloodlines by getting a book published as soon as possible (The Ruby Circle, last book in the Bloodlines series, was published in February, this one in November), but it didn’t work. I didn’t see a lot of research concerning Chinese culture, I think she didn’t know how to put it in the book.

Have you read books based upon Chinese folklore? Do you have any recommendations for me? Are you a fan of Richelle Mead? What did you think of that new novel of hers and are you excited for her new series, The Glittering Court?

The Sword of Summer | Book review

Title: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Published: October 6th 2015 by Disney - Hyperion Books

Goodreads summary: Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . 

REVIEW

I read a lot of negative reviews about this book so I admit I was a bit anxious going into it. These reviews said Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer was a lot like the PJO books and I totally agree with that. The chapter titles are back in all their glory, like: “Come to the Dark Side. We have Pop-Tarts” or “We are Falafel-Jacked by an Eagle”. Being in the head of Magnus while he was telling his story reminded me a little too much of Percy’s point of view in the first books, it had the same sassy tone, I’d have liked it better if the point of view felt more new to me. Magnus was hilarious and had his own personality though.

The monster’s ridged forehead and tapered snout made him look more like an eel than a snake. His hide glistened in a camouflage patchwork of green, brown and yellow. (Here I am calmly describing him. At the time the only thought in my mind was: YIKES! HUGE SNAKE!)

Moreover, there is also the matter of the quest, because it is the plot of every book Riordan wrote on this world. But well, I knew what to expect so I don’t know if I can complain.

Anyway, it was a strong plot and I really enjoyed that Magnus’ quest started in the mortal world, before he knew the truth about himself. His family had connections with Vikings, it was so great. Still, I thought this book was a bit long, because Magnus really starts his quest page 148. I know we needed explanations on this world, but then the quest should have been shorter. The way mythology is handled is just like Riordan’s previous books so I don’t have anything to add about it, but it was as much fun as usual (Thor is addicted to TV shows, Odin to PowerPoint presentations). This book felt a little more educational than the previous one, because I didn’t know a lot about Norse mythology, compared to the Greek/Roman and Egyptian ones.

I loved that Riordan made an epilogue; it felt so much like a Marvel movie when you have a last scene that reveals what will happen in the next one. It was full of evilness and we all want that, let’s be real! 

The characters were amazing, it was a very diverse cast of characters, both for our mortal world (one character is Muslim, another one deaf) and in the Nine Worlds (a demigod, a Valkyrie, an elf and a dwarf). It is something a lot of people are talking about these days, I liked that it was important in here. Magnus wasn’t particularly badass, like some people said, he isn’t really a warrior, but he can be a lot more. There wasn’t romance in here – even if something “happened” for secondary characters at the end – but it’s not something to be surprised about, because Riordan never focuses a lot on that (except PERCABEEEEETH).

This leads me to… We had Annabeth cameos and the last one was everything. This book is also a lot about family, from the one you have blood bonds with to the one you create for yourself, it was really enjoyable. The final thing I would like to highlight is the multiple pop culture references. From PJO when Magnus asks his sword to be a pen to Doctor Who when he says something is bigger on the inside, it was everything.

I had so much fun reading this book, I actually laughed out loud several times – which doesn’t happen that often. I’m actually really excited for the second book, because I fell for the story and the characters. I had reasons to be scared, because it is a lot like PJO, but once you’re aware of that… You won’t care and love this book anyways. 

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Mortal Gods | Book review

Title: Mortal Gods (Goddess War #2)

Author: Kendare Blake

Published: October 14th 014

Goodreads summary: Ares, God of War, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She's ready to wage a war of her own, and she's never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she'll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.

Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can't have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.

The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra's hate will get them ALL killed.

The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can't, fates far worse than death await.

REVIEW

“It’s going to be an interesting day tomorrow,” he said. “All that glory.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “And so many dead gods.”

This book was a real transition to the next book, because it focused more on finding new allies in the upcoming war and training the mortal ones (that used to fight in the Trojan War). I didn’t really mind that there wasn’t much going on, because we learned a lot about the world and had a lot of character development.

The first chapter just felt like Athena’s evil plan, because she went back to Demeter to ask her what to do. It was so fun to read about. We also got the point of view of the other gods, amongst whom Ares. The gods just seemed like a freaky family, it was more relatable, even if their relationship were twisted. Moreover, we learned that they weren’t above everything, that there were “gods of gods”, which explains why the Olympians were dying.

Throughout the book, Cassandra, Henry and Andie struggled to find a balance between who they are and what they used to be. Grieve was a great part in this transformation because of Aidan’s death. I really liked that Andie asked to be trained, when it wasn’t the case for the other two, it was her way to get over that grief. We also saw that Cassandra was changing because she wanted revenge, and understood at some point that it wasn’t everything – even if she’s still REAL MAD at Aphrodite.

The different points of view were well handled by the author, because they were all needed. Of course, I didn’t particularly want to read about Ares, but this way, we got to know what the other gods were doing, so it wasn’t a “surprise” at the end. This way, it also felt a lot like a preparation for war, with both camps led by a war-god.

I like how Blake is handling mythology, she isn’t telling it, but just says random information, like when Calypso said she was “basically Odysseus’ girlfriend”. Of course after that we got more information, but it was funnier that way. Also, I laughed so much when they got to drive all the way to Olympus and Athena regretted no to have took a van.

The ending was really fast-paced and everything happened at the same time, so I’m a little confused by it. Still, it ended on a big cliff-hanger, because the characters will be in different places when Ungodly starts.

• My review of Antigoddess

Have you read this book or at least the first book, Antigoddess? What did you think of it? 

Antigoddess | Book review

Title: Antigoddess (Goddess War #1)

Author: Kendare Blake

Published: September 10th 2013 by Tor Teen

Goodreads summary: The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. 

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. 

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out. 

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

REVIEW

I had really enjoyed Anna dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares by the same author, I was curious about this one but didn’t know what to expect. The main problem when you talk about Greek mythology in your books is that you have to deal with the comparison with the Percy Jackson series. This book was really different from that and I really enjoyed it. Just like in Anna, I really enjoyed Blake’s writing style, her descriptions are always very vivid, though creepy, but that’s why I loved her in Anna anyway.

I felt the plot was a little bit too slow in the beginning, mainly because we had two points of view: Cassandra and Aidan’s, Hermes and Athena’s. Because we had the gods’ point of view, we knew what was going on when Cassandra didn’t, I just waited for her to understand and it seemed so long, when I had figured everything out. I was also tired of waiting for the two points of view to meet, it happened like 55% into this book. However, reading both these points of view made sense. There was a lot more happening for the gods than for the humans.

Athena was probably my favourite character. She looks like a punk, which made me smile a lot, because it’s not how you would picture her. The fact that the gods’ deaths were based on their attributes, like the owl feathers for Athena, was really interesting. During the novel we saw her being more and more human, even questioning her actions in the past. Relationship between the gods was something I really enjoyed reading about, especially that after all these millenniums, they’re now apart.

I’m really interested to see where this story is going, even though I hope the team won’t take down an important god in each book, because it would be repetitive. About that, I liked that everyone is important in this team, secondary characters were added, but they all have their backstories. The ending left me in awe, because I didn’t expect that. AT ALL. I’m excited to learn what will happen in the next book because of that.

Have you read this book? Are you interested in it? Do you have other recommendations for me, books dealing with ancien mythology (exception Riordan's books, because I read them all^^)?