Aphrodite saw the gods on Mount Olympus and decided she wanted a piece of what they had. Only problem is, she’s not a goddess, just a lowly being who’s supposed to remain in a distant cave, keeping the threads of Fate woven neatly. But Aphrodite’s never let anyone tell her what to do…
Weaving herself a web of lies and careful deceptions, she convinces everyone she’s the goddess of love and that her rightful place is among the Olympians, who lord it over everyone else at the top of the world, but under the stifling rule of Zeus. For the first time, she has the best of everything, as well as friends, peers, even loved ones. Only, being a goddess isn’t quite like she thought. Those who oppose Zeus tend to disappear, or worse. And one day, Aphrodite decides she’s had enough…
I have had a nice quiet Sunday which has involved some reading. I’m still behind with my book reviews but I’m hoping next week I can start to catch up a little.
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far. I have had a lovely day of reading today and I hope to do the same tomorrow.
I didn’t do very well with my planned reading for September. In fact I didn’t even read one book off my September TBR. I am hoping to do better in October.
Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi
She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music by Gillian Dooley
The Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman
Medusa by Rosie Hewlett
I have gone for a smaller selection for October because the Great Eastern Hotel is over 1000 pages! I really hope I get to read these books this month.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week so far. I have had a day of appointments so no teaching today.
My chosen book to feature this week is another new addition to the TBR. R. F. Kuang is definitely an auto buy author for me now.
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.
Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.
Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.
Born into a world on fire, Godling Hekate has never known safety. After her parents are on the losing side of the war between the ruling Titans and new Olympian Gods, Hekate is taken by her mother Asteria to the Underworld, where Styx and Hades agree to raise her. Meanwhile, Asteria is pursued across the world by Zeus and Poseidon and, to escape their clutches, transforms herself into an island in a stormy sea.
Orphaned and alone, Hekate grows up amongst the horrors and beauties of the Underworld, desperate to find her divine purpose and a sense of belonging in the land of the dead.
When Hekate finally uncovers her powers and ascends to Goddess status, she realises that even the most powerful Olympians are terrified of her. But when immortal war breaks out again, threatening to destroy everything from Mount Olympus to the Underworld itself, the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy is the only one who can bring the deadly conflict to an end. . .
Review
I was really intrigued about this book because I haven’t seen a retelling of Hekate’s story before so I bought the book hoping not to be disappointed. Thankfully I was not.
The first thing I loved about this book is that it is written in verse. There are full paragraphs occasionally but the bulk of the book is in verse and I loved it! I really thought it worked well and I think it really added to the atmosphere of the book.
So often with stories of the Greek Gods we get to learn about their most famous moments and rarely see them as children but with this story we see Hekate from birth and grow up into a young woman. I loved seeing her emotions unfold as she learned about her parents, her family and her abilities.
We also get to learn more about the Titans in this book and the war between the Titans and the Olympians which I enjoyed and would have loved to have had more of. The descriptions of the underworld were also excellent and I enjoyed seeing how Hades’ character developed through the story.
I have seen in some reviews that this book has been compared to Circe but I would disagree with that comparison. Both books have a unique tone and storytelling approach that makes that comparison unfair. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could have easily read it in one sitting if I had had the time. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons and I look forward to the next book.
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About the author
Nikita Gill is a Kashmiri Sikh writer born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and brought up in Gurugram, Haryana in India. In her mid twenties, she immigrated to the South of England and worked as a carer for many years. She enjoys creating paintings, poems, stories, photos, illustrations and other soft, positive things. Her work has appeared in Literary Orphans, Agave Magazine, Gravel Literary Journal, Monkeybicycle, Foliate Oak, MusePiePress, Dying Dahlia Review, The Rising Phoenix Review, Eunoia Review, Corvus Review, After The Pause and elsewhere.
Seven years ago, Isabel Warren’s life unraveled in a single afternoon. Now she’s back reliving the same nightmare again…
She left the past behind, changed her name, and started over in a quiet town with her husband and their young son, Noah. But when he vanishes from their backyard without a trace, Isabel is forced to confront a terrifying some shadows never stay buried.
As suspicion tightens around her once again and whispers of her past grow louder, Isabel knows this is no random disappearance. Someone out there knows who she is. Someone has been watching. Waiting.
Now, to save her child, Isabel must unravel a mystery that began long before Noah was born and before the world decided who she was.
Haunting and propulsive, Little One is a chilling psychological thriller about buried secrets, fractured identity, and the impossible choices that define a mother’s love.
Review
I discovered this book from an advert on Facebook and when I saw it was only 99p on Kindle I decided to buy it for a holiday read.
I really wanted to like this book and was excited by what I read in the blurb but the amount of errors in this book was off the scale. I have never read a book with so many errors in. The storyline was so promising and even though I could see what was happening with the plot I really got into it but then the errors began.
The first half of the book was excellent but once the half way mark was passed the story became rushed and full of errors. It was almost like another had taken over and hadn’t reviewed what had been written before.
One of the mistakes was that the children started off as 3 and 5 years of age and then later in the book they became twins. Another error was that Isabel described how she met her husband in two entirely different ways. She also described how long Isabel had known Claire in two different time lengths. There were other errors as well.
I honestly don’t think the author had read her work back after reaching the end of writing and don’t think anyone looked over it for her before going to publish. This book had such promise but was severely let down by the errors and the errors really detracted from the story. I give this book 2 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Fiona Holloway has written one standalone novel so far. This novel is called Little One and it was released in 2025.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have been having a massive book purge recently and now have quite a few books to box up to send to World of Books. I’m trying to be really strict with myself as we really need more room in the house.
What I am Currently Reading
I am thoroughly enjoying this book so far and I love how it is written. It has made a very welcome change after finishing Villette.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I was so happy to finish this book as it took way longer than it should have to read.
What I Think I will Read Next
I’m really not sure what I will read next. I feel like I want to read more classics at the moment but I’m not sure.
Lady Book Dragon 