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A review by hegeleen_kissel
Epic of Helinthia by M.J. Pankey
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
MJ Pankey's Epic of Helinthia is the fast-paced and adventurous first instalment in a series set on the unique, ancient Greek-inspired island of Helinthia. When famine strikes harder and harder ever since anax Charixes seized control of the throne, some brave souls set out to put an end to his reign of terror that would only mean doom for the people of Helinthia.
I must admit it took me a little while before I could tell the difference between the vast cast of characters, but as the story developped and I got to know them, I was greatly impressed by the way Pankey presents her characters with all their flaws and vices. She really masters the way in which the characters act and make choices in line with their own beliefs and motivations, making them very human. While I found some characters rather unlikable, there were others who went through some marvellous character developement that's very promising for the next books in the series!
The island of Helinthia is a fictional one, but the society is well thought-out with Greek-inspired titles and ranks. I found the naming of the places and characters a bit confusing since most of them didn't sound very Greek, which made it difficult for me at first to really immerse myself in an otherwise Greek-inspired world. I loved the idioms that were invented for the island of Helinthia, however, which brought a richness to the world that helped to anchor me in the story.
Some of my favourite parts were the appearances of the gods. Pankey succeeds in portraying them as ethereal and larger-than-life beings who are close to yet at the same time very far away from humanity. I can only hope that we'll see more of them as the series continues.
Pankey's prose is tremendously varied, incredibly fluid and reads like a breeze yet is never dull or overly simple. But her true strengths in my opinion are her dialogues and her ability to create suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Especially the final chapters are an avalanche of suspense and thrilling revelations. So I'm very curious to see how the story will develop in the following books.
I received an ARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
I must admit it took me a little while before I could tell the difference between the vast cast of characters, but as the story developped and I got to know them, I was greatly impressed by the way Pankey presents her characters with all their flaws and vices. She really masters the way in which the characters act and make choices in line with their own beliefs and motivations, making them very human. While I found some characters rather unlikable, there were others who went through some marvellous character developement that's very promising for the next books in the series!
The island of Helinthia is a fictional one, but the society is well thought-out with Greek-inspired titles and ranks. I found the naming of the places and characters a bit confusing since most of them didn't sound very Greek, which made it difficult for me at first to really immerse myself in an otherwise Greek-inspired world. I loved the idioms that were invented for the island of Helinthia, however, which brought a richness to the world that helped to anchor me in the story.
Some of my favourite parts were the appearances of the gods. Pankey succeeds in portraying them as ethereal and larger-than-life beings who are close to yet at the same time very far away from humanity. I can only hope that we'll see more of them as the series continues.
Pankey's prose is tremendously varied, incredibly fluid and reads like a breeze yet is never dull or overly simple. But her true strengths in my opinion are her dialogues and her ability to create suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Especially the final chapters are an avalanche of suspense and thrilling revelations. So I'm very curious to see how the story will develop in the following books.
I received an ARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.