Welcome to the tour for Calliope Wakes by Constance Kersaint! Read on for more details!
Publication Date: February 23, 2024 Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy
The gods are alive, and they’re in Michigan.
Something is wrong in Bellhaven, and Callie doesn’t know how to stop the nightmares. She just wants to be safe in her small city by Lake Michigan, but there are strangers in town and evil around the corner. Is she causing the troubles or is there something more sinister? Erik has come back into her life and seems to know more about her bursts of insanity than her, but she doesn’t know if she can trust him or if he’s trying to distract her. Then buildings are collapsing, wolves are attacking, people are dying and only Callie can save them. Will this time be different? Will they finally live to see the sun rise on All Hallows’ Eve?
My thoughts: blending Celtic (Irish and Welsh) with Norse mythology is interesting, all these reincarnated gods and frost giants roaming around, desperate to break a curse thousands of years old, mostly by murdering one of both of two teenagers, none of whom asked for any of this, to escape their fates.
Callie is 18, trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and then she’s told that she’s the reincarnation of the Welsh goddess Branwen – doomed to fall in love with a Viking god’s reincarnation and get him killed by his own family, thus creating this looped curse that has kept them all trapped for centuries. Oh, and she can’t leave town – the curse won’t let her.
Her childhood best friend Erik is the other half of the doomed couple, but they haven’t even spoken in four years, so how can they be fated to fall in love? And her whole family turn out to be gods too – at first she thinks she’s losing the plot, but a blow to the head brings back her memories.
Callie is determined to figure a way out of the curse for everyone, a way that doesn’t require her or Erik to be murdered, even if his cousins are gunning for her, and his ex-girlfriend Helena – who’s also Hel, goddess of the underworld. Lovely.
As Samhain approaches and Callie and Erik become even more entwined by the curse, Callie must figure out how to survive, even if Ragnarok will come for them sooner or later instead.
It’s helpful to know a bit about mythology reading this, I’ve read the Mabinogion, the Welsh myth cycle, some Irish myths and Norse myths before, all of which was a bit helpful, as the three overlap a bit here, which is a little confusing at times. Especially as more gods and monsters come to town, but I liked Callie and Erik, as well as Erik’s brother, who was always making stupid jokes.
Vengeance Born is now available everywhere! You’re going to want to read this one!
Vengeance Born: A Grim & Reaper Netherworld Tale
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance/ Mythology
Two Dark Tales. One deliciously haunting book.
Enter the Netherworld and dive into the dark with Grim and Reaper. The resident lords of Purgia may govern the deathly dealings of the day, but faced with the matters of their heart, their worlds get turned upside down.
When an enigmatic woman begs Thelios Mirth to save she and her sister from the clutches of Hades, the Grim Lord finds himself gambling with the unexpected. His heart.
Lord Roark wants for nothing but to reap the strays and vagabonds roaming the city of Purgia, but when a ward of the High Prince seeks his help against rebel forces, he forsakes his better judgment with hopes to reap something forbidden. Love.
Vengeance Born: A Grim & Reaper Netherworld Tale is a two-act novel filled with dark fantasy, broody, ruggedly handsome mythical men, strong love interests. Both tales are steamy, dark, no cheating, with touches of mafia and barbarian-ish charm. Readers of the Fire duet, Fire Kissed & Fire Born will be happy to see Grim & Reaper again, while newbies get to dive head-first in an interconnected, yet standalone book.
Author Note: Mature content. Suitable for ages 18+. Contains sexual situations, pillow talk, violence among supernatural creatures, discussions of death and morbidity and some gore.
Well, at least that’s how I’m described in the confines of my everyday life.
Writing has always been second nature to me. I spent my childhood creating short stories and my collegiate years writing for the campus paper (Go TERPS!) Jump twenty years to the present–I’m still writing. At my day job I spend most of my time writing capability briefs, white papers, proposals–you name it.
