Member Reviews
I am a fan of mythology and the Greek mythology was the one I read since I was a child. The main character is Althea, a strong feminine figure and despite all other reviews I think that for her age she has the adequate behavior. We need to consider all the tragedy and the conditions in which she and her sister are living after the death of their mother.
I must say that Althea’s difficult character; her jealousy, stubbornness, and quarrelsome nature sometimes make even Zeus and her sisters tremble.
The ending was a surprise for me, and I will for sure continue reading the sequel of this novel. We discover Althea being in the end the protector of marriage, of women and the sexual side of their existence.
I could not find many representations and interpretation of the Greek myths for Chronos reign and this is amazing that the author could exploit these myths.
Cronus was usually described with a harp, scythe, or sickle, the instrument he used to master, Uranus, his father. During the reign of Cronus, the women were persecuted and not worthy to speak or to be listened. The novel does follow the myth because Cronus - the god of time, even when not identified with the god of time, plays the same role with time: it devours, as it gives birth. He destroys his own creations; it dries up the springs of life by mutilating Uranus and swallows his children or takes their power.
King continues to excel at world building quality YA fantasy series. With a Greek focus, Wings of Fury develops a narrative with a strong female protagonist, adventure and intrigue.
4.5 stars!
I love, love, LOVE this book! The Mythology is divine, the characters are intriguing, the plot kept me on my toes, and the writing was delightful. This story is a myth retold from a woman's point of view and therefore perfect for fans of Circe and The Silence of the Girls.
This is the first book I've read by Emily R. King but it definitely isn't going to be my last! I'm so excited there's going to be a sequel!
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
DNFed at 30%. I'm sick and tired of misogyny in fiction that, yes, is based on real-life injustice and atrocities committed against women worldwide, every single day, but honey... let me have a breather. The premise sounded so interesting at first - the protagonist, Althea, sets out to free the so-called Boy God on Crete and help him seize power in a world ruled by tyrannic Titans and, of course, men. Cool concept (titanomachy?), not so cool execution. The worldbuilding, while first being introduced before the background of my own beloved Thessaly, simply did not live up to my hopes.
The relentless oppression of women in this universe would have been easier to stomach if there had been any consistency to it. Women don't have access through the city gates and are technically not allowed to walk around unless accompanied by a male relative or husband, but the heroine and her sisters - as well as plenty of other women briefly mentioned - do so regardless? The women in this book cover their faces with artfully crafted masks, the velos, to protect themselves from harassment - yet are still harassed? The vestals, chaste priestesses of Gaea, live in a compound exclusively inhabited by women - but their vows and sacred status does not keep men from intruding and desecrating their property?
We know that women in ancient Greece led awful lives, confined to their women's quarters and basically barred from all social life outside of it - but that's grimdark enough and in no need of exaggeration. I never reached the love-triangle I suspect to be established later on in this book - good. The plotting and overall writing did nothing to keep me going either - god knows at one point I only continued reading to find out how on earth a 50-feet tall Cronus is supposed to father children on the normal-sized women he abducts on the regular. But it's probably for the better that I never did.
I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley
Wow this book had me on the edge of my seat talk about an epic fantasy! Moving and world building is top notch!
This YA retelling follows the Lambros sisters - in particular, Althea - as they struggle to overthrow Cronos in the Titan Age of Greece. It essentially focuses on the Olympian creation myth, with Althea taking on the mission of sailing to Crete and helping (a very teenage) Zeus prepare to defeat his tyrannical father in the showdown of all showdowns.
I mean... the guy *did* try to eat him at birth, so he sort of deserves it.
I thought this book had such an interesting premise, focusing on a time period that most Greek mythology retellings tend to skip straight past. It was fast-moving and action-packed, with some fantastically strong female characters and a few guest appearances from some of the older Titans we rarely get to encounter.
For me, the start was much stronger than the second half of the book, which felt a little rushed, but it didn't take anything away from the action - and for a YA book, it would do wonders to introduce younger readers to the world of Ancient Greece.
A quick, easy and enjoyable read 👌
I am really into Greek Mythology so of course I had to pick this book up and it was nice to see that the author didn't follow the original story beat for beat and kept enough that I was never lost or confused. You could see that family is really important to our main character as she strives to protect her sisters as best as she can. The feminism in this book can use a little work but overall the women empowerment definitely played a role in this novel. I liked how we got to see Zeus as a young and naïve boy before his rise to power, and what is was like when the Titans were in power. If you can get past some of the predictability and clichés then is was a pretty alright book.
Three sisters Cleora, Bronte and Althea despise the God
Cronus (known for eating his children) and for treating females as inferior. Cronus is also responsible for the death of their mother Stavra as he got her pregnant and she died following the birth of a half Titan. Cronus sends one of his soldiers to retrieve the baby girl and the soldier brands Althea with an ownership mark vowing to return for her when she is of age.
When Althea is 18 she attends the town market and visits oracles, who tell her her fate and that she must find the Son of Cronus who has been hidden from him as he is the key to his downfall.
