Saturday 18 July 2020

The Helm of Darkness (War on the Gods, book 1)

By A.P. Mobley


Blurb: 
Andy and Zoey are two normal teenagers living in the modern day—that is, until they’re knocked unconscious in a freak storm sweeping the United States.

When they wake up, the world they know has been tossed away. Their city is in ruins, strange creatures walk the earth, and worst of all, everyone is gone. They stumble across Diana and Spencer, two kids around their age who possess incredible magical abilities, and who claim to be the demigod children of Greek gods. Not only that, they also claim the year is 500 AS, five hundred years after the gods conjured a massive storm that destroyed most of humanity and helped them take the world as their own once again.

Andy and Zoey are soon handed an impossible task: To save humanity. To lead a war on the gods.

They’ll have to battle monsters, death, and their own inner demons to survive and to protect the people they love.

Review: 

The Helm of Darkness was an arc I gained through Book Sirens (a arc finder website). This was my first time downloading a book from them with the intention to review. Now I did originally have a lot more notes but my phone was smashed, so I’m doing some of it from the top of my head sorry.

This book is set in the future but because of what happens in the story it feels like the past, which can get confusing. Especially since the chapters that state the date make it more confusing. 

The book is about two main characters Zoey and Andy. It begins with them in High School dealing with usual issues such as the passing of a father or school bullying. Then not very far in, giant arrows start falling from the sky and are killing everyone. Years and years pass and they are resurrected through a demi-god sacrifice as they need to fulfill a prophecy to take down the gods (traditional Greek gods). 

This all happens too fast for me. As it seems the beginning bit with their past life was to give us an idea of what the characters are meant to be like. But because it was rushed, I didn’t feel that attached to them. Even as I read more about them. Andy also got on my nerves a lot by moaning all the time about his dead family. Like he too was dead up till this point, a one or two times mention would have been enough.

Anyway Andy and Zoey are met by two demi-god’s Spencer and Diana, they are to help with their mission to find the objects they need to finish their quest. The first item being the Helm of Darkness which Hades had in the underworld. I liked the concept a lot, not just of the mission but of the whole return of Greek Gods. I enjoyed how it included real myths within the book too, I love finding out more about Greek Gods. Which was the reason I picked this book up.

However, I didn’t think the book really pulled the concept off. It felt weird throughout for me. I also didn’t appreciate the choice of names for the demi-god’s. Spencer and Diana don’t have the same strong vibe like the likes of Hercules for example. It was a well written book, but just lacking things that I would have liked.

I did appreciate the scene in the ending. It was very unexpected and the book had been predictable and too easy of tasks for them up till that point. The main characters were both Mary Sue’s. None of the tasks were particularly struggling for them. I think that was the main thing I enjoyed the least. There was plenty of action and demon fights, maybe even too many fights. But they were all short, so the victory's didn’t feel sufficient enough. They also kept getting help from an outsider which just made them pretty invincible. 

I also feel the book lacked emotion fully. It did try to capture it but it struggled to interest me enough. All the characters had suffered a lot in the past and it did get brought up but it just wasn’t done well enough for me to feel for them.

I would say overall it was an okay read and is probably someone else’s cup of tea. Usually, I will see a book series from beginning to end but with arcs I feel I’d prefer to only read the next ones if I rate the first book 4 stars or more. In this case I’m giving it a 3.5 as the ending was good enough to pick up the score. Sadly, it does mean I won’t be continuing this series.

Rating: 3.5 runes out of 5 

written by Lauren

The Helm of Darkness (War on the Gods, book 1)

By A.P. Mobley


Blurb: 
Andy and Zoey are two normal teenagers living in the modern day—that is, until they’re knocked unconscious in a freak storm sweeping the United States.

When they wake up, the world they know has been tossed away. Their city is in ruins, strange creatures walk the earth, and worst of all, everyone is gone. They stumble across Diana and Spencer, two kids around their age who possess incredible magical abilities, and who claim to be the demigod children of Greek gods. Not only that, they also claim the year is 500 AS, five hundred years after the gods conjured a massive storm that destroyed most of humanity and helped them take the world as their own once again.

Andy and Zoey are soon handed an impossible task: To save humanity. To lead a war on the gods.

They’ll have to battle monsters, death, and their own inner demons to survive and to protect the people they love.

Review: 

The Helm of Darkness was an arc I gained through Book Sirens (a arc finder website). This was my first time downloading a book from them with the intention to review. Now I did originally have a lot more notes but my phone was smashed, so I’m doing some of it from the top of my head sorry.

This book is set in the future but because of what happens in the story it feels like the past, which can get confusing. Especially since the chapters that state the date make it more confusing. 

The book is about two main characters Zoey and Andy. It begins with them in High School dealing with usual issues such as the passing of a father or school bullying. Then not very far in, giant arrows start falling from the sky and are killing everyone. Years and years pass and they are resurrected through a demi-god sacrifice as they need to fulfill a prophecy to take down the gods (traditional Greek gods). 

This all happens too fast for me. As it seems the beginning bit with their past life was to give us an idea of what the characters are meant to be like. But because it was rushed, I didn’t feel that attached to them. Even as I read more about them. Andy also got on my nerves a lot by moaning all the time about his dead family. Like he too was dead up till this point, a one or two times mention would have been enough.

Anyway Andy and Zoey are met by two demi-god’s Spencer and Diana, they are to help with their mission to find the objects they need to finish their quest. The first item being the Helm of Darkness which Hades had in the underworld. I liked the concept a lot, not just of the mission but of the whole return of Greek Gods. I enjoyed how it included real myths within the book too, I love finding out more about Greek Gods. Which was the reason I picked this book up.

