Synopsis

Delphi, Greece. A magically trapped god. A stolen lover. And a mystical war on the verge of exploding.
Apollo wants to forget his past as an Olympian god. Trapped in a feline body with magically repressed memories should get him what he wants…

But when humans kidnap his lover from their temple grounds, he sets out on a journey to Athens to track her down, determined to rescue her from a horrible fate. However, little does he know that he’s on a collision course with two immortal-led gangs and another deity seeking an artefact that might resurrect the gods’ ancient power. Now, he’s in a race to find his girl—but can he save her without bringing down the entire pantheon in the process?

Review

Ancient Greek mythology fascinates me and I am most definitely a cat person. So I was intrigued and excited to read this new take on familiar stories.

It starts off well enough, and the first few chapters are engaging. Rylands manages to capture the spirit and personalities of multiple cats, who we know can be grumpy, playful and judgmental.

Unfortunately it ends up a catastrophe. There are so many characters that it’s very tricky to keep on top of everyone and it becomes quite confusing and boring. Fewer character perspectives would help to make it clearer and engaging.

The book is also far too long, with unnecessary details about irrelevant things (football… why?); a shorter novel would have kept my interest much longer. I would also have liked a bit more backstory to understand the dynamics between Apollo and Olympia… not to mention why the gods were now cats.

I really struggled with the way the other cats almost berated Olympia for being taken. Perhaps the author was trying to incorporate the way women were treated by male Gods in the Greek myths or referencing the ever-present victim blaming we have to deal with, but it felt very toxic, especially as the book was set in modern day. There was also a lot of quite horrific violence which may put people off reading more in the series, especially as the book feels like it could be aimed at a younger audience.

While I appreciate what the author was trying to do, the book really misses the mark. Perhaps with some editing – and definitely some trigger warnings – the book would work, and could be a unique take on Greek mythology for children. Sadly in its current state, it’s just not very good.

I received a copy from Love Book Tours. All opinions my own.