In a reimagining of the Herculean labors, Gen must compete with the power-hungry Castor for a boon from their Empresses. Gen will use her Amazonian (here called Mazon) strength and her ability to influence or even control animals' minds to try and exonerate her father of a crime she's sure he didn't commit. Intervention from the Empresses is the only way to get him released from prison, especially since public opinion has labeled him a terrifying mind-control murderer. Castor has her own reasons for taking on impossible tasks. Her island's primogeniture laws mean the duchy will pass to her useless brother instead of to her, the one with actual business acumen and ambition. She needs the Empresses to change the outdated, misogynistic laws since her father will never see reason otherwise. She completes challenges using her twin powers of throwing both lightning bolts and money at problems that present themselves. When all else fails, she's happy to bully others into submission or intimidate them into compliance.

Throughout the challenges, I appreciated the way the multiple POVs are handled. Castor shines as this twisted version of someone who could have been a heroine if she weren't ruthless, self-centered, and arrogant. She's also queer (possibly a lesbian), so we love that for her. Gen is a blend of ferocity and insecurity, growing in strength on multiple fronts the more tasks she completes. Her love interest, Pollux, is also Castor's brother. He adds a nice third flavor to the POVs as someone who trusts and loves easily, a sort of kind, bumbling helper. He also happens to be a violin virtuoso and capable of hurling weather around like his sister.

The world is vaguely Greek inspired in terms of names and creatures. A monkey with a hundred eyes is Argos, for example. However, this isn't a retelling or even set in Greece. It's its own world with its own rules. In some ways, I think that's a refreshing take since it's not beholden to an ancient society as the sole source of material. I didn't find it hard to follow the magic system or the touch of lore.

In terms of relationships, the tumultuous sibling bond between Castor and Pollux is intriguing, but the romantic entanglement between Pollux and Gen fell flat for me. Pollux has long held a starstruck crush on Gen, resulting in a cross between hero worship and love. Gen ends up falling for Pollux because of his relatively straightforward adoration. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it, exactly. But I'm not particularly inspired by an emotional bond with that as the foundation.

Furthermore, I didn't find the plot as engaging as I anticipated. It's an adventure story in constant motion, which often appeals to me, but in this case, nothing roused my curiosity, empathy, or enthusiasm to make the journey worth it. Approaching each task felt like crossing something off a list rather than an experience unto itself that held my whole attention. This book has good bones, and it's kicking off a new series with a cast of fun characters and many adventures ahead. I think many ya fantasy readers will enjoy the ride and come back for more. Thanks to Flux for my copy to read and review!

The premise of this book made me want to read it as soon as I saw it, and it really delivered everything it promised! It was fast-paced, fun, adventurous and the competition was as interesting as you might imagine.

Game of Strength and Storm brings us a story of two characters, both determined to win a competition but with very different methods and overall goals. It brings us a reimagined story of the labors of Hercules, with the tasks divided between two girls. Our first protagonist, Gen, has found herself here because she wants the empresses' pardon for her father who's in prison for crimes Gen believes he didn't commit. She is fierce and determined, but most of all good and kind and her morals guide her through some very tough situations. She is judged harshly for the magic she possesses, but she's still full of love, for her family, and her animal friends. On the other hand, we have Castor, who is here because she wants to inherit the island of Arcadia instead of her brother Pollux. With her father currently reigning, she knows there's no other way to accomplish that but to gain the empresses' endorsement. She possesses much different magic from Gen's but she is ruthless and determined to a fault. To achieve their goals, the girls must race against each other, as there are ten tasks to be completed and there can be only one winner - the one who completes more challenges first.

First of all, I want to say I'm so glad I read this. I've been in the mood for exactly a book like Game of Strength and Storm, with its magic, its interesting world, and the impossible challenges. The plot was great and the pacing was really good, fast, and even - there was no dragging towards the middle. It took me maybe a chapter to really get into the story. I think the world was really interesting, and I wish there was a bit more world-building. The world is clearly ancient Greece-adjacent, and I wish we got a bit more information about how everything works. There are Oracles mentioned, and there are the Empresses but I wish we knew if there are gods or any such entities. Other than that, I really liked the different types of magic we see, and I hope the next book will explore them even more.

