I enjoyed this intro into a new take on Gods and ...
923004
I enjoyed this intro into a new take on Gods and Goddesses. This book took Greek mythology and put a syfy twist on it that was very satisfactory. The plot was amazing the curse and mini curse placed on our Hero was horrible and yet it was needed to make him more than just a warlord. I was captivated by the story of the hero and heroine together but also by the story of the four brothers. I found myself wanting to know more about them and to read their story as I read. I liked that the end was a happy ending but also a peek into the next story. I look forward to more from her.
4317039
I enjoyed the beginning to a new series by Ms. Jackson.  I had moments where I thought, surely she isn't going to allow her characters to have an affair, and she doesnt. Luke RPhael is an actor and having issues getting into the role of his character and meets recluse, Tavora Kar at the library. He has her agree to help him learn the town, and she does make a great historian. Some things she says regarding her husband Jim, just don't add up. Luke shares with Tavora of his wife Mara and son Xavier. Nothing happens, but they do create a bonding friendship that allows them to talk and share, including about childhood and God. The story brings out that religion is not the same thing as a relationship when it comes to God and the church.

The plot kept me in suspense and captivated with delightful characters, real issues and several open discussions of God and prayer.  The dialog was open and honest. This is the first book in this series and does leave us on a cliffhanger leading up to the next book. Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts, opinions, and ratings are my own.
1416523
A modern take on the mythology of Persephone and Hades that is well written and enjoyable. Interesting characters play out an entertaining story of intrigue and new love in this first book of the Goddess Test series that will leave you wanting more
1840765
Riddle's debut novel does an excellent job at exploring alternative theories of human evolution, and human history in an engaging storyline. What was particularly enjoyable was the incorporation of the story's plot points into known events from history and bringing it into the story. Also, check out the Fact vs Fiction section of the website: atlantisgene.com/next
3823340
I was very intrigued by the concept of Japanese mythology--I LOVE mythology but have not read much about Japanese mythology in particular. Unfortunately, not much mythology (that I could tell) was intertwined in this novella, which is understandable since its only a prequel.

I loved the setting in Japan. Lately, Ive been obsessing over wanting to visit there, but that aint gonna happen any time soon (seeing as how broke I am), so this is the next best thing.

So, from what I gathered, Tomohiro has some weird stuff going on with his drawings, which wasn't elaborated on much, but I am very interested to find out what it is and what Katies role is in all this.

Shadow didn't exactly wow me, but it overall, I am very excited to read the first book and delve into this world of Japanese mythology!

Also, that is a gorgeous cover! And not only because purple is my favorite color ;)
220271
I think it was an interesting that "The Author" was the name of the deity. We first meet the King Onestus when he is struggling with his health and his faith. He is shown a sign through a vision of the man who would be his successor but doesn't tell the group. He lets them come to terms with who the leader during their quest. It is amazing the different mythical beasts that the group comes across. From large owls to half-man beasts, the thirteen fight their way to the secret cavern. Along the way, they learned the importance  of having such different skills and even the most skeptical man had increased faith by the journey's end.

The story line moves along pretty steady. The story is a little long and think that less narration would have allowed the same effect with less pages. I felt the characters were distinctively developed and a reader could find them relatable. An interesting twist at the end with a character who I thought was good but maybe ultimately evil. I am interested in reading the second book to see what happens next. Overall, good read for anyone who likes science fiction mixed with inspiration and fantasy.
3057404
What a fantastic take on a very old legend! At first I didn't know what to expect from this book but after the first chapter I was completely sucked in as Greek gods and demi-gods started their power plays. I found the way in which old legends and characters are brought back to life, in a such a modern way, truly fascinating.

I'll admit to staying up WAY later than I should have trying to finish this book and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next one.

This story follows a girl as she goes from being a ridiculed high-schooler to being one of the most sort-after and powerful people of her time. She is surrounded on all sides by characters which have come to life from age-old legends (but then every story comes from some kind of reality right?).

