[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Negalley and the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When every high school senior in New York gets a fancy silver invitation, Hope wonders if it is a joke. But she’s the only one of her friends who can see the words of the invitation – an invitation to a secret journey. All Hope has to do is face her fears, and she might have her most “precious wish” granted.
Of course if it was real, Hope would wish for full health for her mom. Hope’s mother is slipping farther into dementia. The most they can hope for these days is that she can continue to live at home, but eventually that won’t be possible. Unless this “precious wish” thing is real. But surely this is some sort of joke.
After hearing rumors of kids all over the city doing crazy things like robbing stores or scaling the sides of a building, Hope hears a boy throw himself into the river. She puts herself at risk and dives in to rescue him and finds herself in an unexpected place, surrounded by other teens who took risks and faced their fears.
Hope is in Olympus. Yep, as in Zeus and Hera and Poseidon and the rest. Hope and the other teens there are descended from Olympian gods and goddesses long ago in their ancestry. Not close enough to be true demigods, but enough to have some untapped power. Each of the teens will be trained and then compete in a series of quests. The last teen standing will be the gods’ new hero.
Review
This is like a mash up of Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games. There’s a reluctant hero who fights because of her love for others. She cares about doing the “right” thing more so than winning. She’s strong and principled – the type of hero you want to cheer for. The Greek gods are just as flawed here as they are in the Riordan books. Arrogant. Vicious. Self-consumed. There can only be one hero, one winner, so Hope suffers losses along the way. Those help shape her character and push her forward on her quests.
And of course there is also a love story with a god whose past and present are as complicated as you can imagine. There’s magic and secrets and prophecies and quests to tie the whole story together into something I didn’t want to put down. This was great! I loved the characters and the action. The ending sets up a sequel – Olympian Heritage – for later this year. I already have it on my wish list. I can’t wait to see what happens for Hope next.