#epic of helinthia

[eggcatsreads]

I recently added MJ Pankey's Epic of Helinthia to my giant pile of books involving Greek myth!

I was lucky enough to review Epic of Helinthia as an ARC reader, but this story was so phenomenal that I had to grab a physical copy for my own! ❤️

If you love books on Greek myth, but wanted something fresh and new with an original story - one that works so well you'll forget it's not an actual myth retelling - I cannot recommend this book enough!

(Also, don't ask me how many of these books I've actually read - my tbr is between me and Goodreads 😅)

I have an actual review here and on Goodreads as well ❤️

[ashereadsstuff]

My Books of 2023 Part 1

My goal for the year was 50 books, and I have read 60-ish. I'm not really sure, to be honest. The storygraph considers manga as books, while Goodreads does not. Goodreads considers fanfictions to be actual books, while The Storygraph does not. I, however, consider both to be books, even if they are somewhat not traditional. Here's all of them:

The Delve | By: Dan Fitzgerald

Assorted Wildness | By: Gyeja

Semantic Error | By: Soori Jeo

KinnPorsche Vol 1 | By: Daemi

An Innocent Puppy Meets a Two-Faced Cat | By: Niyama

BL Motel | By: Uhrin

Scared to Live (But I'm Scared to Die) | By: Major_816

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love | By: Lex Croucher

Fence Comics Vol 1 - 5 | By: C.S. Pacat

Striking Distance (Fence Vol 1) | By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Disarmed (Fence Vol 2) | By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Superior | By: Jessica Lack

How to Tame Your Vampire Vol 1 | By: Anni Lee

Fangirl, Vol 1: The Manga | By: Rainbow Rowell

The Vegetarian | By: Han Kang

Every Heart a Doorway (Vol 2) | By: Seanan McGuire

The Leather Boys | By: Gillian Freeman

The Love Hypothesis | By: Ali Hazelwood

All for the Game | By: Nora Sakavic

I think Our Son Is Gay Vol 1-4 | By: Okura

Unexpecting | By: Jen Bailey

Little Distractions | By: K.G. Brightwell

The Hunger Games | By: Suzanne Collins

Ander & Santi Were Here | By: Jonny Garza Villa

Tell Me What Really Happened | By: Chelsea Sedoti

TharnType | By: Khun Mame

Help Me, Uncle! | By: 4E

I Caught Him Getting Off Online! | By: Fujita

Anti - Alpha Series | By: Waka Okuda

Anti Platonic | By: Yupopo Orishima

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal | By: Grayson Daly

Epic of Helinthia | By: MJ Pankey

Gender is Really Strange | By: Teddy goetz

Puzzle for Two | By: Josh Lanyon

The Covenant Sacrifice | By: Lee Allen Howard

Yours for the Taking | By: Gabrielle Korn

Her Dark Wings | By: Melinda Salisbury

Cursebreakers | By: Madeleine Nakamura

Kiss Me Liar | By: Zing

My Bias Is Showing?! | By: Nabit

Day Off | By: Dailygreens

Dress Him Up | By: Cheese Carp Bread

Burns | By: Ra-yuan

Aesthetics of Unpleasantness | By: SS

A Trace of You | By: AG

The Proper Way to Write Love | By: Ogeretsu Tanaka

Hands Up Me! | By: Chwesong

Leash Me Up | By: Yp

Why Is it You? | Nansae

Lookism | Taejun Park

Baby Sugar Succubus | Sakana Tojou

When the Glow Lights the Woods | By: Eule Grey

My Younger Childhood Friend is Just My Type | By: Hagi Fukuhara

[eggcatsreads]

𝔼𝕡𝕚𝕔 𝕠𝕗 ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒 by MJ Pankey

🏺🏺⚔️🏺🏺/5

Pub Date: October 1st, 2023

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘖𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘺...

If you love Greek myth retellings and novels, I cannot recommend this book enough! This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and I finished it in one sitting as I could not put it down.

It’s a fresh take on Greek mythology retellings, in that the author has created her own mythos within the story - and yet, it fits perfectly into any other Greek myth retelling. It honestly felt more like reading a mythology retelling that I was unfamiliar with, and less like a brand new original story, as everything fit together into established Greek mythology so well.

At times I found it difficult to distinguish which parts were wholly original, and which were created for the story. Even when I finished the book, a part of me felt like I’d simply missed an epic by Homer somewhere and I could go read it to discover what happens next - rather than waiting on the next book.

Reading this book provided similar feelings to when I had read The Odyssey or The Iliad years ago. And the ending absolutely lends itself to the feeling that this is the first step to an epic journey that will stretch for years and have many twists and turns throughout it - just like the epic poems by Homer.

If you love reading Greek myth retellings, but you feel like you know them almost too well to enjoy novels on them - this is the book for you!

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Victory Editing/Muse and Quill Press for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Also posted to Instagram and Goodreads.]

[eggcatsreads]

August Reading Wrap-Up

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Favorite Read of the Month:

The Bone Season (10th Anniversary Special Edition) by Samantha Shannon (GR review)

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

The Bone Season is a PHENEMONAL series. And if you've read it - then I suggest a reread for the anniversary edition. If you haven't - pick up this version. If you tried reading it, or didn't like it (assuming your issues weren't simply only the plot/world/etc) please give it a second chance with this version. The 10th anniversary edition isn't simply a rewrap of the series - it's an intense edit and revision that takes the same story - but uses Samantha Shannon's current prowess as a writer that she hadn't developed yet for her debut novel. Many MANY things are edited, or removed, or reworked to the point that even though I knew how things were going, since I've already read TBS, I even got a few pleasant surprises. The character dynamics are smoother, and I loved Paige and Warden even more in this edition than I originally did, somehow.

