I get that YA as a genre embraces a standard that includes shallow characters, minimal development and basic plots. The genre is all about simple, straightforward storytelling that does not require a lot of big words, complicated concepts or background knowledge. For the genre, this book is closer to average, but I have read some great YA books, and refuse to excuse a book's failings simply by labelling it YA. That is, after all, one way to give the whole genre a poorer reputation, and I like the YA genre in principle.

If you love action, and find that characterization and scenery detract from the point of the story, you will love Hera, Queen of Gods. Right from the beginning of this book there is really not much description of anything or anyone unless it is absolutely necessary to keep the action going. Inconveniences like serious injury and death are worked around easily, and the book sticks so close to the primary characters that they might as well not be surrounded by a whole town of ordinary mortals who might notice what is going on and get involved. The few mortals who do get involved die, or turn into demi-gods.

And, since characterization is so sparse, the primary characters can do just about anything that is convenient to the action, with no regard for consistency. The maturity of the god-characters was also odd. The gods didn't come across as immortal, because they seemed too naive and inexperienced, more like 12yr-olds than adult immortals. The way their borrowed teenagers took off on their adventure, one could also forget they were supposed to be teenagers, because no parents or other adult authority figures ever really turned up to prevent these high-school 'teens' from acting completely autonomous. It might have been easier and more plausible to just let the gods borrow college students.

Just as characterization is kept absolutely minimal, the scenery for the entirety of this book is left blank unless it directly impacts the action, so much so that it is not very clear where the action is taking place, except in very vague terms. A fight in a room in their highschool apparently takes place in a room with lots of students around a few tables, because one of the boys involved gets backed up against a table, but no teachers or other supervisory adults seem to be present. Is this a study hall? a cafeteria? homeroom? I felt as if the whole story took place in a vast blankness in which objects, including furniture, trees and buildings, just appeared out of nowhere when the story required them.

I also had issues with details associated with the gods' body-borrowing. How did the gods know their own class schedules? They seemed not to know other things, for instance Hera did not know that the girl she was borrowing was on student council. I would have been fine with them not knowing any of their borrowed bodies' information, or with them knowing a lot more than they did, but as written these characters' knowledge of their mortal bodies was too inconsistent. And, what is a goth high school girl doing living by herself in their own apartment? Does she have a job and support herself? Do Justin's parents know he is off having deadly adventures? How do the rest of the gods' borrowed families manage to stay out of the picture?

In short, if action uninhibited by context is your thing, or if you just want a fast (but long and impressive-looking) easy read, you might like this book. Read it while waiting for your laundry at the laundromat, or while babysitting, and the book's issues won't matter so much, because the action is really all there is and no distractions could make you miss crucial information, really.


(I received my copy of this book free in exchange for a fair review.) ( )

**I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review***

This was an interesting story in that I've never seen greek mythology put quite this way. A little too much action for my tastes, not enough character development. Full review to come. ( )

http://shesgotbooksonhermind.blogspot.com/

First things first I must say that I am surprisingly impressed with this book. Initially I jumped on the bandwagon because it was about Greek Mythology. Me being a lover of all things Percy Jackson I love Greek Mythology. Problem was just as I was about to read it I noticed how much I had to read. Over 600 pages! Then I started dreading having to read this whole book. It was going to take forever... But, as I started I knew almost right away that this was going to be a faster read than I thought. It reads as fast as regular reads especially with all the fight scenes occurring. When you start getting into the meat of the story all there is, is battle after battle. No, boring fake battles where it's mostly talking. Stuff goes down.

I don't really understand why they needed to turn into teenagers but there they were. It also made no sense how only one person noticed and also tried to figure out why they were so different. There would have been even more trouble if one of them was dating anyone. There is the one boy who really takes notice in the change of their attitude. After their stunt in the cafeteria it became obvious that they weren't the same. Hera used the one ability she could take to earth in her human body with her and made a jerk out of the school's...jerk. You can't look at her eyes because then she has you. It's like a sort of hypnosis thing but worse because she can invade your mind and see your deepest darkest secrets if she wanted to. Her ability is key to the whole story and it's pretty amazing.

