Scan barcode
A review by ncrabb
Only Everything by Kieran Scott
4.0
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit I'm a sucker for books wherein angels or mythical deities are sent to Earth to carry out a quest or endure punishment and thereby presumably learn something valuable in the process. When Jill at Rhapsody in Books referenced this title recently, I knew I couldn't escape the torment of wondering whether I would like the book if I left it unread. I snagged the Kindle edition from the library, and even though it was narrated via the synthetic voice in my iPad, so fun and delightful was the book that it overcame the inherent drawbacks of listening to a synthetic narration.
Eros, as it turns out, isn't that short little fat male with the arrows fired at hearts everywhere--the one we call Cupid. Instead, she is youthful, slender, and taller than our image of Cupid, and she is in serious trouble as the book begins. She has fallen in love with Orion, a mortal who has been rescued from the stars. When goddesses fall in love with mortals, it is an unmerciful Zeus who hands down the punishment.
For Eros and her mother, Aphrodite, who apparently is complicit with her, the punishment means being exiled to New Jersey, a special kind of hell, acording to Eros. She's on a deadline if she ever hopes to see her beloved Orion again. She must bring three couples together and ensure that they find love before her time runs out. If she fails, she will never see Orion again. Worse yet, she must do all this without her powers, and that makes for a most interesting experience.
Upon her arrival to Earth, she takes the name of True Olympia. This high school is a veritable mine field, especially when you can no longer read thoughts and understand the intent of someone's heart. But, desperate to be with her beloved Orion again, True bravely sets off to make her matches. But it's far harder than even she thinks.
Charlie is a decent, thoughtful kid who wants to fit in somehow to the new school, but he doesn't want to lose the most important part of his self'-his love of music and his love of creating music.
True immediately assumes that Charlie would be perfectly matched with a flute player in the school band. But to True's consternation, the match is anything but perfect, and she must rethink how these matches get made when she has no special powers.
For Katrina, life has been worse than horrible since her dad died. Once an honors student, she flaked out of those classes after his funeral and began a relationship with a high-school dropout who has gone to work `n the local auto repair shop. But Katrina is a sensitive creative person whose sensitivity and creativity are in danger of being snuffed out by her abusive tyrant boyfriend.
There are some wonderful laugh-out-loud scenes in the book. Taking some bad advice from her clearly distraught mother, True imbibes far too much wine one night, and the hangover scene the following day at school is wonderfully funny. This is a goddess, after all, and goddesses do not throw up, let alone get sick. True has no concept of a hangover, but she learns all about it all too vividly and humorously.
Ultimately, True gets some help mysteriously dispatched from her beloved sister, who was not banished to Earth. That help comes in the form of a god living in human form. He's a wheelchair user, and he's actually hot and popular with the girls at the school. Together, True and Haphaestus work to solve her problem in time.
The best part of the book for me is the message the author sends. True learns that she can be special without special powers. She comes to grips with the idea that you don't need to read minds to help others; instead, you simply need to take the time to observe people and thereby discover what's in their hearts.
I've already put the other two books in the series on my Kindle wish list. Book one ends nicely with a great setup for book two.
Those who follow me here and who have concerns about language or sexual content in what they read can read this without much difficulty. I think I saw maybe four instances of profanity here, and there are no graphic explicit sex scenes. There are depictions of cigarette use, and parents may want to think carefully about whether a early pre-teen should have access to this. But I think the messages delivered here are powerful indeed, and while I'm decidedly not the primary market for this book, even I enjoyed the reminder that you don't need super-abilities to be super.
Last thing: You don't need to be an expert in mythology to enjoy this. Scott makes sure you have sufficient background in the form of scenes that elucidate True's pre-exile memories. This is a light, fun read that will remind you of what it takes to be special. Incidentally, I loved the idea that the guy in the wheelchair isn't the class freak.
Eros, as it turns out, isn't that short little fat male with the arrows fired at hearts everywhere--the one we call Cupid. Instead, she is youthful, slender, and taller than our image of Cupid, and she is in serious trouble as the book begins. She has fallen in love with Orion, a mortal who has been rescued from the stars. When goddesses fall in love with mortals, it is an unmerciful Zeus who hands down the punishment.
For Eros and her mother, Aphrodite, who apparently is complicit with her, the punishment means being exiled to New Jersey, a special kind of hell, acording to Eros. She's on a deadline if she ever hopes to see her beloved Orion again. She must bring three couples together and ensure that they find love before her time runs out. If she fails, she will never see Orion again. Worse yet, she must do all this without her powers, and that makes for a most interesting experience.
Upon her arrival to Earth, she takes the name of True Olympia. This high school is a veritable mine field, especially when you can no longer read thoughts and understand the intent of someone's heart. But, desperate to be with her beloved Orion again, True bravely sets off to make her matches. But it's far harder than even she thinks.
Charlie is a decent, thoughtful kid who wants to fit in somehow to the new school, but he doesn't want to lose the most important part of his self'-his love of music and his love of creating music.
True immediately assumes that Charlie would be perfectly matched with a flute player in the school band. But to True's consternation, the match is anything but perfect, and she must rethink how these matches get made when she has no special powers.
For Katrina, life has been worse than horrible since her dad died. Once an honors student, she flaked out of those classes after his funeral and began a relationship with a high-school dropout who has gone to work `n the local auto repair shop. But Katrina is a sensitive creative person whose sensitivity and creativity are in danger of being snuffed out by her abusive tyrant boyfriend.
There are some wonderful laugh-out-loud scenes in the book. Taking some bad advice from her clearly distraught mother, True imbibes far too much wine one night, and the hangover scene the following day at school is wonderfully funny. This is a goddess, after all, and goddesses do not throw up, let alone get sick. True has no concept of a hangover, but she learns all about it all too vividly and humorously.
Ultimately, True gets some help mysteriously dispatched from her beloved sister, who was not banished to Earth. That help comes in the form of a god living in human form. He's a wheelchair user, and he's actually hot and popular with the girls at the school. Together, True and Haphaestus work to solve her problem in time.
The best part of the book for me is the message the author sends. True learns that she can be special without special powers. She comes to grips with the idea that you don't need to read minds to help others; instead, you simply need to take the time to observe people and thereby discover what's in their hearts.
I've already put the other two books in the series on my Kindle wish list. Book one ends nicely with a great setup for book two.
Those who follow me here and who have concerns about language or sexual content in what they read can read this without much difficulty. I think I saw maybe four instances of profanity here, and there are no graphic explicit sex scenes. There are depictions of cigarette use, and parents may want to think carefully about whether a early pre-teen should have access to this. But I think the messages delivered here are powerful indeed, and while I'm decidedly not the primary market for this book, even I enjoyed the reminder that you don't need super-abilities to be super.
Last thing: You don't need to be an expert in mythology to enjoy this. Scott makes sure you have sufficient background in the form of scenes that elucidate True's pre-exile memories. This is a light, fun read that will remind you of what it takes to be special. Incidentally, I loved the idea that the guy in the wheelchair isn't the class freak.