I loved TBS when I first read it last year - but I can also readily admit to some issues with the format and storytelling (and, to her credit, so does SamShan in her blurb at the end for reasoning for the revisions). This edition could NEVER be described as "info-dumping" at you, or being choppy at places - it's such a breath of fresh air it made me love the series all over again and become excited for book 5. I, personally, will be purchasing the revised editions of books 2-4 as well - and these will be edited as well, but more so to bring them in line with any changes present in TBS10E.

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Other Five Star Reads:

She Who Became the Sun, He Who Drowned the World by Shelly Parker-Chan

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

I reread She Who Became the Sun so I could read Drowned while not forgetting anything, and somehow I loved Sun even more the first time. This story is intense, it's dark, and yet the characters really speak to you. I liked how even the enemies in this book are given their own narratives and there are no clear lines for right and wrong. If you liked The Poppy War then I cannot suggest this duology enough.

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Epic of Helinthia by MJ Pankey (GR review)

When a madman seized the throne, the gods on Olympus fell silent, and the island of Helinthia withered into decay... Dargos is sure these events are no coincidence and convinces Kelric and Gadnor to join him in a rebellion against the king, hoping to incur favor with the gods and restore prosperity to their ravaged lands. Turmoil follows their footsteps, and they're confronted with the terrifying truth that not all who dwell on Olympus want the island to recover, and some will stop at nothing to ensure Helinthia spirals deeper into chaos.

Do you like stories of Greek myths, and retellings of those myths? Does a part of you wish you didn't already know EVERYTHNG about them, so that nothing is a real surprise to you and sometimes you have to confront interpretations you don't agree with? READ THIS. READ IT. This book felt like reading a Greek myth I wasn't aware of, and yet it felt familiar. The mythos of Helinthia, a goddess to an island that neither actually exist, still fit so perfectly into the mythology that it simply felt like I just didn't know this story. That I missed an epic of Homer somewhere.

This book comes out in October, and I highly suggest adding it to your TBR and/or pre-ordering it.

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Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt (GR review)

Wil Greene's mom has been missing for over a year, and the police are ready to call the case closed--they claim she skipped town and you can't find a woman who wants to disappear. But she knows her mom wouldn't just leave...and she knows the family of her former best friend, Elwood Clarke, has something to do with it.

Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause (GR review)

1836. As Catalina sets plans to ensure their survival, a strange man appears—a man covered in bark, leaves growing from his head, and sap dripping from his eyes. Before Catalina can stop him, he scoops Jose Luis up and disappears. Along the way she finds help from a young Paul Bunyan, whose life has also been changed by the Man of Sap. As they travel deeper into the Northwoods, they uncover more of the Man of Sap’s history and the connections he and Catalina share, giving her the power to change his life, or end it.

This book comes out in October, and I highly recommend it. There's signed and personalized books if you check the author's Instagram.

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Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Now, a new crew has been assembled. For the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

EVIL KILLER MERMAIDS!!! KILLER MERMAID HORROR!! I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO DESCRIBE THIS BUT IF YOU LOVE AQUATIC HORROR, READ THIS!!!

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Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child’s favorite ice princess. By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes. Maeve ditches her discontented act and tries on a new persona, inspired by the pages of American Psycho. Step aside Patrick Bateman, it’s Maeve’s turn with the knife.

Rest of Books Read Under the Cut:

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Art of Prophecy, The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu

It has been foretold: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom. The hero: Jian, who has been raised since birth in luxury and splendor, celebrated before he has won a single battle. But the prophecy was wrong.

The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino

Tess Matheson finds herself working all summer at her boarding school library, shelving books and dealing with the intolerable patrons. The worst of them is Eliot Birch: snide, privileged, and constantly requesting forbidden grimoires. After a bargain with Eliot leads to the discovery of an ancient book in the library's grimoire collection, the pair accidentally unleash a book-bound demon.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves her cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

Graveyard of Lost Children by Katrina Monroe

At four months old, Olivia Dahl was almost murdered. Driven by haunting visions, her mother became obsessed with the idea that Olivia was a changeling, and that the only way to get her real baby back was to make a trade with the "dead women" living at the bottom of the well. Now Olivia is ready to give birth to a daughter of her own…and for the first time, she hears the women whispering.

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The Hexologists by Josiah Banecroft (GR review)

The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. But when they are approached by the royal secretary, the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head.

Athena's Child by Hannah Lynn (GR review)

Gifted and burdened with stunning beauty, young Medusa seeks sanctuary with the Goddess Athena. But when she catches the eye of the lecherous but mighty Poseidon, she is beyond protection. Powerful men rarely answer for their actions, after all.

Brother by Ania Ahlborn (GR review)

The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard. But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…

Listen. Call me a fucked up monster all you like, but I thought this book was kind of boring and predictable. The synopsis gives it entirely away, there's no real twists or surprises (I mean, there are, but they never change the tone of the book, if you know what I mean? Like, okay it's a twist, but it didn't change anything from what I assumed this book would be) and the characters remain static the entire novel. Another reviewer called it tame considering the trigger warnings, and I have to agree.

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Books read so far this year: 101

How I rate books.