However, I didn’t think the book really pulled the concept off. It felt weird throughout for me. I also didn’t appreciate the choice of names for the demi-god’s. Spencer and Diana don’t have the same strong vibe like the likes of Hercules for example. It was a well written book, but just lacking things that I would have liked.

I did appreciate the scene in the ending. It was very unexpected and the book had been predictable and too easy of tasks for them up till that point. The main characters were both Mary Sue’s. None of the tasks were particularly struggling for them. I think that was the main thing I enjoyed the least. There was plenty of action and demon fights, maybe even too many fights. But they were all short, so the victory's didn’t feel sufficient enough. They also kept getting help from an outsider which just made them pretty invincible. 

I also feel the book lacked emotion fully. It did try to capture it but it struggled to interest me enough. All the characters had suffered a lot in the past and it did get brought up but it just wasn’t done well enough for me to feel for them.

I would say overall it was an okay read and is probably someone else’s cup of tea. Usually, I will see a book series from beginning to end but with arcs I feel I’d prefer to only read the next ones if I rate the first book 4 stars or more. In this case I’m giving it a 3.5 as the ending was good enough to pick up the score. Sadly, it does mean I won’t be continuing this series.

Rating: 3.5 runes out of 5 

written by Lauren

Tuesday 14 July 2020

Deeplight 

By Frances Hardinge


Blurb: 
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea meets Frankenstein in Frances Hardinge’s latest fantasy adventure
 
The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever? When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?

Review: 

I saw this book was included in a book box recently and I thought it sounded good, I have also read another book by the same author so I thought I would enjoy this one because I loved the other. Well I was slightly wrong.

It started off great, I loved it's unique setting and the characters were really easy to like but then I got about 40% through the book and it started to get repetitive and the characters started to really annoy me.

So this whole story is about these old gods having powers and ruling the whole kingdom in a way. But then they died and now the humans rule it. Hark and Jelt are the two main characters within the book. Jelt is a horrible character and I really don't like him throughout the full book, he always forces Hark to do things that he doesn't want to do and he sets him up to fail. That's how Hark ends up on another island looking after the priests. 

I feel in Hark's punishment he develops a lot and starts to do things just for himself, he obviously still has a guilty conscious as he still tries to do things for Jelt and looks out for his friend. But then I guess Jelt is the only person Hark has truly known so he would do anything for him as he is basically family.

The two main characters discover a god's heart and it heals people. They start to earn a living from it but Jelt joins another gang and they end up getting in trouble. The whole of this book is about Hark trying to correct the wrongs. But as you are aware, correcting the wrongs does not always bring you the good fortune that you are expecting. It is not always the best outcome.

What annoyed me about this book was just about everything, the characters were just really whiny and they just really ground on me. Also there was a lot of repetitive action throughout the book after 40%, so I just kept losing interest as the events already happened just slightly different setting or a different set of characters. I also feel that most of the arguments between the characters were quite petty, especially for the age that they were supposed to be.

It upsets me that I've only read one other book by this author and I absolutely loved it but now after reading this book I feel like I've been let down. I feel like it was based at a younger audience than me. I will still give this author another chance to see whether I like her books or not. Hopefully I do because I've heard great things about them and I know they are quite popular. 

This book is more suitable for people who like repetitive action, feeble friendships that have childish conflict and slight history about the god's who ruled the kingdom before the humans.

Least Hated Character: Hark

Read: 11/04/20 - 30/04/20

3 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie

Deeplight 

By Frances Hardinge


Blurb: 
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea meets Frankenstein in Frances Hardinge’s latest fantasy adventure
 
The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever? When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?

Review: 

I saw this book was included in a book box recently and I thought it sounded good, I have also read another book by the same author so I thought I would enjoy this one because I loved the other. Well I was slightly wrong.

It started off great, I loved it's unique setting and the characters were really easy to like but then I got about 40% through the book and it started to get repetitive and the characters started to really annoy me.

So this whole story is about these old gods having powers and ruling the whole kingdom in a way. But then they died and now the humans rule it. Hark and Jelt are the two main characters within the book. Jelt is a horrible character and I really don't like him throughout the full book, he always forces Hark to do things that he doesn't want to do and he sets him up to fail. That's how Hark ends up on another island looking after the priests. 

I feel in Hark's punishment he develops a lot and starts to do things just for himself, he obviously still has a guilty conscious as he still tries to do things for Jelt and looks out for his friend. But then I guess Jelt is the only person Hark has truly known so he would do anything for him as he is basically family.

The two main characters discover a god's heart and it heals people. They start to earn a living from it but Jelt joins another gang and they end up getting in trouble. The whole of this book is about Hark trying to correct the wrongs. But as you are aware, correcting the wrongs does not always bring you the good fortune that you are expecting. It is not always the best outcome.

What annoyed me about this book was just about everything, the characters were just really whiny and they just really ground on me. Also there was a lot of repetitive action throughout the book after 40%, so I just kept losing interest as the events already happened just slightly different setting or a different set of characters. I also feel that most of the arguments between the characters were quite petty, especially for the age that they were supposed to be.

It upsets me that I've only read one other book by this author and I absolutely loved it but now after reading this book I feel like I've been let down. I feel like it was based at a younger audience than me. I will still give this author another chance to see whether I like her books or not. Hopefully I do because I've heard great things about them and I know they are quite popular. 

This book is more suitable for people who like repetitive action, feeble friendships that have childish conflict and slight history about the god's who ruled the kingdom before the humans.

Least Hated Character: Hark

Read: 11/04/20 - 30/04/20

3 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie