Tag: Greek mythology

REVIEW: The Mark of Athena: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan

REVIEW: The Mark of Athena: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

“Seven halfbloods shall answer the call….”

Leo, Jason, Piper, and Annabeth find Percy at Camp Jupiter with Hazel and Frank, and they team up for the next part of their quest to save the world from Gaea and her giants.

Hazel is trying to find her half-brother Nico, who is being held by giants with only days to live. At the same time, Annabeth is on a side quest from her mom, Athena. One that has killed many of her siblings over the centuries. And the Roman campers are trying to stop the seven before Leo can get them to Rome – and if they can’t, they’ll settle for destroying Camp Half Blood.

Review

It’s been years since I last read this book, but all of the key moments came back to me as I read this. This is a trimmed down version of the story – the prose novel clocks in at just over 600 pages, but the graphic novel is 160. But it all hangs together well enough for readers to get the main ideas and key moments. The artwork here is great. It’s easy to tell who is who, and I LOVED getting to see things like the Argo II in action.

This should work for both readers who have read the full prose novel and those who have not. This could be a good onramp for readers who are intimidated by the size of the full novel as well as a nice visual refresher for kids who have read the full story already. But I don’t recommend starting here, on book 3 of the Heroes of Olympus series. Readers definitely should have read either the prose or graphic novel versions of The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune before diving into The Mark of Athena.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

REVIEW: The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Clarion Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Hercules Beal doesn’t want to go to the Cape Cod Academy for Environmental Sciences. But his brother, Achilles, made that decision for him. He’d been responsible for Hercules since The Accident.

Hercules’ homeroom teacher at his new school is Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer, a retired marine. He’s also their Language Arts teacher. And he assigns each student a year-long Greek mythology project. And he gives Hercules a project to study the twelve labors of Hercules – and repeat them in a contemporary context.

At first, Hercules isn’t sure how he’s supposed to turn these myths into real events – and write 150 words about each one. But solutions seem to pop up along the way to help him – and not just with his school assignment.

Review

Oh, this book. I am tearing up just thinking about Hercules and Hupfer (who I adored!) and Achilles…. This was a constant journey from tears to laughter and back again. And I loved it.

Hercules has a FANTASTIC “voice” here – earnest and honest and twelve. I totally believed it and got a huge kick out of him. I was impressed with how the author worked myth-Hercules’ labors into things our Hercules could do – and what those experiences would teach him along the way.

This would be an outstanding choice for a family or classroom read aloud. It would also be an excellent book club selection for upper elementary/early middle school classrooms. I would love to watch students meet Hercules and dig into this story. This is not to be missed! (A couple uses of the word “jackass.”)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Eye of Zeus by Alane Adams

REVIEW: Eye of Zeus by Alane Adams

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Spark Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Phoebe Katz is a foster kid, a ward of the state. Her case worker found her abandoned at a bus stop when she was a baby. All that was with her was a note and a mirror, two precious possessions now.

Phoebe seems to be a magnet for trouble. She never causes the trouble, but it always seems to find her.  And it’s never made sense before.

Then, a statue of Atlas comes to life and speaks to her, calling her Princess of Argos and telling her she’s in danger. He tells her to talk to Athena to get the answers she seeks.

Thankfully, Phoebe’s friends Damain and Angie are able to help her find the statue of Athena at Athens Square Park. There, the statue comes to life and tells the three kids that Phoebe is a daughter of Zeus. The gods of Olympus are real, and their timeline and Phoebe’s on Earth are intersecting. Ares, the god of war, has broken the barrier between the two worlds, and Phoebe was sent away to protect her from a prophecy.

Now Ares has Phoebe’s caseworker as a hostage. Phoebe discovers a prophecy that says she must collect items from dangerous mythical creatures. Those items are the only way she can rescue her caseworker and thwart a prophecy that insists she will ultimately destroy Olympus.

Review

This was fun. There’s a Percy Jackson feel to this – 12 year old hero demigod with unexpected powers discovers her true heritage and heads off on a quest to fight monsters thanks to a prophecy.

Phoebe’s team includes one demigod and two humans, which changes things up a bit in the quest dynamics. I felt like there was some inconsistency with Phoebe’s friends. There were moments when they were cautious and reluctant and others when they were all in on the next step. I couldn’t find the thread to explain the vacillation in their engagement. Also, there’s no camp for training or preparation. Phoebe acquires all of her skills by instinct. It was one of the disappointing parts of this for me. She just somehow knows magical words to activate powers she never knew she had and what powers are part of her repertoire.

While there are a couple pieces unresolved at the end of this (Who is the school counselor who knew to give her ambrosia?), the quest is resolved and there’s no cliffhanger. There are a ton of monsters to fight and challenges to their quest. There are some moments of violence and mild gore as the kids get covered in monster goo.

Fans of mythology stories like the ones from Rick Riordan (or his imprint) or Kate O’Hearn should check this one out.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Diana, Princess of the Amazons by Shannon and Dean Hale

REVIEW: Diana, Princess of the Amazons by Shannon and Dean Hale

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Diana, princess of the Amazons, is lonely. It’s hard to be the only kid on Themyscira. She’s too old for her dolls and other things she used to play with. And she’s too young for warrior training or to be included in her mother’s work running the Paradise Islands.

