Chris at Biblio Nerd Reflections tagged me a few days ago in the Greek Gods Book Tag. Now, it’s been a while since I’ve done a book tag and it looks fun, so of course I decided to do it.
The rules for the Greek Gods Book Tag are:
- Pingback to Zuky here so she can read all your posts!
- You can use her graphics if you like, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.
- Tag as many people as you want, but please share the love.
My Answers
Zeus, King of the Gods: Your Favourite Book
Are you really surprised it’s A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas?
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publish Date: May 3, 2016
Print Length: 624
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas’s spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.
As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.
Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.
Hera, Queen of the Gods: A Badass Female Character
Lin in THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER by Andrea Stewart.
Series: The Drowning Empire, #1
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date: September 08, 2020
Print Length: 448
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The Bone Shard Daughter is an unmissable debut from a major new voice in epic fantasy — a stunning tale of magic, mystery, and revolution in which the former heir to the emperor will fight to reclaim her power and her place on the throne.
The emperor’s reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire’s many islands.
Lin is the emperor’s daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognize her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.
Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright – and save her people.
Janus, God of Beginnings: Your Favourite Debut(s)
FOUR TREASURES OF THE SKY by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Series: None
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publish Date: April 5, 2022
Print Length: 336
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West
Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been–including the ones she most wants to leave behind–in order to finally claim her own name and story.
At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.
Athena, Goddess of Wisdom: Your Favourite Non-Fiction Book
THE DARK QUEENS by Shelley Puhak
Series: None
Genre: Nonfiction, Medieval History
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publish Date: February 22, 2022
Print Length: 384
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The remarkable, little-known story of two trailblazing women in the Early Middle Ages who wielded immense power, only to be vilified for daring to rule.
Brunhild was a foreign princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet-in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport-these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms, changing the face of Europe.
The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a decades-long civil war-against each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft, and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne’s empire. Yet after the queens’ deaths-one gentle, the other horrific-their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend.
In The Dark Queens, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak sets the record straight. She resurrects two very real women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and striking at the roots of some of our culture’s stubbornest myths about female power. The Dark Queens offers proof that the relationships between women can transform the world.
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love: A book you adore and recommend everyone read
PERILOUS TIMES by Thomas D. Lee
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy – Arthurian, Legends & Mythology
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publish Date: May 23, 2023
Print Length: 496
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Legends don’t always live up to reality.
Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully tiring over the years–or at least that’s what Sir Kay’s thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth yet again.
Kay once rode alongside his brother, King Arthur, as a Knight of the Round Table. Since then, he has fought at Hastings and at Waterloo and in both World Wars. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok–that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure.
Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs.
Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons–and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot–to figure out what to do about it.
In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader.Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach.
But who will be fit to wield it?
With a cast that includes Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and King Arthur himself–all reimagined in joyous, wickedly subversive fashion–Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling that looks forward as much as it looks back . . . and a rollicking, deadpan-funny, surprisingly touching fantasy adventure.
Hades, God of the Underworld: An evil book you wish didn’t exist
THE GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt. I can’t believe I put myself on the library waitlist about three times for such an unsatisfactory read.
Series: None
Genre: Literary Fiction
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: October 22, 2013
Publish Date: Little Brown and Company
Print Length: 784
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A young New Yorker grieving his mother’s death is pulled into a gritty underworld of art and wealth in this “extraordinary” and beloved Pulitzer Prize winner from the author of The Secret History that “connects with the heart as well as the mind” (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review).
Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don’t know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by a longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into a wealthy and insular art community.
As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love — and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention. From the streets of New York to the dark corners of the art underworld, this “soaring masterpiece” examines the devastating impact of grief and the ruthless machinations of fate (Ron Charles, Washington Post).
Poseidon, God of the Sea and Earthquakes: A beautiful and ground-breaking book
HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Laura Sebastian
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy – Arthurian, Legends & Mythology
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace Books
Publish Date: July 6, 2021
Print Length: 448
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The Lady of Shalott reclaims her story in this bold feminist reimagining of the Arthurian myth from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess.
Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come–for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.
On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends–countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.
When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.
As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change destiny–and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way.
Apollo, God of the Arts: A beautiful book cover
TALES OF THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM by Sue Lynn Tan
Series: Celestial Kingdom, #2.5
Genre: Fantasy, Legends & Mythology
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publish Date: February 06, 2024
Print Length: 176
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Return to Sue Lynn Tan’s highly acclaimed, bestselling Celestial Kingdom fantasy romance duology with this new compilation of stories from before, during, and after the events in Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior.
Each chapter is illuminated with black and white illustrations by acclaimed artist, Kelly Chong, and the cover features foil accents that make this a truly special collection.
Journey once more to the Immortal Realm, a world of gods, magic, and legendary creatures–and embark upon new adventures of valor, danger, and love.
