Gypsy Reviews

Originally posted at Gypsy ReviewsI received an eARC from the publisher. Thank you!Despite not being a fan of Kendare Blake’s other series, the Anna duology, Antigoddess immediately sucked me in the moment I saw the name ‘Athena’. It’s a compelling take on Greek mythology and does well in staying true to the original mythology. With a tinge of horror and little romance, Blake no doubt has me drawn to this new series with her writing and ability to draw you and keep you engaged throughout the story.Athena is still as headstrong as ever, as is her nature, and I don’t think I would expect anything less from the Goddess of War. For some it might be hard to like Athena, she puts feelings aside for the best battle strategy but that’s what makes her a great leader in these situations. She’s not afraid to be the bad guy if it means getting something that will help her in the battle. In some ways you might call her ruthless or even heartless but she is also the Goddess of Wisdom so she knows what she’s doing. I liked Blake’s version of Athena, I was a bit iffy about the attempted romance because Athena is supposedly a virgin goddess. But it was interesting to see Athena explore these attractions for the first time and battle it, especially now that she was essentially ‘human’.Oh Cassandra and Aidan, I should have seen it coming. I didn’t really like Cassandra in the beginning because she never really stood out to me, she really started to shine towards the end but I guess that’s all due to the plot too. I didn’t really care much for Cassandra and Aidan in terms of their relationship, I wasn’t supporting them yet I didn’t detest them. They’re not a couple you really care about, not sure if this was Blake’s intention but at least I didn’t hate them. I’ve never read The Odysseus before but I really liked how it was intertwined in this story and how the whole reincarnation worked. I am interested in seeing Blake expand on more Greek myths and legends but I’m not sure she might seeing as The Odysseus could just be enough but I’m hopeful, it could open up a world of possibilities.The antagonists were pretty awesome if we’re talking about being bad. Hera’s never known to be a nice goddess, I mean it’s hard to be chipper when your husband keeps going around cheating on you with other women and surrounding you with his children. But Hera’s pretty hard-headed in this one, she’s got the brains to go against Athena and proves a worthy opponent to Athena. I was surprised to see Aphrodite and Poseidon though but not until I realised how they were dying. I am extremely interested in seeing more of the Greek gods and goddesses, that mere mention of Artemis got me jumping up and down excitedly and I NEED HER IN HERE. Also if Aphrodite is involved, where’s Ares? Also, I really want to see how this ‘disease’ is affecting the others too and especially about where is Zeus?! I would definitely like to see why the gods are dying, I don’t think that got explained in the book so I’m hoping as they find out more, this will be addressed.The book was pretty gruesome enough, Blake isn’t afraid to give out the details, she won’t sugarcoat it to you. But I was wondering about some of the descriptions because they just didn’t seem possible and visualising them was really weird for me. That battle between Athena and Aidan, I mean flaps of skin from her head were flapping out? Uhm, it just sounds weird and unrealistic. The chapters are quite long but Blake always manages to build up the pace as you go further in the chapter so it never did feel long. Blake knows how to write action scenes well, that’s for sure.Antigoddess was a really enjoyable read for me, satisfying the Greek mythology geek in me and I will have high expectations for the next! But seriously, more mentions of Artemis please, especially after that ending. I mean Athena and the rest have to go contact her right? RIGHT?-----------------------A very good Greek mythology retelling, some aspects I was displeased with but on the whole Blake did a good job with keeping to the personalities of the gods and goddesses. I hope Blake expands this and includes more of the gods and other mythological characters in the sequel.-- Full review to come!