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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Game of Strength and Storm
by Rachel Menard
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Game of Strength and Storm
Author: Rachel Menard
Book Series: The Labors of Gen Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: POC MC, Queer MC, Queer character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, LGBT, fantasy, retelling, Hercules, Greek Mythology
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Age Relevance: 13+ (Gore, Violence, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Forced imprisonment, Alcohol consumption, Parental Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Slavery, Romance)
Explanation of Above: There is some gore and violence in this book, including vomit and blood, and murder and death as well. There is animal death and some animal cruelty mentioned and shown in the book. Some emotional abuse is shown in the book and there is sexism as well. There are scenes of forced imprisonment, kidnapping, and slavery. There is some alcohol consumption. There is parental death mentioned. There is also some light romance.
Publisher: Flux Books
Pages: 394
Synopsis: Victory is the only option.
Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people selected by a lottery—for a price. Seventeen-year-old Gen, a former circus performer, wants the freedom of her father, who was sentenced to life in prison for murders she knows he didn’t commit. Castor plans to carry the island Arcadia into the future in place of her brother, Pollux, but only after the Empresses force a change in her island’s archaic laws that requires a male heir.
To get what they want, Gen and Castor must race to complete the better half of ten nearly impossible labors. They have to catch the fastest ship in the sea, slay the immortal Hydra, defeat a gangster called the Boar, and capture the flesh-eating Mares, among other deadly tasks.
Gen has her magic, her ability to speak to animals, her inhuman strength—and the help of Pollux, who’s been secretly pining for her for years. But Castor has her own gifts: the power of the storms, along with endless coin. Only one can win. The other walks away with nothing—if she walks away at all.
Review: For the most part I liked the book. I thought it was an interesting gender-bent Hercules tale and I actually loved that the author went with the 12 Labors story cause that one is rarely told from what I see of Hercules retellings. The book had great pacing and the plot immediately grabs your attention when you start the book. I thought the book had great character development and the world building was great as well.
However, the book is multi-POV and I didn’t think that the book did good enough to distinguish their voices as I got a little confused here and there. I also thought that the romance could have been a little bit better, but that’s just a personal preference.
Verdict: I liked it!
Book: Game of Strength and Storm
Author: Rachel Menard
Book Series: The Labors of Gen Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: POC MC, Queer MC, Queer character
Recommended For...: young adult readers, LGBT, fantasy, retelling, Hercules, Greek Mythology
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Age Relevance: 13+ (Gore, Violence, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Forced imprisonment, Alcohol consumption, Parental Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Slavery, Romance)
Explanation of Above: There is some gore and violence in this book, including vomit and blood, and murder and death as well. There is animal death and some animal cruelty mentioned and shown in the book. Some emotional abuse is shown in the book and there is sexism as well. There are scenes of forced imprisonment, kidnapping, and slavery. There is some alcohol consumption. There is parental death mentioned. There is also some light romance.
Publisher: Flux Books
Pages: 394
Synopsis: Victory is the only option.
Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people selected by a lottery—for a price. Seventeen-year-old Gen, a former circus performer, wants the freedom of her father, who was sentenced to life in prison for murders she knows he didn’t commit. Castor plans to carry the island Arcadia into the future in place of her brother, Pollux, but only after the Empresses force a change in her island’s archaic laws that requires a male heir.
To get what they want, Gen and Castor must race to complete the better half of ten nearly impossible labors. They have to catch the fastest ship in the sea, slay the immortal Hydra, defeat a gangster called the Boar, and capture the flesh-eating Mares, among other deadly tasks.
Gen has her magic, her ability to speak to animals, her inhuman strength—and the help of Pollux, who’s been secretly pining for her for years. But Castor has her own gifts: the power of the storms, along with endless coin. Only one can win. The other walks away with nothing—if she walks away at all.
Review: For the most part I liked the book. I thought it was an interesting gender-bent Hercules tale and I actually loved that the author went with the 12 Labors story cause that one is rarely told from what I see of Hercules retellings. The book had great pacing and the plot immediately grabs your attention when you start the book. I thought the book had great character development and the world building was great as well.
However, the book is multi-POV and I didn’t think that the book did good enough to distinguish their voices as I got a little confused here and there. I also thought that the romance could have been a little bit better, but that’s just a personal preference.
Verdict: I liked it!