I found this book rather enjoyable. It is a Junior Fiction book so keep that in mind while reading it. I wanted more, but I also understand that it written perfect for a younger group (still good, but just less depth than a book aimed at the older crowd).

This book picks up right where the Disney movie leaves off. I liked reading more about the backstory of Meg and her journey and growth. The book characters are the same ones you know and love from the movie (though sadly no singing muses in the book). If you kid enjoyed the movie they are going to enjoy this.

This story is based on the Hercules story, but in this twisted tale, Megara is sent on a quest and must become a god!

This one is a quick, fun read that had me routing for Meg all the way! You will have to read to find out how she does on her quest!

On a scale of good, great or fantastic, this was really GOOD!!

3.5 stars! This book was super cute! I love the spinoff of one of my favorite Disney movies, Hercules, and I think it could be a great sequel! I really like that it focuses more on Meg since you don't really get to know her too much in the movie and I think she deserved to have her own story. She is strong willed, confident and can take care of herself but I love that this book focuses on her desire to love and be loved. Some of it was a bit far fetched but it's Disney so anything can happen! This was my first twisted tale and I cant wait to read the rest of them!!


Thank you to netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.


Review will be posted on my bookstagram within the week http://www.instagram.com/RINNEYREADS

I think that the story in this book was predictable and familiar. This combination made it both feel a tad bit boring but also cozy and comfortable. The plot was decent. The reader follows the story of Meg, who strives to become a hero. She must face a series of challenges in an allotted amount of time. She makes many mistakes along the way but eventually learns a valuable lesson. This book is true to Disney, with a very happy ending. The characters in the books were exactly how they are portrayed in the movie. Meg was stubborn. She insisted on doing things her own way. All of the gods behaved just as you would expect them to behave, with one exception. At one point in the story, Hades becomes angry and his flame turns blue. It ought to turn red if it is going to be just like the movie. Later, in the story, his flame turns red when he is angry.

I appreciated how the author used many greek words and objects such as the lyre. However, I was surprised at the use of the word baklava. This is a Turkish dessert. However, there does seem to be some debate on if it originated in ancient Greece. All the same, I do not see any Greek hero saying "piece of baklava". On the bright side, this would inspire readers to research the unfamiliar term. On the not-so-bright side, this figure of speech may be out of place both linguistically and culturally.

I was disappointed in the style of writing. We spent far too much time inside Meg's head. Some paragraphs were nothing but repetitive questioning on Meg's part. Much of the writing consisted of conversations between characters but lacked descriptive detail. I wanted to see the look on their faces. I wanted to see their body language. I didn't need the author to tell me how they felt. I wanted to see it.

The author described the setting a little bit, but I longed for more descriptive writing. I wanted to use all of my senses in this story. Show me, don't tell me.

3.5 stars.

“Oh, what the hell." She stepped in and pressed the button.
Maybe using the word hell was her mistake. The doors closed and then opened again, filling with smoke that wound its way around her shoulders and down her body before she could react. She found herself being pulled forward.
Hades's face suddenly appeared inches from her own. "Hello there, Meg-let. Miss me?”

This was a really cute "twisted tale" that continues the story right from the end of Disney's "Hercules" movie- now that Hercules is a god, what happens to Meg & their relationship? Hera gives the Meg the opportunity to join Hercules as a god, but she has to prove her worth first.

"Hercules" is probably my favorite Disney movie and Megara is 100% my favorite Disney ~heroine~ so I knew I had to pick this one up. It is definitely not my usual book style - it's definitely young adult and could pass for middle grade at times. It's fun, light and cheesy and has everything you'd want from this story. We get all the characters we loved from the movie: Pegasus, Hercules, Zeus, Phil, Hades & more + some new fun additions. Meg and Hades are sassy as always and there's tons of nods to classic greek mythology (though most things are sugar coated).

All in all a fun, fast paced story and I'd love to see it get made into a movie.

* I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*.

I feel like I have to start this review by mentioning that Hercules is my favourite Disney movies. I have a Meg quote tattoo, I’m even planning on another piece so when I saw this book I knew I was going to have to read it!

What I liked
• the random quotes from the movies sprinkled throughout especially “I’m a big girl tie my own sandals and everything”
• Meg reckless and impulsiveness because it felt really true to the characters
• The action scenes were really good
• The pacing was really quick and it felt like it fly by
• the message about love and teamwork
• The intertwining of the Hades and Persephone myth

What I didn’t love
• That the message (love beats all, trust love, vulnerability) showed up every couple pages. It started to feel heavy handed by the end
• I didn’t love the Hades Character. I really wanted to but he was a character that lacked for me
• I wish we had more Wonder boy

Overall though I think this was my favourite Twisted tale but again probably because of nostalgia and my love of Hercules

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion for the ARC though netgalley. All opinions are my own!

