Sarah Coyne

I was unsure about this book when I started reading it as I found the names of the characters rather distracting. However, as I progressed through, I appreciated it more and understood more why the names were used. I think it would have been better to stick to one mythology but this is m personal opinion. As a sufferer of mental ill health, this aspect of it was interesting and actually there as a lot in it that resonated with me more than a lot of 'self-help' books which I have come across which I feel are generally very superficial and behavioural rather than spiritually based. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the spiritual side of mental health. There is a good story running through it and the character of Loki was well named and very easy to visualise, I think many of us have come across people like that in our working lives. There is some great descriptive writing which generally made it easy to see characters and the story.… (más)

I had no real idea what to expect from this book.

The back of the book suggested this was a novel but the introduction told me that I was about to receive eleven ‘lessons’; that this book was for “those who feel discontent with their lives.

I am content with my life and I don’t feel that I need any lessons but I pressed on nevertheless – old dog, new tricks and all that kind of thing.

Initially, I was pleasantly surprised and I was quite enjoying the novel. Sadly, this did not last and it began to feel that I was being preached to and not in a gentle way.

I am confused by the use of names. Olympians, muses, Norse Gods & etc. What is Solomon’s Pond? Does it refer to the Wisdom of Solomon? If there’s no meaning, why bother?
As an aside, does the author know who Zeus and Hera were? What their relationship was?

I’m also confused by Thalia’s discovery of “what she is suffering from”. It suggests that she has been suffering all along but as far as I can see, it stems from an event quite far on in the narrative. There is cause and effect. Again I am left confused.

I hope that this book helps some people, I really do, but I feel it is too disjointed. I like the idea of putting self help into a novel that people can identify with but, in my opinion, it hasn’t been done very well.

I enjoyed Zeus and Hera. Loki wasn’t strong enough to be true to character (if, indeed, that was intended). And on a personal note I really did not like Thalia’s relationship with her vehicle and I got fed up of references to Jada.

In conclusion, it simply wasn’t for me. It frustrated more than it satisfied me. I was more invested in Zeus and Hera than in Thalia. There were also some minor errors which, given everything else, niggled more than they should have.






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