Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week’s Can’t-Wait offering:
#paranormal romance #ghosts and demons #feisty hero/heroine #humour
Meet Me After Life by Anneka-Rose Burrell
Release date – 17th October, 2026
BLURB: Ever had your date bombed by a hot ghost?
As it turns out, living in a fantasy world isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Miller V. Brown has collected a plethora of credentials over the years — professional orphan, mediocre journalist, pathetic lowly mortal… then of course there’s her most recently acquired title ‘victim of immortal gentrification’. Inner city taxes have been raised for humans. So, Miller has to move.
She never expected the mortal subsidised housing program to be perfect. Her new house is next to a haunted forest overrun with demonic chickens, for starters. And then there’s the talking tree with an attitude problem who happens to be her neighbour. But as Miller begins to acquaint herself with her strange new surroundings, she finds friendship and community along the way. Life isn’t perfect but she’s managing. Until she discovers her new lodgings are inhabited by the haughty (albeit unquestionably hot) poltergeist, Walker.
With nowhere else to go, and Walker intent on making her life miserable, Miller’s only option is to resort to supernatural warfare. But somewhere amidst possessed poultry attacks and failed exorcisms, Miller and Walker unravel each other’s defences. An unlikely friendship and undeniable attraction makes Miller question everything she knows about acceptance and belonging. Could it be that this orphan has finally found her forever home, even if it is a little haunted? I’ve been reading and listening to some books on the serious side and wanted something that would make me smile. An enemies-to-friends romance between a poltergeist and a slightly grumpy mortal who is being bothered by demonic chickens sounds like a lot of fun!
I really liked the premise for this one. I’ve been reading a lot of historical fantasy adventures recently – and this one sounded intriguing. And it also has some aspects in common with Adrian Tchaikovsky’s novella, Preaching to the Choir.
BLURB: Judith Ban, former convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief, is on the lookout for her next identity. The daughter of a Vietnamese adventuress and a French naval officer, she’s no stranger to risk, but she’s unprepared for the secrets of New York’s legendary Four Hundred, or for the women who build their power at the city’s heart through blood-soaked, gold-etched rituals of demonic marriage.
In exchange for enough wealth to outrun her past, Judith strikes a deal with the matriarch of the powerful Howard family: she will stand in for the missing Howard granddaughter, who was poised to make her debut when she disappeared. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith is white, rich, and about to risk body and soul in the deadly games that determine which girls will find a match—and which will be devoured. If she can keep her wits and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power who will be hers to command… so long as she can keep his infinite hungers fed. But to survive the season, Judith will have to seduce a storm in the shape of a man, before the night to which everything has been leading—the Scarlet Ball where the demons choose their brides.
REVIEW: I loved this one. Judith stumbles into the situation she finds herself in, after being engulfed by a terrible storm while delivering a hatbox to Miss Marshall. She has a peculiar and not particularly pleasant encounter with the formidable Mrs Howard, Miss Marshall’s grandmother. But Judith is made of stern stuff. Brought up in Paris, she only arrived in New York the previous year and is in the process of trying to establish herself. Which is being hampered because she’s on the run from someone very dangerous and powerful. So she’s desperate enough to agree to a remarkable bargain that will keep her safe and in a degree of comfort that would be otherwise utterly unattainable. That said, it’s clearly highly dangerous…
I loved Judith. She is feisty, intelligent and tough. I would just mention that while it doesn’t occur on every page, there is a fair amount of swearing and use of the f- word. And there are a couple of steamy sex scenes. None of it gratuitous or out of character, but if such content offends you, then you might want to give this one a miss.
Vo’s evocation of a slightly alternate Gilded Age New York is very well done. The gorgeous dresses Judith wears and what a debutante fills her days with, running alongside the visceral danger of the demonic beings drawn into making marriages with certain families, makes for a pleasing dissonance. One by one, the girls who began the season with The White Ball, are whittled down. The morning after each significant event, Mrs Howard and Judith read the society pages to discover who made it home safely – and who didn’t.