Justin, is the boy who keeps staring at her like her movements hold the secret of her change. He doesn't stare at the other goddesses just her. Justin proves himself time after time. Trying so hard to protect Hera but also giving her space because he knows she's not the type who wants to be protected. That's a guy who knows how to treat a woman. Their romance was tentative and had it's struggles what with monsters attacking all the time but also because Hera is not that girl. Zeus has cheated on her countless numbers of times. It's something that has brought her great pain that has built up to anger which gives her power. Everyone always turns to her, not Zeus, when a big decision needs to be made. What to do next? Let's look at Hera. She must know what to do. I felt Hera's frustration after a while. Learn to help yourself people. Anyways she's not a cheater but the more she struggles with her growing feelings with Justin the more she can't stop thinking about him. Justin was always looking after her and never really gave up on her. You might think he's just s third wheel with all that power coming from the gods but he gets his own power too. Power that tries to consume him.

I loved the Dream World and the idea of it too. I loved that humans had more power there depending on their personality. I didn't see what happens there coming. It was a great addition to the story. It was a point in the story that everything shifted for the characters and it wasn't the first time either. Artemis and Demeter are her best friends. I don't think I've mentioned it ever before but Artemis is my favorite. I loved them both. Artemis always protecting her friend but doing the same thing Justin did - giving her some space to do her own thing. I wonder why Zeus never got how to treat her. He's all bronze and no brain. He just crashes into everything and after awhile you think what on earth was he thinking? Nothing. He just does. He also flirts with some girls. I think that was the ability he brought down. He could charm any girl. Yeah, no it was most likely he's strength he brought down. Didn't like Zeus in this story. His best friend is Athena. You know the one that came out of his head? Hera does not like Athena. There are like sides between them. The gods usually pick to be behind Zeus or Hera. They aren't really even in a relationship. I don't see it. Basically everyone comes up to her and says her husband is a dog and she should be with Justin if she feels like it. But she's faithful so blah blah blah. I would have left that man a long time ago.

I've never liked Hera. She's always trying to mess with Zeus's kids which I understand but they did nothing but be born. I mean look what she did to Hercules. I think she made him crazy and made him kill his wife and kids. That's going too far. She's never made a good impression in the Percy Jackson series either. But finally I can say I sort of understand Hera better. At least the way she is here. It was nice to see her mortality showing. You could feel the weight she carried inside her. Always trying to do the right thing. You could feel her pain and anger. You could feel her love... Hera has me impressed. I'm also impressed with the author for letting me see her side in everything. I actually like her now. What finally happens with Justin and her was crazy. I don't even know exactly what happens myself. It was a little fast in the end but satisfying. I know this is a series so I'm really wondering if it will continue on with her or another god. I'm kind of hoping her but given the end I doubt it. This was a great book if you like reading about Greek Mythology and want to see other sides to the gods and goddesses. ( )

I get that YA as a genre embraces a standard that includes shallow characters, minimal development and basic plots. The genre is all about simple, straightforward storytelling that does not require a lot of big words, complicated concepts or background knowledge. For the genre, this book is closer to average, but I have read some great YA books, and refuse to excuse a book's failings simply by labelling it YA. That is, after all, one way to give the whole genre a poorer reputation, and I like the YA genre in principle.

If you love action, and find that characterization and scenery detract from the point of the story, you will love Hera, Queen of Gods. Right from the beginning of this book there is really not much description of anything or anyone unless it is absolutely necessary to keep the action going. Inconveniences like serious injury and death are worked around easily, and the book sticks so close to the primary characters that they might as well not be surrounded by a whole town of ordinary mortals who might notice what is going on and get involved. The few mortals who do get involved die, or turn into demi-gods.

And, since characterization is so sparse, the primary characters can do just about anything that is convenient to the action, with no regard for consistency. The maturity of the god-characters was also odd. The gods didn't come across as immortal, because they seemed too naive and inexperienced, more like 12yr-olds than adult immortals. The way their borrowed teenagers took off on their adventure, one could also forget they were supposed to be teenagers, because no parents or other adult authority figures ever really turned up to prevent these high-school 'teens' from acting completely autonomous. It might have been easier and more plausible to just let the gods borrow college students.

Just as characterization is kept absolutely minimal, the scenery for the entirety of this book is left blank unless it directly impacts the action, so much so that it is not very clear where the action is taking place, except in very vague terms. A fight in a room in their highschool apparently takes place in a room with lots of students around a few tables, because one of the boys involved gets backed up against a table, but no teachers or other supervisory adults seem to be present. Is this a study hall? a cafeteria? homeroom? I felt as if the whole story took place in a vast blankness in which objects, including furniture, trees and buildings, just appeared out of nowhere when the story required them.

