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katykelly's review
4.0
Amusing 'contemporary female relation of Greek Gods' tale.
Maz Evans and Rick Riordan have both brought Greek mythology to the 21st century, placing young contemporary protagonists slap-bang in the middle of the Gods and relationships, keeping the stories alive and interesting. Both of those looked to the KS2-KS3 age range, whereas here, Sheppard looks at a teenage girl heading towards the other end of the teenage years and drops her in the midst of an Olympian drama.
Helen is a pretty normal teenage girl - interested in boys, social media, her appearance. But in one particular way she is FAR from being normal - her father is Zeus, king of the Greek Gods. Aphrodite is her half-sister. After the death of her mother, she is brought to live with her father's family in London, where they live amongst mortals incognito, bored with Mount Olympus. Helen is, of course, daunted and more than a little worried that it will affect how she fits in at her new school.
Writing letters to her dead mother about how she's feeling, we also watch as Helen tries to make friends, catches the eye of a cute boy at a party, tries to obey her family's rules... though it turns out they may not be the best at following their own guidelines - and it could get the entire family in trouble...
While this is breezily chatty and felt quite authentically teenage, I did feel a bit wearied with a typical adolescent girl's lusting after a 'cute boy', and the very typical way this affects relationships with female friends. The way Helen makes friends almost instantly in school felt a bit unrealistic, as did the 'connection' between her and an immensely fanciable boy.
That aside, the bringing of the classical gods into the modern world in nicely done, the current ways in which their talents might be used all worked really well (Aphrodite a beauty influencer on social media). I would have liked to see more from Zeus, his relationship with his mortal daughter is only bought out in a handful on scenes and not in any depth. Helen spends more time with her half-siblings than her father.
It's funny, and for fans of Greek myths, a pleasure to watch their modern incarnations. This would make a light read for ages 13-17, there is nothing unsuitable or worrisome.
Maz Evans and Rick Riordan have both brought Greek mythology to the 21st century, placing young contemporary protagonists slap-bang in the middle of the Gods and relationships, keeping the stories alive and interesting. Both of those looked to the KS2-KS3 age range, whereas here, Sheppard looks at a teenage girl heading towards the other end of the teenage years and drops her in the midst of an Olympian drama.
Helen is a pretty normal teenage girl - interested in boys, social media, her appearance. But in one particular way she is FAR from being normal - her father is Zeus, king of the Greek Gods. Aphrodite is her half-sister. After the death of her mother, she is brought to live with her father's family in London, where they live amongst mortals incognito, bored with Mount Olympus. Helen is, of course, daunted and more than a little worried that it will affect how she fits in at her new school.
Writing letters to her dead mother about how she's feeling, we also watch as Helen tries to make friends, catches the eye of a cute boy at a party, tries to obey her family's rules... though it turns out they may not be the best at following their own guidelines - and it could get the entire family in trouble...
While this is breezily chatty and felt quite authentically teenage, I did feel a bit wearied with a typical adolescent girl's lusting after a 'cute boy', and the very typical way this affects relationships with female friends. The way Helen makes friends almost instantly in school felt a bit unrealistic, as did the 'connection' between her and an immensely fanciable boy.
That aside, the bringing of the classical gods into the modern world in nicely done, the current ways in which their talents might be used all worked really well (Aphrodite a beauty influencer on social media). I would have liked to see more from Zeus, his relationship with his mortal daughter is only bought out in a handful on scenes and not in any depth. Helen spends more time with her half-siblings than her father.
It's funny, and for fans of Greek myths, a pleasure to watch their modern incarnations. This would make a light read for ages 13-17, there is nothing unsuitable or worrisome.
maireador20's review
lighthearted
fast-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
2.0
emmeke's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
3.0
I was not the target audience for this book about a demi-god teenager who's trying to juggle moving to a new school with learning to live with her Greek divine family and obsessing about getting her first ever kiss at age 14. However this was entertaining enough and a fun premise. I would recommend this for a teenager rather than a 30-something.
rose_reads_'s review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This is a really fun and light-hearted book, however I think I'm too old for this. I think teens would absolutely love this book!
nneanu's review
2.0
Rated 2.5 Stars
I lost interest half way through and had to force myself to finish reading the rest.
I lost interest half way through and had to force myself to finish reading the rest.
gavroche's review
3.0
"I also found a pair of winged sandals lurking in the shoe rack. Yes, I tried them on and no, the wings didn't even flicker."
quite a fun book as a whole. very young young adult, probably more meant for teenagers, with mainly one-sided characters and a plot that can be guessed from the start but an enjoyable light reading for when you can't bring yourself to actually focus.
quite a fun book as a whole. very young young adult, probably more meant for teenagers, with mainly one-sided characters and a plot that can be guessed from the start but an enjoyable light reading for when you can't bring yourself to actually focus.
crypticspren's review
4.0
This was so sweet and so fun to read. It was easy going and I loved the way the personality of the Gods was captured. It made me laugh and I highly recommend!
ladyk23's review
3.0
I talked in a previous review about how I ended up reading the first fiction novel of a writer who I first found out about at Grrrlcon, but this time around I read a first novel from a fellow attendee of Write Like A Grrrl, which was the precursor to Grrrlcon. A workshop that I also attended.
