This is a place for books that I didn't fully review.
Maybe I listed my likes and dislikes, had a little short paragraph, or a few sentences to convey my feelings on the book, but whatever the "review" is, all of them are short and simple. (hence the clever name)
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The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.
Old Gods never die…
Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.
Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.
These days, Cassandra doesn't involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn't even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.
Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don't just flicker out.
Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.
The Goddess War is about to begin.
Review
I recently reread this book because I needed to continue the series and I completely forgot what this book was about. It actually felt like I was reading it for the first time. I did lower my rating by half a star from my first read, though I can't really say whether my opinion changed. I think I am just pickier now about 4+ star ratings.
This book does have an interesting concept and I loved its inclusion of mythology. The gods are dying and the way each god was dying, while incredibly morbid, was interestingly tied to their personalities. Because of their impending doom, many of the gods do feel more mortal (at least the ones who are on the morals' side). The pacing is a little slow, but I still liked how things were built up and there were enough action scenes to add tension. I listened to this mainly on audio for my reread, which was okay. Some character voices were odd, but I overall followed the story.
The romance is a little different because Cassandra, one of the main characters, is in a relationship at the start of the book. In that way, there was less focus on romance, which I appreciated. What I didn't appreciate was how the book tried to force Athena into a romance. You know, the chaste warrior goddess. It felt forced and as someone not interested in a romantic relationship, I like seeing characters who also don't want to be in relationships, so this portrayal disappointed me.
This book does have an interesting concept and I loved its inclusion of mythology. The gods are dying and the way each god was dying, while incredibly morbid, was interestingly tied to their personalities. Because of their impending doom, many of the gods do feel more mortal (at least the ones who are on the morals' side). The pacing is a little slow, but I still liked how things were built up and there were enough action scenes to add tension. I listened to this mainly on audio for my reread, which was okay. Some character voices were odd, but I overall followed the story.
The romance is a little different because Cassandra, one of the main characters, is in a relationship at the start of the book. In that way, there was less focus on romance, which I appreciated. What I didn't appreciate was how the book tried to force Athena into a romance. You know, the chaste warrior goddess. It felt forced and as someone not interested in a romantic relationship, I like seeing characters who also don't want to be in relationships, so this portrayal disappointed me.
I hereby give this book
3.5 Stars
Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing
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Ares, god of war, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She's ready to wage a war of her own, and she's never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she'll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.
Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can't have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.
The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra's hate will get them all killed.
The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can't, fates far worse than death await.
Review
While the first book set-up the characters and the concept of the series, this one felt like it was both trying to up the ante and prepare for the final book. On one hand, we have many scenes of characters traveling and preparing for war. On the other hand, we see more of the gods and the plot picks up in the last half. Things are explained, but it still felt like there was a lot of waiting. Cassandra's character was a lot different in this book, as she is grieving and all she wants is revenge. This made it difficult to connect with her at times, but it did make sense after the end of book one. Again, this book tries to force Athena into a romance. Overall, though, I continue to find the concept of this series interesting and did like this book. On to book three.
I hereby give this book
3 Stars
Meaning: I liked it
For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn’t know could fill a book. That’s what her opponents said.
So she was wrong about some things. So her carefully planned assault on Olympus left her team beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods’ illness. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.
But all is not lost. Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and submits to his death, or the Fates arrive to speed it along.
And Cassandra is up there somewhere, too, on a quest for death…with the god of death himself.
Just because things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, it doesn't mean they’ve lost. They’ve only mostly lost. And there’s a big difference.
Review
So, here I am at the last book in the series and to be perfectly honest, I'm not really satisfied with the ending. There's a huge climax, and I do think there were a lot of interesting elements at play in this book that we didn't see in the previous books, but...I have no clue how it really ended. Maybe its because I was distracted by my little cousin who wanted me to find him when I was 10 pages to the end. Maybe its because I am absolutely terrible at imagining fight scenes. Maybe the language during the scene confused me. Whatever it was, I'm not sure how the book was resolved. (In fact, I just reread the ending and it still doesn't make any sense!) Besides that, most of the book is again an adventure story with the ever-growing cast separated for a majority of the book. This gave the opportunity to explore more areas and be introduced to new characters, but it also made the book slow. Cassandra got a bit on my nerves, but I have been annoyed with her since book two because she feels like her character is getting more one-dimensional. There is a hint of a new relationship in this book, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. I still don't like the Athena and Oydessus relationship. Overall, I am a bit disappointed mostly because I am so confused by the ending. I do still like the idea behind this series.
I hereby give this book
3 Stars
Meaning: I liked it
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