Chrys has been in the Underworld for thousands of years, hidden away by her father, Hades, from all of the other gods. He's afraid that if someone finds out about her, they will destroy her because of the dichotomous power that she holds, the power of life and death. So she has remained in the Palace of Hades all her life, making very few friends and always bored out of her mind.

Huntley would have never guessed that after he died he would wake up with a beautiful girl standing over him. And that she would be the Dark Lord of the Underworld's daughter. Yet, for some reason, she keeps him around as her tutor, as if he knows anything about the world. But Huntley knows that all she really wants is a friend; being trapped in the Underworld can get pretty lonely. That is, until Chrys decides she wants to run away to the human world after a big fight with her mother Persephone. Chrys claims her father is just over reacting and that nothing bad will come of it. There's no way that the gods will notice she's there for only a couple of days...right?

Chrys has been in the Underworld for thousands of years, hidden away by her father, Hades, from all of the other gods. He's afraid that if someone finds out about her, they will destroy her because of the dichotomous power that she holds, the power of life and death. So she has remained in the Palace of Hades all her life, making very few friends and always bored out of her mind. Huntley would have never guessed that after he died he would wake up with a beautiful girl standing over him. And that she would be the Dark Lord of the Underworld's daughter. Yet, for some reason, she keeps him around as her tutor, as if he knows anything about the world. But Huntley knows that all she really wants is a friend; being trapped in the Underworld can get pretty lonely. That is, until Chrys decides she wants to run away to the human world after a big fight with her mother Persephone. Chrys claims her father is just over reacting and that nothing bad will come of it. There's no way that the gods will notice she's there for only a couple of days...right?

***Disclaimer: I received a copy in exchange for a review.***

The First Five Words/Intro:  “Hello and welcome to the Underworld.  My name is Chrys, and I am the daughter of Hades.  May I take your coat?”  Sets the tone for the story but didn’t inspire much confidence.  For a goddess who’s never set foot out of the Underworld she’s got a definitively modern style to her.  If she’s been alive for so many thousands of years- and was personally mentored by Shakespeare himself- why does she only have contemporary references yet remain so clueless about things?

Style: The POV switches between Chrys and Huntley; an interesting tactic that allows you to see the story from different perspectives.  The overall tone is pretty consistent yet uneven.  Again, this is the centuries-old daughter of a god and a goddess in her own right, yet she’s only matured physically/emotionally to a high school level?  I’d like to think there’s a reason for this, especially as every other godly being encountered is clearly an adult- aside from her own friends, conveniently- but we’re not given one.

Characters: Chrys is interesting enough but seems stuck in a permanent state of wangst.  She can’t seem to make up her mind about much of anything other than being self-absorbed  Ex: “My father was one of the most important people in my life, if the not the most important…”  Really?  You’re not sure?  You know all of four people and you can’t tell where your own father ranks among them?  Smooth.  For a main character she doesn’t have much of an arc or growth through the story.

Huntley is an ok dude with some depth and develops more than Chrys does.  He’s never much examined his circumstances and always treaded carefully, aware of how fragile his status is, but begins piecing things together and wondering about his place as a mortal amongst gods.

AJ or Agenor, has a potentially interesting backstory as how a son of Poseidon ended up in the Underworld, but we never learn it.  This Agenor seems like he was based off the one from the Wrath of the Titans movie than actual mythology.  You know he’s up to something; but what it is and why isn’t what you’d expect.

Story & Conflict: When we finally get to it, it’s a little disappointing.  Without going into spoilers a lot of trouble could’ve been avoided if Hades had done what he should’ve all along and only offered to after everything hits the fan: train Chrys properly.  The whole story centers around keeping Chrys under wraps and unknown to the rest of the gods, yet Hades never bothers to develop her powers even though he knows what she’s capable of and she’s constantly frightened of what could happen should she lose control.  But no one ever teaches her.

Right when things were getting kinda interesting, the author pulls out the same old MarySue/Chosen One card: Chrys is the one from the prophecy with the power to destroy the gods, etc, blahblahblah.

I was ready to stop reading right there.

I don’t understand why *every* PNR/UF story- especially YA- want to go down this road.  What’s the point?  Where’s the struggle and conflict if the character is all-powerful right from the jump?  Why can’t they just discover (not all of) their abilities, work around their limitations and face challenges with/against their peers?  Ultimate beings are ultimately pretty damn dull and this doesn’t leave much room for improvement in the sequels: who can stand up to an all-powerful entity who’s fated to win?  Why would anyone even try?

Proficiency:  book needed proofreading.   Simple as that.

Dialogue:  Everyone speaks in a contemporary style, fitting enough for a modern day setting.  But again, you’d think Chrys- and everyone else who resides in the Underworld- would have more formal & archaic speech patterns as they never leave it and have limited exposure to the world.

Narrative/Pacing:  a pretty even keel for the most part.  The bulk of the story is filled with the dynamics of the relationship between Chrys & Huntley and how they relate to everyone else.  It’s not bad, just could’ve used more punch, or maybe a little something from Hades’ own POV.