I was so excited when I heard about this book! Hercules is one of my favorite movies, so this book was right up my alley! I had a really fun time reading this book and reading from Meg’s perspective. I think it was a nice, cute fantasy that was definitely needed in between reading so many dark fantasies. My only main critique is that some of the dialogue and writing seemed a bit juvenile. I know that it is meant to take place right after the Disney movie, but some of the conversations and lines seem just a little childish.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book and can’t wait to read more books in the Twisted Tale series!

I really enjoyed this re-telling of one of my favorite disney movies. I haven't read middle grade books in a while but this story reminded me of how creative and well written they are. Meg was an absolute spark! I love strong women characters and her depiction is something I can see young girls aspiring to become. My favorite parts were the Hades-Persephone scenes! They're my absolute favorite greek mythology couple. And, of course, seeing Megs journey outside of being Hercules' love interest in the movie.

What if Meg had to become a god? This book was a perfect continuation of the Hercules Disney movie. The author did an amazing job of keeping the characters in character from the movie. I loved it.

A great addition to the Twisted Tales series! While I enjoyed the storyline and that it pretty much picks up at the end of the film, this version of Meg was hard for me to picture. The character interactions keep you engaged, but I was left wishing for more.

I was really hopeful about this book, because for all its inaccuracy I love the Hercules movie and thought this seemed like a really cool addition to this universe. I definitely didn't hate the book by any means, but it didn't work for me in the way that I was hoping, and in general I'm fairly ambivalent to it. If you liked the other Twisted Tales though, I definitely think that it's a good book to try.

I personally found the transition between the part of the story from the movie and the original addition to Megara's story slightly clunky, which threw off my reading experience. Seeing this part of the story in a different format, as this last part of the movie was quite closely described at the beginning, just didn't work for me. I also wasn't necessarily a fan of how Megara's character changed from how she was in the movie to her growth throughout the book, but that's a personal preference.

I did like how this twisted version of the Hercules story was conceptualised. Some of the books in this series are prequels, or re-imaginings of existing stories, but this takes the ending of the original movie and asks "But what if?" which was a really interesting take. It explores Megara more as her own character outside of Hercules and his story, which was also great, and I think that those who wished Megara were slightly different in the movie in terms of characterisation will like this take on her.

I definitely don't think this is a "bad" book - the concept and the way it adds to the story are solid - but the execution didn't work out for me personally. I do think that this is a really great book for younger readers who are bridging the gap between reading and watching, and I also think that it could be well suited to those who may not have watched the original Hercules movie. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, but I will still be keeping an eye on the Twisted Tales series.

This book didn't hold my interest as much as I thought it would. I loved Disney's Hercules when I was younger so I thought I would love this book. I liked it but I didn't love it.

* I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and @disneybooks for an honest review.*

In this what if adventure, we find out what would have happened if Meg was allowed the opportunity to become a god and join Hercules on Mount Olympus. This book takes place after the events of the Disney classic movie. In this book instead of Hercules getting to become mortal again to stay with Meg on Earth, his parents don’t allow that to happen. Instead Hera gives Meg a quest and if she succeeds she will get to become a god herself. Only catch is she has 10 days to claim a soul from the Underworld. No biggie.

I love the movie so when I saw this was being released I knew I would have to read it. Overall I really enjoyed the book. Meg’s character was at times annoying, and the overall message of accepting love seemed to be repeated often. The action scenes were fantastic. I also feel like the author did a great job of capturing the essence of the characters from the film. In the end, I would highly recommend this book if you loved the original Disney movie, or if you love Greek mythology in general.

I was gifted an ARC of this book from Disney via Netgalley in return for my honest review.

I have read "A Whole New World" and "Unbirthday" from this series and this one was by far my favorite. "A Whole New World" was a genuine retelling. "Unbirthday"was a distant prequel. Go the Distance is an immediate addition to Hercules, I think this is what the story worked for me. It didn't touch the story we love but it did give us more. The plot was far more believable and enjoyable to that of "Unbirthday".

Was it perfect no. For an individual that went on a "quest" Meg had very little quest happening. In fact she only had two in total. I think it could've had a little more but I'm not disappointed in what she did. Is a solid 4? Eh more like a 3.75. I did enjoy it, I read it pretty quickly and I didn't find myself getting bored. Did Meg frustrated me at times absolutely but over all this was a good book. Its The first I'd recommend from those I've read.

Being a giant Disney movie nerd and still loving to watch the movies as an adult, the Twisted Tales series has slowly become one of my favorite guilty pleasure reads. I never expect anything to be amazing but I do expect these books to be fun! Go The Distance is no exception. It's a fun story and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be back in the Hercules movie world. Is the writing phenomenal? No it's okay, but I don't care because these books bring in almost a nostalgia aspect when I read them. I'm immediately transported to the world/movies of my childhood and I'm so happy to be there.

