Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
Release Date - September 10, 2013
Publisher Website - Tor Teen
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 333 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**obtained for review from publisher via BEA**
Here is the Goodreads synopsis
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.
Greek mythology done Kendare Blake style. Brutal, intense, and filled with a wicked beauty even among the blood and gore. A contemporary setting takes these larger than life gods and goddesses and brings a humanity to them that is welcome and unexpected.
With a large cast of characters, I was worried that we would not have time to grow attached, or learn about them. I was delightfully proved wrong. Kendare manages to show your their motivations, and who they are as characters effortlessly, even the 'villains'. She's taken the classic characteristics of these immortal beings, and made them fit into her vision. Each of them wants to survive, and a the war that is brewing is going to set up this series to be explosive, and deadly.
Kendare Blake is brutal. Death comes swiftly for various characters, and sometimes it's ones you care about. This is a series that is going to keep readers on their toes, because these gods are not immortal, and anyone is fair game. A stunning twist to the classic immortality allows these gods and goddesses to reflect on their very long lives. Already the reactions to their deaths have been varied, and loud. Almost none of them are going to quietly.
A dual perspective allows us to see two sides of this multi-sided story. Athena's narration was my favourite. Snarky, chilling, and at times humourous (but sarcastically so). Cassandra's narration felt a little off to me. The reaction to finding out she's THAT Cassandra happened with little freakout. Others involved in her story also barely react to this pretty major news. It rang false, and I am hoping we might get more insight into why nobody reacted in the previous novels.
Those who are not as familiar with mythology, Greek in particular, may not catch the little nuances, and nods woven throughout. It reads differently having a little bit of background to draw from, however those who are not as familiar will still enjoy the novel. The pacing is quick, taunt, and doesn't really let up once the main storyline gets started. It makes for a fast read, with total page turning appeal.
The novel ends in such a manner that sets up the remainder of the series, and the war itself. The tease of characters perhaps coming into their own, and delicious teases of romance that will hopefully pay off in the sequel, left me holding me breath.
A twist to a classic that pays homage even as the author makes it her own. Antigoddess is just unflinchingly gory, surprisingly touching, and more intense than I expected. You will never look at feathers the same way again, and these gods and goddesses may just take you by surprise.
With a large cast of characters, I was worried that we would not have time to grow attached, or learn about them. I was delightfully proved wrong. Kendare manages to show your their motivations, and who they are as characters effortlessly, even the 'villains'. She's taken the classic characteristics of these immortal beings, and made them fit into her vision. Each of them wants to survive, and a the war that is brewing is going to set up this series to be explosive, and deadly.
Kendare Blake is brutal. Death comes swiftly for various characters, and sometimes it's ones you care about. This is a series that is going to keep readers on their toes, because these gods are not immortal, and anyone is fair game. A stunning twist to the classic immortality allows these gods and goddesses to reflect on their very long lives. Already the reactions to their deaths have been varied, and loud. Almost none of them are going to quietly.
A dual perspective allows us to see two sides of this multi-sided story. Athena's narration was my favourite. Snarky, chilling, and at times humourous (but sarcastically so). Cassandra's narration felt a little off to me. The reaction to finding out she's THAT Cassandra happened with little freakout. Others involved in her story also barely react to this pretty major news. It rang false, and I am hoping we might get more insight into why nobody reacted in the previous novels.
Those who are not as familiar with mythology, Greek in particular, may not catch the little nuances, and nods woven throughout. It reads differently having a little bit of background to draw from, however those who are not as familiar will still enjoy the novel. The pacing is quick, taunt, and doesn't really let up once the main storyline gets started. It makes for a fast read, with total page turning appeal.
The novel ends in such a manner that sets up the remainder of the series, and the war itself. The tease of characters perhaps coming into their own, and delicious teases of romance that will hopefully pay off in the sequel, left me holding me breath.
A twist to a classic that pays homage even as the author makes it her own. Antigoddess is just unflinchingly gory, surprisingly touching, and more intense than I expected. You will never look at feathers the same way again, and these gods and goddesses may just take you by surprise.