Overall, there’s a story buried in here and has the potential to be a good one.  It just needs to be treated as what it claims to be: a goddess who shouldn’t exist coming into her own to face those who want to destroy her, instead of a whiny teenaged girl whose tantrums could destroy the world and the father who never trained her not to.  Because with the latter everyone else has a good point in wanting to stop her.

2.5/5- typical fare for the YA genre.

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!!

***Borrowed the audiobook from the local library and I have a copy in paperback of the whole series :)

There several covers for this book as well, and I haven’t seen one that I didn’t like.  The ones with Blackjack are my favorite though :)

I really do love listening to this series.  Jesse Bernstein does an outstanding job as the narrator and I love all of his voices for the characters.  In this book my favorite voice was for Blackjack :)  Of course with Rick writing this fabulous series this wouldn’t be possible.  His creativity astounds me.  I love how he blends the real world with Greek mythology.  It is masterfully done.  My son and I love this series.  I love all the life lessons and morals that are built into each story.  Percy’s heart and courage always makes each story amazing, and he has some pretty amazing friends too (Annabeth and Grover) and he met a bunch of new friends too!!!

I recommend reading the books in order as it makes the characters and plot so much more as a whole :)  I can’t even put it into words how fabulous this series is :)

I highly recommend this series especially if you need something to listen to in the car…borrow it from your local library!!!  It is a great family series for everyone to enjoy :)  We are off to start book 4 next :)

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!!

***Borrowed the audiobook from the local library and I have a copy in paperback of the whole series :)

There several covers that have been released for this book, and I think they are all pretty cool and attract people to pick up the books :)

My son and I listened to this book in the car together on our daily drive to and from school.  I love that the same narrator was used for this book because he really does a phenomenal job with all his voices, tones, and the animation that he gives every character just makes it come alive. 

This book is soooo much better than the movie especially Tyson’s character, but I do not want to give anything away.  Of course, there is a ton of action and adventure for Percy, Annabeth, and Grover.  There are always lessons of morality, honor, and integrity built in that makes me love this series even more.  Rick Riordan has amazing creativity and his writing skills are awesome because his words create an instant movie in my mind with his descriptions and complex plot lines.  There is also so much going on that keeps you sucked into the story that you never want to stop reading or listening.  This is a great book for all ages. 

I highly recommend if you and your family go on a road trip that you listen to this series while you drive because it is sooo much better than listening to music and might help your kids see how awesome books can be and that reading them is not the only way to enjoy them.  On to book 3 for my son and I!!!

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!!

***Borrowed the audiobook from the local library and I have a copy in paperback of the whole series :)

The cover will definitely attract a boy to pick it up because it is a boy holding a sword!!

I borrowed the audiobook from my local library to listen in the car to it with my son.  We both loved listening to it. 

First thing we noticed is that it is different than the movie.  I enjoyed the movie, but both my son and I agree that the book is way better :) and the kids are younger in the book than in the movie and everything just fits together better.

The narrator Jesse does a fantastic job using different voices and tones, and he makes the story come alive.  Together Jesse with his narration and Rick with his fantastic writing and storyline, everything just becomes this epic adventure that you do not want to stop listening to.

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are my favorites as well as Chiron.  I love their bravery and how they are there for each other.  I especially love Annabeth teasing Percy and calling him Sea Weed Brain.  This is a great book for tweens and teens, but I think if you love reading or listening to books that it doesn’t matter how old you are that you will love this book :)  It is a great adventure, and I can wait to read/listen to more :)  I have already started book 2 :)

I highly recommend this book in any form to anyone who love a good mythological adventure :)

***Received a copy of the ebook for an honest review via Netgalley

The cover is okay and steamy, but nothing that grabs my attention.  I think I like the cover on the UK site better with the flames, but that’s just me :)

Okay when I first started this book, I was lost and afraid this book was going to be one I didn’t much like.  I was wrong, and this happens to me sometimes with new worlds and authors I’m not used to…heck sometimes with authors I love.  I think I just love when there is a tons of stuff happening or going on, and you can’t always have that when you are building a new world or there will be disconnects.

Jacquelyn creates a unique world that I have not read before, and I liked it :)  I picked this book because my mom and grandma love her work, and I knew it was a new series so I wouldn’t start behind the 8 ball so to speak :)  She adds in flairs with her speaking in the dialects of the world she is creating though it does take a bit to get used to it.  I was hooked about 30 percent into the book.  I think a lot of people will stop reading a book because it doesn’t grab them from the start, and I think this is a mistake especially in a brand new series :)  I think the last 20 percent was the best, and I didn’t want to put it down. 

If you want a perfect world where there isn’t any issues, probably not the story for you.  The heroine and city is like an animal that has been abused for a long time while some would give up, love, kindness, and direction sees them getting stronger and stronger.  She had to be cultivated throughout the story into the woman she becomes, and her I liked a lot :)  Dethan is rough warrior with a long past, but he is definitely not cruel and made this story what it was.  I totally enjoyed the journey, and I think this story will get better especially if the characters that have been built in this story are still part of the next book :)

I recommend this story to readers who like mythological type stories with a historical feel.  This was an unusual read for me, but I definitely want to read the next book to see if the world grows and the connection with the world and its characters grow as well.