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thenovelmaura's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is a long book that covers a lot of history, so it makes sense that I would like some elements and not others! I sort of liked the framing where the Greek gods were telling the story (Hades' bits were the most impactful for me), but the initial premise just didn't make sense. Why did Aphrodite get to tell a lengthy love story during her trial for adultery? (I wish I was the kind of reader who didn't get hung up on those kinds of details, but here I am.) I also enjoyed the bits where the gods "interfered" by disguising themselves as mortals, simply because it's fun to imagine.
I loved the inclusion of Aubrey as a character (he was my favorite), and the subsequent focus on jazz and the treatment of black soldiers by American and European troops alike during WWI. And I loved Hazel and Collette's friendship. On the other hand, the majority of the book focused on two romances, and things got too sappy for my taste. I also thought the romance slowed down the pacing and made the book longer than it needed to be; fortunately the audiobook was beautifully read, so I powered through. Overall, this was a well-researched and bittersweet look at WWI through the eyes of 4 young adults and the Greek gods who support them.
I loved the inclusion of Aubrey as a character (he was my favorite), and the subsequent focus on jazz and the treatment of black soldiers by American and European troops alike during WWI. And I loved Hazel and Collette's friendship. On the other hand, the majority of the book focused on two romances, and things got too sappy for my taste. I also thought the romance slowed down the pacing and made the book longer than it needed to be; fortunately the audiobook was beautifully read, so I powered through. Overall, this was a well-researched and bittersweet look at WWI through the eyes of 4 young adults and the Greek gods who support them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Racism, Death, and Hate crime
Moderate: Sexual harassment
lrose02's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I will have to say the last 100 pages of this book flew by as I was determined to know the characters fate. I am definitely happy with the ending. I loved the portrayal of all the gods. Aphrodite was so complex and I can definitely see her reflected in the two main female protagonists. I loved the female friendship between Hazel and Colette. I was slightly underwhelmed when James and Aubrey finally met but I do think the author sums it up in a perfect sentence. Ares is an ick but he is in a perfect position to be a morally grey character in a story cantered around a world war. Hades is treated so respectfully and the deaths are written so beautifully. I love the interaction between Aphrodite and Hades after the train. This book time far too long to finish but once I picked it up again I haven’t put it down. One of the best mythology retellings I’ve ever read and a beautiful romance. All of the POVs felt balanced and the emotional moments really hit home.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Racism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Murder
vanhalenreads's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.
I’ll be maintaining for the rest of my life that Julie Berry wrote this book for me. Combining historical fiction, Greek mythology, and romance has got to be one of the most ingenious book ideas I have ever heard of. AND SHE PULLED IT OFF FLAWLESSLY. Truly, I was addicted from page 1 to the very end. I was so sad when it was all over. I want to take each character with me. The LOVE in this book was so pure and precious and profound. I don’t know what else compares at this point.
Also, I’m surprised this is YA? I never would have thought it was if not for the mortal main characters being teenagers. Nothing against YA—as I adore so many YA books—but I was a little shook. That being said, this is my new favorite YA. Just perfect.
I’ll be maintaining for the rest of my life that Julie Berry wrote this book for me. Combining historical fiction, Greek mythology, and romance has got to be one of the most ingenious book ideas I have ever heard of. AND SHE PULLED IT OFF FLAWLESSLY. Truly, I was addicted from page 1 to the very end. I was so sad when it was all over. I want to take each character with me. The LOVE in this book was so pure and precious and profound. I don’t know what else compares at this point.
Also, I’m surprised this is YA? I never would have thought it was if not for the mortal main characters being teenagers. Nothing against YA—as I adore so many YA books—but I was a little shook. That being said, this is my new favorite YA. Just perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual harassment
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Blood, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Racism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Sexual violence, and Murder
padawan17's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I don't like romances. I usually find them boring and infuriating. But this one is an exception. I adore this book. I love every character, I love that is narrated by Greek gods, I love that it is a romance, but Berry grapples with other issues too. Racism in the 1910s, war, death, grief, it's all there, but it's so hopeful. I cried many times. Do yourself a favor and read this. For me, it's better every time I reread it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, War, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Blood, Bullying, and Cursing
caitlinemccann's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual harassment
bookishdaylight's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
" And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars,
and why I spent my whole life trying to put into words. "
- You are in love by Taylor Swift
This is my second time reading this and it never seems to fail me. It was a bittersweet romance regarding how the characters were portrayed in the story. The struggles that they faced and the tragedies of the war make it seem as if their relationship was doomed from the start. It was such an eye-opener how it was told from a god's perspective, with aphrodite playing cupid.
This was so beautifully written and I was fully immersed with the characters themselves. You can really feel the heartbreak and sorrow of the people's lives during the war and how it impacts the story itself.
When it comes to the romance aspect, it was slow and I was not bothered by it since it's all about the MCs finding the confidence to love themselves despite the war making them feel scarred and if love is truly worth taking a chance on during the hardest times of their lives.
and why I spent my whole life trying to put into words. "
- You are in love by Taylor Swift
This is my second time reading this and it never seems to fail me. It was a bittersweet romance regarding how the characters were portrayed in the story. The struggles that they faced and the tragedies of the war make it seem as if their relationship was doomed from the start. It was such an eye-opener how it was told from a god's perspective, with aphrodite playing cupid.
This was so beautifully written and I was fully immersed with the characters themselves. You can really feel the heartbreak and sorrow of the people's lives during the war and how it impacts the story itself.
When it comes to the romance aspect, it was slow and I was not bothered by it since it's all about the MCs finding the confidence to love themselves despite the war making them feel scarred and if love is truly worth taking a chance on during the hardest times of their lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, War, and Gun violence
mme_carton's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, War, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality, Abandonment, and Rape
m00ncake's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
When I heard that this was a historical fiction romance book narrated by Greek Gods, I was instantly hooked. And let me tell you that this book did not disappoint.
I love the four main characters so much, they're so charming and I loved seeing them through the lenses of these different gods. Speaking of the gods, my greek mythology nerd ass loved the 'witnesses' Aphrodite called during her 'trial', as well as all the banter and inside jokes made by them. The characterisation was wonderful.
I'm usually not a fan of insta-love, I usually dnf books with insta-love (or they just get a low rating) but I did not mind it in this book. I loved the romance, and how their stories got intertwined (I was reading this at school and when I tell you I started tearing up). I saw the other reviews and how people have been calling it your average world war historical fiction story, and maybe it is, I don't have much experience with the genre. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.
This book feels like a warm hug,,,,, kinda. I definitely needed the pick me up.
I love the four main characters so much, they're so charming and I loved seeing them through the lenses of these different gods. Speaking of the gods, my greek mythology nerd ass loved the 'witnesses' Aphrodite called during her 'trial', as well as all the banter and inside jokes made by them. The characterisation was wonderful.
I'm usually not a fan of insta-love, I usually dnf books with insta-love (or they just get a low rating) but I did not mind it in this book. I loved the romance, and how their stories got intertwined (I was reading this at school and when I tell you I started tearing up). I saw the other reviews and how people have been calling it your average world war historical fiction story, and maybe it is, I don't have much experience with the genre. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.
This book feels like a warm hug,,,,, kinda. I definitely needed the pick me up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Gun violence
Minor: Cultural appropriation
audreychu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gun violence, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Rape