Then one day it hit me! It was time to access my own creative power and bring to life the characters I’ve created in my mind.
In addition to enjoying life with my amazing family, I can usually be found with my head in a book, binging my favorite shows, and watching movies with jaw-dropping scores! (I love all things Danny Elfman!)
Happy release day to author C.L. Qvam! The Spindle of Life trilogy is complete now that Thread of Fortune is here!
Thread of Fortune (Spindle of Life Book 3)
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Genre: Romantic Fantasy/ Greek Mythology
✨Star-Crossed Soul Mates
✨Sea Voyage
✨Love & Redemption
✨Emotional Scars
✨Prophecies
✨Touch Him & 💀
✨That’s My Fiancee!
✨Trauma Rep
✨Lore & Mythology
Fate must run its course.
A mother lived again. A sister died for love. Death followed the son, and a twist of fortune they had, when all united as one.
But for Caden, that twist cost everything that mattered and left him alone in Atropos’ clutches. With nothing for comfort but his own seething guilt and anger, Caden is rapidly descending into darkness.
Yet his chilled heart still beats with a flicker of hope that he will see his fated love again, be it in the land of the living or dead.
So when opportunity presents itself, he escapes with the remainder of their group and sets out to brave the Underworld itself, determined to be reunited with Sophie.
But will love find a way? Or will darkness be all that remains when Caden and his crew learn that Maddison might have read the prophecy wrong, that Sophie’s sacrifice might have been for nought, and that the end of Atropos’ reign might very well bring on the Apocalypse?
The fated heirs’ thrilling adventures come to an end in this gripping Spindle of Life finale featuring sea voyages, battles between good and evil, a trip to the Underworld, and star-crossed lovers caught in it all.
Author Notes:
This book contains dark content mostly suitable for upper young adults readers or above. Content warnings can be found on the author’s website. Reader discretion is advised.
British style and spelling is used.
Romance content rating system (RCRS) level: 4 toeing the line of a 5 (fade-to-black with some minor & soft on-page descriptions.)
C. L. Qvam has been lost and found on several occasions, and this time she’s been found by you!
Drawn to everything British and lore infused stories that explore the morally grey, Chase moved across the pond at a young age to write the story in her heart. Since then, the mixed-race, Norwegian author has identified as an English rose and defies the barriers of her first language and dyslexia to write in her preferred language on the daily.
While pieces of her debut trilogy were drafted all over the world, Chase now spends her day writing back home in Norway, living with a very patient boyfriend and furbaby.
Circe goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.
Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters—she’s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King’s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom’s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe—but you would be wrong.
Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King’s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.
When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom’s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he’ll consider granting the slayer his freedom.
Except Manisha doesn’t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn’t know it, but the “monster” he’s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.
Alternating between Manisha’s and Pratyush’s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question “What does it truly mean to be a monster?”
When guests arrived, Sita shooed Manisha and Arya behind the lattice walls, into a secret hallway between the grand hall and the wall facing the kitchens and residences. Manisha frowned but didn’t argue. After all this time, she still couldn’t interact with guests. It didn’t matter. She didn’t like socializing anyway.
She covered her head with her jade-tinted dupatta, slipping into the cool recesses. The latticework inner wall allowed the girls to view the grand hall while remaining hidden from guests.
“Who do you think is here that’s so important?” Arya asked, nearly poking her nose through a swirl-shaped hole in the marble wall. Billowing light from the hall cut through the carvings, covering her in an illuminating pattern of light and shadow.
“Why do you ask that?” Manisha countered, peering through the carved holes.
“Sita only hides you away when there’s someone important, or had you not noticed?”
The giggles of younger girls in the hidden hallway reverberated off the walls, their bare footfalls padding away as Arya shushed them. At least someone was having fun. Sita never bothered to use the darkened walkways, so this was probably the only place where the girls could play without being scolded. Manisha was tempted to join them, to run again, to laugh, and to let go of the shackles of proper etiquette.
A hush fell over the girls, drawing Manisha’s attention back to the hall.
Three guests entered the main room like giants, faces hardened, postures rigid, and bodies sculpted by brutal battles.
Manisha picked up on two pairs of soft, bare footfalls trekking across cold floors, and one pair of footsteps so muted, they were nearly imperceptible.
An apsara led the trio to offer prayers at the innermost shrine, the shadowy door inside the crystal pikes.
The apsara told them, “It is said that the ancient ones were born during the creation of the Akash Ganga. From the great sky river came both devas, the wise ones, and asuras, the monsters which you slay. The ancient ones came to us from the glimmer of faraway stars to battle the asuras who had escaped the faraway darkness. I suppose you must have a connection with them, since you battle on our behalf.”
Two men nodded with an acquiescent hum, but the third was silent.
They knelt on red-and-gold pillows in front of the central altar. The light cast from the diya sprayed against the contours of their faces, sharpening the angles of their jaws like a fine blade. The quiet one, the tallest of the three, was just a boy.
Many boys had visited over the years, typically sons of noblemen and diplomats, even royalty—cousins of princes, mostly. They escorted their families. This one, however, arrived with commanding officers dressed in formal uniforms. Maybe he was the son of a famed commander?
Manisha was so focused on the guests that she startled when a strange magnetic pull drew her attention to the boy. A sense of curiosity. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Flustered? Annoyed? Guarded? All three?
Arya clutched Manisha’s wrist and pulled her away, whispering, “Don’t get distracted by boys.”
“I—I would never,” she muttered. “Who is he?”
Whispers and excited conversations bubbled around them as all the girls glued themselves to the carved gaps to watch.
“They call him Pratyush. He’s a famous warrior.”
Manisha scrunched her brows, confused. “But he’s just a boy.”
Arya shrugged. “All warriors start out as boys. This one must be strong. The men he’s with look like commanders, so he must be important.”
Manisha intended to look away but couldn’t seem to move.
The boy was handsome. Broad-shouldered with long black hair, the top half of which was tied back. So young and yet so commanding. Everyone flocked around him as if he were the most important person in the hall. The men he was with, the apsara at his beckoning, even Sita and the Head Priestess had come to greet him. More than that? He was allowed to light the prayer diya, an act reserved for the highest-ranking men and the apsara.
Instead of leaving the delicate holder on the altar as most would, he picked it up and… broke it. The fragile clay shattered in his hands.
A look of shock crossed his face… and just about everyone else’s. The girls behind the wall gasped, their eyes bulging as the centuries-old antique crumbled in his palms.
Had any of the girls broken something so precious, Sita would’veexiled them, kicking them off the floating mountains with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
What would she do to this famed warrior boy?
Sita’s face flared red, her lips pressing into a tight line. She fell to her knees to collect the destroyed remains from the floor.
Manisha cracked. A bubble of laughter tore through her. She immediately covered her mouth.
Arya shot her an incredulous glare, as if she’d been personally offended. Manisha cleared her throat. Only to end up cackling. She hadn’t laughed since she’d arrived at the temple. She, in fact, didn’t think laughter was even permitted by Sita.
Sita’s look of horror and utter disbelief, tangled with the inability to do a single thing, was a moment to behold. But add a commanding warrior gaping at his mess like any other awkward boy… well, Manisha couldn’t help it.
She was now covering her mouth with both hands, cackling up a muffled storm.
Her laughter must’ve escaped because Sita glared daggers of wrath at the lattice wall. All the girls took three careful steps away from Manisha.
The boy, whose face had been flustered, went from embarrassed to indifferent as he, too, looked at the lattice wall splattered with Manisha’s laughter.
Sita, the Head Priestess, and the host apsara had gathered every last speck of the broken diya holder, reverently holding the pieces in their hands. The commanders shook their heads, rattled. Yet all they did was give the boy a pat on the back as if saying, This is why we can’t have nice things.
