4 out of 5 Before I go on, this book is in the 'Love Oracles' series, however the second book has not been given a release date yet. I am an absolute sucker for any YA novel that has Greek mythology elements to it, and am therefore very critical as well, because I have read all ends of the spectrum; amazing and horrid. This book really blew me away, I loved the alternate scenery and the loveable and relatable characters. In this world, nymphs are the lovers of the Greek Gods and Demi-Gods, and that is where the story starts. Nymphs live for as long as their element does and are beautiful and smart creatures. Merope is a star nymph and the youngest of her over 1000 siblings, when she turns down the offer to be the lover of a Demi - God, she is sent to Earth, more specifically a Greek Island, as punishment until she has made a choice with the protection of her 'uncle', another God. |
I really enjoyed this book because it took a very wayward approach to the classic and common Greek Mythology idea, still keeping the classic and unchangeable details such as the gods, laws and environments. I really loved the various exploration of the new ideas and 'myths' and how they ended up interlinking with my pre-acquired knowledge.
The word building of the surrounding environments was absolutely exquisite and made me want to jump right into the situation with all the characters. The description of how Merope and the other supernatural entities did certain supernatural tasks, was well describes and didn't leave an ounce of confusion.
The one thing I didn't like about this book, was the ever waiting for Merope to get over her fears and finally be with Lukas like everyone in the book and me knew they both wanted to. I almost cried when she purposely hurt him to turn him away. However, that is simply a personal pet peeve of mine, so it's not anything against the book itself.
I found myself absolutely laughing out loud, when Zeus sent another God to watch over Merope and make sure she didn't get together with Lukas. His character was so unique and funny and honestly one of the best story-lines in the entire book.
In total it was a fantastic read that I thoroughly enjoyed and will go back and re-read when the second book FINALLY comes out. Definitely recommend this book, something that makes you think, but can be easily read as a holiday read or something to read at night. Be warned though, you might never put it down :)
Hayley xx