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izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
4.0
4/5
I really enjoyed the book. The plot kept me going until the last page. I’m so sad that I wasn’t able to get my hands on this book sooner but I can’t wait for the sequel which is coming out sooner then I thought.
I really enjoyed the book. The plot kept me going until the last page. I’m so sad that I wasn’t able to get my hands on this book sooner but I can’t wait for the sequel which is coming out sooner then I thought.
thesarahsilvester's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
aggiesreadingtime's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nic190's review against another edition
3.5
This was pretty fun, and a nice spin on Ancient Greek stories.
ameserole's review
4.0
I have received this ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Game of Strength and Storm was so much fun to dive into. Not only is it a Heracles retelling but we also get some fun characters to fall in love with. Well, not all of them but there's always room for improvement - right?
In this, you will meet and follow three points of view: Gen, Castor and Pollux. From the very beginning, I absolutely loved and adored Gen. She definitely doesn't have things easily handed over to her like some people. She also has one thing on her mind: freeing her father. Then there's her magic and I secretly envied her connections with animals. I can only imagine the things I would do with animals if I had her power. Like a conversation or something else.
Then there's Castor. Now she's the character that has a lot of room for improvement. Definitely got on the wrong foot with her but then again, she was pretty selfish throughout the book. Just like Gen, she has one thing on her mind: ruling the Kingdom. The only thing in her way is Pollux, her brother, who is in line for the throne. Now him, I actually liked. He's the completely opposite of Castor. I also really enjoyed him and Gen getting closer to one another.
Out of the two, I'm honestly not sure who I would want ruling. Other than that, they all go through so much within this book. Whether it was travelling to an island I never want to go to or fighting a giant battle towards the end. In the end, lots of little reveals blew my mind. I honestly didn't see one of them coming. I'm also very excited for the next book within this series.
Game of Strength and Storm was so much fun to dive into. Not only is it a Heracles retelling but we also get some fun characters to fall in love with. Well, not all of them but there's always room for improvement - right?
In this, you will meet and follow three points of view: Gen, Castor and Pollux. From the very beginning, I absolutely loved and adored Gen. She definitely doesn't have things easily handed over to her like some people. She also has one thing on her mind: freeing her father. Then there's her magic and I secretly envied her connections with animals. I can only imagine the things I would do with animals if I had her power. Like a conversation or something else.
Then there's Castor. Now she's the character that has a lot of room for improvement. Definitely got on the wrong foot with her but then again, she was pretty selfish throughout the book. Just like Gen, she has one thing on her mind: ruling the Kingdom. The only thing in her way is Pollux, her brother, who is in line for the throne. Now him, I actually liked. He's the completely opposite of Castor. I also really enjoyed him and Gen getting closer to one another.
Out of the two, I'm honestly not sure who I would want ruling. Other than that, they all go through so much within this book. Whether it was travelling to an island I never want to go to or fighting a giant battle towards the end. In the end, lots of little reveals blew my mind. I honestly didn't see one of them coming. I'm also very excited for the next book within this series.
theamyleblanc's review
2.0
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Alas, another time when I fell victim to an alluring cover and intriguing synopsis! I thought a retelling of the labors of Hercules but with *magic* would be so cool.
It was not cool.
This book was both too long and too short, if that makes sense. The labors felt like they were too easily accomplished. But the storytelling was so repetitive that it made reading a slog. I skimmed a lot of it, to be honest. I wanted more depth, more world-building from this story. Sure, it's set in ancient Greece but it's an alternate ancient Greece and we needed more to firmly root us in the world.
The characters are universally weak. There are minimal character arcs, if they exist at all. Pollux's motivation for getting involved should have been something else and morphed into what it was. Otherwise, he has nowhere to go. Castor seemed like an underdeveloped Azula. There were parts that I'm sure were meant to be an emotional punch but they lacked any power because the characters are so hard to connect to. And the romance came out of nowhere! It's unbelievable.
It felt like the chapters were written episodically. It was almost as if someone thought the readers needed to be reminded of past events in every chapter. It was so tiring.
I know my rating for this book is in the minority and maybe I'm too old to enjoy this (like other reviewers have posited). But I think this has flaws that readers of any age will be annoyed by.
This one's a no for me.
