Early Review: The Woken Gods

The Woken Gods

Gwenda Bond

Publisher: Strange Chemistry – published 3^rd September

E-Arc courtesy of Netgalley and Strange Chemistry

The more things change…
Ten years ago, the gods of ancient mythology awoke all around the world.The more things stay the same…
This morning, seventeen-year-old Kyra Locke was late for school.
But that’s not out of the ordinary in a transformed Washington, D.C., dominated by the embassies of divine pantheons and watched over by the mysterious Society of the Sun that governs mankind’s relations with the gods. What is unusual is Kyra’s encounter with two trickster gods on her way home, one offering a threat, and the other a warning.Kyra escapes with the aid of young operatives from the Society, who inform her that her scholarly father has disappeared from its headquarters at the Library of Congress and taken a dangerous Egyptian relic with him. The Society needs the item back, and they aren’t interested in Kyra’s protests that she knows nothing about it. Now Kyra must depend on her wits and the help of everyone from a paranoid ex-boyfriend to scary Sumerian gods to operatives whose allegiance is first and always to the Society. She has no choice if she’s going to clear her father’s name and recover the missing relic before 
the impending summer solstice.

What’s at stake? Just the end of the world as Kyra knows it.

All the Gods people have ever worshipped throughout time are real and a few years ago they woke up. The world changed. Washington DC has become the centre for communication between the Gods as represented by the Trickster Gods and the Society, group who use relics to protect humans from the Gods power. Krya grew up in the midst of the awakening, but when the Tricksters start to take an interest in her, she realises that there are more secrets in her family that she ever knew...

The idea that all the Gods are real and that they have only been sleeping is such a strong premise for a world similar to ours but different in that one vital area and provides a wide range of possibilities for story-telling. Adding to the mix Krya is one damaged girl but strong and determined. She has problems over and above the usual teen romance and authority issues so when her Dad goes missing and the gods are involved, she ignores his request that she leave town and decides to find him. Her friends refuse to let her deal with it alone. I loved the relationships Krya has with her friends – both old and new. They ground her and prevent her becoming too isolated. Each have their own family issues but still stick by her side.

As well as a variety of Gods from global pantheons, there is a mysterious Society who are able to keep the Gods in line with threats. However, we all know secret societies are not always to be trusted... The mix of mythology, teen issues and action is well balanced with plenty of action and some intriguing twists – I have to admit the end really ups the stakes taking it from a personal tragedy to all out war. The books suffers a little from teens knowing better than adults every time (a lot of YA have that fault though!), but the teens are such stronger characters that it doesn’t matter too much. There is plenty to enjoy and I can’t wait to see what the next book in this series will throw up. Especially as the end is a real game changer! A fresh take on ancient mythology and a fun read!

Recommended for fans of Tom Pollock and Kim Curran. 8 out of 10

Early Review: Blackwood

Blackwood

-       Gwenda Bond

Publisher: Strange Chemistry – To be Published 4^th September 2012

Ecopy courtesy of netgalley and Strange Chemistry

On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back. Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other.

As one of the first books to be published by Angry Robots new YA imprint, Strange Chemistry, Blackwood has an intrigue premise and a lot of promise. Luckily it manages to deliver on that promise and sets a high standard for Strange Chemistry’s future releases.

Miranda lives on Roanoke Island, site of one the first settlements colonised from England, but after a few years the whole settlement – all 114 people disappeared without a trace. Then, in present day another 114 all disappear at the same time...what does this mean to Miranda and her cursed family? And how does the boy who branded her a snake when they young fit in – especially as he hasn’t been back to the island in the last four years?

The set up and introduction of the characters is well done – pulling you in and playing on your brain? What happened to the original settlers? Why is it repeating now? How does Miranda’s family fit in? I love historical mysteries and the disappearance of the Roanoke settlement is a real puzzler. The repeat disappearance is enough to send shivers up your spine with the whole community frightened. Miranda seems to be caught right in the middle when her father is first thought to be one of the missing. Phillips return to the island and his relationship with his parents is a great contrast to Miranda’s situations and adds some heart to the proceedings. I loved his mother and father and how they want to both help and protect – and occasionally making the wrong decision, but for the right reasons.

The writing is like marshmallows – easy to swallow and addictive – you just want to read one more page. However, for me the answers to the questions, and the resolution were not as strong as the set up. The true reasons and even motivations of the missing just don’t seem to ring true for some reason – it all seems a bit too simple with little shades of grey that I expected given the strong characterisation of Miranda and Phillips. However, Blackwood is a fun read with a fantstic set-up and characters you can’t help rooting for – sit back, relax and explore Roanoke Islands mysteries...

Recommended for fans of Jeri Smith-Ready and Tamora Pierce. 7.5 out of 10