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A review by fairestofthestars
Game of Strength and Storm by Rachel Menard
4.0
The premise of this book made me want to read it as soon as I saw it, and it really delivered everything it promised! It was fast-paced, fun, adventurous and the competition was as interesting as you might imagine.
Game of Strength and Storm brings us a story of two characters, both determined to win a competition but with very different methods and overall goals. It brings us a reimagined story of the labors of Hercules, with the tasks divided between two girls. Our first protagonist, Gen, has found herself here because she wants the empresses' pardon for her father who's in prison for crimes Gen believes he didn't commit. She is fierce and determined, but most of all good and kind and her morals guide her through some very tough situations. She is judged harshly for the magic she possesses, but she's still full of love, for her family, and her animal friends. On the other hand, we have Castor, who is here because she wants to inherit the island of Arcadia instead of her brother Pollux. With her father currently reigning, she knows there's no other way to accomplish that but to gain the empresses' endorsement. She possesses much different magic from Gen's but she is ruthless and determined to a fault. To achieve their goals, the girls must race against each other, as there are ten tasks to be completed and there can be only one winner - the one who completes more challenges first.
First of all, I want to say I'm so glad I read this. I've been in the mood for exactly a book like Game of Strength and Storm, with its magic, its interesting world, and the impossible challenges. The plot was great and the pacing was really good, fast, and even - there was no dragging towards the middle. It took me maybe a chapter to really get into the story. I think the world was really interesting, and I wish there was a bit more world-building. The world is clearly ancient Greece-adjacent, and I wish we got a bit more information about how everything works. There are Oracles mentioned, and there are the Empresses but I wish we knew if there are gods or any such entities. Other than that, I really liked the different types of magic we see, and I hope the next book will explore them even more.
Gen is definitely my favorite character in the novel. We know the most about her, she's the most developed character, with a full backstory, and with her personality, it's easy to love her. Gen's mother was a Mazon (where she gets her superhuman strength from) and her father is a MindWorker, just like she is. Being a MindWorker for her means she gets to communicate with animals and also that she is ostracized from wider society, as everyone is afraid of her. Especially with her father, in prison for murders for which it's believed he used his powers. She walks into the challenges selflessly, only thinking about her father and saving him. She also refuses to make her animal friends stay with her, she wants them to want to be there. She is a great, strong character, she is what you would imagine if you thought of a hero. We know much more about her, and we see more of her so I've defaulted to seeing Gen as the main main character, if that makes sense, but her story and her character are interesting enough that it is no surprise.
Castor, on the other hand, is definitely harder to sympathize with. Yet, I do like her as a character. She comes off as cunning, cold, and ambitious, but beneath that, she just seemed scared. Terrified of not being good enough, of being left behind of being in her brother, Pollux's shade. She sees her brother as soft and therefore unfit to rule, so she justifies her actions as wanting what's best for Arcadia, but frankly, I think she wants to be the one in power for once. While Pollux is willing to share his throne, she constantly says she doesn't want a pity-half of everything, she wants the entire thing. She definitely does many inexcusable things, and hurts many people (and animals) without any real necessity, so she's very hard to like but she's nonetheless a very interesting character. She has many moments in her chapters where we see her lashing out of hurt, acting impulsively, and often expressing regret for the things she's done. Her place in the world, in her family, is what's hardened her, so we see her snapping back to her cold self even after honest moments of doubt. I think there is so much more to her than we saw in the book, and I wish the second book puts her in the forefront more, as I would love to see more of her (and maybe see how her story with a girl she's met plays out).
I will be very short on Pollux, I loved him as a character but I definitely wish we knew more about him as well as Castor. This is probably why I felt like Gen was the sole main character, even though all three have their POV chapters - she is the most fleshed-out one. Pollux was super sweet from what we've seen. He and Castor are twins, and they could not be more different. He is fierce in his own way, but he is quiet, thoughtful, and gentle. I really liked him as a love interest, and this is a great book if you love stories where the boy falls first.
All in all, I thought this was a great book, a great start to the story and I cannot wait for the next one! The way it ended definitely left me wanting more immediately. As I mentioned, I hope the next book brings more world-building, magic, and Castor and Pollux! I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy fast-paced adventures and interesting characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!
