Yay! A review! Ahem. Okay, there are three things that I am obsessed with. Right right, more than three.. but when it comes to reading and research, three things.. mostly. I'm sure you've all picked up on the fact that I obsess over Vampires. You might have even caught my love of fallen angels.. but have you yet discovered that I love mythology? Any kind, really, but Greek mythology is the top of the list. So when a fellow book blogger mentioned this particular book, I practically ran to the library to borrow a copy. And yes, I know I'm not usually a YA fiction person, but I like to branch out of my comfort zones sometimes, and I just couldn't pass this book up.
From the book jacket: "If Phoebe Castro can keep her grades up and have another stellar cross-country season, her dream of attending USC with her best friends is only a track scholarship away. She's made all her plans, so it's a complete shock when her mom announces she's marrying a mysterious stranger and moving them halfway around the world - to Greece. Phoebe's stuck on a secret island in the Aegean, attending the super-exclusive Academy, where her new stepfather is the headmaster, and the kids are anything but your average students - they are descendants of the Greek gods, superpowers included. That's right, Greek gods are no myth! If Phoebe thought high school was hard, she knows this is going to be mortal misery. Securing that scholarship seems like Phoebe's only ticket out of Greece, but training and maintaining her grades will be gruelling, even without a sabotaging steosister from Hades and a gorgeous guy - what a god! - who just might be her Achilles' heel. One thing is for sure - summoning the will to win and finding her place among the gods could be Phoebe's toughest course yet. The Greek gods get a makeover in this romantic odyssey of mythic proportions."
Well, what to say, what to say.. I liked it. I thought it was a fun read, and heck.. I finished it in under two hours, while I enjoyed a little downtime between finishing errands and beginning work. As far as books go, I wouldn't say it was monumental, something that changed my life (oh yes, there are books like that!), but it was cute and enjoyable. I wish it hadn't been quite so predictable. I mean, from a third of the way in, you start getting inklings of the "big shocker" that occurs in the end. And I think the stepsister angle could have been done a little better - the character of the stepsister just seemed to change a little too quickly. But as I said, I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to others. I'm always interested in how different authors will bring mythology into their work, whether figuratively - as inspiration, or literally - as in this case.
Supposedly, there is a sequel "Goddess boot camp," and I'm a little upset that my library does not have a copy.. I suppose I shall have to find it elsewhere!
I think I will end up giving this book a THREE POINT FIVE out of FIVE. I will probably recommend it to others, but probably only those that read YA fantasy/sci fi/this sort of thing.
Woo, it feels good to get another review up. I feel so accomplished! Now back to my readings for school, which.. if you're interested is - "Cane" by Jean Toomer, and "Neuromancer" by William Gibson. The first, ehhh... the second, I think is really interesting, I just wish I could understand it better. I love sci-fi, but he glances over things a little too quickly, so I don't catch them, then have to go back later and figure out what that meant.. well, anyways!
Happy reading, everyone! Only a few more days to Halloween - better get your spooky costumes and yummy candy out and ready!
~Morning Glow
Copy was borrowed from the library, I was not given it in exchange for a review. Photo courtesey of Amazon.com.
