Deity by Jennifer L Armentrout

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Covenant Series, Book 3

Jennifer L Armentrout's website

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Note:  This is the third book in a series.  You've been warned.

Description (taken from Jennifer L Armentrout's website):

History is on repeat, and things didn’t go so well the last time.
Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.
If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.
But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.
Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

The third book in a series.  One where the love triangle cements itself, and you begin to take a side.  And we all get sick of one of the love interests.  Just your typical paranormal love triangle here.  But the story begins to evolve more.  Remember how this paranormal series is based on mythology?  Yeah, we get some more mythology happening here.

So I can't truly give the best review here.  Number one, I love paranormal romance novels.  So of course, I'm into this series.  But number two, it's your typical paranormal romance.  I haven't really found too many new things.  But the ending had me hooked and dying to read the next one.  So yes, same old, same old.  But I really like this same old.

Honestly, you'll know after the first book in this series if you want to stick with it.  But I definitely will tell die-hard young adult paranormal romance readers to pick this series up.

Pure by Jennifer L Armentrout

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Covenant Series, Book 2

Jennifer L Armentrout's website

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Note:  This is the second book in a series.  You've been warned.

Description (taken from Jennifer L Armentrout's website):

Some rules are made to be broken, but breaking the ultimate rule can change everything.

Alex lives–and loves–recklessly, until a single decision leads to a heartbreaking revelation.

As a mysterious threat closes in and she confronts a Council that wants to see her in servitude, Alex faces a choice between love that is fated… and love that is forbidden.

Alex is back in school after killing daimons who were trying to turn her.  And with the scars and constant attention from Seth, the Appolyon, there's going to be rumors spreading.  But as Daimon halfs start to appear, no where is safe and it's hard to trust people.  And Alex must face the Council to tell them what she knows.

The closer Alex gets to Aiden, the more danger they put themselves in.  And it takes a brutal wake-up call from Seth to point out everything they are risking for each other.  Seth, who is so full of himself, yet he wants to see Alex succeed and ascend into the next Appolyon (did I mention this also benefits him?).  And as the mythology pieces are slowly explained during the Daimon and Council crises, we get a little more hooked to this series.

While the first book had a lot of action that pulled you straight into the story, I felt like the second gave a little more information on how this world works.  My biggest complaint with the first one was I didn't understand the whole mythology concept.  But this one began to explain and leak a little bit out.  I just hope the next book gives even more.  Because I definitely want to keep reading this series and am waiting to be wowed.

I think this series is fun.  I'm enjoying it, but I can't say I'm head over heels in love yet.

Ungodly by Kendare Blake

Genre:  YA Mythology

The Goddess Wars Series, Book 3

Kendare Blake's website

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Note:  This is the third book in a series.  Plots from earlier books might be mentioned below.

Description (taken from Kendare Blake's website):

As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers in the final Goddess War novel by the acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood

For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn’t know could fill a book. That’s what Ares said.

So she was wrong about some things. So the assault on Olympus left them beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods’ illness. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.

But Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and dies, or the Fates arrive to eat their faces.

And Cassandra is up there somewhere too. On a quest for death. With the god of death.

Just because things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, it doesn’t mean they’ve lost. They’ve only mostly lost. And there’s a big difference.

The war began on Olympus in the last book.  And it went horribly awry.  With the characters we love getting separated and retreating, we seem to end up in three different stories.  And as they plan the next course of action, we find their stories merging once again for an epic finale.

Athena realized too late that she had fallen in love.  And she will do anything to save him and get the chance to tell him her feelings.  And that's why she's still stuck in the Underworld between life and death.  Cassandra was brutally betrayed by Athena and wants all of the gods dead.  So when she finds the God of Death, they become an interesting duo.  But it's not enough of a distraction to keep her from her vengeance.  And as for Andie, Henry, and Hermes?  They've gone home and are desperately trying to keep the past from catching up to them.  They would much rather forget about the war going on instead of being an instrument in it.

