The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had randomly come across this book in a book store display and was intrigued by the plot. Then I didn’t give it any more thought until I received it as my Secret Santa gift. When I was talking to the gift-giver about it they said, “It’s about a tournament with the Greek gods set in present-day San Francisco; I knew you’d be interested.” They definitely clocked my book interests!
Lyra Keres is part of the Order of Thieves operating in San Francisco. Just as the city is gearing up for The Crucible, the competition amongst the Greek gods to determine who will rule Olympus, she runs into none other than Hades. Surviving the encounter she’s shocked when Hades chooses her to be his champion in the tournament, Lyra is drawn into a world she doesn’t want. The plot is made up of different trials set by each of the gods that each champion must survive to stay in the tournament. Mixed in is a budding romance between Lyra and one of the gods.
As a fan of Percy Jackson and the Hunger Games, this is the adult amalgamation of those two franchises. Abigail Owens does a great job keeping the plot interesting whether it be the trials or the interactions between the gods and champions, but it never feels melodramatic or takes itself too seriously.
I really like a good tournament motif and each of the trials and how they represent the god who set them was really interesting. Almost like a puzzle to solve, I was trying to figure out how to survive the trial right alongside Lyra.
I have not read romantasy before, so when I saw this subgenre used to describe the book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. All in all I was surprised that I enjoyed it. The romance parts weren’t my favorite, but they also didn’t ruin the book for me.
I would recommend this book. Getting to know the characters and the thrill of the trials made it hard to put down. Since I’m not romance reader, I’m not sure how romance fans would think of that part of the plot.