Sunday, March 5, 2017

Winter of the Gods

Winter of the Gods (Olympus Bound, #2)

I wanted to like this book but I just had a lot of issues with it. The idea of Greek gods, creatures of legend, living in the modern day- and in New York City- just appeals to me. So I felt predisposed to like this just as I did the first book. Unfortunately I had the same problem here that I did with The Immortals- a book that I liked more, I think. It started a little slow for me, just like the first one. And just like in that book I found Selene, the main character, hard to like.

Selene is really Artemis, a Greek goddess living in New York. She serves as a defender of women, prowling the streets and bringing vengeance to men who are abusive. And when I say it was hard to like her- she should be unknowable and hard to fathom. So maybe that's the point. But still... there's just something. Theo on the other hand- he's the classics professor she has fallen in love with, and who helped her last time- is likable and grounded and funny at times. He's not an alpha jerk but a borderline middle age college professor- but he's also brave, devoted to Selene, and fun to read. He makes the book lighter. And it is pretty dark- just like the first one we're talking ritual murders, cults and a lot of spiritual angst. 

Let me just say for a moment that it is refreshing to have slightly older, mature protagonists. Can't fault that. And the supporting cast aren't bad. Gabriella is Theo's best friend and is snarky just like in the first book, and Ruth is a friend who has feelings for Theo. Neither of them care much for Selene, but they are a part of Theo's life and it just adds to the hurdles he and Selene face- how do you, as a mortal, make a relationship work with a vengeful, three thousand year old deity? 

The actual story here revolves around a very twisted cult and Selene and her siblings are targets (again, much like the first book). If anything this one is even more twisted. The author has done a lot of research but I wasn't really buying it. Far more interesting to me are the relationships. Theo and Selene go through a lot and as I mentioned above, their relationship is very difficult. Some of the other gods show up- Apollo (as Selene's brother) plays a big role, as do some others. One disappointment was no Dionysus. He brought a lot of risque humor to the first book.  

Part of the problem for me though was the gods themselves- or how they are interpreted. To make this kind of thing realistic it would seem that you'd have to fudge things a bit- okay the gods are real, they did things but did they really haul the moon across the sky behind a chariot, and did Prometheus really create men by breathing life into them? It's taken literally and I had a problem with suspending my disbelief in that sense. I would have accepted that they were "gods" and worshiped but having them put people into the constellations? Not so much. That's just my take.  

As I mentioned above it started slow for me, and as the story moved on I got more into it, but mainly I just wanted to finish. I'm not sure I'll read the third one, this one ends not on a cliffhanger but the next one is clearly set up, but I don't know if I care enough. I wasn't crazy with the way this ended either, I was a bit annoyed at the ending and I might just call it a series. 

26 comments:

  1. I'm a bit worried about reading this series now as I hate books that are slow to get started and I'm not sure I'm going to like Selene much. If I don't like an MC I generally disengage from the book.

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    1. I was looking forward to this one, I liked the first one more. I have that problem too, if I dislike an MC it's tougher.

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  2. Awww I remember how much you enjoyed the first book so I'm sorry that the follow up didn't deliver for you :( It's always such a bummer when that happens. Not liking a new MC makes it hard to get behind the story at hand for sure! Great review all the same Greg^^ x

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    1. Yeah I was pretty disappointed. It's not a bad book, it just didn't work for me.

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  3. Sorry this one didn't work out better for you. It is a gorgeous cover though. Maybe the third one will pick back up if you decide to chance it!

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    1. It's an AWESOME cover. Agree! And I SO wanted to like it.

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  4. Aw too bad. I actually liked the first one even though I felt it had pacing problems. I have yet to read this one. The parts about the physical moving of the moon and such did not bother me as it felt more that they embodied the mythos rather than reality so their memory is different than our reality. :) Still, I get what you mean. I'm still curious enough to try this one and see if I like it more or less than you did here. :)

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    1. I liked the first one too, although there were some things there that I noticed right away when I got this one. I was able to overlook them the first time but not so much this time.

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  5. Sorry this didn't work too well for you. There's probably a fine line between making a god realistic but also likeable. But Theo sounds great! That's too bad there was no Dionysus in this one, he does sound like he'd be a fun god to read about lol.

    Huh, I'm not sure I'd be able to suspend my disbelief about the gods doing all those things either. It would probably depend exactly how it was written.

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    1. Yeah pretty disappointing. I think you're right, there is a fine line. Some things I could overlook in the first one just didn't make it past me this time. And Dionysus, even though he was an ass, he did add something.

      Yup I rolled my eyes every time it was taken LITERALLY that she dragged the moon or put someone in a constellation.

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  6. Hmmm. I was really caught by the name and cover of the book. But I'm not sure if it's for me or not. Very interesting and great review.

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    1. I hope you like it if you try it. I liked the first book more.

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  7. Really surprised that you didn't like this more. I remember you loving Immortals (which I haven't read, btw!).

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    1. Yeah I was surprised and disappointed. Some of the things I didn't like in Immortals were there, and this one just didn't work.

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  8. I don't expect I'll like this one as much as the first book either, just based on some of the things I've read in reviews. But I'm still really looking forward to reading it, hopefully I can catch up with it later this month :)

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  9. Oh no, sorry to hear this didn't work better for you!

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    1. Thanks. It's not a bad book, and it has a lot to offer, but I just had issues w/ it.

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  10. Oh no, this is unfortunate. I am moderately intrigued because disturbing cults sounds fabulous? But if it is slow and kind of annoying... well then the cults don't much matter, do they? And I agree about the gods thing- I don't think I could have bought that, either. Symbolically, sure. Literally, not so much. Extra sad because of the pretty covers of this series too. Sorry this was a disappointment, but great review!

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    1. I know? Nasty cults all the way! I just think it was the story- it didn't gel with me, I got into it more the first time, I don't know. Not a bad book but I just didn't like it.

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  11. It's always so disappointing when a book I expect to love just doesn't work. I can definitely see the issues with this one. I love the idea of the Greek Gods in the real world but I think I might stick to Percy Jackson for that!

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  12. I have been eyeing this one, and though it has a lot of elements that sound appealing. I think I will skip it. It sounds like it moved slowly and it struggled with other issues. I appreciate your helpful review, Greg.

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  13. I definitely like the sound of older, more mature protagonists, but it sounds like Selene is maybe not the best example of that, haha. Since loving the main characters is such an important part of a good reading experience for me I think that I should steer clear of this series. Knowing when to call it quits on a series is something I need to get better at!

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  14. Sorry to hear that this book disappointed, especially since the premise does sound so intriguing.

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  15. Slow moving books can be so hard to really enjoy. Yay for an older protagonist but sorry so many others aspects didn't work for you.

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  16. Oh no! I remember you reading the first in this series and I wanted to check it out and now... Not so much. :( I hate it when a series fizzles a bit - there's a big investment in just one book, let alone a trilogy! I'm sorry this one didn't work for you - it sounds perfect and that cover!!!!! If you do decide to read the third I'll be looking forward to your review!

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  17. Yeah, this book would push all my buttons. I read a story a while ago where the MC had the power to pull down the stars to bomb things. I don't think the author knows what stars actually are. Ha ha. Too bad this book went south for you. :(

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