Her heart and mind are conflicted as she fights through the pages of double-meanings and best-intentions.

The story could have benefited from slightly better dialogue, I found it slightly stilted while on the other hand the internal thoughts flowed beautifully. I also don't think the start does the book justice, so if you pick it up and find yourself not quite liking it, wait until chapter 2 before making up your mind.

4 stars for this great read, Prophecy of the Most Beautiful, I can't wait to see book two and find out what those pesky gods are up to this time!
1538701
A great and interesting new heroine in urban fantasy. As a fan of Norse mythology I like this very interesting new twist on the lore of the Scandinavians, Saxons, Celts and Vikings. The plot is very good, although some of the developments are a bit repetitive. The heroine is a very interesting character, and her being lesbian makes her more interesting, although sometimes it drags on the plot. But this is a minor issue as this novel is about her and her adventures not about sex. I enjoyed the interplay of characters and mythological symbols. The reader may have to find some more information to get a good grip on what all of them mean. I look forward to new adventures with Sarah Beauhall and her friends.
525564
This was the first book I had read by Eva Pohler. I found it a great introduction to her work! It is an interesting twist on vampires and Gods/ demigods. The characters are believable and Gertie finds herself going from feeling ignored by everybody in New York to having a new 'family' and two suitors in Athens!
I really enjoyed this story and now consider Eva Pohler one of my favourite authors.
I received a copy of this book free at evapohler.com
4656403
~4/5

I wasn't too sure what to expect with this spin-off, but being a fan of Noragami, it was a given that Id be picking it up. I thought it would be more of a parody, or comic strips with the characters. Instead, its actually just short stories about the characters, and they're not all comedy-based.

Yato tries to help someone, he tries to teach someone a lesson, tries to become a top-seven god, someone tries to kill him and then write a non-fiction book about him. My favorite chapter, though, is when Yukine gets a survey for shinki about their god, and he learns there are other options out there. The ending, where the gods get the surveys with comments and feedback from their shinki, is quite sweet. That one still makes me smile.

This was a really fun side volume, funny and sweet. The humor in this series is great, balanced evenly with the serious and heart-warming moments. I look forward to reading more.

[More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]
1409781
This is not a genre I usually read, but I saw this on sale on Audible and took a chance and it was money well spent!  I enjoyed the story and the mythology the book sets up.  The humor was trying a little too hard in places and felt forced, but I'm hoping this is something that is smoothed out in subsequent books.  I enjoyed it enough to try the next book in the series.  It's a fun story, fun characters, and a nice, easy read.
1647338
This book takes two of my favourites subjects - Greek gods and sci-fi - and blends them together in an intriguing mix. I really enjoyed the world Stehle creates and the myth is behind it: "gods" setting up camp away from Earth on an entirely new world, one fully under their control. The main character is well-paced in terms of discovering the truth of her world and grappling with her decision. Her romance with another scion of the gods is also fun to read, although there are some awkward moments between them. All in all, I enjoyed this story and look forward to diving in to the next one.
3830728
For over twenty years I have written novels about The Goddess, and it never occurred to me to create a protagonist who was mad at Her. That fresh concept sucked me right in and kept me reading. This well-written fantasy adventure had me guessing every step of the way. I was intrigued by the heroine's internal struggle between the forces of good and evil. However, my favorite character was actually the son of The Goddess (I won't give up names here so as not to reveal spoilers). This was another fresh concept I had not encountered before.

I look forward to learning more about him in the upcoming sequel.

Highly recommended!
2530201
This book had a very unique take on the super hero genre.  I enjoyed the parallel of Mount Olympus source of powers, and the comparison to ancient gods of mythology.  The story kept me involved and anxious to see what was going to happen next.  The character relationships were not as defined as I would have liked, but the series is just starting.  I look forward to see if future volumes will include background of other Olympians.  As far as the story line, I was surprised at the ending, But also interested in the reactions of the other characters to the final events.  I highly recommend this book and subsequent books by this author.
3485372
You know me, I hate to reveal too much about a book in a review. I promise, no big spoilers but Ive got to tell you something this time

 the owl goddess, her name is Athena and she lives on a spaceship.