I also had issues with details associated with the gods' body-borrowing. How did the gods know their own class schedules? They seemed not to know other things, for instance Hera did not know that the girl she was borrowing was on student council. I would have been fine with them not knowing any of their borrowed bodies' information, or with them knowing a lot more than they did, but as written these characters' knowledge of their mortal bodies was too inconsistent. And, what is a goth high school girl doing living by herself in their own apartment? Does she have a job and support herself? Do Justin's parents know he is off having deadly adventures? How do the rest of the gods' borrowed families manage to stay out of the picture?

In short, if action uninhibited by context is your thing, or if you just want a fast (but long and impressive-looking) easy read, you might like this book. Read it while waiting for your laundry at the laundromat, or while babysitting, and the book's issues won't matter so much, because the action is really all there is and no distractions could make you miss crucial information, really.


(I received my copy of this book free in exchange for a fair review.) ( )

Originally reviewed at Witchmag's Boekenplank

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

As soon as I read the blurb, I knew. This was a book I just had to read. Nothing however had prepared me for Hera, Queen of the Gods. The book exceeded even my most wildest expectations And went somewhere not a lot of books have gone: the top of my all-time-favorite list. I had no other choice. With every word I read I was sucked in more and more. I couldn’t stop to catch my breath, or do other things. I could do nothing but sit back and enjoy the ride. And what a ride it was!

The book took off with a well-designed story and even greater world-building. There were explanations for everything. From how gods are able to walk among humans to how mortals were unable to detect the humans. Everything fit. Even the smallest details were taken care off. And those were what made it so interesting! There were also some very interesting new aspects that made the book even better. I won’t elaborate, this is something you’ll have to read yourself ;).

The story was also brilliant. In this book it’s all about one question: where are the Fates? Without them the world will crumble. And why would someone take them? The answer to those two questions are slowly revealed throughout the story. At least the why and what a well-thought why it was! The who remained a mystery till the end. Till the big show-down. And made my mouth drop open from surprise. It was so not who I thought it would be! Which made me like the book even more.

This book is also not as “fluffy” as I thought it would be. A Disney fairy-tale where only the bad guys die and everyone has a happily ever after. No, there are hard choices to be made. Choices that sometimes are not easy at all and have deadly consequences. There were multiple times where I had to blink my tears away. And some events baffle me still. Events I’ve never would have thought of, events that have far-reaching consequences. And I’m very curious how T.D. Thomas will process this in the next book!

And now something about this book’s protagonist: Hera. The Queen of Gods. To be honest this is the first book, that I can remember, where she’s the good guy. A nice person, instead of the bitter, jealous wife of a cheating husband. I liked seeing her from another point of view. I finally got to know her in this book. I could finally see the real person goddess behind all the bitterness. All the suffering she felt every time Zeus cheated on her. And the sacrifices she has made over the eons. How she’s willing to do so much for other people. Even if this means she will be unhappy and lonely. This book was a real eye-opener for me! From now on Hera will be a kick-ass goddess for me, instead of the jealous wife. Someone willing to die for the greater good. She’s one of the best goddesses to have around. Even if she can be haughty ;)

Hera also grows tremendously in this book. From a very superior, detached queen of the gods she slowly becomes more human Or at least willing to talk to humans. I could actually see this progress happening from the way she spoke and her thoughts. At the beginning of the book she sounded like an ancient Goddess. This changes throughout the story, till you feel you’re dealing with a very mature teenager. She became more human and I was very glad for her. She doesn’t have to seclude herself! She too deserves some happiness!

Hera didn’t change on her own, no there was a reason for this transformation: Justin. He shows her isn’t alone. That she has friends and that she doesn’t have to keep everything inside. It’s okay to talk about problems with other people. That she can open her heart. That she doesn’t have to stay with her cheating scumbag of a husband (something I’ve always wondered: why didn’t she leave him?) And I’m so grateful to Justin for doing so. Hera deserves every happiness she can get!

Conclusion

5 HEARTS. This book deserves no less. The story is handled very well. Everything fit and ran seamlessly. It was full of action and surprises. It held me captivated till the and. I finally got to know the real Hera, the Hera behind the mask of jealous and revengeful wife and the boy who changed here. I’m so glad for that last part ;). It’s a story that you won’t be able to put down. A story where sometimes tears will fall. Above all it’s a story you must have read. Therefore I strongly urge everyone to do so ;) ( )