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A review by bibliophiliadk
Oracle's War by Cath Mayo, Catherine Mayo, David Hair
4.0
COMPLEX AND INTELLIGENT, A REAL TREAT OF A BOOK!
I was completely sold by the first book in this series, and this one did not let me down. Rarely have I read a book that felt so intelligent, yet approachable and engaging.
THE GOOD STUFF
The mythology: One of my favourite parts of the first book was without a doubt the complexity of the world and mythology. I loved how the authors had reworked the mythology to account for some of the inconsistencies, that we often see in Greek mythology (such as the origin of Aphrodite or Apollo's emergence as a sun god instead of Helios). This also added an extra layer of politics and rivalry between the gods, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The intelligence: I often read others describe books as 'intelligent' and I often just shake my head and laugh it off. But now, it is my turn to say "this is one seriously intelligent book!". I would like to elaborate. Greek mythology is, at best, slightly complicated and somewhat confusing. It takes real intelligence to make it sensible and relatable. But that's not the only thing, that impressed me and made me think of this book as intelligent. The plot in itself integrated many different legends and heroes, and, combined with the mythology, that could have been very overwhelming if it wasn't done right. But it totally was! That takes some serious intelligence, to piece all of that together seamlessly.
The mystery of Bria: The first book introduced us to the mystery of Bria's circumstances - who/what is she, and how did she come to be that? Well, this book doesn't answer that question, it only adds another layer of mystery, and even though it is a somewhat minor part of the story, it is something that really caught my attention and got me thinking. I really want to know the answer!
THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF
The disconnect: Maybe this is only something that bothers me because I am familiar with the legend of Helen and her marriage to Menelaus, but for me, it seemed as if the story in the first book wasn't finished. It felt unresolved because we didn't get to the part about Helen and Menelaus' marriage, how that came to be and the role that Odysseus played in it. So this book almost felt like a new story that was somewhat unrelated to the first book, apart from the characters anyway. But since the story of Helen and Menelaus is essential to the Trojan war - which this series seems to be leading up to - I have faith that we will see Helen again in the 3rd book.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
FOLLOW MY BLOG FOR MORE BOOK GOODNESS
I was completely sold by the first book in this series, and this one did not let me down. Rarely have I read a book that felt so intelligent, yet approachable and engaging.
"The more I know of the gods, the less I revere them."
-Odysseus
THE GOOD STUFF
The mythology: One of my favourite parts of the first book was without a doubt the complexity of the world and mythology. I loved how the authors had reworked the mythology to account for some of the inconsistencies, that we often see in Greek mythology (such as the origin of Aphrodite or Apollo's emergence as a sun god instead of Helios). This also added an extra layer of politics and rivalry between the gods, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
"[...] they're thinking about escape more than victory. That's how you lose."
The intelligence: I often read others describe books as 'intelligent' and I often just shake my head and laugh it off. But now, it is my turn to say "this is one seriously intelligent book!". I would like to elaborate. Greek mythology is, at best, slightly complicated and somewhat confusing. It takes real intelligence to make it sensible and relatable. But that's not the only thing, that impressed me and made me think of this book as intelligent. The plot in itself integrated many different legends and heroes, and, combined with the mythology, that could have been very overwhelming if it wasn't done right. But it totally was! That takes some serious intelligence, to piece all of that together seamlessly.
The mystery of Bria: The first book introduced us to the mystery of Bria's circumstances - who/what is she, and how did she come to be that? Well, this book doesn't answer that question, it only adds another layer of mystery, and even though it is a somewhat minor part of the story, it is something that really caught my attention and got me thinking. I really want to know the answer!
THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF
The disconnect: Maybe this is only something that bothers me because I am familiar with the legend of Helen and her marriage to Menelaus, but for me, it seemed as if the story in the first book wasn't finished. It felt unresolved because we didn't get to the part about Helen and Menelaus' marriage, how that came to be and the role that Odysseus played in it. So this book almost felt like a new story that was somewhat unrelated to the first book, apart from the characters anyway. But since the story of Helen and Menelaus is essential to the Trojan war - which this series seems to be leading up to - I have faith that we will see Helen again in the 3rd book.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
FOLLOW MY BLOG FOR MORE BOOK GOODNESS