Catherine Mayo

What a thrilling read ATHENA'S CHAMPION was. Odysseus has long been a favorite hero of mine and when I saw this book and read the blurb did I just knew that I had to read the book. The book is action filled and I love how David Hair and Cath May right from the start make Odysseus life miserable. Well, that sounds bad, but just think about his little trip home from Troy that lasted a little longer than expected. Odysseus discovery about his heritage at the beginning of the book and all the obstacles, later on, will just show that he's on a road to more obstacles in the future...

I really liked this new take on Odysseus life. How he learns more about the world and about the Gods. Not to mention all he learns about himself. I like how the myth of Prometheus is added to the story and the struggle between the Gods for power. Poor Odysseus is but a pawn in the hands of Athena, but he proves quickly that he is very cunning.

As a big fantasy fan historical fiction fan was this book a real winner for me. David Hair and Cath Mayo have written a great book that makes me eager to get the next book in the series. I was a bit worried that the book would end up with a cliffhanger, but I found the ending satisfying. This is definitely a book to read if you like Greek mythology and/or historical fiction about gods and heroes.

I want to thank Canelo for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!… (mais)

I while ago did I buddy read with Erin over at HISTORICAL FICTIONAL READER the first book in this series, Athena's Champion. So, it was only natural that we buddy read this one as well. You can read Erin's review target="_top">here!

First I want to say that this book definitely works best if you have read the first book. The story in this book pretty much picks up right after the first book ended. And, one of the reasons I liked this book better than the first, is the fact that the characters have now been introduced and established in the first book. So, new readers may feel a bit lost. Secondly, I just want to say that I love this retelling of Odysseus life. Odysseus has always been a favorite of mine and I adore David Hair & Cath Mayo take on his life.

In Oracle's War is Odysseus younger sister preparing to get married to the man she loves, but a cruel act against her and her fiance change everything. To find out the truth must Odysseus travel to Delos where a new prophecy is causing turmoil. But, Odysseus enemy in this book is the great seer Tiresias who will not let anyone or any prophecy stop his plan.

I really liked the first book, but I found the story in this book to be even more captivating. Also, I was very happy to finally be introduced to a character that will play a very important role later on in Odysseus life. I will not spoil anything, so you just have to read the book to find out for yourself. It's a great book and I'm looking forward to next!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!… (mais)

Prince Odysseus of Ithaca travels with his family to Pythos to be anointed as his father’s successor. It was supposed to be simple and straightforward. However, the words that leave the Pythia’s mouth turn his world upside down, estrange his parents, and result in his expulsion from the family and his home. Now on the run to stay alive (as his line is destined for death), he ends up being blessed by Athena, becoming her newest champion and putting him in the middle of a brewing war between the gods and mankind. He becomes instrumental in one of Athena’s schemes that goes horribly wrong and only his wits and history as a youth in Sparta spare him. But it also takes him into Hades and puts him head to head with the legendary Theseus.

As a huge fan of Greek mythology, I couldn’t wait to read this one. While I love the traditional stories, I also enjoy modern takes. This book was certainly a twist on the myths, but I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I have other twists.

Athena’s Champion is basically a story about Odysseus’s youth. We see him as a young man, newly come of age and heir apparent. He has streaks of naivete and signs of the great tactician he becomes during the Trojan War. He is most definitely a thoughtful character in this book, and I was often put off by how much thinking he did during the first half. I almost felt like all he did was think, think, train, and then think some more. I get it; he is wise and analytical, but I feel like he thought a little too much.

If you’re looking for a story that aligns with the myths, this book doesn’t always do it. I appreciated the fact that it does follow some of the stories, puts them in a chronological order, and tells the story of a youthful Odysseus, but it was definitely not fully in line with the myths, taking certain liberties that had me frowning. Now, I love a good twist, but this felt like it went a little too far, especially since it’s supposed to be historical fiction. Yes, I know creative license is common and taken, but I’m too big of a fan of the originals to really appreciate it. Though I did absolutely love that the authors mentioned Heracles instead of the Roman equivalent Hercules that so many other writers use.

Since this book did put several events into a plausible order, I could forgive quite a bit. However, what was truly jarring to me was this weird modern impression I got. Some of Odysseus’s thoughts felt a little to modern and I’m not sure the Ancient Greeks would agree that that’s how they thought about people and the world back then. Again, historical fiction, so I do anticipate artistic license, but also expect some historical accuracy. Overall, this felt like it was a more modern Odysseus who was sent back in time, so he lived during the Ancient Greek times, but had modern day thoughts about the gods.