Gen is definitely my favorite character in the novel. We know the most about her, she's the most developed character, with a full backstory, and with her personality, it's easy to love her. Gen's mother was a Mazon (where she gets her superhuman strength from) and her father is a MindWorker, just like she is. Being a MindWorker for her means she gets to communicate with animals and also that she is ostracized from wider society, as everyone is afraid of her. Especially with her father, in prison for murders for which it's believed he used his powers. She walks into the challenges selflessly, only thinking about her father and saving him. She also refuses to make her animal friends stay with her, she wants them to want to be there. She is a great, strong character, she is what you would imagine if you thought of a hero. We know much more about her, and we see more of her so I've defaulted to seeing Gen as the main main character, if that makes sense, but her story and her character are interesting enough that it is no surprise.

Castor, on the other hand, is definitely harder to sympathize with. Yet, I do like her as a character. She comes off as cunning, cold, and ambitious, but beneath that, she just seemed scared. Terrified of not being good enough, of being left behind of being in her brother, Pollux's shade. She sees her brother as soft and therefore unfit to rule, so she justifies her actions as wanting what's best for Arcadia, but frankly, I think she wants to be the one in power for once. While Pollux is willing to share his throne, she constantly says she doesn't want a pity-half of everything, she wants the entire thing. She definitely does many inexcusable things, and hurts many people (and animals) without any real necessity, so she's very hard to like but she's nonetheless a very interesting character. She has many moments in her chapters where we see her lashing out of hurt, acting impulsively, and often expressing regret for the things she's done. Her place in the world, in her family, is what's hardened her, so we see her snapping back to her cold self even after honest moments of doubt. I think there is so much more to her than we saw in the book, and I wish the second book puts her in the forefront more, as I would love to see more of her (and maybe see how her story with a girl she's met plays out).

I will be very short on Pollux, I loved him as a character but I definitely wish we knew more about him as well as Castor. This is probably why I felt like Gen was the sole main character, even though all three have their POV chapters - she is the most fleshed-out one. Pollux was super sweet from what we've seen. He and Castor are twins, and they could not be more different. He is fierce in his own way, but he is quiet, thoughtful, and gentle. I really liked him as a love interest, and this is a great book if you love stories where the boy falls first.

All in all, I thought this was a great book, a great start to the story and I cannot wait for the next one! The way it ended definitely left me wanting more immediately. As I mentioned, I hope the next book brings more world-building, magic, and Castor and Pollux! I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy fast-paced adventures and interesting characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!

This took a while to get into, but the set up paid off and I hope there will be a sequel. There was some really interesting world- building that was similar to a Greek mythology re-imagining. Two main characters , Gen and Castor, of which I much preffered Gen. There were some big plot twists and overall would recommend. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for approving me for this e-ARC.

Rachel Menard creates a really awesome world that was built on the Greek myths - the plot twists are ones I did not see coming at all! I think Menard creates a really fun world and pretty awesome characters! I think those that are a bit too old for Percy Jackson will really love this one because it has similar vibes and it was a really fun and entertaining read with characters you really want to root for!

First of all, thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for approving me for this ARC. I’m very appreciative. Now for the review.

I’m happy I pushed through this book but it was a rough start for me. I could not get into it and it was a long time coming. It is definitely a solid YA book I’m sure many people will like. I loved the overall story and plot but I wasn’t racing to see where the plot went or excited to get to the next chapter. I just don’t think this book was for me.

I've been on a greek mythology kick so this book definitely fed into that! I loved the retelling aspect and world building was done super well. My one thing is the romance felt like it came a bit out of nowhere, it didn't have the slow build I was expecting.

Our main characters Gen who’s a former circus performer with her dad has a wish to get her dad out of prison for a murder he didn’t commit and Castor who’s wish is to rule her island instead of her brother. Once a year the Empresses grants wishes of ten people but this year there’s a twist. To have their wishes granted they need to complete against each other and complete the wishes of the other 8.

This book has magic, love and most of all it’s a retelling of hercules with a female twist.

I loved Gen the most but I did feel like the romance was a little out of nowhere; There wasn’t much build up to it.

This a 4 star read for me and it I did really enjoy it. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t keep putting it down for a different book.

I've always been fond of stories involving Greek mythology, and this story is no exception. This story follows two main perspectives: Gen, the last of the race of Mazons who's wish is to get her father back, and Castor, the daughter of ruler of Acadia who longs to take over and become Duchess. Both characters request a favors from the Empresses during the lottery, and find themselves in competition to find their wishes fulfilled.

