Amy Braun

Full Review on my blog!

I love greek mythology, so I just had to read this.
It was an interesting Urban Fantasy and I really freaking enjoyed it! The book was packed full of action.

Storm of the Gods is the first in a series featuring two brothers who happen to be descendants of Ares living in a re imagined California where the Greeks gods and goddesses now rule.

There was so much depth and intrigue with the characters that I had a hard time putting it down. The plot is fast paced and flows smoothly from one thrilling event to the next with lots adrenaline pumping suspense that builds throughout the story. There is never a dull moment to be found as the story takes readers on a complicated adventure full of exciting battles, betrayals, emotional turmoil and an extreme sense of expectation as each of the twists and turns of the story depends on life altering decisions and the whims of the gods. I highly recommend it!

_________________________________
Storm of the Gods | Review
Hunt of the Gods | Review


Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook… (plus d'informations)

Full Review on my blog!

Hunt of the Gods is the second book in this series, and wow I am loving this series so far! I definitely liked this one way better than the first.

Hunt of the Gods takes place two months after book one. War-scion Derek Areios and the rogue scions continue their quest to find the Trinity Weapons and the Shards of Cronus. A LOT happens in this one, I don't want to give any spoilers, but if you do pick up this series you won't be disappointed. It was fast paced, action packed, and had great character development. The plot is clever and I LOVE all the twists. I think my favourite part was the Union of the Seas Festival, it was so unique and creative. Also, the politics among the gods was very intriguing.

Greek mythology has always been so interesting to me, all the stories I used to be told, and have read. I loved the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, so I was soo excited when I saw this series, since I haven't read any mythology retellings since that series was released.

I'm looking froward to reading more in this series, because OMG THE CLIFFHANGER!!! I really can't wait for the next book!

I highly recommend this to those who like action-filled urban fantasy and a twist on mythology!

_________________________________
Storm of the Gods | Review
Hunt of the Gods | Review


Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook… (plus d'informations)

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I jumped into the Areios Brothers series with Fury of the Gods, the third book. I know most people don’t do that, but when something about the description intrigues me, I have no trouble starting in the middle of a series. If I like what I read, I catch up on the books I missed. To give a hint of my reaction, I already purchased the first two books and added them to my TBR pile.

What drew me to this story is simple: I have a soft spot for Greek mythology. The series is set in a version of modern California, not Greece, or rather Neo Vasileio as the reawakened gods dubbed it. Fury of the Gods provides reminders about events and characters from the two previous books, giving me easy grounding to base my read upon. Existing series readers might end up skimming through some of it, but I found the descriptions interesting.

The mythology is not a cleaned-up, beautified version, either.

The series is based on the existence of scions, progeny descended from relationships between gods and mortals. If you know Greek myth, this leaves a broad field of potentials to choose from. Then there’s infighting among the gods. Each has a different idea of how humans should interact with them and what the gods should be able to expect. Add in oversized personalities, the return of magic, and a world-shattering prophecy, and you get chaos.

Fury of the Gods begins in the middle of a battle, not its only one, and reveals the world and situation in bits and pieces. Some of these come during the first battle and others in the aftermath. The writing is straightforward and engaging, appropriate for the superhero-style narrative. However, Derek and his brother Liam, the two first-person POVs, are neither superheroes nor gods. The narrative style reminds me of C. Gockel’s series about Loki, drawing me in by its very simplicity until I’m committed to the story and the world. I enjoyed the moments of humor, sarcastic and not, and the bonds between characters whether of friendship or something more intimate.

The world’s magic seems to draw inspiration from roleplaying games, with literal fireballs. Still, this does not prevent creative presentations, especially those using ether and water. There is quite a bit of description at points, a treat for Greek mythology fans, but it can be skimmed if that’s not to your taste. Me, I enjoyed how the characteristics of each god showed in what they adopted from the modern world and what they scorned.

As to the brothers, they are scions, those who have magic brought on by their godly forefathers and mothers, something they were unaware of until the gods awoke. Derek has a major hero complex, taking responsibility for everything and trying to save everyone. This rarely goes well. Liam, on the other hand, is used to being protected by his brother so has some growing up to do.

They’re joined by four friends who round out the group to provide a good mix of gender and character types, each with important roles to play. All of them have some measure of power, either untapped or fully expressed, and this power offers as much trouble as aid.

The story in Fury of the Gods is the latest segment in the larger series arc. The novel isn’t exactly a standalone, unless you’re an out-of-order reader, but major things happen and there is significant character growth as a result, offering a satisfying read. The main arc involves a race to prevent Cronus, a Titan gone mad, from escaping his prison. The gods sealed Tartarus when they overcame Cronus’ power back in ancient Greece. A prophecy reveals his release into the world, but how, and who is responsible, is less clear.

It’s that lack of clarity, along with a good bit of power hunger, that sets the series in motion. The gods are split over how to prevent the prophesied destruction of the world. Nor are the conflicts limited to the gods with human scions as tools. The power hunger pulls just as strongly on those without godly powers. There are layers of antagonists and even villainous characters while the bigger struggle of gods verses humans affects even personal conflicts.

This is a fast-paced book with a lot of action scenes, but those actions have consequences. This isn’t a simple story of good versus evil despite the narrative style. Instead, it’s about people put in sometimes impossible positions making the best decision at the time…or at least what they thought was best. This adds a layer of complexity and allows for the characters to grow depth rather than solving every problem by throwing magic at it.

As mentioned above, I’ve picked up the first two books and hope you can see why. I plan to skip back in time and learn how they got to this point. Fury of the Gods is not the end of the greater story, either, and offers an intriguing hint of what’s next in this mix of mythology and magic.

P.S. I received this Advanced Reader Copy from Xpresso Book Tours through NetGalley in return for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)

Storm of the Gods by Amy Braun is first in the Areios Brothers urban fantasy series. Set in a world where the Greek gods have returned, and taken over the state of California as their new base, we jump right into the action as Derek and Liam are attacked while transporting a captured dracaena back to their headquarters. The brothers are war scions, beholden to Ares, the war God. They end up stumbling upon a plot to find the Shares of Cronus, and the Trinity weapons. Ares charges them with capturing the rogue scions, interrogating them, and… disposing of them. Oh yes, and to find the missing Athena, and the items.

It took me a bit to get into this story, but once I did, wow! I really great to love Derek and Liam. Their love for one another keeps them both sane. Derek has the magic of the Berserker Rage, which turns him into a near invincible warrior immune to pain. It also means he'll attack any in his sight. They can both be serious fighters, then abruptly turn into a pair of overgrown kids. Derek likes to thwack his brother on the back of the head, Gibbs-style. I like the other characters well enough, but my favourite is Corey. He's a wayfarer Scion, a descendant of Hermes, and he's so painfully shy. I want to cuddle him and protect him. He's brave underneath though. He helped Derek and the others, even though it took him far outside his comfort zone. And Mason flirting with him was adorable. Overall, a great read. I'm ready for the next installment!

***Many thanks to the author/publisher for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed via Silver Dagger Tours… (plus d'informations)