Starcrossed

The Starcrossed trilogy is one of my favorite teen series dealing with Greek Mythology.  The cast of characters are all modern day incarnations of tragic demigods of old.  History is stuck in a loop, the same tragic tales played over and over again spanning multiple generations.  The same will happen this time around unless Helen can somehow stop the Fates.  It's a series full of action, betrayal, danger, friendship and family.  It is also a story of starcrossed lovers.  Helen and Lucas are drawn to each other, almost to the detriment of all.  They are this generation's Helen of Troy and Paris.  They share a love that defies all else, but they can't be together.  Both of them constantly struggle to accept the fate they are dealt, all while trying to save the world.  They have to contend with angry gods, try to keep the Furies at bay, and unmask a traitor in their midst.  At the end of the day, all the weight rests on Helen's shoulders.  Can she be strong enough to beat the gods and end the cycle the Fates have them all stuck in?  I really liked this series.  I thought these books were well-written and vastly entertaining.  The characters are all quite enjoyable, even the less than likable ones.  I loved Helen's relationship with her father.  Also, her best friend was all types of fun.  The stories are filled with all the markers of a good fantasy/mythology story: a prophecy, an epic battle, the fight for survival, the responsibility of great power, and a romance to end all romances.  This is a series that I highly recommend.  Happy reading!

Cruel Beauty

Lately there seems to be a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings out there.  Cruel Beauty is interesting because it combines the fairy tale with Greek Mythology.  People should know better than to make deals with the Gentle Lord.  The price is always higher than you expect.  When Leonidas Triskelion desperately bargains for a child, his wish is granted.  His wife gives birth to twin girls, one of them promised as a bride to the Gentle Lord.  That is the price Leonidas agreed to.  The hidden barb is that his wife does not survive childbirth.  Seventeen years later, Nyx is preparing to marrying the king of demons.  She has a secret mission she has been training for her whole life: to kill the Gentle Lord and save her people from  900 years of living under his curse.  As she tries to discover the secrets of his house and figure out how to destroy it, she instead discovers truths she never imagined.  Perhaps the Gentle Lord is not the true enemy.  Perhaps he is himself a victim of the curse.  Plus, Nyx finds herself falling in love with the demon.  Can she continue on with her mission to destroy him?  I love fairy tales and I love Greek Mythology.  This book gave me a little of both.  The Children of Typhon, Pandora's Box, the Kindly Ones, plus the mention of various other myths weave their way through the story.  I really enjoyed the characters.  Nyx is a spitfire, constantly amusing Ignifex/the Gentle Lord.  Her tenacity is what keeps her alive.  She is strong and passionate.  As wife number nine, she just might be the one to survive.  Ignifex is not what his reputation leads us to believe.  As all Beast re-imaginings,  he is a lot kinder and he is definitely more than meets the eye.  This is more than a love story.  It is about family, duty, destiny, loyalty, betrayal and consequences.  Nothing comes without a price, and the cost may be more than you can ever imagine.  As far as Beauty and the Beast retellings, this is one of my favorites so far.  It is quite enjoyable.  Happy reading!

Percy Jackson

Today I want to talk about one of my absolute favorite series for kids (actually it is two series, but one is a sequel of sorts).  After Harry Potter, Percy Jackson is the second must read kid's series, in my opinion.  I think every kid, and adult alike, should read these books.  They are just awesome.  The first five books (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) follow young Percy as he learns the truth of who he really is and embraces his destiny.  He is a demigod, son of one of the Olympic gods .  The monsters and gods from Greek Mythology are real and he is a key figure in their world, whether he wants to be or not.  In each book he finds himself on some seemingly impossible quest, relying on friends, guts and ingenuity to survive.  The five books are tied together by a prophesy that says when one of the demigods turns 16, he or she will either save or destroy Olympus.  The Titan lord Kronos is the big bad in this series.  As he gains power and starts to break free from his prison in Tartarus, Percy and the other demigods must do whatever they can to stop his army.  Obviously a lot of adventures take place over the course of the series.  They happen over the span of five years, culminating in the dreaded birthday and ensuing battle.  My favorite thing about these books is getting to know the modern day aspects of the gods.  They are quite entertaining.  The characters, not just the gods, but the demigods and other mythical creature, are all extremely fun and very likable.  Percy Jackson is a great hero, full of flaws but loyal to the end.  I can't say enough about this series.  If you haven't read it yet, start it immediately.  The second series, Heroes of Olympus, is still in progress.  It has mostly new characters, sons and daughters of the Roman aspects of the gods.  There are a handful of characters from the Greek side, including Percy, that are also in the series.  The trouble is, the Greek and Roman sides of the gods have always been at war with each other.  The two sides must learn to fight together if they are going to stop the Earth Mother, Gaea, from rising.  So far I am enjoying this series almost as much as the first.  They are well written and full of adventure.  I've always preferred Greek Mythology to Roman, so that is why the first series is a little better, in my opinion.  Still, I am loving this sequel series.  I can't wait until October when book five comes out.  Seriously, if you haven't read this series yet, pick up a copy of The Lightning Thief TODAY and get started.  I promise you won't be sorry.  Happy reading!

Tuesday Talk: Covenant series

The Covenant series, by Jennifer Armentrout, is one of my favorite discoveries of 2013.  A friend recommended them to me and I loved them.  The first book reminded me a lot of the Vampire Academy series.  Although this series deals with Greek gods/mythology instead of vampires, it is very similar in the initial set up.  So much so, that I wasn't sure I would continue on after the first book.  If you feel the same way, keep reading the series and I promise you won't regret it.  The similarities are still there, but the series start to definitely separate themselves in each further volume.  So, if you are a fan of the Vampire Academy series, you will definitely like this series as well.  I think this series is better.  It follows Alex, a Half-Blood girl who doesn't like the rules governing her kind.  Training to be warrior, because being a servant/slave is hardly appealing to her, Alex fights for survival at every step of the way.  Her life is not the only thing at stake.  Her freedom is also on the line.  War is brewing and who she is and what she is capable of might just be the deciding factor.  Her decisions and actions will decide the fate of the world.  The books have a group of fun and interesting characters.  Alongside Alex is Aiden, the forbidden Pure Blood she is in love with.  There is Seth, her other half whose trustworthiness is always in question.  Overall, I love the characters, the action, the danger, and the romance.  Once I got into the series, I didn't want to stop reading.  These are definitely page-turners that will keep you engrossed until the bitter end.  If this type of book is at all up your alley, I definitely recommend giving the Covenant series a try.  Happy reading! (and Happy New Year).