“We should get to the kitchens to help with supper,” Arya whispered, ushering the younger girls out of the walkway before they suffered Sita’s wrath.
Manisha knew she should go, too, but she was rooted in place, unable to remove her stare from the boy. He kept glancing at the lattice wall. There was no way he could possibly see her, not with how the marble carvings had been designed to conceal persons in the recesses. But his intense focus made her question if he could.
She walked to the end of the hallway. Yet, when the boy looked up, his gaze immediately found her. She walked back, toward the entrance. Again, he found her. How was this possible?
When the prayers ended, the warrior boy meandered toward the sweets. A table and a wall were the only things separating them. He picked up a diamond-shaped kaju katli, made from the pistachios growing in the courtyard and dusted with edible silver.
He popped the entire sweet into his mouth and glanced over his shoulder. Then he dragged his gaze across the lattice wall until his eyes landed on Manisha. She stilled in the shadows.
He had the strangest-colored eyes, lavender and poetic. Such a stark contrast against dark brown skin and the harshness of warrior-worn clothes.
“It’s not nice to laugh at someone, you know?” he said, his voice scratchy. He couldn’t be older than sixteen.
How could he pinpoint her so easily?
“I know you’re there,” he added, the corner of his lips tipping upward. Suddenly, he seemed less like a grumpy warrior and more like a regular boy. “I smell your rose oil hair perfume and hear the crunch of a leaf under your foot.”
She scowled, not having felt anything beneath her steps. But when she gingerly lifted her left foot, there it was… a leaf.
Sajni Patel is an award-winning author of women’s fiction and young adult books. Her works have appeared on numerous Best Of the Year and Must Read lists from Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Apple Books, AudioFile, Tribeza, NBC, Insider, and many others.
My thoughts: Medusa meets Indian mythology sounds like an odd mix but works surprisingly well in this YA fantasy about men and monsters.
Manisha is a nagin, an ancient line descended from goddesses with an affinity to snakes. After her people are almost wiped out, her family send her into hiding. Forced to pretend to be a faithful temple servant, she encounters a young man, Pratyush, a renowned monster killer, who just might be her destiny, or her fate?
After a terrible incident ends with her broken and blooded, thrown out from the temple, Manisha vows to find her family. Aided by a snake sidekick, Noni (the cuddliest giant serpent ever), she heads in the direction of home, making new friends along the way.
Pratyush is also on a journey, and when the two paths collide, decisions must be made.
I really enjoyed this book, I loved Manisha, she’s a wonderful protagonist. I liked playing spot the Greek mythology mixed in with the Indian, and the way the two very different cultures had been blended so well. The tiny hint for what’s to come in book 2 has me excited already!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
We are thrilled to present the gorgeous cover for Invoking the Ruin by Shoshana Rain. Pre-order this beauty today!
Invoking Ruin (The New Olympus Book 3)
Expected Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Romantic Fantasy/ Greco-Roman Mythology
Atê:
I’m on the run. I’ve kidnapped a god, injured my sister, and stolen the one weapon that can end all of god-kind. Now, all of Olympus is hunting for me, determined to bring me to heel for the sake of their own peace and comfort.
But I’m one step ahead of them. Dionysus is mine, and I’ll do anything to stay in the lead, even release the one goddess they’re all afraid of.
All to keep him.
Dionysus:
Atê thinks she has me where she wants me, vulnerable, hers. But I’m not as helpless as she thinks I am.
I have a choice now: to help my family bring down the impetuous goddess, or continue to play the little puppet in her schemes. But I have my own plans for Atê, a long standing feud between us I will see ended.
I’ll bring her to her knees.
Invoking Ruin is a full-length, medium-burn, standalone fantasy romance with a guaranteed HEA. It contains steamy scenes and is an opposites attract romance. It is the third and final book in The New Olympus series. While it is a standalone, reading the previous books will provide the best reading experience.