This is another concluding series that I kind of wish I had read closer to the last book.  I was completely hooked to the story and following it easily.  I just honestly don't have much of a recollection with what happened on Olympus.  My memory was a little hazy.  And I feel I might have enjoyed this one more if I remembered.  But besides that, this was still an excellent modern mythology story involving characters from the infamous Trojan War.

I think mythology fans will enjoy this one.  It definitely introduces the ones we know as well as a few lesser known gods.  It's fun.

Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake

Genre:  YA Mythology

The Goddess War Series, Book 2

Kendare Blake's website

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Description (taken from Kendare Blake's website):

Ares, God of War, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She’s ready to wage a war of her own, and she’s never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she’ll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.

Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can’t have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.

The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra’s hate will get them ALL killed.

The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can’t, fates far worse than death await.

It's like taking bits and pieces from the Trojan War and throwing it into modern day times.  But in these days, the gods are weak and dying.  And they'll do anything to preserve their immortality, even if that means involving teenagers whose past lives were in the infamous war.

Athena has a brittle alliance with Cassandra, the girl who can kill gods.  But she's missing another chess piece: Achilles.  And if she can't get Odysseus' cooperation in finding him, she'll find another way.  But on the other side of the war, Ares sees what was done to his mother: Hera.  And Aphrodite's madness is beginning to get to him.  So he will join arms and fight Athena, the goddess who sides with mortals over her own family.

This story is easy to follow from start to finish.  I was engrossed with it and had to know what happened next.  But then the book ends, and I'm left wishing I had the next one.  My only complaint with this series is it doesn't go into too much description regarding the gods.  And I'm not sure I quite follow the weapons of fate, and how they're supposed to be so scary for the gods.  But it's definitely got enough action to keep me occupied.

A book for those who love mythology.  It'll keep you wondering what happens next as the gods are dying.

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

Genre:  Adult Mythology

Age of X Series, Book 2

Richelle Mead's website

Expected publication date:  May 29, 2014

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Description (taken from Richelle Mead's website):

Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersoldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.

This book dives right into the lives of Justin, Mae, and Tessa.  And Justin's god has barely been revealed from the last book, but Justin still managed to escape his clutches.  But other gods are coming into the fold and they'll entangle Mae and Tessa into their little game of taking over the world.

Lucian, a senator in the RUNA, wants to become consul.  But he wants to gain the people's favor by actually doing something instead of just giving speeches.  And he decides going into Arcadia, RUNA's neighboring hostile country, where he can set up trade negotiations and hopefully turn an enemy into a wary friend.  And somehow, Justin and Mae get dragged into this trip.  But entering Arcadia is like entering a third-world country (in this futuristic world) where women are barely treated better than animals.  But Mae has an ulterior motive for going: she needs to find her niece.  And of course the gods just tend to complicate everything.

I'm still unsure of how to think of this series.  The books are good in that they involve a lot of strategy, but the story building is definitely at a slower pace.  It's like watching two elderly men play a game of chess.  You analyze the potential moves they can make, the strategies they're going with, and then watch them make their move.  That's kind of how it is with the gods getting introduced in this book.  We definitely see more than we saw in the first one, and it's all leading up to something big.  But then the main plot of the book ends meaning the book ends right when it's getting good.  I kind of just want the whole story now.  Tell me what's going on!

This series definitely isn't fast-paced for me, but it deals with a lot of strategy and trying to determine what the characters and/or gods are going to do next.  I'm enjoying it and will plan on reading the next one as soon as I can.

Thanks goes to Dutton Books for providing me a review copy.

Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

Genre:  YA Mythology

Everneath Series, Book 3

Brodi Ashton's website

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Note:  Read the first two books, otherwise the description below could spoil earlier plots.

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself... which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

And we're back to the Everneath.  I truly loved the first two books in this series.  But the conclusion to this series just didn't seem to trump them all.  Gah, I'm not good with endings.  I hate saying good bye.

Nikki has begun the process of turning into an Everliving, something Cole tricked her into.  And only Cole can keep her alive during this transition.  But while Cole and his band continue their plans of overtaking the Everneath, Nikki and Jack are planning to take down the Everneath.  But both sides have forgotten a very important team in this Everneath battle: the Queen.  They're all fighting for the Everneath, but only one will win.