Game of Strength and Storm brings us a story of two characters, both determined to win a competition but with very different methods and overall goals. It brings us a reimagined story of the labors of Hercules, with the tasks divided between two girls. Our first protagonist, Gen, has found herself here because she wants the empresses' pardon for her father who's in prison for crimes Gen believes he didn't commit. She is fierce and determined, but most of all good and kind and her morals guide her through some very tough situations. She is judged harshly for the magic she possesses, but she's still full of love, for her family, and her animal friends. On the other hand, we have Castor, who is here because she wants to inherit the island of Arcadia instead of her brother Pollux. With her father currently reigning, she knows there's no other way to accomplish that but to gain the empresses' endorsement. She possesses much different magic from Gen's but she is ruthless and determined to a fault. To achieve their goals, the girls must race against each other, as there are ten tasks to be completed and there can be only one winner - the one who completes more challenges first.
First of all, I want to say I'm so glad I read this. I've been in the mood for exactly a book like Game of Strength and Storm, with its magic, its interesting world, and the impossible challenges. The plot was great and the pacing was really good, fast, and even - there was no dragging towards the middle. It took me maybe a chapter to really get into the story. I think the world was really interesting, and I wish there was a bit more world-building. The world is clearly ancient Greece-adjacent, and I wish we got a bit more information about how everything works. There are Oracles mentioned, and there are the Empresses but I wish we knew if there are gods or any such entities. Other than that, I really liked the different types of magic we see, and I hope the next book will explore them even more.
Gen is definitely my favorite character in the novel. We know the most about her, she's the most developed character, with a full backstory, and with her personality, it's easy to love her. Gen's mother was a Mazon (where she gets her superhuman strength from) and her father is a MindWorker, just like she is. Being a MindWorker for her means she gets to communicate with animals and also that she is ostracized from wider society, as everyone is afraid of her. Especially with her father, in prison for murders for which it's believed he used his powers. She walks into the challenges selflessly, only thinking about her father and saving him. She also refuses to make her animal friends stay with her, she wants them to want to be there. She is a great, strong character, she is what you would imagine if you thought of a hero. We know much more about her, and we see more of her so I've defaulted to seeing Gen as the main main character, if that makes sense, but her story and her character are interesting enough that it is no surprise.
Castor, on the other hand, is definitely harder to sympathize with. Yet, I do like her as a character. She comes off as cunning, cold, and ambitious, but beneath that, she just seemed scared. Terrified of not being good enough, of being left behind of being in her brother, Pollux's shade. She sees her brother as soft and therefore unfit to rule, so she justifies her actions as wanting what's best for Arcadia, but frankly, I think she wants to be the one in power for once. While Pollux is willing to share his throne, she constantly says she doesn't want a pity-half of everything, she wants the entire thing. She definitely does many inexcusable things, and hurts many people (and animals) without any real necessity, so she's very hard to like but she's nonetheless a very interesting character. She has many moments in her chapters where we see her lashing out of hurt, acting impulsively, and often expressing regret for the things she's done. Her place in the world, in her family, is what's hardened her, so we see her snapping back to her cold self even after honest moments of doubt. I think there is so much more to her than we saw in the book, and I wish the second book puts her in the forefront more, as I would love to see more of her (and maybe see how her story with a girl she's met plays out).
I will be very short on Pollux, I loved him as a character but I definitely wish we knew more about him as well as Castor. This is probably why I felt like Gen was the sole main character, even though all three have their POV chapters - she is the most fleshed-out one. Pollux was super sweet from what we've seen. He and Castor are twins, and they could not be more different. He is fierce in his own way, but he is quiet, thoughtful, and gentle. I really liked him as a love interest, and this is a great book if you love stories where the boy falls first.
All in all, I thought this was a great book, a great start to the story and I cannot wait for the next one! The way it ended definitely left me wanting more immediately. As I mentioned, I hope the next book brings more world-building, magic, and Castor and Pollux! I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy fast-paced adventures and interesting characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!