Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Author: Kendare Blake
Title: Antigoddess
Series: The Goddess War #1
Publication: September 10, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Arc via Aroundtheworldarctours
~Website

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.

The gods are dying. Athena and Hermes are searching for answers to what's happening to them and hope to find a way to stop it. Cassandra is pretty good at predicting things but she knows that someday it will eventually change. She keeps having these horrifying visions of torment and death but is unaware of what all means. Yet, as clues lead the gods to her, she will soon discover the truth about who she is and why they want her. Time’s ticking and the battle lines are drawn, can Cassandra tip the balance before all is lost?

Cassandra is an interesting character with a powerful gift. I like how the author chose to make her into something more than just a prophetess. Cassandra seems carefree and in love with her boyfriend, Aidan, who doesn't seem frightened of her ability to see the future. Aidan appears to be the perfect guy but he has secrets that could change everything for Cassandra and their relationship. He tries his best to protect her but only makes things more complicated and in the end the stakes are high. I liked getting to see Cassandra grow and take charge instead of letting Aidan shield her. 

It's cool that the gods have taken on more modern identities and some of them seeing humans as more than pawns. I loved the back and forth dialogue between Athena and Hermes; you can really tell they have a unique relationship. Hera is consistent tyrant as she usually is but the god that surprised me with the side her chooses, is Poseidon. I really liked how he was in Percy Jackson. Any who, the characters are different than what you would expect because ultimately, the gods especially, are on the same playing field. What happens next could change everything and wipe out humanity because when the gods go to war, they do it big. 

I'm curious about why they are destined to die these horrific deaths and the part that Cassandra will play in discovering or fixing the problem. By the end of the story, the author gives a glimpse as to what Cassandra's purpose is but I'm intrigued to see how she will develop in the next book. Overall, the story moves at good pace and I think anyone who likes mythology will enjoy this new take on the gods. As I'm mythology lover, I will surely check out the next book.

Audio Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Author:Kendare Blake
Narrator: August Ross
Title:Girl of Nightmares
Publisher: AudioGo
Format:Unabridged Audio
Length: 10 hrs, 4 mins
Publication: 2012
Source: Publisher via Audiobookjukebox

Synopsis

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. 

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Cas can't seem to stop thinking about Anna, the girl he fell in love with but they have one big problem: she's dead and currently being terrorized in hell. In an effort to save her, he decides that he must go there to get her back...he just doesn't realize that it could kill him in the process and poor Anna's sacrifice would be for nothing. He learns about a group that hand in the forging of his knife that can assist him opening a door to retrieve Anna from hell. He meets up with some interesting characters and goes across the world on a new adventure with his friend Thomas and Carmel. He will be tested in many ways, but his true choice will be should Anna be back in this world, where they could never truly have a relationship or is her presence enough to salve his troubled heart? 

This was an okay listen, honestly I feel like this didn't translate well as an audio. I wasn't able to delve into the story. This won't make sense but it just seemed like it was being read to me, like a parent would read to a child. The narrator did differentiate between male and female as well as young to old but something is missing. I'm not saying the narrator did a bad job. The sound quality is great but the pace is slow. Overall, I should have read this one, it happens from time to time.