Book Review: Goddess Girls #7 by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Artemis the Loyal by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Series: #7 in the Goddess Girls series
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 272
Received: Review copy from author
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

It's time for the annual Olympic Games, and the four goddessgirls are not happy! It's boys only--and the girls at MOA are not pleased.

Led by Artemis, Athena, Persephone and Aphrodite, the ladies of Mount Olympus hatch a plan to get Zeus to open up the games to everyone. Will they succeed--or end up watching from the sidelines again?

-Goodreads

Like all the books in the Goddess Girls series, Artemis the Loyal can be read as a standalone and it is not necessary to have read the previous books.

The seventh book in the adorable Goddess Girls series revisits Artemis's perspective as she tries to petition for female participation in the Olympic games.

While the message of equality between the sexes is definitely worthy, it's also been done sooooo many times and I wasn't exactly excited to dive into yet another rehash. That storyline also has a tendency to veer into man-hating territory with a "Girls Rule and Boys Drool!" message, which is a total dealbreaker for me.

But, I do love the Goddess Girls series and I have been continually impressed with the creativity and depth authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams manage to pack into each book, so I was cautiously optimistic that Artemis the Loyal would at least hit similar marks.

Not only did Artemis the Loyal live up to the previous installments in the Goddess Girls series, but it totally blew my expectations out of the water! The authors took the tired subject matter in a direction I wasn't expecting at all, breathing new life into the tale and advocating positive values.

And, in typical Goddess Girls style, equality isn't the only message touched upon. The sibling relationship between Artemis and her twin brother Apollo is explored, as well as a friendship between Artemis and a new boy, and a (totally younger MG-level) romance between Artemis and another boy.

My familiarity with Greek myths is decent, but at this point I'm beginning to reach my limits. I recognized the Actaeon storyline (creatively altered for the modern MG reader!), but most of the other references were out of my league.

I was hoping this would happen at some point so I could see how interesting the stories would be for someone unfamiliar with the original myths (which, I imagine, describes many Goddess Girls readers). I'm happy to say I was thoroughly entertained. The story flowed smoothly and without any "gaps" that sometimes occur with retellings.

Artemis herself was a character with whom I could easily relate and sympathize. The other three Goddess Girls (Athena, Persephone, and Aphrodite) all make appearances and it is always sweet to see how they support one another. Medusa also plays a part, providing another tiny peek behind her gruff demeanor and making the eighth book Medusa the Mean one of the most anticipated upcoming releases among my library girls (and myself!).

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key

Do you have any questions about Artemis the Loyal that I haven't addressed?

Feel free to ask in the comments!

Are there any plot topics you think are played out? Have you been surprised by an author taking a worn plot and making it fresh again?

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Book Review: Goddess Girls # 5 & 6 by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Athena the Wise by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Series: #5 in the Goddess Girls series
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 246
Received: Review copy from author
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Principal Zeus asks Athena to help Heracles complete his twelve labors. But when Heracles starts borrowing Athena's friends' things without asking, will she be able to help him set things straight?

-Goodreads

Like all the books in the Goddess Girls series, Athena the Wise can be read as a standalone and it is not necessary to have read the previous books.

This series gets better and better with each book! Athena again narrates and she solidifies her spot as my favorite Goddess Girl with her brainy approach and ongoing struggles juggling all of her many activities (I can SO relate with her "more is more" approach!).

The twelve labors of Heracles takes center stage, with Athena filling her classic role as guide (this time on "dear ol' dad" Zeus's instruction). This myth translated well, keeping excitement and momentum high as Heracles grappled with each labor. Always packed to the brim with mythology, Athena the Wise does not limit itself to this tale, incorporating Athena's famed encounter with Arachne as well.

Complementing the mythology are the real world problems Athena faces, with which readers of all ages can easily relate. In addition to her over-achiever stresses, Athena grapples with the difference between revenge and vengeance and how to appropriately stand up for oneself.