Judith is initially hired to stand in for the first few weeks of the season, as Mrs Howard is convinced she will track Ginny down. But the weeks wear on and Judith continues to be her stand-in – until she attracts her own demon. The danger and stakes become steadily higher as Judith is drawn ever deeper into this darker, violent underbelly of high society responsible for providing power and money to chosen families. She isn’t completely safe within the family home – for Mr Howard is also a demonic being, who has to be kept fed and happy by his wife. And the metaphorical aspect of this story can also be taken into account. In reality, highly sheltered young women were displayed to men looking for wives – and many found themselves married to debauched rakes without the option of divorce or much shelter from the law.
The premise is clever and the savage cost of courting such dangerous beings is beautifully done. I read far later than I’d planned to, unable to tear myself away from this one – and once I finished, I experienced that mix of happiness and disappointment that only comes from an outstanding read. Very highly recommended. Though I obtained an arc of The Scarlet Ball from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own. 10/10
Acquiring a reasonable hoard and a reputation as a strong fighter are the two more important goals for a young lord – but do try to have fun along the way. There are established alphas who have striven so hard to achieve their ends, they’ve forgotten what joy is.
Castellan the Black, mighty dragon warrior, features in my Picky Eaters series. All proceeds for the duration of the publishing life of Picky Eaters, first book in the series, are donated to mental health charities. The second book, Flame & Blame, and the third book, Trouble With Dwarves, are now available.
I loved the cover, but what closed the deal was the mention of the Emily Wilde adventures which I loved. So would this book hold the same place in my heart?
BLURB: The Evergreen Conservatoire of Botanical Witchcraft is off limits to anyone without magical gifts.
But Thalia Sylvestre has just landed herself a prestigious job as an assistant in Evergreen’s library, granting her rare access to this unique repository of botanical witchlore.
It’s Thalia’s perfect job to be surrounded by gilded tomes of magic and enchanted plants with minds of their own. Most importantly, it gives her the resources she needs to research, in secret, a cure for the curse that afflicts her twin sister Hebe.
If only the place wasn’t teeming with troublesome witches. Witches like August Hawthorne, a post-graduate student from a distinguished line of magical botanists. August is standoffish and clearly disdainful of Thalia. But his research could be the key to helping Hebe – if Thalia can stop acting so flustered around him for long enough to find out. As Thalia and August grow closer, time is running out for Hebe. But within Evergreen are secrets yet to be unearthed . . .
REVIEW: This story is being marketed as a light academia with an enemies-to-lovers romance. And I can absolutely see why. Wigham is extremely good at depicting a vivid setting, complete with mood music. Thalia and Hebe live on the edge of a town that has a lot in common with Stars Hollow, the picture-perfect place where the Gilmore Girls live. Wigham has skilfully blurred the exact era where this is set. Thalia uses a bicycle but there isn’t any mention of cars and the clothing could come from almost any time from the 1920s onwards.
The magical and non-magical live alongside each other without there being too much friction about it. Although certain members of the magical community clearly feel superior to their non-magical neighbours and no one non-magical is considered as a student at the prestigious Evergreen Conservatoire. There is the inevitable steady stream of delicious baking treats provided by an obliging and gifted baker – another must-have ingredient for cosy fantasy stories. There is also a cast of quirky characters, most of whom turn out to be reasonably pleasant, despite Thalia’s initial fears.
However, there is an interesting issue with this story. Not a criticism, but something I began aware of, having recently read a book involving a curse with a much darker tone. For despite being touted as ‘light’ the actual story isn’t remotely cosy. Hebe, Thalia’s twin, has somehow fallen foul of a really nasty curse. Bark-like patches are growing across her skin, she is becoming increasingly unwell and if Thalia cannot discover the cause, or some sort of remedy reasonably soon – Hebe is likely to die. If it hadn’t been for the chirpy, feel-good setting, complete with all the necessary genre tropes – including a cute cat – this book could have easily been written as a tension-filled dark academia tale with strong gothic vibes.
