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frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
What tries to be a new mythology retelling just ends up as a typical YA fantasy that takes place in Ancient Greece and recycles characters that have been around for years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Death, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism
lady_moon's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This wasn't what I expected but I'm not disappointed!! It was great <3
I really wanted to give this book the full writing but there were a few little things that bothered me. The biggest one: the pace was a little bit off at times. There were some times were literal hours has passed in the time of one paragraph. I really appreciated it fast-paceness but it could have been done more smoothly when a scene passed into another. Also, I could leave without Pip's POV tbh but this let us know my aromantic queen Temi better so I'm not complaining.
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8/5/2022: I HAVE BEEN WAITING AGES FOR A BOOK INSPIRED BY APOLLO AND HYACINTH'S MYTH, I'M SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS
I really wanted to give this book the full writing but there were a few little things that bothered me. The biggest one: the pace was a little bit off at times. There were some times were literal hours has passed in the time of one paragraph. I really appreciated it fast-paceness but it could have been done more smoothly when a scene passed into another. Also, I could leave without Pip's POV tbh but this let us know my aromantic queen Temi better so I'm not complaining.
________________________________________________
8/5/2022: I HAVE BEEN WAITING AGES FOR A BOOK INSPIRED BY APOLLO AND HYACINTH'S MYTH, I'M SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Death of parent
Minor: War and Body shaming
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) hunting, animal sacrifice, misogyny, a father hitting his adult son, blood, death, sexual assault mention, deaths in a fire, strong language, sexual content
A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey is book one in the Apollo Ascending series. This is a NA romance reimagining of the Apollo and Hyacinth myth. I have been loving retellings lately, and this one gave me The Song of Achilles vibes minus all the tragedy.
We get POVs from Apollo, Hyacinth, and Epiphany (Hyacinth's sister). Each character, including Temi, Apollo's sister, struggles with their lot in life vs. what they actually want. For Apollo, he is destined to ascend as the sun god, but wants nothing more than to stay on earth with his sister. Hyacinth is destined to become king after his father, and struggles with the pressure of duty and trying to be with the one he loves. Epiphany is constrained by the patriarchal laws that make it so she must marry or have male patronage, when all she wants is freedom.
The enemies to lovers between Apollo and Hyacinth is so wonderful! I love all the witty repartee and the "gods I hate him, but can't stop fantasizing about him." I had very "just kiss already!" Vibes the whole time lol. I loved the friendship between Temi and Pip! Temi is aroace and is not here for all the patriarchal bullshit and encourages Pip to do what she wants despite what is proper. Temi is absolutely my favorite character. She's me, except I'm allosexual lol. As Nicole said, definitely a Sagittarius 😆.
I'm not usually a huge fan of NA romance, mostly because a lot of enemies to lovers in this genre read as abusive, but Nicole doesn't do that! This was a sweet relationship with plenty of steamy moments that were not gratuitous, but loving. I'm impatiently waiting for June to come so I can have the next book to see more of Temi's story.
A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey is book one in the Apollo Ascending series. This is a NA romance reimagining of the Apollo and Hyacinth myth. I have been loving retellings lately, and this one gave me The Song of Achilles vibes minus all the tragedy.
We get POVs from Apollo, Hyacinth, and Epiphany (Hyacinth's sister). Each character, including Temi, Apollo's sister, struggles with their lot in life vs. what they actually want. For Apollo, he is destined to ascend as the sun god, but wants nothing more than to stay on earth with his sister. Hyacinth is destined to become king after his father, and struggles with the pressure of duty and trying to be with the one he loves. Epiphany is constrained by the patriarchal laws that make it so she must marry or have male patronage, when all she wants is freedom.
The enemies to lovers between Apollo and Hyacinth is so wonderful! I love all the witty repartee and the "gods I hate him, but can't stop fantasizing about him." I had very "just kiss already!" Vibes the whole time lol. I loved the friendship between Temi and Pip! Temi is aroace and is not here for all the patriarchal bullshit and encourages Pip to do what she wants despite what is proper. Temi is absolutely my favorite character. She's me, except I'm allosexual lol. As Nicole said, definitely a Sagittarius 😆.