Inventive melding of myth and modernity, adorably named objects (Zeus Juice, Teen Scrollazine), and hilarious puns make this series a sure thing. The honest portrayal of real-world feelings and problems youngsters face takes Goddess Girls to the next level and makes them an essential addition to youngsters' libraries.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
Series: #6 in the Goddess Girls series
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 277
Received: Review copy from author
Rating: out of 5 stars

In book 6, an exchange student from Egypt, Isis, is encroaching on Aphrodite's match-making turf. Will she also edge Aphrodite out of her group of friends?

-Goodreads

Like all the books in the Goddess Girls series, Aphrodite the Diva can be read as a standalone and it is not necessary to have read the previous books.

As much as I adore this series, Aphrodite seems to be the character I connect with the least. As in her first book Aphrodite the Beauty, it was clear to me that our personalities were not aligned. Consequently, the problems she faced were not problems I could empathize with as much as I could with, say, Athena.

But, this is part of the beauty of the Goddess Girls series. Like The Babysitters' Club of my youth, each character has their own unique personality, and so readers of equally varied personalities can easily find a character with which they will be able to relate. Aphrodite's experiences with popularity, (MG-level) romance, and struggles with low grades are sure to resonate with many girls.

I had to force my interest for the first few chapters, but after rivals Aphrodite and Isis reach an agreement and Aphrodite remarks that "Pinky swear was obviously a universal language," I knew I was hooked! She must be right, because the pinky swear part was when I finally GOT Aphrodite. It was smooth sailing for me after that point.

The myth of Pygmalion is explored in typical Goddess Girls fashion with all of the humor, heart, and updated realism I have come to expect from this series. The more modern issue of parents divorcing was also explored (though I won't say through who--spoilers!), and we finally get a peek into the softer side of Medusa. Particularly welcome was the introduction of the Egyptian Goddess Girls. I am crossing my fingers that an Egyptian Goddess Girls spinoff series is in the works!

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key

Do you have any questions about Athena the Wise or Aphrodite the Diva that I haven't addressed?

Feel free to ask in the comments!

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Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Release Date: January 24, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 370
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's

Review

Yikes! That's a lot of pages!

I know 370 pages isn't a HUGE book, but to me, it's pretty long. What's even more important than page count is how long a book feels, and on that I'm kind of mixed.

Think of Everneath as a cake (yes, I'm pretty sure I can turn everything back around to food). Imagine a cake that's light and fluffy and goes down super easy. When it comes to this kind of cake, before I know it, I can easily scarf down half...and I could polish off the rest with no trouble at all.

Except, I'm not full. It was fun while it lasted, but I don't have that satisfying feeling of having eaten a big meal. I may even begin to regret spending so many calories on something that left me empty.

That's how Everneath felt to me. It went down easy and the pace never felt particularly slow (though it was far from fast), but I'm having trouble understanding how the relatively sparse story I read managed to fill up so many pages.

Wait, is this an issues book?

I had heard that Nikki's experiences in Everneath were a brilliant metaphor for drug abuse and depression. And, yeah, I guess they were. Brodi Ashton did do a wonderful job weaving these concepts together and capturing the emotions of both the person experiencing the trauma and how their loved ones feel in response.

But I'm NOT an issues reader. I don't want to be mired in sadness, and that's what happened here. Nikki spends most of the book oozing detached heartbreak, shuffling through her life in a haze of resignation and hopelessness. She's beyond tears. She's practically catatonic.

Despite all that, I still managed to like her. She may be a drag, but she's a drag with moral fiber. I actually felt sympathy for Nikki. Brodi Ashton does such a good job highlighting how doggedly persistent Nikki is in wanting to do the right thing but feeling like there is no way out for her.

She doesn't sit around moaning about how life is unfair. She doesn't pout, feel sorry for herself, or make poor choices (outside of the obviously very bad choice of getting involved with Cole in the first place. But those actions are understandable and not entirely her fault).

Do I smell a love triangle?

It's true that there are two guys, but Nikki isn't a flighty girl torn between them. It's very clear that one guy is her relationship and the other is her drug. I know that makes it sound kind of bad and normally I would be frustrated with Nikki over this, but I wasn't.

But...I still wasn't feeling the romance. Jack is a nice guy, but he didn't feel particularly guy like. He was just so unbelievably perfect that he felt more like a woman's dream creation than an actual genuine guy. So did I like him? Yeah, of course. But I didn't believe him and so my swoon only went so far. He did remind me of Jay from The Body Finder though (which is a GOOD thing).