From the beginning of this story, I was ready for this world.  I love Cole's character and personality however I love Jack's unconditional love.  But...  Something happens in the book that just makes me dislike one of the characters.  And I feel like things were forced into a happily ever after.  I guess in the end, I feel like the ending was forced onto me.  Grr.

This is a wonderful series to read.  The first two books are some of my favorite reads.  I just wish I could say the third trumped them all, but it didn't.

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Genre:  YA Mythology

Goddess War Series, Book 1

Kendare Blake's website

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Description (taken from Goodreads):

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

This book starts off with Athena and Hermes, both suffering from different ailments.  They're searching for another God or Goddess to figure out what's happening to them.  As they learn more, they find themselves targets in a war that's only beginning.  The gods are dying, and they will kill their family if it means their survival.

Then the book jumps to Cassandra and Aiden's story.  Two normal teens living the normal high school life.  Or so you'd think.  Cassandra can predict the flip of a coin every time, and she's beginning to have visions.  And these visions let her know that the war is coming to her.  She will be essential in this war, and there isn't a way to avoid it.

Honestly?  The story is good and fun to follow.  But nothing gets answered.  What's happening to the gods?  Why are they dying?  The various ailments they're facing, explain it all to me now.  I don't get any answers here.  But riding with the story, I enjoyed it.

Would I recommend this book?  Sure, it's fun.  It's an interesting take on mythology.  But expect this one to be an opener to a new series, not one that's going to explain everything.

Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis

Genre:  YA Mythology

Daughters of Zeus Series, Book 1

Kaitlin Bevis' website

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Description (taken from Kaitlin Bevis' website):

There are worse things than death, worse people too.

The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they’re a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn’t until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone.

Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.

What an original mythology telling.  Note how I say telling instead of retelling.  It's not a Persephone-Hades love story retelling, it is THE Persephone-Hades love story told in a modern day era.  And it's sweet and beautiful.

Persephone doesn't really know who she is until people come after her.  These people know more about her than she does.  This kind of forces Demeter to tell Persephone the truth about her heritage and that she will live forever as a goddess.  But a plot to kidnap her forces Hades to react without thinking.  And down to the underworld she goes to hide and learn more about who she is.

What I loved about this series:  the Underworld was cool.  I thought how it behaved was awesome.  I wish there were more dealings down there and lots more descriptions to go with it (I guess I just want to spend a couple of days there - without having to die first).  Hades - he was the bad-good guy that anyone could love.  Definitely want to see more of this romance come into play.  Really, the only thing I had issue with (besides wanting more of this story) was the climatic fight scene towards the end went too quickly.

It's never a bad thing when a reader says the only downfall to the story is it wasn't enough to sate her curiosity.  I want more!  Luckily, there's another book in this series (hurray).  Yep, off to the second one soon.

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Genre:  YA Mythology

Starcrossed Series, Book 3

Josephine Angelini's website

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Description (taken from Josephine Angelini's website):

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas's life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

Um, so the only reason this is not getting 5 stars is because I had to wait a whole year between the second and third one (two years between the first and third).  A lot happens; I forget things, and I really don't have enough time to reread books before the final release.  So, I was lost for the first hundred pages trying to remember who was who.  To end my trilogy rant: I really wish publishers would release books in a series within a couple of months of each other.  I'd probably have a better time remembering the story and liking the book more.

Anywho, back to the Scions battling the gods.  This story puts an interesting twist on past-lives and who looks like who, and who's supposed to do what in the grand scheme of things.  There were some moments where I got confused and had to second guess what I was reading, but my mythology-fantasy-crazed mind quickly told that logical-thinking part to shut up and disappear.

And we finally get more of that love story that we've been dying for since the first book.  Gah, Lucas and Helen.  Finally!!!!!  Although I wish I had seen a bit more of Morpheus here.  I don't know.  The ending was epic.  I loved it, and it actually ended things for the most part.  A very satisfactory ending.

Now that the series is over, what other mythology books can I read?  Loved these books...