Tales from the Celestial Kingdom collects nine spellbinding stories–two previously published, seven original, including the epilogue to the duology–set in the enchanting world of Sue Lynn Tan’s stunning debut. Filled with magic and mythology, friendship and love, these stories intertwine through the past, present, and future of the two novels, told from the perspectives of multiple characters, including Chang’e, Shuxiao, Liwei, and Wenzhi.
With beautiful illustrations from Kelly Chong throughout, these wondrous tales make the perfect complement to Sue Lynn Tan’s breathtaking series.
Hypnos, God of Sleep: A book so boring you almost fell asleep
THE CLEAVING by Juliet McKenna
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy – Arthurian, Legends & Mythology
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publish Date: April 11, 2023
Print Length: 384
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Four women, four destinies – the future of King Arthur’s court…
A fresh, feminist retelling of the Arthurian legends
The Cleaving is an Arthurian retelling that follows the tangled stories of four women: Nimue, Ygraine, Morgana, and Guinevere, as they fight to control their own destinies amid the wars and rivalries that will determine the destiny of Britain.The legendary epics of King Arthur and Camelot don’t tell the whole story. Chroniclers say Arthur’s mother Ygraine married the man that killed her husband. They say that Arthur’s half-sister Morgana turned to dark magic to defy him and Merlin. They say that the enchantress Nimue challenged Merlin and used her magic to outwit him. And that Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere ended in adultery, rebellion and bloodshed. So why did these women chose such dangerous paths?
As warfare and rivalries constantly challenge the king, Arthur and Merlin believe these women are destined to serve Camelot by doing as they are told. But men forget that women talk. Ygraine, Nimue, Morgana and Guinevere become friends and allies while the decisions that shape their lives are taken out of their hands. This is their untold story. Now these women have a voice.
File Under: Fantasy [ Once and Future A Woman’s Work Out of the Shadows Cutting Edge ]Juliet E McKenna is an expert on medieval history and warfare and brings this expertise as well as her skills as a fantasy writer to this epic standalone novel.
The Prompts
Zeus, King of the Gods: Your Favourite Book
Hera, Queen of the Gods: A Badass Female Character
Janus, God of Beginnings: Your Favourite Debut(s)
Athena, Goddess of Wisdom: Your Favourite Non-Fiction Book
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love: A book you adore and recommend everyone read
Hades, God of the Underworld: An evil book you wish didn’t exist
Poseidon, God of the Sea and Earthquakes: A beautiful and ground-breaking book
Apollo, God of the Arts: A beautiful book cover
Hypnos, God of Sleep: A book so boring you almost fell asleep
Hermes, Messenger of the Gods: A book you sped through
And that’s that for the Greek Gods Book Tag! I tag Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy and Ellie at Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. And if anyone else wants to do the Greek Gods Book Tag, feel free to jump in!
I love this tag. I would find the book cover prompt so hard as there are so many gorgeous book covers around. I do love that cover for Tales of the Celestial Kingdom.
Absolutely right…there are so many good covers! Come to think of it, I really love the Fairyloot cover of THE HURRICANE WAR, too!
This is such a fun tag! Thanks for sharing!!
Yay! I loved seeing your answers. Lin is such a great choice for that prompt, and I’m happy that you chose The Dark Queens, too. ???? I really should have known your favorite book….
Well, when I saw you put The Dark Queens it made me think, “Yea, I really like that book.” But I also thought about Elizabeth Warren’s book Persist. While I don’t read a lot of books about politics, I enjoyed it a lot, particularly because her personality and vivacious tone really came through in the writing; it was quite engaging.
Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to join in and do that tag, if you want! 🙂
Cool tag! I might have to try this one myself. ????
Definitely do it! It’s a quick one, which is always nice!
I love this tag, and this might be the first time I’ve seen it. Oof sorry to hear about The Goldfinch. That’s the only Donna Tartt book I haven’t read!
It’s an easy tag, so I definitely recommend it! The Goldfinch is the only Donna Tartt book I’ve read, and I can’t say I feel like reading another of hers afterward.
Great post! I enjoyed reading your answers 🙂 I added The Dark Queens to my TBR at the start of this year after seeing it on a couple of peoples’ favourite lists and though I don’t read a lot of NF, I can’t wait to check it out. I went into the biggest reading slump of my life (no joke) around the time I was reading The Goldfinch and while I don’t think it’s solely cos of that book, I never did end up finishing it (I was so close though)! Ngl, I’m not sure I want to finish it ????
The Dark Queens is so good! I didn’t realize until I read that book how difficult it is to piece together western early medieval history. A lot of what’s in museums or written up in nonfiction now refers to the second half of the medieval period because so much was lost. That’s just one of many interesting things. I would like to reread it in the future, it’s just a matter of making time for it. As for The Goldfinch, I honestly don’t recommend going back to finish it…it had such an unsatisfactory ending…I was like, why did I sit through hundreds of pages of this??