Tagged: apollo
Novella: Hero, Cursed by Diantha Jones
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Before he knew the Oracle.
Before he knew the Quad.
Before the Great Unknown threatened his world.
He was a hero, cursed forever.Shunned by a family that doesn’t understand him, demigod Lenka Tahile aka “Swindle” is a complete loner and he likes it that way. Then he meets the hero, Ace Remedy, the brother of an infamous demigod Prince, and his life goes from bad to worse. Ace is loud, rude, and disruptive to his peaceful existence in every way. He’s also hilarious and daring, and Swindle ends up finding a friend just when he thought he’d never have another.
But little does he know, becoming friends with Ace was all part of the Fates’ plan. Now his past is slowly coming back to haunt him and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. Nothing but try not to bring to light the lost love, the failed hopes, and the cursed existence that he would kill to keep in the dark.
[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
Just as a side note, this is book #3.5 in the Oracle of Delphi series so you do have to read Prophecy of Solstice’s End first unless you want to be disappointed by massive spoilers.
One of the characters that has always intrigued me the most in the Oracle of Delphi series (other than Chloe and Strafford) has been Swindle. He’s the son of Hermes but was cursed because of Hermes’ decisions. Lots of awful things that have happened to him are not his fault, but in Hero, Cursed we learn some about some awful things that were his fault and see how he carries the guilt around.
I loved not only getting to see how Swindle got involved in the Quad prior to the main series, but also some of his other lives, including as a member of the Argonauts with legends like Jason, Caster, Pollux and Atalanta. His adventures with them were fascinating and when you compare how he was then to how he is in the modern era, you can definitely see that he is not the same every time he’s reincarnated. He’s a totally different person but he retains some of his memories from his past lives, just enough to torture him. I particularly liked seeing how he initially reacted to the curse; he took things far better than I would, that’s for sure.
Not only did we get to see Swindle fleshed out way more than he is in the main series, we get to learn a lot more about Apollo’s nefarious plans and how Swindle actually got involved in Chloe’s bodyguard. I don’t want to give too terribly much away but needless to say that he’s not necessarily the most willing participant in Apollo’s schemes. It will be interesting taking that knowledge into the fourth book Prophecy of the Betrayed Heir if only to see whether or not Swindle will defy Apollo and ignore his threats or keep his secrets and potentially harm his friends.
The plot was fast-paced and although the time frames jumped because of Swindle’s different lives, it was a very logical and clear flow. We didn’t suddenly jump from Jason and the Argonauts to Swindle’s fateful dream as Inis. No, the different time frames were clearly marked and the order they were put in was logical. (I know I keep emphasizing that but logical flow is something that seems to be lacking from a lot of POV-swapping books.) The plot advanced quickly but we were given information in little chunks throughout the novella so as not to slow it down. There was no sudden info-dump anywhere, thankfully, and the cliffhanger at the ending was very intriguing.
Basically, Hero, Cursed is a great addition to the main Oracle of Delphi series and it has whetted my appetite for book four. I can’t wait!
I give this novella 5/5 stars.
Lover, Divine by A. Star
(Cover picture courtesy of A Book-a-licious Story.)
Born into one of the wealthiest families in Ireland, Siobhan Law has status, privilege, and a secret: The Greek gods of Olympus and their kingdom in the clouds are real, and her family acts as one of their agents on Earth.
When the beautiful immortal celeste Liam Argyros shows up claiming to have come to Earth to deal in the affairs of the divine, Siobhan finds herself unable to resist his charms. New to the game of passion and seduction, she quickly ends up in over her head, sinking deeper with every attempt Liam makes to win her over.
But Liam’s divine mission is far more complex than she ever imagined and nothing is truly as it seems. Because Liam has a secret of his own: He is Apollo, Olympian god of the Sun, and his mission will never be complete until he has claimed Siobhan’s heart forever.
WARNING: For readers 18+ only. Contains adult language and sexual situations.
[Full disclosure: I was provided a free ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.]
This one is a bit of a genre leap from my usual YA fare but I was more than willing to give it a try. A. Star is actually Diantha Jones (she uses the name to write all her more ‘adult’ books) but it connects with the Oracle of Delphi series that I so love. Basically, I figured why not?
I was actually quite satisfied with the results. This isn’t just an erotic novel (although it is that). There’s actually a decent story here with fully developed characters and a very real, interesting character-driven plot. The story was wonderful and I found myself laughing out loud at the charming rake that is Apollo. He’s really not my type, but I loved how he and Siobhan had this push-pull relationship dynamic. Siobhan didn’t give in easily and when she did it actually felt like the two of them were in love, not just lusting after each other.
I like how Lover, Divine connects to the Oracle of Delphi series but that reading this isn’t necessary for understanding the series. There are a few interesting new pieces of information thrown in (like how a woman became the heir to the Law family) but nothing really all that shocking if you’ve read the main series. And if you’re totally new to the world of Mythos you’ll still be able to read this book and enjoy it. You’ll probably get just as hooked on Mythos as I am.
The best part of the whole book was that it was completely character-driven. Any plot twists were because of characters’ actions rather than the magical unseen hand of the author. When characters argued there were real-life consequences; things went wrong and people got hurt. Apollo and Siobhan’s semi-forbidden relationship had consequences, certainly. It was nice to see how Siobhan became the woman we meet in the Oracle of Delphi and I wish this book had been longer because there are still interesting events coming up in her future. Still, the ending was satisfying and the teaser for King, Desired was intriguing.
Definitely another hit by Diantha Jones/A. Star!
I give this book 5/5 stars.