The House of Atreus is spiralling into self-destruction—a woman must find a way to break the family curse. Queen Clytemnestra’s world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to Agamemnon. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten to once more destroy the family Clytemnestra loves. From one of Greek mythology’s most reviled characters—a woman who challenged the absolute power of men—comes this fiery tale of power, family rivalry and a mother’s burning love.
Susan C Wilson has a degree in journalism from Napier University and a diploma in classical studies from the Open University. She has worked in such environments as the Scottish Courts and the Scottish Parliament. As a writer she loves to explore what makes us human: the eternal motivations, desires and instincts that cross time and place. She also aims to make ancient stories resonate with a modern audience, through historical fiction and contemporary retellings. Her debut novel, The House of Atreus: Clytemnestra’s Bind was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition 2019 and will be published by Neem Tree Press in June 2023. This is the first of an epic trilogy and explores the Greek myth of Queen Clytemnestra from a feminist perspective.
My thoughts: Greek tragedy is full of unhappy women and tragic families, the House of Atreus is particularly full of terrible deaths. Atreus murdered his nephews and fed them to their father, who brought an army to tear down Atreus. Agamemnon and Menelaus’ avenged their father’s murder and seized the throne of Mycenae, but then Agamemnon did something terrible in order to garner a fair wind for the attack on Troy – yes that one.
This book follows the story of Agamemnon’s wife, the unhappy Clytemnestra. Her first husband, Tantalus, is murdered by Agamemnon (his cousin) as is her infant son, and she is forced to marry their killer. Menelaus marries her sister Helen, who eloped to Troy with Paris and started off that whole war.
Agamemnon is not kind or loving, not to his wife or their children. He’s a bully and a killer, so it’s no surprise Clytemnestra falls for his foster-brother, with whom she plots his downfall, should he survive Troy.
The play cycle The Orestaia (named for their son Orestes) is where this story is most familiar to me – from studying it at uni many years ago, and of course from The Iliad. So it was interesting to actually get Clytemnestra’s perspective. She’s a character in these earlier works, but like most Greek women in the poems and plays, she’s mostly silent. Things happen to her, she has little agency.
This book gives some of that back to her. It’s a violent, bloody story but that was the world she lived in. One where murder and revenge play out in every day life.
Her love for her children, Iphigenia, Electra and Orestes, as well as her murdered infant son, are what sustain her through her horrible marriage to Agamemnon. It will be interesting to see how the author chooses to tell the next part of this bloody and brutal tale.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
We’re celebrating the release of Mourned by Men this week, and if you love fantasy mixed with Greek mythology, you are going to want to read it!
Mourned by Men
Publication Date: December 12, 2023
Genre: Historical Fantasy/ Greek Mythology
Her mother told them they were daughters of a god. But can the children of gods hurt? Can they die and fail like any other mortal?
Penthesilea knew her life was different. Growing up on the lush island of the Amazons, she and her sister lived on the cusp of two worlds—the warlike one of men and the soft and mothering one of women. But Amazonian girls learn to fight, to defend their home, to battle their enemies. They are neither soft nor cold, neither fully female nor male in their traditions. However, the outside world breaks their peace, and Pen finds her sister drawn to the men outside in a way she herself cannot understand. When tragedy befalls the sisters, Pen and her warrior women journey to Troy, the site of the legendary war between friend and foe, where the Amazon queen must decide between tradition and a new sort of life that only she can define.
The Trojan War made famous Hector, Achilles, and Aeneas, but there are also Penthesilea and her Amazons and a host of legendary characters, their stories stripped of magic and deus ex machina, bared to the world as simple men and women, struggling against the often-deadly fates foretold in myth.
Katie Frendreis grew up in Chicago, reading mythology and illustrating her own fantastical adventures. This is her first published novel. She earned her BA in Classical Civilization from Loyola University and has worked in such diverse places as museums, dance studios, and funeral homes. Collecting hobbies like some people collect stamps, she also draws, paints, teaches tap dancing, and trains as an aerialist. She currently lives just outside Chicago with her husband, an adorable fruit bat/dog, a massive collection of books, and a rather large Lego community in her basement.
