Best Book Ever: Greek Mythology

Welcome to Best Book Ever!  Each week a group of authors, bloggers, and book lovers come together to give a shout out to their favorite books based on a specific theme.  This week our theme is:

Week 12:  Greek Mythology

 

 

 

When I try to think of my favorite Greek mythology book, I have a hard time narrowing my list down to just one. That’s nearly impossible to do. So, I decided to pick a book that I really enjoyed, but it probably unknown to a lot of people. Goddess of Yesterday (Caroline Cooney) was a great retelling of the Helen of Troy story. Helen is more of a side character in this one, which was a nice change. The real prize of Goddess of Yesterday was the super clever main character. She was brave, smart, and tough as nails. I LOVED her. As a matter of fact, Jessica Day George loved her too. (Don’t believe me? Check out the Goodreads reviews.) The mythology element is heavy throughout the book, but it reads more like a historical fiction novel. I was amazed at how well historical facts were woven into the story itself. If you like books full of adventure, sabotage, passion, and Greek mythology, then you MUST check out this book. You will not be disappointed.  

Alanna @ The Flashlight Reader

 

This week was harder for me, because other than the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, I can't think of any books I've read that feature Greek Mythology. Lucky for me, that series is fabulous. I've read The Lightning Thief more times than I can count--both as a personal reading choice, and as a read aloud book in my elementary school classroom. It's fantastically clever and witty. The chapter titles alone are often laugh-out-loud worthy, and the story is both fast-paced and engaging. 
It also made me want to dig out my Greek mythology non-fiction books so I could read up and made predictions about the rest of the series. I'm not saying any of these predictions came true--they didn't!--but it was fun to fall in love with mythology all over again. 
Tiffany Schmidt, debut author of Send Me a Sign (2012 by Walker- Bloomsbury)  

Retellings of myths and fairytales are pretty common these days, but the best one I’ve read was written in 1956: Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. Yes, that C.S. Lewis. I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology; I like to reference and play with those timeless stories often in my own work. But it takes more than just lifting the plot and dramatizing it, or transferring it to modern times, or adding ninjas to make a retelling worth reading.

Till We Have Faces takes on the familiar story of the god Cupid (the Roman name for Eros) and a human woman named Psyche. Lewis makes the wise decision of taking the basic tale of doomed love and embellishing it, mainly by retelling it from the POV of Psyche’s less-attractive sister Orual, who here is the chief instigator of Psyche’s fall from grace. Interestingly, Orual is writing this story in response to a version of it that she hears where she is cast as the villain, and eventually it becomes about Orual understanding her role in Psyche’s story and and seeking redemption. Till We Have Faces was Lewis’ last novel. A far cry from his Narnia books, in my opinion, it’s a masterpiece. And I really need to read it again.

E.C. Myers, debut author of Fair Coin (2012 Prometheus Books)

Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer, on the surface, may not seem one infused with a rich, historical feel that includes Greek Mythology. The perfectly crafted story, one about shape-shifting men, a forbidden romance, and electric action. The way that Kai ties the story together and explains how Greek Mythology comes into it all is breathtaking and superb. I was shocked and totally jarred at the intricate world of the Mafia, and the Mythology that went along with it. One of the richest novels I have ever read!
-HD Tolson @ Reading Writing Breathing

Goddess Interrupted is a monumental tale of Gods, love and power. The raw majesty of writing alone makes this book unstoppable. The unrelenting plot is instantly unforgettable and undeniable. The short-lived thrill of the book is not enough for me. I.WANT. MORE. A beautiful delight, Goddess Interrupted is an mythological epic that I can read over and over again!

Savannah @ Books With Bite

So, my favourite Greek Mythology huh? It can only be the fantastic OF POSEIDON by Anna Banks.

This book was absolutely a delight to read. I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Macmillan so I was absolutely jumping with joy because I had been dying to read it.  I have spoken to Anna and she has asked if I can hold off on my review until April. So I said, out of courtesy, yes I can wait. But I have my review written already, just waiting to be posted.Anyway, I loved this book for many reasons. The guy-candy not being the least of said reasons. Galen Forza - I heart you. BIG TIME! He may be a Syrena prince & he may not like humans, but he made me fall in love with him anyway. There's so much to love about this book I could talk about it forever. But I won't get all 'spoilery' on you. Catch my review in April though if you like!
Keren @ Gothic Angel Book Reviews    

Just a month ago, I was swept away by EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton. The story is incredibly unique compared to what's on the market. It's a brilliant blend of the Persephone and Hades myth and the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. And the characters are wonderful. Jack is one of most swoonworthy love interests I've ever read. The mythology is explained well enough for readers unfamiliar with it, but it doesn't feel overdone for readers who know it. Anyone who loves action and romance will love this book.
Elizabeth Norris, author of Unraveling (2012, Baltzer and Bray)   

Choosing one book for this category was extremely hard for me. I have a few books/series in this genre that I love. So I went with the first one that pop up in my head. So that book is Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Jennifer's writing is addicting by itself, but by adding Greek mythology to this tale it became a HUGE WIN for me. This book caused that WOW effect. The story building was fascinating to learn with the great characters involved. This book truly deserve the 5 trees I gave it and more.
-Yara @ Once Upon a Twilight   

OH. MY. GODS. by Tera Lynn Childs is a fun take on Greek mythology. Phoebe ends up at a school with descendants of Greek gods, and we all know Greek gods (and their descendants) have exciting, drama-filled lives. The characters in O.M.G. are no exception!
Jodi Meadows, debut author of Incarnate (2012, Harper Collins Children's

 

So what do you think?  Do you agree?  Did we forget a good one?  Let us know in the comments below!

 

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