Althea journeys with Theo, a soldier who assisted her and her sister Bronte following Cleora’s capture and they encounter the boy god Zeus. Their travels have them meeting many of the gods - Helios, Selene, Eos who try and help them in their task of defeating Cronus.
There is always a twist and nothing is ever as it seems as the pull that Althea has had inside her has a greater explanation than she could ever have imagined.
A fascinating story of the Greek gods that kept me intrigued. I’m looking forward to reading book 2.
Trigger warning: assault and abuse.
This is a thought book, it shows us a world where women are oppressed, treated as objects that have no opinions and no will.
If you know a little bit of Greek mythology, you will recognize several parts of this story, if you are a big fan you may not like the story as much as the author takes certain liberties with the mythology, but even being a big fan, I really liked it.
The author did a great job retelling a story that we already know (the fall of Uranus, and then Zeus knocking Kronos down from the throne) and at the same time bringing new and interesting points that brings a suspense that makes you not know what will happen even though you already know the story.
The final plot twist really surprised me a lot.
I was very happy to read book since I haven't read anything involving Greek mythology in a long time.
I'm anxious to see where the sequence of this book goes since I found the ending very good and well closed.
Wings of Fury by Emily R. King was a delightful Greek mythology rewriting. The characters were all very well-written, and the plot twists were the most surprising.
It is the first time I read a rewriting presenting Zeus fighting Cronus and I loved the fact that the story began with three humble sisters and finished with three of the most powerful women in Greek mythology.
This fantasy novel was light, but very well-constructed and the author did not lost me in her universe one instant.
On the contrary, I didn't feel the need to check the information I did not immediately understand because the author gives clues as we read. The universe and original myths is well rewritten. I found a lot of elements I knew from the original myths and I think it is quite essential for a rewriting to keep some pieces from their original stories.
Finally, Emily R King's way with words is very easy to read, and she uses delightful metaphors. She knows how to express her ideas and write the feelings of her characters.
I finished this novel in two days and I kept thinking about continuing it. I can not wait for Crown of Cinders to be available!
I always enjoy books based in mythology and with Wings of Fury being inspired by Greek mythology it was an interesting story. The characters were interesting and so was the world. I look forward to the next book.
⚱️Get me to the greek... historical fiction! As an archaeology grad and a student of classics I have always been fascinated with anything related to ancient Greece so I was thrilled when I was asked to review Wings of Fury, which is a unique take on the Golden Age and the primordial beings of the second order, the Titans.
♀️A tale of female defiance, Wings of Fury follows a determined band of sisters who dare the challenge the injustices and persecutions suffered by the woman living in a male dominated world at the dawn of Greek civilization. Wings of Fury continues to bear the torch lit by its forebears, the likes of The Silence of the Girls and A Thousand Ships, giving a voice to the forgotten women of Greek mythology.
🌬️Embarking on a quest to vanquish the God of God's, Cronus, the three sisters are set on journey of self discovery and rebirth. Althea, charged by The Moirae in a matter of destiny and plagued by the unrelenting wrath of the Erinyes, overcomes the limitations placed upon her by her gender, finding her wings and the source of her power.
🔱 It is refreshing to see a tale of Greek mythology that is not focused on the gods of Olympus but on the gods of the second order, the Titans. Furthermore, I loved seeing the close, personal interplay between the Gods and the mortals on the same plain instead of the more common depiction of the gods acting as puppeteers interfering with their human playthings from their lofty realm.
🎭 Not one for the classicist purist however, you have to be willing to overlook a bit of artistic licence and a few discrepancies but what is mythology and folklore if not the constantly revision and reinterpretation of these much recited stories?
I was lucky enough to work on this fabulous book. Emily's fascinating world-building, strong characters, and wonderful sisterhood made for an epic Greek myth retelling. I cannot wait for book 2 and to find out more of Althea's story.
This is a great retelling of Greek mythology with new and exciting twists and turns. King takes on a feminist perspective of the era and surprises you with the story you already know. I loved the detail that went into the setting and the ancient Greece feel to the book. I think that a lot of it is cliché and sometimes event forced, and there are a bunch of plot holes. Like the love triangle doesn't make sense and some of the scenes just don't have a point. I would say that it isn't the most well written book, but it does have a unique perspective and if you like clichés it's the right book for you. Since it is Y.A I'm not too surprised to be honest, the writing is for people younger than me (but there is more adult content???). King does have some really good quotes in here though. Lastly, I think that this book's feminist approach is kind of weird because King brushes off topics such as rape and sexual assault if there are more in the series, these issues need to be addressed properly.
This book was just ok and yes I struggled reading this one and I admit I almost quit reading this one.
I will not be continuing on with this series .
Wings of Fury is the first installment in author Emily R. King's Wing of Fury series. In the beginning, there were three sisters: Cleora, Bronte, and Althea who were raised by their mother Stavra in Thessaly where women are mostly powerless and vulnerable. The God of Gods, aka Cronus, has reigned supreme in this world for 400 years. He takes pleasure in taking whatever woman he desires with no consequences for his actions. When Althea's impatience gets the best of her, she attacks a General named Decimus who puts a curse on her.