I was very excited for Go The Distance because Hercules is my favorite Disney movie of all time and I was stoked to learn more about Meg and her story in this book. Overall I felt the Calonita did an admiral job of capturing the nature and personalities of all the characters based on their movie portrayals. Hercules was our typical Golden Boy hero always trying to do the right thing and save the day. Phil was his usual "I'm retired and don't want to help anybody on epic quests but oh look I've found a soft spot for you." Meg had her sarcastic, sassy, and independent nature that I love because it's basically my personality. I think there were points where the author did lose a bit of Meg's personality in the book, but the expansion of the backstory was so wonderful to read about and explore.

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions on this book are my own.

go the distance picks up at the end of the disney film, where, instead of remaining on earth with megara, hercules becomes a god on mount olympus and zeus forbids his relationship with a mortal. hera offers meg a solution: complete a quest and become a god as well.

this had all the elements a fun adventure story—a high-stakes quest, a hades/persephone subplot, greek mythology in general,—but the execution just fell flat. it reads more like bland middle grade fiction than ya, it turns a tough, sarcastic heroine into a sappy mary sue, and the dialogue is so stilted.

i really wanted to love this because i am a disney fangirl at heart and i like the premise, but the only part i actually enjoyed reading was the hades/persephone storyline.

Mortals aren’t allowed to live on Mt. Olympus, so what will Megara have to accomplish in order to live happily ever after with Hunkcules.. I mean HERCULES?!

In this installment from the Disney Twisted Tales, all the focus is on Megara and was I so excited. I feel like from the movie point of view, we didn’t get to see as much of her actual character as I would have liked, so this book was much needed and much anticipated!

Meg found herself pretty much in the same situation as Hercules. She needed to prove herself to the gods in order to become a goddess and I ADORED watching Meg find her way and truly find peace with herself and her past.

Jen Calonita did a stellar job making me feel like this was the Megara I grew up with (i.e. snarky and totally uncommitted to love) but also someone who is willing to do anything to be with someone they might just love.. even if she believes there’s no chance, no way, she will say she’s in love ;). But i truly enjoyed watching Meg grow and loved loved loved seeing all of my favorite characters from the movie making appearances throughout her journey. But most of all, I really loved and needed the background story I’ve been waiting for of why Meg feels the way she does.

Does this story feel like it was written a bit young? A little. BUT, it’s a book based off of a children’s movie and I loved how simple and easy it was to read, I could have done with seeing a bit more struggle but in the end, this was still a five star read from me and I definitely can’t wait to read more of the Disney Twisted Tales!

This was such a fun read. It definitely reads like a continuation of the Disney film rather than a twist on it. It also read a bit lower than young adult to me. Like I feel like I would find this on a middle grade shelf. I still really enjoyed the twists on familiar old characters

Go the Distance by Jen Calonita

First I want to thank Netgalley, Jen and Disney Books for allowing me to have an advance readers copy of this lovely book. I have seen these twisted tales of Disney everywhere, but this was my first one an now I know I have to pick up the others!

This book ups up right where the Disney movie “Hercules” ends. Now that he has become a God, Meg is forced to return to earth. Of course, Hercules doesn’t want that, so his mother sends Meg on a quest with a reward of being a God and being with Wonder Boy for the rest of eternity, if she can finish in time. We get to see Megs past life and what shaped her into the woman that she is now.

If you were obsessed with this movie when you were little and loved Meg (like me) you will LOVE this book. The author gives us Meg’s back story that is heartbreakingly beautiful. This was probably my favorite Disney movie when I was little and started my love for Greek mythology. This story is not only about Meg, but features our two favorite lovers – Hades and Persephone.

I gave this book a 5/5 stars. I truly loved it and I cant wait to read the other twisted tales!

I loved this book so much! Meg is such a great character, and I loved she still had that spark that she had in the movie. Her story is both so beautiful and sad because you know she and her mother were doing the best they could. Like the journey that Hercules had to go on so did Meg, and her story was even more emotional. Also, one of my favorite moments had to be her calling out Zeus in the beginning and doing it in front of everyone. Also the epilogue was so beautiful. And one of the things that shocked me was seeing Persephone and Hades together, was a great moment. Also Meg helping them after everything Hades did to her. Meg was such a great main character and I loved seeing her bond with Phil and Pegasus. And the story of Meg’s life before Hades with her mother, was so emotional and you can see how she became herself. Overall, this book was so enjoyable it reminded me so much of when I was younger and how I would watch this movie every week.