To be clear – I’m not having a moan about this dichotomy. I found it fascinating. And it certainly didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment of the story. I was initially a bit impatient at Thalia’s nerves and general faffing around. But as the story wore on, I became invested in her quest as the relationship between the sisters was three-dimensional and layered. While she was spending as much time as she could combing the library for a cure and evidently adored her sister, there were times when Thalia felt trapped and guiltily resentful at having to spend so much time and energy looking after and generally worrying about Hebe. And while that isn’t a particularly admirable trait, it certainly felt realistic. Other times, the closeness between the siblings was evident and moving.
The romantic relationship worked well – though given how predictable it was, the fact that I really cared about a happy outcome for them speaks highly of the writing. All in all I found this a charming and entertaining read with sufficient grit to prevent it being too treacly. Though I obtained an arc of The Library of Botanical Witchcraft from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own. 8/10
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.
BLURB: In the beginning, the world will end. This is the story of what happens next.
When Cal meets a soldier of the French Revolution, he knows his lover is destined to die. But what is the point of being a time traveller if you can’t make a few small tweaks to the course of history? A little paradox here, an alteration there – nothing Cal can’t fix, to save the man he loves.
When Fadimatu walks into a museum in 2018, she stumbles upon her own mummified corpse, setting her on the path to a betrayal that has already killed her, and a murder that has not yet come to pass.
And when a sudden rupture in the fabric of history rips through the lives these travellers have built, breaking both past and future, they must reckon with death foretold, love forsaken, and a secret that will shatter time itself. Fall through history on a thrilling journey of shattered time, broken futures and a love that can never be erased.
I’m a sucker for suspenseful, well-told tales of court politics, preferably with a splash of magic. So when I saw this one, I immediately requested it.
BLURB: In Alvion, magicians have always ruled beside kings. Blessed at birth by one of the seven planets, their abilities are miraculous and extremely rare. Magicians born under Jupiter influence luck. Saturnborn can speak to the dead. Venusborn read the desires of the living.
At the moment of Bianca Mortlake’s birth, the stars and planets aligned just so, making her the first Moonborn magician in over a thousand years. A sorcery so rare that even the history books cannot say what she is capable of.
After a childhood training under the realm’s most powerful magician—and alongside a most insufferable Venusborn named Roland—Bianca lives a quiet life far from court. Until a chilling missive arrives in the night, summoning her back.
A mad and deadly court awaits. Two queens have met the executioner’s blade, and one wrong move could see any of them next beneath its steel. As power is pulled between ruthless royals and courtiers like the tides by the moon, Bianca must rely on the last person she would ever want to—the infuriatingly alluring Roland. Because something is terribly wrong in Alvion. And only this moon-blessed magician and her oldest rival can save the court—and each other—from the dark fate they see written in the stars.
REVIEW: This is a slow burn tale, with Bianca returning to the court after terrible changes have been wrought, leaving it a far more dangerous place for her. Courtiers stare, whispering and those in power are not overly pleased to see her. She is quiet, secretive and clever – all characteristics she needs to employ to stay safe.
Elderly King Richard has just married a new wife, having executed two previous wives and his mistress along with his court magician. And the magician who is now by his side and the power behind the throne is a former fellow apprentice and playmate, the obnoxiously beautiful and confident Roland, whose powers fall under the auspices of Venus.
Bianca’s feelings around him are tangled, to put it mildly. But we are not initially aware of exactly what is going on, as Banta steadily reveals the emotional backstory, in addition to giving us a ringside seat into Bianca’s efforts to discover exactly what happened to the Crown Prince. If done well, this type of storytelling is a favourite with me. And it’s done well here. I loved the tension and palpable sense of danger that drew me into the world as Bianca negotiates the social shark tank, while doing her best to avoid Roland. I quickly bonded with her and was firmly on her side throughout.
Bianca changes quite a lot throughout this book, becoming more assertive and less prone to fade into the background. Roland’s nickname for her – Mouse – certainly is no longer a good fit by the final third of the book. There is shape-shifting, magical duels, curses and dangerous grimoires running along the good old-fashioned court politics of betrayal and double-dealing, all overseen by a cruel king desperate for a living heir.