Basically it's a claim of ownership which means he can come for her whenever she reaches adulthood. In the process, Stavra is taken and spends 10 months with the God of Gods. When she returns home, she's pregnant. She makes Althea promise that she will protect her older sisters no matter what happens even though she's the youngest. Family doesn't abandon family and that means not even the bastard baby who is quickly taken away almost the minute she's born. In this world, parents disfigure their daughters intentionally as to make them undesirable to Cronus.
Althea knows that she must get away before Decimus comes for her. Althea meets an Oracle who knows about her oath to Stavra, as well as the fact that she sees darkness in her future. They do see a bright spot. They see an end to Cronus's tyranny in the form of a clever hero hidden away among mortals on the Island of Crete as well as a woman who desires justice and freedom. Althea may or may not be the special snowflake to break Cronus reign, but she's damn well not going to go down whimpering.
Althea has to find a boy god named Zeus on the island of Crete which doesn't allow any men to remain on the island. With the help of a soldier named Theo, an ex-soldier of the Almighty who longs to protect his mother from Cronus's wrath, along with her sisters, they soon find that Crete isn't exactly what they imagined. The island is filled with rescued women who were helped by Stavra and others. The island has no use for men, and Theo's presence is a distraction which leads to some stunning surprises and Althea facing her destiny when she meets Cronus face to face.
The story itself is set in the Greek Golden Age era and explores the women place and treatments during this mystical period when while men enjoyed peace, progress and fortune, women were not more than breeding slaves owned by men. By the end of the book, the author is dangling all sorts of twists and surprises for the reader to sift through. Especially when it comes to who Althea and her sisters really are. In that manner, one could call this a villains origin story since it is claimed that neither Zeus or Hera were good people.
You cannot have Greek Mythology without the drama because that is the reality of the time period and the stories that were written about the alleged Greek Gods who ruled the world. I haven't read a story about Cronus and his downfall in a very long time. I want to see how this story goes now that the key pieces are in place. We know that this will likely be three installments. I do believe it is fair to say that there are plenty of villains in this story beginning with Decimus and ending with Cronus.
People actually believed that Cronus ate all of his children to prevent them from ending his reign like he did to Uranus. I would call Decimus a pervert due to the fact that he lusted after an 11-year-old girl for 7 years, even going so far as to curse her with a mark on the back of her neck warning everyone else away from her. It's also a strange paradox that women are not allowed to go outside without wearing a mask. Apparently, the sequel called Crown of Cinder, will be releasing sometime in October which is good that readers don't have to wait so long to find out what's next. I do hope one thing. The resolution of the so called love triangle needs to be fixed quickly.
The tricky thing about retellings and manipulations of myth is that if not for some refreshing particulars - some truly Promethean twists or revolutionary perspective - they're a tried-and-tested trap for predictable plots. Wings of Fury is an appreciable (if fairly anachronistic) attempt at a fresh account of an age-old feud, a refashioning of the godly fray's rippling factional frictions with authentic-passing ambiance, but it falls flat in its frenzied rush to move forward with the falling action and fails to reverberate with much real force. For the same reason, its lead actors don't appear fully fleshed-out, their attributes leaning towards the lackluster and their feats leaving less of a footprint upon their avail. Still, the staunch spirit of sisterhood, showcased sentiments about liberty, and susceptibilities to self-sacrifice for sibling love were sturdily staged, and some of the shuffles and switches spun from the lore were solidly original orchestrations, but their substance was otherwise shunted by the speeding stumblings of the story and its less subtle setbacks and omissions.
I decided to give this book a chance and I am so glad I did! I loved where the author took the story and the main characters were super relatable. The story was easy to read which I really enjoy. Great book!
I remember coming across some of Emily’s books a few years ago and thinking, ‘ohh inneee to read this.’ And enjoying it so much. The Hundredth Queen was lovely. So I KNEW I would enjoy this book. And the plot had me sold. I’m a sucker for books that revolve around mythology, gods/goddesses. Throw in a strong and stubborn underdog woman and I am enthralled. Althea, our main character here (one of many but the main main we will say) is strong, stubborn, curious and always looking out for her siblings. They live in a temple with servants of the goddess Gaea after their parents passing. However Althea is in hiding from a soldier who has seemingly decided that she is his to keep. Causing the three sisters to need to escape. But hiccups happen and one of the sisters needs help and then Althea is thrown into a prophecy she never knew existed- one that hinges on her. My only dislike was the use of the word slave. Although I know it was probably the correct term during the said time period, I feel servant would have been just as easily used. That being said, I enjoyed it and am really excited for the next book!
this book is a mythological, feminist masterpiece. the suspense behind althea's destiny was so, so satisfying as well, and something that kept me in the dark until the moment of the reveal itself. the relationship between hera and zeus was inherently unique as well and i consider it to be a welcome deviating from tradition. moreover, the portrayal of zeus himself was uplifting, inspiring, and, again, never before seen. for the first time in my lengthy experience with greek mythology, i find myself admiring zeus and hera! this was a refreshing change of pace and one that i am greatly anticipating buying.