Almost 3 stars. Long, paid by the word long. I stuck with it because the writing was solid, the set up was good, and the teenage characters were well handled. Excellent everything and the kitchen sink approach to mythic characters. Perhaps this would have wowed me if I was a teenager. Not going to read the rest of 'em. ( )

Eliot and Fiona, orphan twins, are being raised by a very strict grandmother. On their 15th birthday, some very strange events start to take place. They discover that they are suspected of being related to gods and are forced to undergo trials in order to survive. They must discover their powers and their strength together in order to survive.

FANTASTIC!! Started to feel a little long at the end...but it was over 600 pages, so that makes sense! :) ( )

This is one of those books that seem to be divided into good parts, bad parts. The initial story is wonderful - a set of twins living with their Grandmother and Great-grandmother, home schooled, generally living a very restrictive life. Things change on the approach of their 15th birthday, strange relatives appear, odd things keep happening,the kids being kept in the dark...

So, as they learn about their family, they are given challenges to determine which side of the family they are on. As the twins pass these tests, the book takes a downside. I found myself loosing interest in the children, as they become social awkward teens to demanding and whiny teens. The family members were not that likable, and once I figured out what was happening, I lost interest in the book. Generally, ti starts off as one story, but becomes a different one at the end.

So, I suspect its a great book for teens who want a more complicated book after the Percy Jackson series, but for the most part, I think there are better books like this out there. ( )

This book tells the story of Fiona and Elliot Post. The twins live with their strict grandmother and loving great-grandmother, sheltered and naive to the outside world.
On the twins fifthteenth birthday, they get their world turned up-side down suddenly finding out they are children of and unlikely, and against all rules, pairing of an Immortal and an Infernal. Secrets start coming to the front as one family sends them on heroic trails and the other throws temptations in their paths to find out which, if either, family the twins belong to.
This is a young adult book, but I found it enjoyable and interesting, and a refreshing change from all the YA supernatural-type stories today. There are even references scattered throughout the book (Eric Nylund makes note of this in the front of the book explaining the reason for it)to point out specific things. Overall, I found the story enjoyable and with enough action to keep me wanting to find out what happened next. The only down part was that the ending kind of slipped for me. It went from an emotional scene pertaining to the twins, to me thinking "wait..what just happened?" as it shifted rather quickly from that back into a state of normal, which it certainly hadn't been right before the chapter switch. Other than that, I found it a rather engrossing read. ( )