Pallas is a friendless teen from a backwater village on a forgotten shore. She really doesn’t believe in the gods except to peevishly blame them for drowning her mother. But she’s forced to shelve her moody cynicism when she accidentally rescues an obnoxious cat.
Suddenly caught in a celestial war, Pallas must do the unthinkable – champion the very goddess she hates. Masquerading as a mythic princess, she convinces everyone she’s a child of Atlantis.
Yet nothing can save her from certain doom, when the Volcano god reaches out to slay her. For how can a mortal fight a god?Review:
I have been told that some authors are afraid of my reviews because I tend to nit-pick spelling, grammar, and proper sentence structure; however, though I do mention these flaws in my review, I don't often subtract points from the overall rating unless the mistake(s) interfere with my reading experience. For instance, in The Gods Among Us by D. C. Belton I noticed that ellipses (...) were overused, there were a few misplaced commas, and a couple of sentences did not make sense - but these imperfections did not hinder my ability to read and enjoy the book. That said, there were other aspects of the book that hurt the rating. First, I noticed that the character point of view changed without warning from from first-person, to third-person, to I don't know what person, and with so many characters to keep track of readers can easily become confused. Second, the readability switched from middle school vocabulary to a conglomeration of synonyms straight out of the thesaurus, adding to the confusion. Dialogue should be meaningful, yet succinct, not full of ten-dollar words that the author uses to impress readers. I also disliked the underdevelopment of the secondary characters, but there were also aspects of the book that I really enjoyed. The entire realm created by D.C. Belton is phenomenal, the descriptions are alluring and a welcome break from reality. Just like the Hogwarts campus and the expanse of Middle Earth, the landscape of the Zoo is one that I would like to revisit in subsequent novels. Similarly, I would love to see Pallas and Othello again since I enjoyed reading about their strange dynamics, even though I strongly disliked Othello's personality at the novel's introduction. As for the Gods, I wish that there had been more background, but their characters may have more central roles in future books. I cannot complain about the plot, I found it entertaining and well-developed, and the ending, (no spoilers!), left me longing for more. This series has a lot of promise, and if readers can get over the few errors in mechanics they will find a worthwhile read. Recommended for YA and up.
Rating: Bounty's Out (3.5/5)
*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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