Book Review: Hunt of the Gods

Hey, writers and readers!

It’s not a good month without an indie novel or two. Today I’ll be reviewing Hunt of the Gods (Areios Brothers #2) by Amy Braun.

Check out the review below and make sure to give your two cents in the comments section if you’ve already read the book, too!

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis

Two months have passed since Derek Areios—war-scion and heir of Ares—and his fellow scion friends recovered both the Thunderbolt of Zeus and the Heart of the Devourer and returned them to the Gods. During the battle, Derek discovered he could also control the dark element “aether,” making him the only scion alive to wield two types of elemental magic.

Commanded by Zeus to retrieve the Trinity Weapons and the Shards of Cronus, Derek and the rogue scions are thwarted in their goal by a gang of water scions with a grudge against one of the rogues—Thea, heir of Poseidon. Both groups travel to an uninhabited island to recover one of the Shards: the Eye that belonged to Cronus, King of the Titans. But what they encounter will lead them down a path of brutal betrayals, hard truths, painful memories, and desperate actions.

Now Derek has angry and impatient gods breathing down his neck, a curse that allows Ares to control him, a prophecy he’s desperate to avoid, a magic spear corrupting his thoughts, and two forms of elemental magic. He definitely has a lot of baggage and a lot of power. Will the price of using that power to satisfy the Gods be too much for him to pay?

What I Enjoyed

I read the first book and really enjoyed it. And to summarize, I love books that really nail the retelling thing down whether it’s mythology, folklore, or fairy tales. It’s just fun.

So I wasn’t surprised that this book would be a fun ride. In fact, most of what I wanted to see in the first book ended up in this book. I love how Braun reimagines the Greek gods in modern times—what they would look like or sound like if they came back and demanded our complete devotion. We get to meet more characters in this book and we get knee-deep in some Greek mythology that anyone with basic knowledge on the subject will understand and enjoy.

But I’m not just a sucker for Greek mythology. Braun nailed the pacing in this book where we get fast-paced fight scenes and cool down moments. With Braun’s worldbuilding, she keeps up with her own rules to the point where it’s easy to jump in and understand the weight of Derek’s decisions.

My Final Thoughts

I mentioned this on Instagram but I mean it: you’ll really love this series if you loved Lightning Thief and you’re ready for something that has grown up with you. The book is also appropriate for teen readers and up. Braun touches on the real nature of the Greek gods and their insatiable appetites which I think is good for readers of all ages.

I hope I shared enough to still pique your curiosity without giving too much away. If you’d like to learn more about Amy Braun and her work, you can catch up with her on social media:

• Website
• Amazon
• Goodreads
• Twitter
• Facebook

Do you have thoughts about this novel? Share with me in the comments! You can also see all of my other book reviews by checking out the Book Reviews tab.