Uggghhhhhh I really did not enjoy this book.

Before I start my rant, because the Gods know that I need one, I /can/ see some redeeming features: it was fun to read from the view of someone who knows a lot about Roman/Greek mythology, and it definitely appealed to its audience with its child-friendly humour.

Apart from that however...

It literally NEVER picked up! It has so many strands of the story with so much potential and the most any of them got to entertaining was a terrible pun here and there. The entire resolution arc was boring. The major fight scene was horrific compared to the teasers we'd had in the beginning, and the only character who really gave me any kind of invested interest (the main antagonist) was easily dealt with and left aside way before the end! In fact, from the last third onwards, the book could have ended. The last third was basically only for dropping hints about the next book and setting up a fresh start point.

I will give a special mention to the handling of Josie (Elliot's mum) and her mental health/memory issues. The storyline was well handled and honest, one of the only parts that was consistently good, but still could have been pushed a little further.

The only emotion I experienced reading this book was irritation... I might recommend to a child who was interested in fantasy and action stories as a way to engage them in history, but aside from that...