Talk about food for thought!

Lets just say that when I start out a book and regular people are named Zeus and Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite, there are expectations and ideas that pop into my head. When those regular people met some other mostly regular but more stone-age-ish other people and they have names like Atlas and Prometheus and Pandora More ideas occur.

As it turns out, I meet a character named Pandora, I just hold my breath the whole time waiting for the you-know-what to hit the fan, because you know it has to its Pandora! You don't even need any extra foreshadowing when you have a name like that!

For the first part of the book I wasn't a very good reader. Instead of just putting my faith in the story and letting it flow, I couldn't stop wondering what the author was up to and guessing how what I knew about those names was going to fit in.

Then there was a turning point about halfway through the book. Suddenly both the characters and I had a grasp on what was going on and I finally settled in and enjoyed the unfolding of the tale.

Would I recommend it?
The author did a really nice job crafting her story around Greek mythology yet writing something totally new. I think this will not only be a hit with young adults who already know and love Greek mythology but also an excellent way to introduce kids, who would rather read about space travel than where olive trees came from, to the classic tales.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I discovered this book because Im a proud member of Rosies Book Review Team!
410492
I was skeptical going into this book, knowing it was from a debut author, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! I found myself wanting to find out what happened next, even as it got late into the night. It left me wanting more, and that's exactly what an intro book to a new series should do.

The characters were interesting, and the book gave just enough hints at what's to come that I can't wait to read the next book. The writing is top notch with a good balance of action and description. Though the use of internal monologue might not be for everyone, I enjoyed the style and the insight into the character's thoughts.

I've been looking for a space opera that broke the mold of humans leaving Earth and other far-future tales, and this fits the bill. I'll be anxiously awaiting to see where this series goes.
2544243
Step aside vampires and werewolves, a new stomping ground has been slowly emerging in the paranormal genres: Greek Mythology.  Sable Grace (the pen name of Heather Waters & Laura Baron) doesn't just borrow one or two elements to create the Dark Breeds world, rather she incorporated the entire pantheon of gods and goddesses.  The whole book is really like an urban fantasy version of Homer's THE ODYSSEY.

Not to completely shirk tradition,  within this fabulous Greek Mythological world, vampires, demons, and shapeshifters exist as well.  The protagonist is a vampire/werewolf hybrid with about as big a chip on her shoulder as you can imagine.  It took me quite a few chapters to warm up to Kyana's uber alpha female personality.  There's tough and then there's insolent and Kyana tended towards the latter often enough that I wanted to smack her.  Her personal history offered an explanation for her behavior, but I was still relieved when she mellowed out halfway through largely due to her relationship with a demigod son of Ares.

Personally, I prefer to read about a couple's first meeting and go from there as opposed to picking up, in this case, a decade after Kyana and Ryker first met.  There are a lot of misunderstandings, long held grudges, and missed opportunities mostly because of pride and wounded egos that I would have just as soon bypassed entirely.  That being said, once they dealt with all that, I did get swept up in the romance between them.

Overall, Greek Mythology fans are going to be in Elysium (aka heaven) with this world.  The gods, the Fates, Tartarus, even Charon are integral parts of the Dark Breed world.  There's plenty of well crafted action scenes, and a romantic subplot that comes together nicely in the end.  On the flipside, the pace had a tendency to be a little manic at times, the protagonist was uber alpha enough to grow a beard for the first half of ASCENSION, and the supporting cast was less than stellar.  It balanced out as a good--but not great--read for me that fans of Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series will want to check out.

Sexual Content:
References to rape.  A semi graphic sex scene