This story has two unique perspectives that both add a lot to this story. It is primarily plot driven, but does have some character development through relationships between characters. It was also really enjoyable to see all the different nods to greek mythology that I picked up, as well as the different ways the two characters go about completing the tasks.

The end of this story also seems to lend itself to a sequel and I will absolutely be looking forward to that!

Initial Thoughts
I was super excited to be chosen for this tour. I love Greek Mythology and I love retellings so this book sounded right up my alley.

Some Things I Liked
Multiple POVs. I always love this feature. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with multiple POVs that I didn’t like. I just feel like it adds such a richness to the storytelling and this book was no exception.
Retelling elements. This book uses a lot of familiar characters and elements from Greek Mythology but in a unique and creative way and I loved that. I also loved the idea of the main myth being gender-bent.
Competition element. Again, this is another feature I almost always love. This story was filled with action and adventure and it allowed the story to feature so many elements of Greek Mythology that I loved reading about.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
The romance. This book isn’t labeled as a “fantasy romance” but I was hopeful for more romance than we got. I’d love to see it expanded upon in the next book.

Series Value
I’d definitely continue with this series. I loved the world and the characters.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I think if the romance had been a touch more prominent, it would have been a five star read but overall, this was a solid debut from an author that I’d love to read more from.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

loved 2/3 of the mcs but COULD NOT GET INTO THE THIRD every time I read her perspective I was mad at her. LOVE the magic system tho it's wonderful

I saw this book shelved as LGBT and since the two main characters are on the cover I believed it will be a Sapphic enemies to lovers but I was wrong...
I was interested in the plot and the setting, but didn't love the book.
It felt repetitive and the characters were inconsistent in their behavior. The romance felt too rushed.
Ended in a cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed this book! One of my favorite parts about it was the world building. It was so well developed and there was never a moment that I didn’t feel totally immersed in it. Not to mention, I loved all of the Greek mythology references. I was so excited when I heard that this was a Hercules retelling, and it definitely didn’t disappoint on that front. While there were moments that I felt like the energy of the book dipped sometimes, I was usually engaged in the plot, and so excited to see what was going to happen next. As for the characters, I really liked Gen and Castor. I just fell in love with Gen’s character and loved to see how she developed throughout the story. With Castor, her story was just as complex and developed, and I’m so excited to see where her character arc will go from there. I think the only thing that fell a little flat for me was the romance. While I thought it was okay, it wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t feel much chemistry between them. Maybe that’s just because the development of the romance felt a bit forced, but hopefully the second book will give them time to further develop and flesh out the relationship and build that chemistry. I guess we’ll see. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m excited for the next one!

This book was incredible! Such a fantastic array of characters and the magical world they live in. Entertaining, compelling, imaginative, everything you want from a YA adventure SERIES! Cause I can’t wait for the next one!

I feel so bad right now. Because I actually follow this author on social media. I love her skits for Book Emergency. But this book however, I just didn't like it at all. I just think that the execution of this one fell short of what I was looking for. The POVs just don't work for the story and it all felt tossed together.

Thank you, NetGalley, North star editions and Flux, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people chosen by a lotter, for a price, of course. Gen is former circus performer and she wants the freedom of her father, sentenced to life prison for a crime he didn't commit. Castor wants to change the rules in the island Arcadia, but only if the Empress will change the laws that require a male heir. To get what they want, Gen and Castor have to race and complete the better half of ten impossible labors. Gen has her own magic, the ability to talk to animals, her strength and the help of Pollux, Castor's brother, but also Castor has her own fights, like controlling the storms. Only one can win.

Action packed, intriguing and magical, this story is absolutely amazing and I loved everything. Gen and Castor and Pollux are amazing characters and I love their characterization. As a mythology fan, it was really nice reading this twist on Greek mythology, with compelling and brilliant heroines, brutal and dangerous tasks and the story left the reader wanting for more adventure in this world. Truly brilliant.
I've just found it a bit too rushed sometimes, but that's my only complaint. Overall the story is pretty amazing.

“He let out a final gasp, and the strings connecting them snapped like a coiled spring. Untethered, unconnected, broken and torn, Gen had nothing to hold onto. She crashed.”

