Title: The Immortals
Author: Jordanna Max Brodsky
Pages: 464
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mythology
Source: Free ARC from Orbit Books via NetGalley
Rating: B-
Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Orbit Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review (and trust me, honest is always what you’ll get).
Review: Greek mythology is something I fell in love with in middle school, thanks to an amazing teacher (one who also instilled in me a love for the classics), yet I haven’t found myself reading a great deal of fiction that revolves around the Greek gods. Whether this is because it isn’t particularly prevalent or because I’ve simply failed to look, I couldn’t say (and no, I haven’t read Rick Riordan’s stuff yet, but it’s on my TBR!). However, I suspect that The Immortals is unique in its approach: Greek god with failing mortality becomes an investigator in a murder mystery that potentially involves pagan sacrifice. That is a level of imagination that is beyond me, and yet it works. It allows us to see the gods as they were, what has since happened to them, to see how they might react to the possibility of death – which they’ve never had to face before, and to see how they might have lived and acclimated, blending in with the thanatos once they fell out of favor. Very interesting perspective indeed.
The story itself was interesting enough, but it could have been a little more fast-paced for me. The suspense never quite got where I wanted, though there were definitely some unforeseen twists that I greatly enjoyed, and while I saw where things were going romantically, I was never really sold on the connection. That said, the story was good enough that it made little difference for me. Even if I didn’t feel the chemistry, the loyalty and bond was believable.
While I did enjoy the book, what I appreciated most was a) the reigniting of my fire for Greek mythology, b) learning some things about it that I didn’t already know (which feeds back into ‘a’), and c) reading something that isn’t like everything else.
Definitely an entertaining read, and I’m likely to pick up the next in the series when it comes out.