Therefore I am all about grrrls supporting grrrls, and I’m really glad I bought this book as it didn’t disappoint. The story centres on Helen, a half mortal daughter of the Greek God Zeus, living in London of all places.
Not only does Helen have to deal with normal teenage problems, annoying siblings, a new school, boys, and the dreaded spots, she also has to keep the secret that her family is really a bunch of gods. A teenager with a secret, what could possibly go wrong?
This is a really lovely novel that covers grief (at the loss of a close family member), how to get along with your family, first love, and most importantly, how to not lose your friends along the way. The last couple of chapters had me really tearing up as Helen delivers a heartfelt speech, and finally starts to open up to her new friends about why she’s been so flakey of late. A situation I’ve definitely been in on behalf of the friends POV.
For a first novel I think the author has done a fantastic job of setting the scene, and showing the reader a different side of London. Something I haven’t seen, possibly ever. And I’m guessing that the author is from, or has spent a lot of time in the places mentioned in the book in order to describe the areas so vividly.
My only gripes with the book are very minor, sometimes the pacing skips, and days/weeks etc seem very short, and some of the pop culture references seem more like they come from someone the authors age, than from a teenager in the present day. But perhaps today’s teens are more fond of 90s movies than I realise.
These are minor things I picked up on but they didn’t impact my enjoyment at all, just some things for the author to bear in mind in her next book.
I saw recently that someone commented on one of the authors Instagram posts that this book would make a great CBBC show, and I have to agree. It would lend itself perfectly to being adapted into a mini series (or a longer series if Alexandra decides to give us some more of Helen’s stories).
I wish her every success with this book and all of her future endeavours.
Therefore I am all about grrrls supporting grrrls, and I’m really glad I bought this book as it didn’t disappoint. The story centres on Helen, a half mortal daughter of the Greek God Zeus, living in London of all places.
Not only does Helen have to deal with normal teenage problems, annoying siblings, a new school, boys, and the dreaded spots, she also has to keep the secret that her family is really a bunch of gods. A teenager with a secret, what could possibly go wrong?
This is a really lovely novel that covers grief (at the loss of a close family member), how to get along with your family, first love, and most importantly, how to not lose your friends along the way. The last couple of chapters had me really tearing up as Helen delivers a heartfelt speech, and finally starts to open up to her new friends about why she’s been so flakey of late. A situation I’ve definitely been in on behalf of the friends POV.
For a first novel I think the author has done a fantastic job of setting the scene, and showing the reader a different side of London. Something I haven’t seen, possibly ever. And I’m guessing that the author is from, or has spent a lot of time in the places mentioned in the book in order to describe the areas so vividly.
My only gripes with the book are very minor, sometimes the pacing skips, and days/weeks etc seem very short, and some of the pop culture references seem more like they come from someone the authors age, than from a teenager in the present day. But perhaps today’s teens are more fond of 90s movies than I realise.
These are minor things I picked up on but they didn’t impact my enjoyment at all, just some things for the author to bear in mind in her next book.
I saw recently that someone commented on one of the authors Instagram posts that this book would make a great CBBC show, and I have to agree. It would lend itself perfectly to being adapted into a mini series (or a longer series if Alexandra decides to give us some more of Helen’s stories).
I wish her every success with this book and all of her future endeavours.
emlyrea's review
3.0
I was so hyped for this book, and I’m so disappointed… I mean, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t that good either.
Greek Mythology is clearly my thing, so when I found out this book was about Greek Gods but in the contemporary world, living among us, I was thrilled.
But as soon as I started this book, I knew I was going to be disappointed. I don’t know, I guess it wasn’t for me. I think I was expecting a lot, and it didn’t hit my expectations.
I didn’t like the end at all, Hades being nice was not right for me aha. I really wanted more.
I did like some parts of it though, the characters were funny, I liked the modern vision, the representation, and the idea in itself.
So yeah, this wasn't the right book for me, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
Greek Mythology is clearly my thing, so when I found out this book was about Greek Gods but in the contemporary world, living among us, I was thrilled.
But as soon as I started this book, I knew I was going to be disappointed. I don’t know, I guess it wasn’t for me. I think I was expecting a lot, and it didn’t hit my expectations.
I didn’t like the end at all, Hades being nice was not right for me aha. I really wanted more.
I did like some parts of it though, the characters were funny, I liked the modern vision, the representation, and the idea in itself.
So yeah, this wasn't the right book for me, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.