What I did absolutely love are that it was easy to follow, gave a great possible backstory for Odysseus and how he might have come to be the great leader he was during the Trojan War, and provided a most interesting theory for the gods. It certainly made me think and reevaluate the stories that I know, encouraging me to look at them in a different light. As a matter of fact, I feel like I should re-read The Illiad and The Odyssey right now.

What I absolutely did not love was the romance subplot. It was strong at the beginning, barely present in the middle, and weak at the end. By the time I reached the end of the book, it felt like it was there to serve as a plot device to get some action rolling and then the authors had to do something with it, so tried to reinforce it in a convincing way at the end. It just left me puzzled and disgruntled. Especially since the romantic interest was not Penelope, his eventual wife in the myths. Instead it’s Kyshanda (Cassandra, the doom prophetess, though this fact is never mentioned so maybe she has yet to become the doom prophetess?). It makes me wonder when and how the authors will bring in Penelope, or if they will, in subsequent books.

As I said, I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology and will take on just about any book I come across that uses it. I wanted to love this book, but I don’t think I do. I definitely enjoyed it, but it leaves me feeling dissatisfied and disgruntled. However, it is a stunning book full of possibilities and absolutely got me thinking. Whether or not I’ll pick up the subsequent books in this series, I’m not so sure, though I am curious to see how Odysseus’s new story will turn out.

I waver between 3 and 4, but I think I’ll go with 4 because it really is a beautiful book even though the handling of the myths was not to my complete satisfaction.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher, Canelo, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.… (mais)

In the second book of the Olympus Series, Odysseus, one of Athena's champions, finds himself caught between conflicting prophecies. What was supposed to be the happy wedding day of his sister to her beloved turns into a nightmare brought about by the hands of a meddling, powerful seer and sorcerer, Tiresias, who wants Odysseus to go after him for his own purposes. Ordered to go after the seer by his father and his patron goddess, Odysseus quickly finds himself on his way with the daemon Bria, Athena's newest champion Diomedes, his faithful servant and friend Eurybates, and several Ithacan soldiers to the island Delos, where a novice had a spontaneous prophecy that suggests impregnable Thebes is not so impregnable, and the sons of the seven men who marched on Thebes only to be slaughtered stand a chance of recovering their family's honor. Odysseus finds himself with no choice but to convince them to go to war, all while Tiresias will do everything in his power to destroy Odysseus and ensure the rogue prophecy fails to come to pass.

Oracle's War is a nice follow up to Athena's Champion. Like the first book, it strings together several stories of mythology and ancient Greece to present a coherent and well-reasoned out story. Indeed, it fleshes out the stories and makes them more interesting, and easier to follow as sometimes the stories become convoluted with too many names and places. I don't know what ancient Greece might have been like, but Hair and Mayo present many possibilities that could have actually happened, especially when it comes to war.

Actually, that's the one thing that I wasn't fond of. Of course, I see the war as being a necessary and large part of the story, but the graphic detail of the battles and pointless pillaging was unsettling. I might wish there had been less of it or that it was glossed over, but it would have taken away from the feel of the book, the story the authors were telling, and made the historical fantasy part that much less authentic. Still, it is unsettling and comprises a good chunk of the book.

There were 3 things I wasn't fond of in the first book: 1) I felt too many liberties had been taken with the stories, 2) the weird modern impression I got from it, and 3) the romance between Odysseus and Kyshanda. This time around, I don't have the same complaints. Whether this is because it wasn't as evident or because I knew what to expect and my mind could be more forgiving, I'm not sure. But I did enjoy this book much more than the first. I also am not as familiar with the Seven Against Thebes story, so it was interesting to read about as well as how the sons were able to avenge their fathers.

The characters were interesting. The setting was well-described. The plot moved along at a good pace. Nothing superfluous happened. This book has what I like to think of as internal validity (I don't think it's real outside of the sciences and this may not an accurate use of the term, but it makes perfect sense in my head), meaning everything made sense, everything fit together, everything that was present in the first half came full circle in the second half, and there was nothing pointless presented just to make the story longer or more interesting. I love books with internal validity (again, I probably just made this up). Actually, I got so excited to see something presented in the first half pop up in the second half that I had to put the book down for a little bit just so I would be able to fully enjoy the scene. It was glorious. And Odysseus is a genius.

Oracle's War is as stunning as the first book. But, where I didn't entirely enjoy the first book, I'm glad to say I loved the second book, and I look forward to the rest of the series. It's set to be a trilogy, but I hope there will be more books beyond that.



Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher, Canelo, for a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Oracle's War is due to be published on April 29, 2019.… (mais)