I blew through this one, as the pages turned themselves, keen to discover what happens next. I will mention that it does end on something of a cliff-hanger, despite not being advertised as the first in a series. Though I obtained an arc of The Court of Venus from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own. 9/10
This is part of the weekly, or fortnightly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books they’ve read and share what they have got up to during the last week.
The cupboards have now been fitted in the garden room and Himself is thrilled. He has spent hours in there, organising scenarios and filling the cupboards with wargaming armies and scenery. The weather continues unseasonably warm and dry, which I’m enjoying far more than the summer, because at least the heat is a sensible temperature and any sunny, warm weather now shortens the approaching winter. Oscar has been ill with a feverish cold all week – which isn’t a surprise as he has just started at college and is mixing with people on the train and in classrooms, however he is now feeling better. I’ve been feeling a bit green about the gills, but that’s down to my seasonal flu injection. Ethan has got a part-time job to tide him over while he continues looking for animation jobs, which starts tomorrow. I’m so proud of his can-do attitude. He’s also just completed a commission for a musician friend who is releasing an album in the coming fortnight.
Last Sunday, we had Eliza for the day and visited the Wetland and Wildlife Trust in Arundel with the boys. And in the evening, Himself and I went to a concert held in Arundel Cathedral featuring The Lark Ascending and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. With the amazing acoustics in the cathedral, the music sounded stunning and the cathedral looked fabulous.
The pics this week show the cupboards in the garden room; one of the scenarios Himself arranged on the wargaming table; our boat ride through the reedbeds at the WWT; Eliza looking across the reedbeds at the Wetland and Wildlife Trust; the three siblings together where she was telling them all about the boat ride; and Arundel Cathedral before the concert started.
Since my last Sunday Post, I’ve read, or listened to:- The Green Man’s Debt – Book 9 of The Green Man series by Juliet E. McKenna Dan Mackmain’s mum is a dryad, so he knows asking someone from the supernatural world for a favour means there’ll be a price to pay, sooner or later. He’s been waiting for the Hunter, the antler-crowned guardian of predators and prey, to call in his debt.
He wasn’t expecting this to happen when he and his girlfriend Fin were planning to visit her sister Iris and her new husband Conn. Dan has prepared for this unknown challenge, reading up on Irish folklore. So far, he’s learned how different those who live in that unseen realm will be from anyone he’s encountered before – and that crossing them could be very dangerous. Well written as ever, but perhaps without the narrative pace and tension I’ve come to expect from this superb series. But that still means it’s an enjoyable read. 8/10
AUDIOBOOK – Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky In the solar cities of the future, the humans relax in the sun and the animals work in the shadows. Genetically engineered Little Helpers, serving humanity—unseen, unheard./
Meet Skotch. Racoon, P.I.—Yours for a few buttons as long as the job isn’t too illegal, whatever that means.
A mouse has gone missing. Normally this wouldn’t raise any hackles, nor any alarms, but this mouse has something that everyone seems to want, though nobody appears particularly eager to say what that something is.
The fee is good—perhaps too good. Certainly not something Skotch can easily turn down. If only Skotch can work out where the mouse is hiding, what he’s hiding, and why his secrets are upsetting a lot of animals caught up in the Green City wars. Talking animals, who perform all sorts of tasks so humans don’t have to. And nope – this isn’t remotely like Peter Rabbit. I enjoyed it and was rooting for Skotch all the way, but would have preferred there to be not quite so much telling, which slowed the pace somewhat. 8/10
AUDIOBOOK – The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty
When Poppy Hill was a child, she was stolen from her family’s Montana homestead and taken ‘Otherside’ to the land of the Fae, where she spent more than a century as a cook in the Wild King’s castle. Now back in the human world, she works for a company that brokers faerie bargains, checking for loopholes in their contracts.
But when a bargain that Poppy is negotiating goes disastrously wrong, she must return to the world she grew up in to try to rectify her mistake, facing danger, intrigue and a pesky ex-boyfriend along the way. This is a solid delight. Poppy is a tough heroine, who has been damaged far more than she realises. And the Otherside is a difficult, dangerous place for humans. I dreamt of this one – and was miserable when it finished. Though I’m delighted that a second book in the series is coming out next year. 10/10
AUDIOBOOK – The Gameshouse #1-3 by Claire North Everyone has heard of the Gameshouse. But few know all its secrets…
It is the place where fortunes can be made and lost through chess, backgammon – every game under the sun.
But those whom fortune favors may be invited to compete in the higher league… a league where the games played are of politics and empires, of economics and kings. It is a league where Capture the Castle involves real castles, where hide and seek takes place on the scale of a continent. Among those worthy of competing in the higher league, three unusually talented contestants play for the highest stakes of all… This novel was originally published as three digital-only novellas: The Serpent, The Thief, and The Master. The concept of major disasters happening because shadowy figures are using humans as playing pieces in a series of complex games isn’t original – but North takes the idea and turns it into an immersive, memorable story. 9/10
The Court of Venus by Bel Banta In Alvion, magicians have always ruled beside kings. Blessed at birth by one of the seven planets, their abilities are miraculous and extremely rare. Magicians born under Jupiter influence luck. Saturnborn can speak to the dead. Venusborn read the desires of the living.
At the moment of Bianca Mortlake’s birth, the stars and planets aligned just so, making her the first Moonborn magician in over a thousand years. A sorcery so rare that even the history books cannot say what she is capable of.
After a childhood training under the realm’s most powerful magician—and alongside a most insufferable Venusborn named Roland—Bianca lives a quiet life far from court. Until a chilling missive arrives in the night, summoning her back.
A mad and deadly court awaits. Two queens have met the executioner’s blade, and one wrong move could see any of them next beneath its steel. As power is pulled between ruthless royals and courtiers like the tides by the moon, Bianca must rely on the last person she would ever want to—the infuriatingly alluring Roland. Because something is terribly wrong in Alvion. And only this moon-blessed magician and her oldest rival can save the court—and each other—from the dark fate they see written in the stars. Gripping fantasy adventure set in the middle of lethal court politics. Review to follow.
The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo Pick a face, pick a fate.
Judith Ban, former convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief, is on the lookout for her next identity. The daughter of a Vietnamese adventuress and a French naval officer, she’s no stranger to risk, but she’s unprepared for the secrets of New York’s legendary Four Hundred, or for the women who build their power at the city’s heart through blood-soaked, gold-etched rituals of demonic marriage.
In exchange for enough wealth to outrun her past, Judith strikes a deal with the matriarch of the powerful Howard family: she will stand in for the missing Howard granddaughter, who was poised to make her debut when she disappeared. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith is white, rich, and about to risk body and soul in the deadly games that determine which girls will find a match—and which will be devoured. If she can keep her wits and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power who will be hers to command… so long as she can keep his infinite hungers fed. But to survive the season, Judith will have to seduce a storm in the shape of a man, before the night to which everything has been leading—the Scarlet Ball where the demons choose their brides. A debutante’s season in New York during a slightly Gilded Age where girls attend a series of social events with the goal of getting a husband. But what if your suitor is capable of killing you if you make a wrong move? Review to follow.
Evie Walters Takes the Wheel by Kathleen Fox Evie Walters has lived most of her seventy-one years according to others’ expectations. But on the day of her husband’s funeral, she receives an anonymous an egret orchid. The same flower a Montana ranch hand once gave her decades ago—Novel Daniels, the boy who thought she could do anything.
So now, she does.
Defying her children’s plans to move her into a retirement home, Evie buys a camper van and leaves life in North Carolina abruptly behind. Accompanied by her devoted rescue dog, she heads west to find her cowboy, befriending an unlikely cast of characters along the way. Free-spirited young van-lifers, roadside waitresses, eccentric billionaires, and kindhearted widowers all show Evie a side of life worth living.