I'm not usually a huge fan of NA romance, mostly because a lot of enemies to lovers in this genre read as abusive, but Nicole doesn't do that! This was a sweet relationship with plenty of steamy moments that were not gratuitous, but loving. I'm impatiently waiting for June to come so I can have the next book to see more of Temi's story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Cursing, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault
pagesofnay's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Cursing, Sexual content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Blood, Animal death, and Physical abuse
izzymannellasbookshelf's review
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.0
If you like slow-burn enemies to lovers, multiple POV, Greek mythology retellings, and lots of LGBTQ representation, you'll really enjoy this NA fantasy book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I thought this book was good. It didn't totally wow me, but it was definitely a fun, entertaining story. I especially loved the Epiphany and Valerian forbidden-romance subplot, being one to absolutely DIE for the "commoner falls for the royal" trope.
As for the main plot, I thought the romance was a bit stereotypical, but that isn't always a bad thing. The world-building is super unique and interesting, because while it's based off actual Greek mythology, the world is entirely original. There's a bit of a modern twist to it as well. The characters feel very 21st century, which I find refreshing.
The book is almost entirely character-based, so don't go into it expecting an elaborate plot. The stakes aren't that high at all, but we get to see the characters grow and embark on their own personal journeys. I definitely found the characters to be well-developed and intriguing.
The story centers mainly around Apollo, who in this version is not yet full-deity. Zeus, his raging and hateful father, is forcing him to "ascend", or become full god. If Apollo ascends, he will be forced to reign from Olympus, away from his mortal sister and closest confidant, Temi (an original twist on the goddess Artemis). Apollo wants nothing more than to be human & to live freely on earth with his sister, but once he ascends, he won't be able to stay on earth for an extended amount of time without feeling sick.
So, Zeus offers him a deal. He can ascend now, or wait one full year, during which time he must let the snarky, full-of-himself Prince Hyacinth mentor him. Naturally, he chooses to live another year as a half-mortal on earth, thinking he can at least live a little and experience the world for a bit longer despite having to do so in the presence of an insufferable royal.
As the year progresses, he finds he might just enjoy the prince's company a bit more than he expected to. And vice versa. Hyacinth finds that there might be more to Apollo than just being the arrogant, impulsive deity that he pretends to be.
All in all, I enjoyed this story. It was fun, entertaining, and lighthearted. I could visualize the scenes and the characters impeccably well. Excited for it to hit the shelves.
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I thought this book was good. It didn't totally wow me, but it was definitely a fun, entertaining story. I especially loved the Epiphany and Valerian forbidden-romance subplot, being one to absolutely DIE for the "commoner falls for the royal" trope.
As for the main plot, I thought the romance was a bit stereotypical, but that isn't always a bad thing. The world-building is super unique and interesting, because while it's based off actual Greek mythology, the world is entirely original. There's a bit of a modern twist to it as well. The characters feel very 21st century, which I find refreshing.
The book is almost entirely character-based, so don't go into it expecting an elaborate plot. The stakes aren't that high at all, but we get to see the characters grow and embark on their own personal journeys. I definitely found the characters to be well-developed and intriguing.
The story centers mainly around Apollo, who in this version is not yet full-deity. Zeus, his raging and hateful father, is forcing him to "ascend", or become full god. If Apollo ascends, he will be forced to reign from Olympus, away from his mortal sister and closest confidant, Temi (an original twist on the goddess Artemis). Apollo wants nothing more than to be human & to live freely on earth with his sister, but once he ascends, he won't be able to stay on earth for an extended amount of time without feeling sick.
So, Zeus offers him a deal. He can ascend now, or wait one full year, during which time he must let the snarky, full-of-himself Prince Hyacinth mentor him. Naturally, he chooses to live another year as a half-mortal on earth, thinking he can at least live a little and experience the world for a bit longer despite having to do so in the presence of an insufferable royal.
As the year progresses, he finds he might just enjoy the prince's company a bit more than he expected to. And vice versa. Hyacinth finds that there might be more to Apollo than just being the arrogant, impulsive deity that he pretends to be.
All in all, I enjoyed this story. It was fun, entertaining, and lighthearted. I could visualize the scenes and the characters impeccably well. Excited for it to hit the shelves.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Physical abuse
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