Ungodly by Kendare Blake
Ungodly is the final installment of The Goddess War trilogy. I was lucky enough to win an Advanced Reader's Copy. This book comes out TODAY! (Sept 22, 2015).
(Warning: Minor spoilers ahead. I would HIGHLY recommend the rest of the trilogy, beginning with Antigoddess)
Synopsis
The gods of Olympus are dying, and now they're at war with each other. Athena is determined to find a way to stop it. In Antigoddess, her search leads her to Cassandra, a human, who holds a special power that can determine the final outcome. In Mortal Gods, they finally find the source for the weird and unique illnesses that are killing the gods. But disaster and betrayal strike, and Athena and her gang of gods and mortals are split up.
In Ungodly, Athena and Odysseus have to battle through the underworld to escape back to life. Cassandra is literally chasing down Death (the god of it, that is) to aid her. The rest of the gang--Henry, Andie, Hermes--are trying to hold down the fort back in their hometown while searching for more answers, and any gods who may still be alive and willing to help their side. Each group has to overcome challenges and come back together to fight against other Olympians, bring an end to the death of the gods, and determine their fate.
Review
As a conclusion to a trilogy, this book did not disappoint! I'll say right off the bat that the ending was extremely well-done: loose ends tied up, a compelling story on its own, no stupid/weird last-minute plot devices.
The story is fast-paced and action-packed. I really like Kendare Blake's writing style. Her characters feel alive and realistic in their movements. There is plenty of witty and sarcastic dialogue, but also heartfelt conversations between characters. Make no mistake: this series is dark and creepy, but that's one of the reasons I like it. There are grotesque monsters and violent incidents. Good people sometimes do bad things and it makes you uncomfortable.
The characters in this book are wonderful. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and battle, is one of the main characters. She is an immortal god who has wandered the earth for thousands of years, and now she is faced with death. She will stop at nothing to save herself and her fellow gods. She also has purple highlights in her hair, a detail that I loved and brought added depth. Cassandra is the other main character. She is the reincarnation of Cassandra of Troy, cursed with the ability to see the future and also now the ability to destroy the gods with a touch of her hands. So of course both sides of this war want her as a weapon. Cassandra's loyalty is loosely given to Athena as the war becomes more of a personal battle for revenge. She has to work to overcome her anger and hurt in order to save those she loves.
There is a full cast of wonderful secondary characters that fill out the world and move the plot along. Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hades, Persephone, Demeter, Apollo, and more all make an appearance, along with classical heroes like Achilles, Calypso, and Odysseus. Each expands on what the Greek gods would look and act like today, and are compelling in their own ways.
A prominent theme was the constant struggle about what it means to be human. The character of Athena captures this best: She's a goddess, used to commanding tiny mortals and getting her way. And yet she has feelings of jealousy and lust and worry, totally ungoddess-like behaviour that she's aware of, and it bugs her. She fights against these emotions, even though having them helps her connect to the people around her, and will help her win this battle. Juxtapose this with Cassandra, who is losing those human emotions as she fights against the overwhelming urge to destroy the gods around her in an angry vengeance. Other themes included love, loyalty, and deciding your own fate.
I love Greek mythology and I loved seeing the myths and people applied in a modern setting. The series and book has fabulous writing, great action, and compelling characters. Overall, a very satisfying ending to an incredible series.
Rating
I give this title 5 stars
Details
Genre: Horror, YA, Fantasy
Sex: Characters kiss and have strong emotions, but no sex scenes and nothing graphic.
Violence: This is a horror novel, so it is gory. Graphic descriptions of various deaths, bloody battles, etc.
Language: A few strong swear words throughout the book.
Ungodly is the final installment of The Goddess War trilogy. I was lucky enough to win an Advanced Reader's Copy. This book comes out TODAY! (Sept 22, 2015).
(Warning: Minor spoilers ahead. I would HIGHLY recommend the rest of the trilogy, beginning with Antigoddess)
Synopsis
The gods of Olympus are dying, and now they're at war with each other. Athena is determined to find a way to stop it. In Antigoddess, her search leads her to Cassandra, a human, who holds a special power that can determine the final outcome. In Mortal Gods, they finally find the source for the weird and unique illnesses that are killing the gods. But disaster and betrayal strike, and Athena and her gang of gods and mortals are split up.
In Ungodly, Athena and Odysseus have to battle through the underworld to escape back to life. Cassandra is literally chasing down Death (the god of it, that is) to aid her. The rest of the gang--Henry, Andie, Hermes--are trying to hold down the fort back in their hometown while searching for more answers, and any gods who may still be alive and willing to help their side. Each group has to overcome challenges and come back together to fight against other Olympians, bring an end to the death of the gods, and determine their fate.
Review
As a conclusion to a trilogy, this book did not disappoint! I'll say right off the bat that the ending was extremely well-done: loose ends tied up, a compelling story on its own, no stupid/weird last-minute plot devices.
The story is fast-paced and action-packed. I really like Kendare Blake's writing style. Her characters feel alive and realistic in their movements. There is plenty of witty and sarcastic dialogue, but also heartfelt conversations between characters. Make no mistake: this series is dark and creepy, but that's one of the reasons I like it. There are grotesque monsters and violent incidents. Good people sometimes do bad things and it makes you uncomfortable.
The characters in this book are wonderful. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and battle, is one of the main characters. She is an immortal god who has wandered the earth for thousands of years, and now she is faced with death. She will stop at nothing to save herself and her fellow gods. She also has purple highlights in her hair, a detail that I loved and brought added depth. Cassandra is the other main character. She is the reincarnation of Cassandra of Troy, cursed with the ability to see the future and also now the ability to destroy the gods with a touch of her hands. So of course both sides of this war want her as a weapon. Cassandra's loyalty is loosely given to Athena as the war becomes more of a personal battle for revenge. She has to work to overcome her anger and hurt in order to save those she loves.
There is a full cast of wonderful secondary characters that fill out the world and move the plot along. Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hades, Persephone, Demeter, Apollo, and more all make an appearance, along with classical heroes like Achilles, Calypso, and Odysseus. Each expands on what the Greek gods would look and act like today, and are compelling in their own ways.
A prominent theme was the constant struggle about what it means to be human. The character of Athena captures this best: She's a goddess, used to commanding tiny mortals and getting her way. And yet she has feelings of jealousy and lust and worry, totally ungoddess-like behaviour that she's aware of, and it bugs her. She fights against these emotions, even though having them helps her connect to the people around her, and will help her win this battle. Juxtapose this with Cassandra, who is losing those human emotions as she fights against the overwhelming urge to destroy the gods around her in an angry vengeance. Other themes included love, loyalty, and deciding your own fate.
I love Greek mythology and I loved seeing the myths and people applied in a modern setting. The series and book has fabulous writing, great action, and compelling characters. Overall, a very satisfying ending to an incredible series.
Rating
I give this title 5 stars
Details
Genre: Horror, YA, Fantasy
Sex: Characters kiss and have strong emotions, but no sex scenes and nothing graphic.
Violence: This is a horror novel, so it is gory. Graphic descriptions of various deaths, bloody battles, etc.
Language: A few strong swear words throughout the book.
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