While playing with some clay, Diana fashions a friend the way her mother formed her. She doesn’t expect magic to happen – like with her own “birth.” But it would be awfully cool!

Then her creation, Mona, comes to life. At first, it’s everything Diana hoped it would be. She has a friend to play with, someone her age. But Mona doesn’t want Diana to tell anyone about her. And some of her choices lead Diana to do things she’s never done before – like lie, steal and rebel.

When one of Mona’s “great ideas” puts everyone on Themyscira – and the world – in danger from monsters, Diana has to rethink her choices and her new friendship.

Review

This was great! I loved this new look at young Wonder Woman. Poor Diana is struggling as the only kid on the island. Add to that the fact that all of the Amazons are strong and perfect. How can a young girl live up to all that? And when the business of the islands consumes her mother’s attention, Diana is set to take a fall.

I think kids will see the trouble Mona is up to before Diana does. And there’s lots to talk about and think about in her manipulations.

The wrap-up is perfect – there’s a happy ending, Diana takes responsibility for her actions, AND the adults actually listen to her concerns and ideas and take action. I loved it.

The art work in this graphic novel is lovely. Kids are going to adore this. Mythology fans (and Percy Jackson or Kate O’Hearn fans) will see some familiar references here. And kids who haven’t moved to Percy Jackson yet will find a place to launch their mythology journey here.

Librarians and teachers should stock up on this one. It’s going to be a hot commodity in your schools and libraries!

DC graciously sent me some pictures of the art for this one that I wanted to share with you so you can see how great it is.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Titans by Kate O'Hearn

REVIEW: Titans by Kate O’Hearn

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After the destruction of Olympus, the Titans and the Olympians are sharing the world of Titan. It’s tricky – plenty of the Titans remember their imprisonment in Tartarus. But they are working at getting along.

A big part of the cooperative effort is the school – Arcadia. The hope is that the young Titans and Olympians will learn to get along and lead the way for everyone else. It’s the only way for their world to survive.

Astraea, a Titan, and her best friend Zephyr, a flying horse, are supposed to be at Arcadia for the first day of school. But nothing goes right. Astraea has heard rumors of humans on Titan – something dangerous and forbidden. So she sneaks away from the first day festivities in order to spy and then gets caught. And then she ends up in a fight with some bullying centaurs and gets detention. Her parents are going to be SO ticked!

But they aren’t. Her parents don’t seem to care about all the trouble at school – or that she stayed out way past her curfew. And her mom’s weird behavior is only one of several signs that something is really wrong on Titan. Astraea is determined to hide and protect the human boy she finds on Titan, but as more weird things happen, she’s not sure who she can even trust on her planet any more.

Review

This is the first book in a long time to get me excited about mythology again! I didn’t read the whole Pegasus series by this author, but what I did read I enjoyed. There are references to that series here, but I was able to follow the action even though I haven’t read it all. (Since that series is complete, and contains some big, meaty books, it would be great for readers to go back to while waiting for the sequel to this one.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Astraea and her friends are great heroes. They are smart, and they learn to use their combined strengths to deal with the issues they discover on Titan. And these are no small problems!

The story is terrific – tons of action, interesting creatures, and a great mystery to dig into. Riordan fans and fans of this author’s other series will not be disappointed with this one.

A major cliffhanger at the end will leave readers shouting, “NO!” And the book 2 teaser in the back promises a lot more peril for our heroes. The problems discovered in this book will not be solved quickly or easily. Book 2, The Missing, will release in the summer of 2020.

If you are a fan of mythology tales and/or action novels, don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi

REVIEW: Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi

Posted on by Jaymie

[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.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Summer Olympus by Shea Fontana

REVIEW: Summer Olympus by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It’s summer break at Super Hero High. Wonder Woman has been invited to Olympus by her father, Zeus, to spend time with the godly side of her family. She invites her friends to join her but most have plans. Super Girl, Big Barda and Lady Shiva are heading to the Kent’s farm in Kansas for the summer. Batgirl, Beast Boy and Katana are touring Europe. So Bumblebee is the only one who can go to Olympus with Wonder Woman. But one best friend is more than enough!

While there, the heroes meet Wonder Woman’s siblings including Ares, the god of war. Meanwhile, Super Girl and friends are tackling farm chores and the Europe gang is tracking a thief who is stealing Greek artifacts.

It all comes to a head in Olympus when the thief is revealed and the Olympians wage war on Metropolis – and on the kids from Super Hero High!

Review

Such a fun story! I love the graphic novel format which gives an image for all the DC characters. Some are less familiar to me than others, and I appreciate seeing what they look like. It’s especially helpful when I go back to the Lisa Yee middle grade books which aren’t illustrated (Katana, the latest in that series, is out this summer!).

At the core, this story is about identity. Wonder Woman is a demigod – half Olympian god, and half Amazon. Growing up an Amazon, she feels comfortable in Themyscira and knows who she is there. In Olympus, she feels less certain about how she fits in – or if she belongs there at all.

While it starts as just the BFFs, Wonder Woman and Bumblebee, the whole student body of Super Hero High gets into the act when the battle hits Metropolis. This is a fun story for fans of the property and and good introduction for those new to Super Hero High.

Thanks to the publisher, DC Comics, for an electronic review copy of Summer Olympus in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