August 2017 Book Review: Antigoddess

Antigoddess

By Kendare Blake

~Book Review~

 

IN YA FANTASY WE HAVE SEEN GREEK GODS go through a modern day make-over like in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series or star as tortured love interests (mainly Hades) such as in Aimee Carter’s The Goddess Test. However, what if they started to die off?

Arguably much of their relevance already has, but it is a fantastic perspective to base a series around. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main character deities, Athena and Hermes, who discover they have begun to deteriorate in horrifically painful ways. Athena has wings sprouting in her lungs, for (gods’) sakes! What happened to Demeter really made me cringe. So I was excited for the quest as Athena and Hermes set out to find the source of their unraveling immortality. Along the way, a rift ruptures between Athena and those deities trying to solve the mystery, and those gods who have sided with the enemy.

Then there is Cassandra. *Sigh*. The story would have been better off without her, in my opinion. She is a typical judgy, charmless human protagonist who knows better than anyone else (definitely knows more than these gods who’ve been around a millennium) but, as Fate would unluckily have it, she is a Seer tied to the gods’ fate. That means we get chapters of her judging other people at parties, judging other people in her house, and judging anyone who tries to make her do anything. Very endearing sort, but just skim through her chapters. Luckily she’s not the sole POV.

The story is told with a stark, bloody boldness that is refreshing. You can feel the unpleasant prickle of feathers prickling along the roof of your mouth as Athena suffers. Aphrodite is a nut case, and Demeter is a freakin’ rolled out carpet. There are deaths, and they are in-your-face and rattling. The gods are by far the best characters, feeling just human enough that you root for them more so than the real humans. However, Odysseus was pretty bad-ass.

I would recommend the Goddess War trilogy, if anything, just to hear what gruesome fate has befallen the other gods. There were some major players missing in this installment (Hades and oh yes, Ares) who definitely get their due in subsequent installments. Zeus, however, does remain oddly absent for the overtly self-absorbed shapeshifter who runs rampant around the earth cornering maidens. However, perhaps that is to give more of a spotlight to gods like Athena and Hermes, whom we get to know very well by the end of the series. This is a unique re-imagining of what Greek Gods are doing in today’s world and well worth the read.

Recommended for fans of: Rick Riordan, Ellen Oh, and Sarah Fine

Upcoming Book Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson