Antigoddess by Kendare Blake **Review**

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Series: The Goddess War #1
Pages: 384
Publisher: Orchard Books
Release date: 10th September 2013
Buy: Book Depository | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones

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Thanks to the publisher for my review copy

Goodreads synopsis:
The acclaimed author of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD returns with an incredible story about ancient gods, modern love and an epic fight for survival

He was Apollo, the sun, and he'd burn down anything that tried to hurt her... Cassandra and Aidan are just your average high-school couple. Or so Cassandra believes. Blissfully unaware that she was once a powerful prophetess, Cassandra doesn't even know that god exist... Until now.

Because the gods are dying - and Cassandra could hold the answer to their survival. But Aidan has a secret of his own. He is really Apollo, god of the sun, and he will do anything to protect the girl he loves from the danger that's coming for her. Even if it means war against his immortal family... Sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; relentless action and suspense - ANTIGODDESS is the YA novel you've been waiting for.

Antigoddess is the first novel based on Greek mythology that I've read, despite there being quite a lot of it about, so when I picked the book up, it was something almost entirely new to me (I say almost because I am a little familiar with the gods, and with the story of the fall of Troy, as I'm sure most of us are). I was interested to see what I would make of the story, especially as it's written by an author that I've enjoyed in the past.

My first impression of the book was not amazing, nor was it particularly bad. I wasn't bored by the opening, but I wasn't completely hooked by it either; but I did want to keep reading. I think that was mostly because I know how much I enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood, and I had faith that the story would eventually pick up. And it did. Eventually. It wasn't until Athena and Hermes', and Cassandra and Aidan's stories combined that I really got into the story, and not until all of Aidan's secret was revealed to Cassandra that I became hooked - but at least the moment did eventually arrive, after what I consider to be a fairly average start (although, now I feel more invested in the characters, if I read it again from the beginning, that would possibly change).
By the end of the book, though, I was totally engrossed in the story, and interested in the characters, so what happened at the end was a huge shock; I'm looking forward to seeing how things will change in the next book, and how Cassandra will cope with everything now that her world has been flipped on its head.

At first, like I said, I wasn't all that gripped by the story, and I think part of that was to do with the initial alternating point of view (the rest of the book does alternate, but the stories have been combined by that point). Even though I understood the need to see both Athena and Cassandra's points of view, I wasn't interested in Athena's chapters too much to begin with, and I think that was all down to character; I just didn't like Athena, whereas I did like Cassandra and the characters that surround her. Later on in the book, Athena did grow on me, and by the end, I liked her too, but it was my dislike of her in the first few chapters (where she annoyed me quite a lot), that meant I didn't enjoy her side of the story at first.

 Overall, though, I did enjoy Antigoddess. It's packed with action, danger, mystery and romances that feel real (imperfect but potent), and I'm already looking forward to getting my hands on book two - I have a feeling that I will enjoy it much more now that I know and like the characters.
I recommend Antigoddess to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology, and to anyone looking for something a bit different to what they would normally read (as I was).
3.5 stars