But Evie’s drive toward the future takes her back to the past, to memories of the family ranch and childhood dreams. Now, with a second chance as open as the road before her, there’s no telling who Evie Walters will become. A contemporary road quest novel featuring an older female protagonist who is on a mission to recapture an important part of her past. Review to follow.
An egg in the hatchery is usually cause for celebration – but eggs don’t always successfully hatch. If you’re the prospective sire in such an unfortunate situation, your grieving queen needs to come to terms with her loss. So whatever you do – don’t gobble up the egg before your mate has had a chance to do so, first.
Castellan the Black, mighty dragon warrior, features in my Picky Eaters series. All proceeds for the duration of the publishing life of Picky Eaters, first book in the series, are donated to mental health charities. The second book, Flame & Blame, and the third book, Trouble With Dwarves, are now available.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week’s Can’t-Wait offering:
#gothic fantasy adventure #historical #feisty heroine
The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo
Release date for the ebook – 6th October, 2026
BLURB:Pick a face, pick a fate.
Judith Ban, former convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief, is on the lookout for her next identity. The daughter of a Vietnamese adventuress and a French naval officer, she’s no stranger to risk, but she’s unprepared for the secrets of New York’s legendary Four Hundred, or for the women who build their power at the city’s heart through blood-soaked, gold-etched rituals of demonic marriage.
In exchange for enough wealth to outrun her past, Judith strikes a deal with the matriarch of the powerful Howard family: she will stand in for the missing Howard granddaughter, who was poised to make her debut when she disappeared. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith is white, rich, and about to risk body and soul in the deadly games that determine which girls will find a match—and which will be devoured. If she can keep her wits and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power who will be hers to command… so long as she can keep his infinite hungers fed. But to survive the season, Judith will have to seduce a storm in the shape of a man, before the night to which everything has been leading—the Scarlet Ball where the demons choose their brides.
This sounds like a gripping page-turner, full of tension and adventure. So I decided to give it a whirl. It’s next on my TBR pile so I’ve not got long to wait before I tuck into it. Anyone else reading this one?
This is a review written waay back in late 2020 that never got published due to Covid and my ongoing health issues with Long Covid. So it’s finally seeing the light of day!
This spinoff of the very successful Percy Jackson series – see my review ofThe Last Olympian – has been waiting patiently on my Kindle for me to get a chance to listen to it. I’d originally bought the book for my grandson, who loved hearing about a dyslexic hero with an absent father. He not only identified with Percy, he also loved listening to the stories, which have sparked a strong interest in the period and he is studying Classical History at GCSE level, thanks to Rick Riordan’s books.
BLURB: JASON HAS A PROBLEM. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and his best friend is a guy named Leo. They’re all students at the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids,” as Leo puts it. What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly? Jason doesn’t know anything—except that everything seems very wrong.
PIPER HAS A SECRET. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out, whether she wants to or not.
LEO HAS A WAY WITH TOOLS. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason’s amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?
REVIEW: The secret of a successful spinoff series, is that the world and the dynamic that made the original series such a hit needs to be maintained. While characters and the premise needs to be sufficiently mixed up to give readers something new and intriguing, while keeping some aspects reassuringly familiar. It’s a tricky dynamic to negotiate, which probably accounts for the relative rarity of truly successful follow-up series. However, I think this one really nails it.
Once more, Riordan’s clever contemporary twist on the Greek myths is both gripping and funny. I enjoyed the three young protagonists, who all find themselves in sudden acute danger. And as far as at least one of them is concerned, he doesn’t even know who he is… I also like the ongoing dynamic that the gods aren’t remotely nice or admirable, which is also an accurate reflection of both the Greek and Roman pantheon. But Riordan’s stories wouldn’t have half the impact they do, if he didn’t possess a superpower of writing truly superb battle scenes.
Once again, I became completely caught up in this adventure and once I got to the end, I was delighted to know I have the next book in the series already loaded and waiting. Highly recommended for fans of Greek myth retellings – and while these books are advertised as being for children, don’t let that stop you tucking in. This sixty-something granny thoroughly enjoyed it. 8/10