My thoughts: Penthisilea (her name means “mourned by men”) is the queen of the Amazons at the time of the Trojan War, and according to Homer, dies on the battlefield. Interestingly her warrior women fight for Troy, honouring a long connection between King Priam and her mother.
Greek mythology is littered with terrible men, and this story has several – Paris spoilt son of Troy who quite frankly should know better than to steal the wife of a belligerent Greek king – Menelaus (another terrible man), then there’s Heracles (wife killer, child killer, reason a lot of people end up dead), Theseus (general shit) who marries her sister Hippolyta, has a son with her (Hippolytus) and then decides he wants a different wife. Hippolyta’s terrible death, defending him, doesn’t stop him from being a terrible person either.
Penthisilea only really likes Priam, his son Hector and Hector’s killer, her enemy the Greek hero Achilles, who treats her with respect. Otherwise she’s not keen on men. Can’t really blame her.
This is a really interesting retelling of the life of another incredible character from Greek mythology to file alongside those of Circe, Penelope, Medea and Ariadne (another of Theseus’ victims).
A town in need. An extraordinary cat. A season for miracles…
It’s nearly Christmas and committed Londoner, Mina Kestle, is close to signing a deal that will make her career and give her everything she’s ever wanted. And then she receives a mysterious letter in the post along with an ancient key, sent by her long-estranged godfather . . .
Davy Penhallow is an artist who lives on the tiny Cornish island of Morgelyn with only his pet cat, Murr, for company. Mina hasn’t seen or heard from him in decades, but now it seems he wants her to look after his cottage – and his cat – while he recovers from a stroke in hospital. Mina doesn’t know why Davy has written after all these years, but she intends to do what’s right: sort out the cottage and the cat and then get back to London in time for her career-saving meeting, before everything she’s built comes crashing down around her.
But the more time Mina spends in the cottage, looking after Murr and remembering the magic of Cornish folklore, the harder it becomes for her to tear herself away. And when she discovers that a set of ruthless property developers are coming for Morgelyn, she realises she might be the only one who can stand in their way to save the island, Davy’s cottage and Murr’s home.
As Christmas draws ever closer and echoes of the past – her own and the island’s – wash up in her memory, Mina begins to unravel a generation of secrets… and discover what it is she has truly always wanted . . .
The perfect magical read to cosy up with on chilly winter nights…
My thoughts: as anyone lucky enough to be selected as a cat’s servant knows, they are magical and mysterious beasts. Murr may be centuries old and part of myth, or she might be the last descendant in a long line, that’s a secret that she won’t tell.
But the tiny island of Morgelyn needs a saviour now, and in the form of Mina, and the islanders, who set out to save it, they have one. As Mina waits to see whether her godfather will recover from a stroke, she cleans his cottage, feeds his cat, and fights to save his home.
I am not only a cat servant, I am a lover of Cornwall (my ancestors came from the West Country) and this is a celebration of that magical place too. Its ancient Celtic traditions, its unique language and myths.
A slim volume, but one that’s heartwarming and sweet, full of bravery and love. 🐈⬛🐈⬛ I think even my cat would approve, if he could read!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
A queer revisionist retelling of the story of Hercules, for fans of The Song of Achilles, A Thousand Ships and Ariadne.
This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures… everyone’s favorite hero, right?
Well, it’s not.
This is the story of everyone else:
Alcmene: Herc’s mother (She has knives everywhere)
Hylas: Herc’s first friend (They were more than friends)
Megara: Herc’s wife (She’ll tell you about their marriage)
Eurystheus: Oversaw Herc’s labours (He never asked for the job)
His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims
It’s time to hear their stories.
Told with humour and heart, Herc gives voice to the silenced characters, in this feminist, queer (and sometimes shocking) retelling of classic Hercules myth.
