Tuesday 31 December 2013

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

He was Apollo, the sun, and he'd burn down anything that tried to hurt her... Cassandra and Aidan are just your average high-school couple. Or so Cassandra believes. Blissfully unaware that she was once a powerful prophetess, Cassandra doesn't even know thats god exist... Until now.

Because the gods are dying - and Cassandra could hold the answer to their survival. But Aidan has a secret of his own. He is really Apollo, god of the sun, and he will do anything to protect the girl he loves from the danger that's coming for her. Even if it means war against his immortal family...


I'm sure by now it isn't a secret that I'm a history geek, and that fascination extends to mythology; the basics I know from Disney's Hercules, but I love all their stories, the gods and goddesses complicated family, their powers - but I still learned things from this, about the Trojan War and the gods relationships with humans, especially Apollo and Cassandra. I loved seeing them all in a different, modern setting, when no one believes in them any more, and how they've survived all this time, or not as the case may be. 

Athena, the goddess of war, and Hermes, the messenger and god of thieves, are on a mission to find out why they are dying, slowly and painfully. Little snippets of their past were slipped into conversation alongside clues to their future. If they have one. The balance between finding out friends and new allies was dramatic and, if I may say so, educational. From my studies, I got a little thrill when I recognised a story or a character, especially Odysseus. It was fun to see how they interacted now, having such a long history together.

The synopsis gives the impression that it is a dramatic love story, and I'm glad that it didn't completely resolve around the love story, it was much more involved; the horror of Cassandra's visions, the truth of who she and Aiden are, the unknown mastermind behind it all made for great story telling and I'm impressed with how Blake balanced it all. 

While it might be helpful to do some homework before reading this, I didn't find it necessary to enjoy it. The history is a big part of the story but as there is subtle explanations, it didn't feel bogged down with details or completely brushed over. Again, nice balance. I loved this for the mythology, but anyone else will love it for the drama, the love story, the action, or all of the above!

Published 10th September 2013 by Orchard Books. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review. 

2 comments:

  1. I have to admit, I've been keeping an eye for reviews of Antigoddess! It sounds amazing but Imm always cautious of mythology sorties even though I tend to ADORE them. So happy you enjoyed it, will definitely give it a go :)
    Great review, Anya!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh, I'm really intrigued by this one. I really liked Anna Dressed in Blood so I really want to read this one soon.

    ReplyDelete