Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Title: Antigoddess (The Goddess War: Book One)
Author: Kendare Blake
Genre: Mythology, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Orchard (10th September 2013)
Blurb:

He was Apollo, the sun, and he’d burn down anything that tried to hurt her . . .

Cassandra and Aidan are just your average high-school couple. Blissfully unaware of her own power, Cassandra doesn’t even know that gods exist.

Until now.

Because the gods are dying – and Cassandra could hold the answer to their survival. But Aidan has a secret, and he will do anything to protect the girl that he loves from the danger that’s coming to her. Even if it means war against his immortal family . . .

Stunning romance and relentless suspense – discover the first incredible book in THE GODDESS WAR trilogy.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

ANTIGODDESS is the first book in Kendare Blake’s new young adult trilogy THE GODDESS WAR. Blake draws characters – both mortals and gods – from Greek mythology and sets the story in a small town in the state of New York. The gods are slowly dying, and not all are disappearing with a whimper. They seek a way to save themselves.

I have to admit that when I first read the blurb for this book I was intrigued. I’m always interested to see how authors can re-imagine mythology. Although Greek isn’t my favourite area of mythology, I was curious to see what would be done with the story of Cassandra and Apollo. I had also heard of Kendare Blake, and whilst her first young adult series ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD held no interest for me I had heard nothing but good about it. I’m glad I listened to my instinct and picked up a copy of this book. I read it within a matter of hours – about five, I think – and was utterly captivated by both the characters and the plot. ANTIGODDESS literally blew me away.

The narrative of the book is split between Cassandra and Aidan – a couple of high-schoolers in love – and Athena and Hermes – two of the Greek gods. The story is roughly split between the two groups, which works to give the reader a good overall idea of what is going on in the book. Blake does a brilliant job laying down the ground rules – who’s who, and what’s going on – without giving too much away, just enough to make it interesting. Having an idea of the Greek myths that the characters were based on added an extra twist to the story and does make it possible to make some guesses, but I don’t think it is necessary as Blake gives some background on the characters.

The plot of ANTIGODDESS is, at first glance, a pretty simple one but I’m finding it quite hard to describe without treading on spoilers. The main plot focuses on the death of the gods, and the fight for their survival – of which there are two factions. There is also a strong focus on the romance between Aidan and Cassandra, which at first doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the main plot focus but then things fall into place. Blake does a good job in setting the scene, and building the tension in this book. I really enjoyed watching the story unfold on the page, and the ending . . . The ending was spectacular.

If you are a fan of Greek mythology then you should definitely check out this new story and series by Kendare Blake. It is a really enthralling read. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this trilogy.