My thoughts: I am a massive myths and legends geek, one of those it’s best not to get started, and I’ve enjoyed most of the retellings of recent years. These stories are designed to be recycled, retold, respun for a new age, for a long time most of them existed only in oral form. (Oops, see what I mean, special interest off!)
Hercules (or more accurately Herakles as the letter ‘c’ doesn’t exist in Ancient Greek but ‘k’ does) is probably the most famous Greek hero and one people frequently get wrong (I blame Disney – their Hercules is nothing like the myth).
This Herc, as read by his friends, family and lovers, is every bit as awful and blood soaked as much Greek tragedy. He murders his wife and children, and his punishment is those infamous twelve labours. Except in completing them, he becomes a hero. A selfish, rather stupid, often very drunk, hero. He joins Jason’s Argonauts, only to bail out before they get anywhere near the Golden Fleece, he may even be the cause of the Trojan Wars (although he dies before he can make that situation any worse).
We never really hear from Herc, only secondhand, but it’s enough. He doesn’t come out of this well. His fits of rage, his drinking, his unfaithfulness, his bad behaviour. If he was a 21st century man, he’d be in prison.
But it is interesting to have all these different views on him – some from people who love him, who think they understand him, but can they really? He believes he’s cursed by Hera, being one of Zeus’ many, many illegitimate children, but can he really blame all the death around him on the gods and not accept that he’s a thug?
Phoenicia Rogerson (who has the best first name) has created a rich and vibrant world, with its many tiny island kingdoms, its heroes and villains, gods, monsters and strange happenings. She brings it all vividly to life, and even though the language is modern, you can tell these are ancient stories.
Thank you HQ for sending me a beautiful hardback copy, you can Pre-order yours now, and it’s available at the end of August.
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
Perhaps you know the myths.
Furious, benevolent Gods.
A tree that binds nine realms.
A hammer stronger than any weapon.
And someday, the end of everything.
But few have heard of me.
Looking back, it’s easy to know what choices I might have made differently. At least it feels that way. I might have given up on my title. Told my father he was useless, king of Gods or no, and left Asgard. Made a life somewhere else.
Maybe I would never have let Loki cross my path. Never have fallen in love.
But there’s no going back.
We were happy once.
And the price for that happiness was the end of everything.
Cat Rector grew up in a small Nova Scotian town and could often be found simultaneously reading a book and fighting off muskrats while walking home from school. She devours stories in all their forms, loves messy, morally grey characters, and writes about the horrors that we inflict on each other. After spending nearly a decade living abroad, she returned to Canada with her spouse to resume her war against the muskrats. When she’s not writing, you can find her playing video games, spending time with loved ones, or staring at her To Be Read pile like it’s going to read itself.
Epilogues for Lost Gods is the sequel to her debut novel, The Goddess of Nothing At All.
Find her on Twitter, Tiktok, and Instagram at Cat_Rector
Or visit her website, CatRector.com
My thoughts: I do enjoy a mythic retelling, and this, from the point of view of the Norse goddess Sigyn, wife of Loki, goddess of Fidelity, is really good. Daughter of Odin, but not one of his favoured children, she falls in love with the Trickster god and has two sons with him.
Their life together is not easy, Loki still has to work for Odin, and the All Father is not a kind master. Sigyn has no idea what fate has in store for her family, but a lifetime of cruelty and mocking is wearing and her love for her fellow Aesir is limited.
It is Ragnarok that brings Sigyn and Loki together the most, their punishment and the redemption the end of the world offers her.
Lots of research has clearly gone into the writing of this book and the little details, like the use of Icelandic words for the Jotun language, add flavour and depth to the story. It takes a while to get going, drawing you in slowly to the love that blossoms between the two main characters. Much of their life together is quiet, raising their children. But as Loki defies the gods, and draws events to their violent end, things shift and Sigyn has to choose her stand. A clever, well written and enjoyable retelling of this old story with a fresh modern perspective and voice.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 