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Entropy (Tessa Avery #3)
Entropy (Tessa Avery #3)
Lucy Roy | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
142 of 250
Kindle
Entropy ( Tessa Avery book 3)
By Lucy Roy

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Just how much pain can someone experience before they break? How much more loss can they suffer when there's no end in sight?

In the wake of unimaginable tragedy, chaos reigns. Not only have the stakes gone higher with Cronus and his allies attacking from all sides, but there's a new player in the game. Someone I trusted and cared about, someone I called a friend. Not only has he betrayed me, but he's also responsible for taking my best friend prisoner.

As we tirelessly search for answers, Earth has become a battleground. Each day, it seems the moment we get close to solving one problem, another crops up greater than the last, leading us to something not even the Olympians could see coming.

This was just absolutely brilliant! I even felt a tear run down my cheek at the memorial! This trilogy has been such a pleasure to read with amazing characters! I love the idea behind it and love reading what people to with the legendary Greek gods and titans! Would thoroughly recommend!
  
The House of Odysseus
The House of Odysseus
Claire North | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Penelope is still fending off her unwanted suitors, thanks to the rules of Greek hospitality. The men are drinking the cellars dry and eating as much as they want, whenever they want, and still expecting Penelope to choose one of them. They all think Odysseus is dead.

Matters are only made more complicated by the arrival of Elektra and her brother Orestes, King of the Mycenae - and he isn’t doing at all well after his mothers murder. Then Menelaus turns up for a ‘visit’.

Really, Penelope is being sorely tested, but she’s canny enough to cope with whatever the fates decide to throw at her.

I enjoyed reading everything from Aphrodite’s point of view - at least you can’t accuse her of favouritism. These gods don’t seem to appreciate that humans have feelings too.

Claire North’s women in this story (Penelope, Elektra and Helen especially) is what makes it special. It’s clear that all three have been through a lot at the hands of men - yet they keep going.

I’m currently the third and final instalment from my local library. I know how it all ends, but I can’t wait to read Claire North’s version (no spoiler: it’s not disappointing me at all so far!).
  
Epic of Helinthia
Epic of Helinthia
M. J. Pankey | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really enjoyed this. Epic of Helinthia is a play on the Greek myths, using the usual Gods and Goddesses with the addition of a “younger” Goddess: Helinthia.

The humans of Helinthia’s island are caught in the crossfire when other Gods (namely Hera) decide to teach her a lesson. Of course the humans are just pawns to be played with.

I liked the action (fights, chases, lion attacks (I know!!)), the interference of other Gods/ Goddesses (Artemis and Apollo in particular) in order to help their favourite humans, and the fact that you could never be quite sure who you could trust.

The writing is immersive - the scenes are well set, the characters are both easy to live and hate, as well as empathise with.

It felt as though a lot of research had gone into the culture of the time as well as the mythology surrounding it, and it was rather violent and bloody on occasion (these were violent times!).

I’m so glad that I enjoyed this, as I have the next instalment all set to go from BookSirens - the Oracle of Helinthia is set to be out very soon (and my review will be up as soon as I’ve read it!).
  
Hephaestus (Mythologay #5)
Hephaestus (Mythologay #5)
B.J. Irons | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
HEPHAESTUS is the fifth book in the Mythologay series but the first one I have read.

If you are anyone who knows anything about the Greek Gods, then you will have some idea who Hephaestus is. In this story, you learn more about his birth, upbringing, and relationship with Hera. And then there is his relationship Hestio, the God of Family and Hearth, to name just a couple of his titles.

The pacing of this book is fairly fast, involving a bit of telling and now showing. This meant I was unable to have as much connection with the characters as I like, especially the main ones. I found this to be a rather gentle read that didn't require too much from me.

One thing I did find a little odd - Priapus. If he was indeed cursed to have an erection at all times but when he actually wanted one, then Hestio was never really in any danger, now was he?!

Anyway, an enjoyable read.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2023
  
LifeShift
LifeShift
Michael Kott | 2018 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
www.diaryofdifference.com
Things can change in a moment. All it takes it that tiny second that can turn our lives upside down. This happened to Alex. See, one day, he is just this unpopular boy that goes to school, and works to earn a little something for himself. Then, in one little moment, he is about to be hit by a train. Only - a miracle happens and he remains alive. But something changed. No, EVERYTHING changed. A new girl comes to school the next morning and tells him he is an Eternal, just like her, a person that lives many lives and keeps getting reborn. He is also supposed to remember his past lives once he turns 18. And not only that, but he also needs to go on a mission to find another Eternal, that would lead them to Zeus.

Bonus: This book is filled with Greek Mythology characters, but they are not the Greek Gods as we know them - they are all Eternals and have a special new fictional story.

I know some of you guys messaged me that the synopsis of the book looked so complicated, and it put you off. The story is actually quite interesting and easy to understand, once you start reading it. So go on, and put this on your TBRs!

The story and the plot itself are so unique - I haven’t read anything like this before. Michael managed to recreate a whole new world, and new type of creatures - Eternals. I loved the idea of the Eternals - people that have many lives and remember their previous lives. They can even choose where they want to get born next, and how to look. I also loved the superpowers they have - communicating through thoughts and dreams, healing, reading the past of a person by touching their hand… However, in many places in the book this was described too fast and too wide - there would be 5 pages of an essay of only description. I would much prefer if we could explore the story and history through the characters more.

The characters were likable. All of them. I liked Alex - he was a typical American boy. Sometimes a bit oblivious to everything happening around him. I found it a bit upsetting how he couldn’t choose who he wanted to be with. But on the other side, I quite admired him for how he coped when his world just changed in an instant, and so many people he knew were not what he thought they were, and on top of that he had to choose who to trust and who not to, and he had to agree to go on a mission that risks his life, even though he still couldn’t remember if he was an Eternal, which meant that maybe he is not like them at all.

Circe was an interesting character too. Such an energetic person with a wild personality - she would be the one that brightens up a room as soon as she walks into it. She can also be very possessive of the people she loves. She quite reminds me of myself in my teenage years in everything she did - funny, reckless moments - all worth remembering. Even though I couldn’t find a favourite character, all the people we meet in the book were equally loved by me.

This is an amazing story - a fiction fantasy that gathered Greek Mythology characters and created something entirely new. I enjoyed it a lot and I can’t wait for the next book of the series to come out. This book opens up a great discussion about people that can be reborn and remember their past. My view on life is that once we die, our soul goes into another body that gets born in the exact same moment, and even though we don’t remember it, we always carry a piece of that inside our hearts. There are occasions though, where some people remember their past lives.

What are your thoughts about life after death? Would you maybe pick this book up?

A special thank you to the author, Michael Kott, who send me a copy of LifeShift in exchange for an honest review. All my thoughts are my own, and completely unbiased.