Alas, another time when I fell victim to an alluring cover and intriguing synopsis! I thought a retelling of the labors of Hercules but with *magic* would be so cool.
It was not cool.
This book was both too long and too short, if that makes sense. The labors felt like they were too easily accomplished. But the storytelling was so repetitive that it made reading a slog. I skimmed a lot of it, to be honest. I wanted more depth, more world-building from this story. Sure, it's set in ancient Greece but it's an alternate ancient Greece and we needed more to firmly root us in the world.
The characters are universally weak. There are minimal character arcs, if they exist at all. Pollux's motivation for getting involved should have been something else and morphed into what it was. Otherwise, he has nowhere to go. Castor seemed like an underdeveloped Azula. There were parts that I'm sure were meant to be an emotional punch but they lacked any power because the characters are so hard to connect to. And the romance came out of nowhere! It's unbelievable.
It felt like the chapters were written episodically. It was almost as if someone thought the readers needed to be reminded of past events in every chapter. It was so tiring.
I know my rating for this book is in the minority and maybe I'm too old to enjoy this (like other reviewers have posited). But I think this has flaws that readers of any age will be annoyed by.
This one's a no for me.
pattytru08's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my review. all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Holy. Smokes.
I read a lot of fantasy. A lot of YA. A lot of it can get murky and predictable, boring and tedious. Not this one. This book was INCREDIBLE. The ending- chefs kiss. Gen, castor, and Pollux are memorable characters in their own rights. This was like …. The excitement of Six of Crows, meets the imagery of The daughter of the Pirate King, with the ruthlessness of Red Queen. If you like those books- you’ll LOVE this one. I’m excited for more by Rachel!
Holy. Smokes.
I read a lot of fantasy. A lot of YA. A lot of it can get murky and predictable, boring and tedious. Not this one. This book was INCREDIBLE. The ending- chefs kiss. Gen, castor, and Pollux are memorable characters in their own rights. This was like …. The excitement of Six of Crows, meets the imagery of The daughter of the Pirate King, with the ruthlessness of Red Queen. If you like those books- you’ll LOVE this one. I’m excited for more by Rachel!
harrowhcrk's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Flux Books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Game of Strength and Storm tells the story of Gen and Castor, two girls competing to complete perilous tasks for the chance to make their wish come true. For Gen, this means clearing her father’s name; for Castor, it means ending a centuries-old edict banning women from ruling her island.
The author plays fast and loose with greek mythology in a way I absolutely loved. Some aspects are accurate down to the tiniest, minute, obscure detail, while other aspects are fun and creative plays on mythology. Figures from Percy’s labors play roles in the story, but with a spin on them that makes this story Gen and Castor’s own, instead of a simple retelling. Both the world building overall and this aspect in particular were big wins to me.
And the characters were okay. All of them felt individual and unique, perhaps a bit surface level but their motivations were nevertheless simple to understand. The romance felt weak and a bit forced, which was a let down for me because Pollux’s crush in his POVs felt the opposite—his idolized crush turning into genuine feelings was endearing, but the chemistry between the two and Gen’s own feelings didn’t come across as successfully for me.
Plot wise, this was easy to follow and predictable, which is neither good nor bad. Every task is completed quickly and with little real struggle; even those that cause injury to one of the main characters seemed very easy, and they’re healed a few pages later. There weren’t any stakes—you can tell pretty early on how the story is going to go, and the ending isn’t quite the surprise twist it was intended to be. But again, predictable doesn’t mean bad; the reading gets considerably lighter when you know exactly what’s going to happen.
Really, this book was fine. But it was JUST fine—nothing stood out, nothing drew me in, and nothing in particular bothered me. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to recommend this book, but I definitely wouldn’t tell anyone to stay away from it.
Game of Strength and Storm tells the story of Gen and Castor, two girls competing to complete perilous tasks for the chance to make their wish come true. For Gen, this means clearing her father’s name; for Castor, it means ending a centuries-old edict banning women from ruling her island.
The author plays fast and loose with greek mythology in a way I absolutely loved. Some aspects are accurate down to the tiniest, minute, obscure detail, while other aspects are fun and creative plays on mythology. Figures from Percy’s labors play roles in the story, but with a spin on them that makes this story Gen and Castor’s own, instead of a simple retelling. Both the world building overall and this aspect in particular were big wins to me.
And the characters were okay. All of them felt individual and unique, perhaps a bit surface level but their motivations were nevertheless simple to understand. The romance felt weak and a bit forced, which was a let down for me because Pollux’s crush in his POVs felt the opposite—his idolized crush turning into genuine feelings was endearing, but the chemistry between the two and Gen’s own feelings didn’t come across as successfully for me.
Plot wise, this was easy to follow and predictable, which is neither good nor bad. Every task is completed quickly and with little real struggle; even those that cause injury to one of the main characters seemed very easy, and they’re healed a few pages later. There weren’t any stakes—you can tell pretty early on how the story is going to go, and the ending isn’t quite the surprise twist it was intended to be. But again, predictable doesn’t mean bad; the reading gets considerably lighter when you know exactly what’s going to happen.
Really, this book was fine. But it was JUST fine—nothing stood out, nothing drew me in, and nothing in particular bothered me. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to recommend this book, but I definitely wouldn’t tell anyone to stay away from it.
naphoeleon's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Flux Books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Game of Strength and Storm tells the story of Gen and Castor, two girls competing to complete perilous tasks for the chance to make their wish come true. For Gen, this means clearing her father’s name; for Castor, it means ending a centuries-old edict banning women from ruling her island.
The author plays fast and loose with greek mythology in a way I absolutely loved. Some aspects are accurate down to the tiniest, minute, obscure detail, while other aspects are fun and creative plays on mythology. Figures from Percy’s labors play roles in the story, but with a spin on them that makes this story Gen and Castor’s own, instead of a simple retelling. Both the world building overall and this aspect in particular were big wins to me.
And the characters were okay. All of them felt individual and unique, perhaps a bit surface level but their motivations were nevertheless simple to understand. The romance felt weak and a bit forced, which was a let down for me because Pollux’s crush in his POVs felt the opposite—his idolized crush turning into genuine feelings was endearing, but the chemistry between the two and Gen’s own feelings didn’t come across as successfully for me.
Plot wise, this was easy to follow and predictable, which is neither good nor bad. Every task is completed quickly and with little real struggle; even those that cause injury to one of the main characters seemed very easy, and they’re healed a few pages later. There weren’t any stakes—you can tell pretty early on how the story is going to go, and the ending isn’t quite the surprise twist it was intended to be. But again, predictable doesn’t mean bad; the reading gets considerably lighter when you know exactly what’s going to happen.
Really, this book was fine. But it was JUST fine—nothing stood out, nothing drew me in, and nothing in particular bothered me. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to recommend this book, but I definitely wouldn’t tell anyone to stay away from it.
Game of Strength and Storm tells the story of Gen and Castor, two girls competing to complete perilous tasks for the chance to make their wish come true. For Gen, this means clearing her father’s name; for Castor, it means ending a centuries-old edict banning women from ruling her island.
The author plays fast and loose with greek mythology in a way I absolutely loved. Some aspects are accurate down to the tiniest, minute, obscure detail, while other aspects are fun and creative plays on mythology. Figures from Percy’s labors play roles in the story, but with a spin on them that makes this story Gen and Castor’s own, instead of a simple retelling. Both the world building overall and this aspect in particular were big wins to me.
And the characters were okay. All of them felt individual and unique, perhaps a bit surface level but their motivations were nevertheless simple to understand. The romance felt weak and a bit forced, which was a let down for me because Pollux’s crush in his POVs felt the opposite—his idolized crush turning into genuine feelings was endearing, but the chemistry between the two and Gen’s own feelings didn’t come across as successfully for me.
Plot wise, this was easy to follow and predictable, which is neither good nor bad. Every task is completed quickly and with little real struggle; even those that cause injury to one of the main characters seemed very easy, and they’re healed a few pages later. There weren’t any stakes—you can tell pretty early on how the story is going to go, and the ending isn’t quite the surprise twist it was intended to be. But again, predictable doesn’t mean bad; the reading gets considerably lighter when you know exactly what’s going to happen.
Really, this book was fine. But it was JUST fine—nothing stood out, nothing drew me in, and nothing in particular bothered me. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to recommend this book, but I definitely wouldn’t tell anyone to stay away from it.
sashalei's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0