Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a really good YA Fantasy that is a mash-up of urban fantasy and Greek mythology. While most YA Fantasy books all seem to have the same basic premise (strong young female must overcome great odds/conquer evil/rule the nation while resisting falling in love with the boy that is either her childhood friend/enemy/new mysterious over protective friend), this is a refreshingly original take on that premise.

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality. In the last Agon, 10 year old Lore’s family was murdered. Afterwards, she fled the world and turned her back on that life and the promise of power and glory, as well as revenge on the man – now a god – responsible for killing her family.

As the new hunt begins, Lore is sought out by her former best friend Castor, who Lore thought died during the previous Agon. He’s now a god and wants her help to end the Agon. Athena, gravely injured and one of the last original gods, also seeks out Lore’s help. She offers Lore an alliance to help kill the man that killed Lore’s family and a way for her to leave the Agon forever. Lore’s decision to rejoin the hunt has deadly consequences, and secrets long buried will come to the light and will change Lore’s life forever.

This book immediately caught my attention. The author does a good job of world building and provides information about the various gods and their stories in a way that doesn’t seem like you’re reading a text book. The author uses flashbacks between the previous Agon and the present to explain the relationship between Lore and Castor, as well as provide context for Lore’s current mind set. The author does a good job of character development with Lore, and it was fun to see her growth as the book progresses. The minor characters are fairly well developed and provide support and a counter to Lore’s perspective. At times I had a hard time keeping some of the gods and their story’s straight, but that could have just been because I was reading a bit too fast.

Overall, this was a fun, interesting and original take on the classic YA Fantasy genre that I recommend you pick up today.