Scan barcode
A review by cutenanya
Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
3.0
In a nutshell: Great potential, poor execution.
Kendare Blake really excelled in Anna Dressed in Blood, where she had a small cast of original characters, however, she failed to replicate her success in this book, where she had to juggle with a huge cast of mythical characters, with personas created thousands of years ago.
Her writing is still solid, despite everything else screams problem!
Problem #1: Weird world building.
I get it the gods are dying and each in their own pitiful way, what I don't get is how some gods (or goddessess) can retain their powers and others don't. What exactly is killing the gods anyway? She may answer this in a subsequent book but readers (like myself) want some answers in the first book at least so I will be interested to read the next book.
Problem #2: Characterization
The personality of some characters are twisted beyond recognition, especially Athena and Apollo. Maybe when you are dying, you change a bit, may even beg for redemption, but you certainly don't have teenage crushes. They are gods who have lived for thousands of years, not reincarnation of gods in teens' bodies. The failure to differentiate between the two can take a severe toll. Also, what with giving Apollo another name? Is that even necessary? It's not like she wants to make it a huge revelation or anything.
Problem #3: Where's the plot?
Since a lot of narratives are dedicated to teenage crushes, angst, and despair, the plot seems a bit thin at the moment. The story may get more interesting as the series unfolds but I frankly do not have the patience to read the second book.
Overall, Kendare Blake should focus on what she does best: small group of original characters in an original setting!
Kendare Blake really excelled in Anna Dressed in Blood, where she had a small cast of original characters, however, she failed to replicate her success in this book, where she had to juggle with a huge cast of mythical characters, with personas created thousands of years ago.
Her writing is still solid, despite everything else screams problem!
Spoiler
Problem #1: Weird world building.
I get it the gods are dying and each in their own pitiful way, what I don't get is how some gods (or goddessess) can retain their powers and others don't. What exactly is killing the gods anyway? She may answer this in a subsequent book but readers (like myself) want some answers in the first book at least so I will be interested to read the next book.
Problem #2: Characterization
The personality of some characters are twisted beyond recognition, especially Athena and Apollo. Maybe when you are dying, you change a bit, may even beg for redemption, but you certainly don't have teenage crushes. They are gods who have lived for thousands of years, not reincarnation of gods in teens' bodies. The failure to differentiate between the two can take a severe toll. Also, what with giving Apollo another name? Is that even necessary? It's not like she wants to make it a huge revelation or anything.
Problem #3: Where's the plot?
Since a lot of narratives are dedicated to teenage crushes, angst, and despair, the plot seems a bit thin at the moment. The story may get more interesting as the series unfolds but I frankly do not have the patience to read the second book.
Overall, Kendare Blake should focus on what she does best: small group of original characters in an original setting!