Showing posts with label Mythology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mythology. Show all posts

A MODERN READING OF THE ILIAD BY A NON-CLASSICS STUDENT

I still don't know what compelled me to ask my past Classical Mythology professor which translation of The Iliad and The Odyssey is best, but I did. You'd think translating part of The Aeneid from Latin and studying about Troy/the Trojan War extensively would be enough to repulse me forever; my hidden masochism never ceases to surprise me. Here are my feelings on The Iliad Lattimore translation:

STOLEN SONGBIRD REVIEW



Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)
by Danielle L. Jensen
Strange Chemistry | April 1, 2014
Status: Complete
        For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the mountain. When Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she realises that the trolls are relying on her to break the curse.
        Cécile has only one thing on her mind: escape. But the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time…
        But the more time she spends with the trolls, the more she understands their plight. There is a rebellion brewing. And she just might be the one the trolls were looking for...

UM... WHY?



The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals #2)
by Michelle Madow
Publishing Info: April 18, 2016 | Dreamscape Publishing
Status: Complete
        A demigod who can kill with a touch. It's an ability that must be kept secret from everyone, even from those trusted most.
        Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle.
        Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve.
        The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?

I'M NOT DISAPPOINTED, FOR ONCE!



Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe #1)

by Rosamund Hodge
Publishing: January 28, 2014 | Balzar & Bray
Status: Finished. I will buy this and reread it over and over. That's how much I loved this book
         Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
         Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
         Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
         With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
         But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.
         As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

I'm Surprised | The Prophecy of Shadows



The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1)
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Publish Date: January 26, 2016
eARC courtesy of NetGalley
Status: Complete
          When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly…she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers-and, to her dismay, by Blake-the school’s notorious bad-boy.
          Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.
          When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect-it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town…and possibly the world.

Sentinel Review



Sentinel (Covenant #5) by JLA I love you, but I'm angry with you!
Publishing: Spencer Hill Press in November 2, 2013
          It's a beautiful day for a war.
          As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.
          And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoon-worthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.
          In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.