Brilliant concept but not as well executed as I hoped
This book takes Greek mythology and puts a fascinating (if somewhat chilling) twist on it. The Theodesmioi - those marked by the gods, of which only a few remain relevant - are bound to servitude for 40 years or until they earn their freedom. Orpheus, who rules Greece as a tyrant, sends a group of Theodesmioi of Hades on a sinister and seemingly impossible quest to retrieve Eurydice, his wife, from the underworld, and we follow the main character Deina and her group of unwilling adventuring companions as they undertake this quest.
The initial worldbuilding had me very excited - the pace at the start of the book was slow but enough to keep me reading, and the description of Iolkos and the House of Hades and its internal workings intrigued me.
Unfortunately, after this introductory part of the book, the pace sped up and the story became messy, feeling rushed at times and hard to follow. I often found the story frustrating and not in a satisfying way - some of the plot twists seemed randomly thrown in and made little sense, and it felt as though we jumped through the story too fast at times.
Despite this, I did finish the book, and found a few characters somewhat endearing, especially Theron and the way he grew throughout the book. I do not regret reading it, but would not invest in the sequel.
The initial worldbuilding had me very excited - the pace at the start of the book was slow but enough to keep me reading, and the description of Iolkos and the House of Hades and its internal workings intrigued me.
Unfortunately, after this introductory part of the book, the pace sped up and the story became messy, feeling rushed at times and hard to follow. I often found the story frustrating and not in a satisfying way - some of the plot twists seemed randomly thrown in and made little sense, and it felt as though we jumped through the story too fast at times.
Despite this, I did finish the book, and found a few characters somewhat endearing, especially Theron and the way he grew throughout the book. I do not regret reading it, but would not invest in the sequel.