Cole, the other guy, also felt a little forced and, I don't know, hollow? I feel like I should have been swooning all over the place for him, but I don't have a good enough grasp on who he actually is beyond a pretty face. There were a few hints at something deeper going on though, so I hope that gets explored more in the sequel.

Yay for retellings! Or...not.

Outside of the gorgeous cover (yeah, I'm a hopeless cover judge), my main draw was that this is a Hades/Persephone retelling. I am totally in love with retellings, but this one didn't cut it for me. The myth was used more as a rough guideline than a playbook of events and characters. This is fine, but I have to admit some disappointment (I like direct retellings more).

I was also disappointed with the sparseness of the paranormal parts. Brodi Ashton created this unique, intriguing world with the Everneath, but I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. The whole book is told through Nikki's first person narration, and so I only got to know what she knows about the Everneath (which is, apparently, not much).

The story focuses almost entirely on Nikki's feelings--how she feels having come back from the Everneath, and what she felt that led up to her time in the Everneath. Chapters alternate from Before Everneath and After Everneath. I liked the chapters B.E. a lot more. They were like breadcrumbs, with each chapter giving a tiny bit of information that I could use to piece together the Big Mysterious Reason why Nikki chose to leave Jack and go to the Everneath with Cole.

A.E. was a lot less interesting and mostly focused on Nikki trying to rebuild her relationship with Jack. There was also a mystery in this part, but it was pretty easy to figure out and I ended up losing interest the longer it took Nikki to get with the program. There isn't a ton of action in either time period, and sadly the paranormal parts stay far, far in the background.

Bottom line

Everneath is way more of a contemporary issues book than I was expecting and, unfortunately, I'm not the right reader for this story. Nikki's blah mood rubbed off way too much on me and I now feel blah about the whole book. I will be ordering a copy for my library though, as it is a solid read that I think will be appreciated by readers who like contemporary issues, romance, and a touch of paranormal.

It was nice and easy enough to read that I might check out the sequel, but I'm not desperate for it. Everneath ends at a natural point, but it is also a pretty decent cliffhanger, so heads up on that.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Everneath that I haven't addressed? Feel free to ask in the comments!


What did you think of Everneath? 

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2012 Mythology Challenge and Fairy Tales Retold Challenge

10/10 books

How do you make a progress bar? 

Challenge Basics:  


Name: 2012 Mythology Challenge
Hosts : For Those About to Read  
Starts: January 1, 2012
Ends: December 31, 2012
Eligible Books: Read 10 YA or MG novels that incorporate any type of Mythology in the story line (Greek, Egyptian, Norse, etc.).  
Levels: Just the one: 10 books  
Prizes? Not that I see
Sign up page   

Why I'm Interested:  

Because I am a mythological junky, of course. A lot of books from my TBR qualify.

Some books I'm considering: 

The challenge host has created this list, which I'll probably use for inspiration. I also have my own Goodreads shelf to browse through for ideas (my list also includes fairy tale retellings, but I'm pretty sure those don't count for the challenge).

Books Completed:

10. Poseidon and the Sea of Fury by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
9. Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
8. Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep
7. The Girl Games by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
6. Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep
5. Medusa the Mean by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
4. Artemis the Loyal by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
3. Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
2. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
1. Athena the Wise by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

4/12 books

Challenge Basics:

Name: 2012 Fairy Tales Retold Challenge
Hosts : Debz Bookshelf
Starts: January 1, 2012
Ends: December 31, 2012
Eligible Books: Fairy tale retellings! Or original fairy tales.
Levels: Five; I am going to go for the fourth level: Read 12 books
Link your reviews? Yes, monthly TBA
Prizes? None that I see
Sign up page

Why I'm Interested:

Because I am a fairy tale addict.

Books Considered:

Fairy tales on my Retellings Goodeads shelf.

Books Completed:

4. Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George
3. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
2. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Have you signed up for these challenges? What books are you planning on reading? Do you have any suggestions that I absolutely MUST read?

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