The summary opens with an immediate hook: Olympian empresses (hello Greek mythology!), a lottery that is not all it seems, and ten entrants who must pay the price – because nothing is given without something in return.

Think Rick Riordan, Angel Lawson’s Trials of the Gods, Suzanne Collins, The Hades Trials, and Blair’s A Broken Blade. If you’re not convinced already, allow me to continue.

Though we have seen a takeoff in mythology releases and trial by ordeal plots, this book has so many elements that culminate to form something unique and powerful: a woman’s journey to redemption, for herself and her imprisoned father, a deadly competition with unattainable tasks, enemies to lovers, a string of autonomous islands, diverse cultures and fantastical creatures imbued with their own special magic:

"Hecate, Oracle of the Spirit; Tartarus, Oracle of the Sky; Ponos, Oracle of the Earth; and Keres, Oracle of the Mind."

The gods’ gifts manifest as Spiritwatchers, Stormmakers, Metalbenders, and MindWorkers. The setting is the Olympian Empire, spanning from Lerna to Ceryneia with a mass of islands in between. Each island has its own government, and its own people. There are Gargareans, hulking gold brutes; Mazons, silver-skinned warriors; willowy green Nemeans; pale-haired Arcadians; Argosian chameleon monkeys with a hundred eyes; the Hydra, an immortal nine-headed swamp monster.

The premise of the novel is fantastic; I couldn’t get enough of the different magical powers in the Grisha universe, so I knew I would enjoy this. We only really see manifestations of the Stormmakers and MindWorkers throughout, and I would have liked to see more of the other two powers. However, the MindWorker abilities are wicked enough that I wasn’t terribly put out by this. Using only a few drops of their own blood, saliva, or plucked hairs, they can they communicate with and influence animals. The amount of control they can exert is limited only by their will.

Our heroine, Gen, is a direct descendent of Hippolyta, Queen of the Mazons, and a powerful MindWorker. Her father, an even more powerful MindWorker, is wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to rot in a cell. Gen, cast as a pariah by society, is left on her own with nothing but a disgraced name and her familiar, an infinity whale.

“Anyone could buy a jar of StormMaker rainbows and produce the same feat. But Gen’s kind of magic couldn’t be shared, and maybe that was why the people hated her for having it. Because they couldn’t.”

Gen is strong, enduring, emphatic, and treats all animals as kin. She cares for them, and senses all their emotions as her own. Her regard for every life is part of what made her character so likeable, and she is relatable because has failings and doubts, just like everyone else.

She sets a course to the isle of Athenia, home of the Olympian Empresses, in the hopes of using their nefarious lottery to set her father free. She expected indentured servitude in return for this boon, but what is asked of her turns out to be so much worse. She is not the only entrant to the lottery, and at the duplicitous whim of the Empresses, she is tasked with the impossible:

i. Release a debt held by the Lion, a notorious casino boss.
ii. Find the elusive ship, the Hind, the fastest in the sea.
iii. Stop the Boar, a menacing mobster.
iv. Clean the stables (23 thousand square feet, filled with seventeen TONS of excrement).
v. Remove the Stymphal birds, rock crows with metallic feathers and sharp, bronze beaks.
vi. Assassinate the Bull, a self-proclaimed murderer.
vii. Capture the Mares, wild and cannibalistic in nature.
viii. Find Livia Kine, a missing daughter.
ix. Kill the Hydra
x. Retrieve the belt of Hippolyta

Oh, is that all? *insert massive eye roll here.

This is made a bit more plausible when the tasks are also set to our second POV character, Lady Castor of Arcadia. She is ruthless, daringly ambitious, selfish, and will do anything to inherit control of Arcadia’s seat of power, denied to her for simply being a woman.

“Castor flashed her false smile to people as she passed. She was the face of the StormMaker family, and people would talk.”

This sentence alone depicts her rather severe character, quite vividly. But beneath that hard and solemn veneer, we are given glimpses of her humanity. She has lofty advantages, yes; her copious funds, the ability to manipulate weather and lightning, her golden arial chariot, but there is a limit to her abilities.

Whoever completes the greater number of tasks, will be proclaimed the victor. We learn the depths of her cruelty as the plot progresses, and she is a stark contrast against her brother (our third POV), Pollux. As the male heir, he is set to inherit Arcadia’s legacy, but it is something he could not want any less.

