This is a very hard book to characterise. Having read it, I do completely understand why the Goodreads tags are so scattered!

The first 50% of the book reads like "General Fiction" - a feminist mythology retelling about Zeus and Cronus from a female perspective. It's not a myth I've seen get so much attention, and that's why I was interested in it. I've read a LOT of Iliad retellings, and wanted something new. I enjoyed seeing the myth deconstructed with a very "Zeus is a petulant child" angle.

Then the book takes a very fantasy turn, that just increases more and more towards the ending, as Zeus trains. I'd guessed the big final twist, and then accidentally had it confirmed when I was searching for the general consensus on the genre, which only upped the "this half feels like fantasy" vibe I was getting. This only intensified towards the finale, which was very much a fantasy final battle.

This section is also what made the book feel less adult and more leaning towards YA or NA with how the romance was handled. You could tell there was a romance being set up, but I was hoping it was going to avoid the more common "betrayal" story line and instead take a nuanced look at trust and undoing prejudice. Althea has her own prejudices against men that would have been really interesting to get into, and exploring how - and if - a healthy relationship can spring up. But that didn't happen.

Between these things, it felt like more two different books stitched together - an adult general fiction interrogation of a myth and then a YA/NA fantasy loosely based on a myth. I think, had I been expecting it to be younger and more fantasy, I might have been less thrown by it, but the start and marketing made me expect something very different and I struggled with that having really loved the apparent trajectory of the first half.

I think anyone who adores mythology will be intrigued by this book because it's about the mighty Titan Cronus who was overthrown by his son Zeus. It's something that doesn't get written about often and yes there's plenty of stories about what could have happened after but not the actual rise to power of Zeus.
This story centres around Althea a strong minded young woman willing to do whatever it takes to look after sisters although initially she has no idea that she's crucial to a prophecy.. She has been cursed by Decimus who actually made quite a nasty villain but he actually paled when Cronus entered the picture because that nasty baby eating God is just vain and pretty homicidal. Althea is tasked by the Fates to find the teenage Zeus but I have to say upon initially meeting him I defy anyone to be impressed by him because urgh he's not exactly heroic ! There is a love interest in this story for Althea but I thought their relationship ran hot and cold and just didn't have me exactly feeling warm and fuzzy. We do meet other Gods although they just felt flat and sadly as much as I enjoyed the last couple of pages I did end up feeling slightly nonplussed and not sure it delivered what I'd hoped for.
My final thoughts are as much as I absolutely loved this authors Evermore Chronicles this particular book didn't wow me. Clearly aimed at a younger reader than I am although it has to be said that the Titans are pretty brutal and this book does contain violent acts. Clearly there's more to come as this ends with Althea whilst not exactly triumphant she has accomplished something and yes she has most definitely gained more besides but my lips are sealed.

First off, I LOVE Greek mythology! And what I love most about this book is that it doesn’t use the conventional and usual Greek mythological stories. Instead, Wings of Fury by @emily_r_king is set while Cronus still ruled. The Titan Prometheus has made humans but they live their lives in service to the Titans. Althea, a strong willed character finds out that in order to save her sisters and escape Thessaly, she must help the Boy God Zeus overtake his fathers crown.

Emily R. King has an amazing writing style with amazing descriptions and details that just add to the settings of the book. Her characters are also intricately constructed and easy to love.

Althea is an inspiring woman. In times where women are dismissed as their husbands property and have little rights in society, forced to hide behind masks, Althea stands up for herself and refuses to give her life away to a marriage where she will be silenced.

The other thing I loved about this book, the plot twists! Betrayal, surprise character reveals, this book has it all!

I won’t lie, it has me crying from the prologue the language and story was just so emotive! And that’s always a good sign for me!

This was my first book by Emily R. King but I will certainly be checking more of her work out soon!