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A review by anneliseb23
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I struggled to get through this - listening to the audiobook made that easier since I could multitask but I also really didn't like the narration (no offense to the narrator).
It's a pretty basic story - the Greek gods live in modern London but their powers are waning. Two mortals get caught up in their scheming and then they all have to work together to save the day. It was pretty low-stakes. No tension.
On the one hand I appreciate that the gods were depicted how they likely would be - arrogant, petty, jealous, mean. Thought a lot about taking revenge on each other for various squabbles out of boredom. On the other hand, these characters were so unlikeable I wanted their powers to wane and them all to die. There wasn't anything redeeming about them and the book really drags. I only got into it around 75% after Apollo takes some action that puts him on the sidelines and lets one of the mortal characters shine.
It's a very superficial story. You don't have to think too much about the nature of the gods and what their waning powers mean, or what it would mean for them to be powerful again. They aren't misunderstood. They are just awful - in the thousands of years they've existed none of them have experienced an ounce of character growth. Even though he's learned to use a smartphone, at one point Apollo asks if rape is considered harmful to humans. <i>i beg your pardon?</i>
And something about Aphrodite and Apollo acknowledging their relationship as aunt/nephew while fucking was really off-putting. Like I know the gods were all related in strange ways but I didn't like how it was explicitly referred to in such a crass manner? I read sexually explicit books but the way it was written here just rubbed me the wrong way. But again maybe it was the narration.
I also just don't understand how in this universe no one knows the Greek pantheon. The two mortals act like they've never heard of them?? Like Zeus? You've never heard of Zeus. I get not believing in them or knowing deeper mythos, but to not know of them at all?? That was unbelievable.
It's a pretty basic story - the Greek gods live in modern London but their powers are waning. Two mortals get caught up in their scheming and then they all have to work together to save the day. It was pretty low-stakes. No tension.
On the one hand I appreciate that the gods were depicted how they likely would be - arrogant, petty, jealous, mean. Thought a lot about taking revenge on each other for various squabbles out of boredom. On the other hand, these characters were so unlikeable I wanted their powers to wane and them all to die. There wasn't anything redeeming about them and the book really drags. I only got into it around 75% after Apollo takes some action that puts him on the sidelines and lets one of the mortal characters shine.
It's a very superficial story. You don't have to think too much about the nature of the gods and what their waning powers mean, or what it would mean for them to be powerful again. They aren't misunderstood. They are just awful - in the thousands of years they've existed none of them have experienced an ounce of character growth. Even though he's learned to use a smartphone, at one point Apollo asks if rape is considered harmful to humans. <i>i beg your pardon?</i>
And something about Aphrodite and Apollo acknowledging their relationship as aunt/nephew while fucking was really off-putting. Like I know the gods were all related in strange ways but I didn't like how it was explicitly referred to in such a crass manner? I read sexually explicit books but the way it was written here just rubbed me the wrong way. But again maybe it was the narration.
I also just don't understand how in this universe no one knows the Greek pantheon. The two mortals act like they've never heard of them?? Like Zeus? You've never heard of Zeus. I get not believing in them or knowing deeper mythos, but to not know of them at all?? That was unbelievable.