Pollux is gentle, compassionate, with a passion for music and art where his sister hungers only for unchecked power and affluence. He is frequently underestimated and seen as weak, but we come to see his quiet strength, and love him for his hope of peace.

Unlikely alliances are formed, dreams are shattered, a race to the finish is met with danger at every turn, and all told through a fast-paced and intelligible prose, one that continues to intrigue page after page. The daunting list of tasks are each given their own attention, enabling me to truly be immersed in each setting. The persistent action never felt crammed together and the pace was measured, precise.

There were some minor issues I had throughout, as is true with any piece of writing. The romance was slow to build, and strained, almost artificial. I feel like it could have been developed more carefully, and the flashes on historical backgrounds relayed with better synchronicity and detail, but these are both things that could be built on in the sequel (please please please let there be a sequel).

Rachel Menard is definitely an author to watch. The characters are defined expertly, the magic is original, and I hope the beautiful menagerie of creatures is continued past this debut. She left the ending wide open for this series to continue (much to my grudging admiration and vicious impatience), so I eagerly await the next installment. You NEED this book; I cannot recommend it enough. I would like to express my gratitude to the publisher and netgalley for providing this amazing copy to me.

***I was given a free advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

There seems to be a lot of books retelling Greek myths about on the market at the moment. This is definitely one of the better ones. Well constructed world and characters and situations that are believable. The motivation behind why the characters acted as they did seemed plausible and so we connected with them. A very good read but not looking forward to waiting for the next book to find out what happens next. I want to know NOW.

first thing i was to start with is that i am SO happy this book is a part of a series!! it was such a strong opener and there was so much room for more and i’m glad there will be!

game of strength and storm is a hercules retelling following gen, who’s father has been arrested for a murder she knows he didn’t commit, castor, who wants to rule over her island but can’t because there’s a law that it has to be passed to the male heir, and pollux, castor’s twin brother who’s in line to rule but he just wants to be with his music. gen and castor get sent on impossible tasks, and whoever completes more gets what they want. it had a slow beginning, but it picked up as soon as the girls got assigned the tasks and started completing them.

every character was compelling, but my favorite had to be castor. i love morally grey women what can i say? she has so much room for development and i’m excited to see where she ends up! you can tell she cares about what she does, but she cares about power more and it was great to read. i really enjoyed her relationship with pollux as well. despite the fact that they’re twins, there is a rivalry there since castor wants what pollux has. despite that, though, they don’t want anything to happen to each other, and i really enjoyed reading that.

as for gen, i really enjoyed her character. she’s a mindworker, so she can control animals. the attachment she grows to them was beautiful to watch and something i could relate to. while i didn’t enjoy the pick me attitude she had toward pollux at first, i enjoyed her character overall. her relationship with pollux was adorable and i can’t wait for more of them! i felt they were a bit forced, but there’s room for development in future books. i thought him already having feelings for her was so cute and i loved his internal dialogue where he freaked out whenever he was around her, if you like boy obsessed, you’d like him. (not gonna lie, i thought her and castor were going to get together at first, but it looks like castor does have a sapphic romance forming and i am SO excited for that)

another thing i really enjoyed was the worldbuliding. worldbuliding in fantasy books can be tricky when you don’t explain it correctly, but i think menard did a wonderful job and i thought it was pretty easy to follow. i’m also fascinated by the way the stormmakers powers work. i thought the way castor has to use vials and pollux had to use his violin were super creative and it captivated me every time. i also enjoyed how gen would travel in a whale’s mouth. i can’t say i’ve seen that before.

watching the trials was my favorite part. i couldn’t decide who i was rooting for! castor and gen both had their own strengths and weaknesses so it was very enjoyable watching them competing and seeing who completed what task and how. (i was on the edge of my seat about the hydra task. i was most looking forward to who would complete that and how)

i can’t wait for the next installment of this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for any greek mythology retellings!

What an interesting twist on Greek characters and mythology! Gen and Castor both have powerful motivations that propel them through the challenges of winning wishes from the olympians. The only drawback is the story being told through three points of view, which I found difficult to track all the switches.

I really enjoyed this! It's a new take on Greek mythology (Herculean tasks) with diverse characters who you actually feel invested in. I appreciated the multiple points of view especially for a book that has characters who are multilayered and also enemies. I definitely would recommend this to anyone who likes Greek mythology retellings.