I am new to Nicole Bailey books, but this definitely won't be my last read by her.

I am a sucker for Greek mythology and retellings, good MM romance and multiple POVs!

I LOVE enemies to lovers and the fact that they had to work together throughout the book. FORCED PROXIMITY, BABY! I also really enjoyed how emotional this book was. It wasn't what I expected, but I thought that it was well written and I was really excited to read a story based on Apollo because I don't often see stories centered around him.

This is a greek mythology reimagining about Apollo and Hyacinth, with an enemies to lovers trope.

Review • In this book you follow multiple povs, Apollo, his sister Temi, Hyacinth and his sister Epiphany. The book is character driven and it was interesting to follow the different struggles and burdens of every character. They all have different expectations of them and you follow their journey while they're trying to deal with the hand they’ve been given in life. However, everyone is far from satisfied with it.

I liked the story but felt that something was missing. This wasn’t really an enemies to lovers in my opinion, and I think that I struggled a bit with the romance and wasn’t fully invested in the relationships because of that. However, I did enjoy the story and want to read the sequel and see what happens next!

Thank you netgalley and victory editing netgalley co-op for the free arc in exchange for a review!

A similar review is posted on Storygraph, Goodreads and Instagram.

A Veil of Gods and Kings: Apollo Ascending Book 1 by Nicole Bailey
“Is your life only duty? Do you not have a right to some things you want also?”
~~~~~
I would first like to thank Nicole Bailey, Victory Editing, and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
I love Greek mythology, so when this popped up for request. I had to have it, and I am so glad I did. The story of Apollo and Hyacinthus is a powerful one; and the way Bailey made it was thrilling to read! The lessons that a reader can take away from this story but also having adventure is key! Let’s also not forget the fact of the representation in this book! That is absolutely important, and I loved their relationship in this book. I can’t wait for the rest of this series; I need to see where these two go next.

A Veil of Gods and Kings tells the story of Apollo, prophesied to become the god of the sun, but reluctant to ascend, fearing that he will ultimately lose himself to the savage, heartless nature of the gods. Zeus gives him a year to ascend, and sends him to live with the mortal Prince Hyacinth, a devoted, hardworking son who Apollo must learn from.

As a side note, the author states that the world is not intended to be historically accurate, so if you are a Classics person who values accuracy, this may not be for you! The dialogue style is very modern, which I don’t have a problem with, but be warned if that’s not your style!

The plot is a little slow in the beginning, and I feel like it took a little while for this story to hit its stride. There are some moments where I thought the word choice was a little odd, but overall, the writing is compelling and has some lovely lyrical moments. Once the romance and sexual tension begins, however, I found the writing really flourished, going from strength to strength with captivating and poetic prose. As Apollo and Hyacinth become more and more entangled with each other, there are some stunning lines that grapple with the brutality of fate, evoking beautiful imagery of stars and flames that fit well with the characters.

“I’d never been a man for risks. I played everything safe. Apollo made me want to burn the rules to the ground, watch their ashes darken the sky.”

Hyacinth was my favourite character. An overworked, well-dressed, responsible man. The Nanami Kento of Greek retellings, if you will. His arc focuses on the pressure he feels as prince, the responsibility resting on his shoulders, and how he always hides behind the mask of royalty, never truly allowing himself to just be. I did find Apollo’s character a little whiny and kind of a jerk to start with, but that improved once the romance got started, and he and Hyacinth started understanding each other better. His behaviour is somewhat justified by his hatred of the fate thrust upon him, plus you get to see his absolutely iconic sister putting him in his place all the time, so the whininess is manageable.

Temi, Apollo’s sister, is an asexual legend. She has this beautiful, quiet confidence, in her sexuality, in her values, in herself, and I lived for the moments where she told Apollo to sort his shit out. She has a side plotline with Hyacinth’s sister, Epiphany, who has her own POV chapters. These chapters complement the main theme of fighting destiny with a more feminist lens, and I did enjoy them, but at times they felt disconnected from the main storyline.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, especially the romance, but I think the pacing could have been improved. I think some of the major plot reveals should have happened earlier, as things felt a little rushed towards the end, but I am intrigued by the direction the overall series is heading in.

CW: sex scenes, parental abuse, death by fire

A Veil of Gods and Kings is amazing, I loved this so much, I mean enemies-to-lovers romance and a truckload of chemistry, sign me up. This is a retelling of the Apollo and Hyacinth's myth , I love Greek mythology so any version, new twist or just the old redone I want to read. This is one of my favourites, told in multi-POV and done so well, each character has a distinct and unique voice. Speaking of characters, they are clearly constructed, three dimensional and have so many layers. I think Apollo was definitely my favourite he’s so funny , charming, humble, and sensitive, so desperate to be independent and free of his father, I loved Hyacinth too but just not as much as Apollo. Like the Greek myths this is a tale that covers many aspects from friendships to family, love and loss, I love the sibling relationships almost as much as Apollo. There is also a secondary romance and we will see more of that I think in the next book, along with more of Apollo and I can’t wait. Highly recommended to lovers of mythology, fantasy, historical fiction and well just lovers.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Enjoyable. Kind of slow moving. The steam is palatable and tasteful. Representative of LGBTQIA+ community. The multiple POVs were a little muddled and hard to follow, though. It was a little repetitive for me but I liked it. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, myth retelling.

Thank you Netgalley for access to this eARC

A retelling story of Apollo and Hyacinth. It was a slow start so it took me a while to finish it. The book contains three different POVs Apollo, Hyacinth, and Epiphany. All three povs show the different roles each play and the weight of responsibility. I would say I would've love to see more of Temi. I am excited to see what happens with the reveal at the end. It wasn't much of a shock if you are familiar with greek gods and their relations. However, it did not take away from the scene. The writing style of the author is definitely more YA than NA. Most intimated scenes are 'fade to black'. leaving the reader to guess what happen later confirmed. Definitely recommend for a younger audience like YA.

I love a good greek mythology retelling. Apollo and Hyacinth is one that I haven't seen a lot as the main story, but always mentioned as side characters. I really enjoyed all of the characters in this story, minus Zeus. I think we all have learned to dislike Zeus through retelling we read compared to when we watched Hercules as a child, haha! But the author did a really great job with this story.

Apollo is a deity… almost. Half mortal and refusing to take his position as god of the sun, he spends his nights drowning out haunting memories and his days avoiding responsibilities.

Until his father forces him into an ultimatum:

Ascend immediately.

An age old story of forbidden love and daddy issues. (Greek mythology am I right?)
LGBT friendly.
A fun telling on Apollos ascension that has you guessing at every turn.
I particularly enjoyed the development of Apollo’s sister (because we love a strong willed female character) as well as the secondary love story that is brewing.
I will definitely be looking for the second installment of this series once it’s released as well.

I had heard rumbling of this book in many book spaces online and decided to give it a shot, luckily I was able to get a review copy of it through NetGalley. What sold me on this book was it was being compared to song of Achilles (which is one of my favorite books), but it also a Greek retelling which I’m a sucker for. It didn’t take me long to get into the story but I’ll admit it did start a little slow and I had to get used the narration of each character, since this book is told from several different perspectives. I will say this book has some great characters, even if you don’t like the story, you will most likely stay for the characters. To me they felt three dimensional from the start, they have their own personality’s and it actually feels like they have lived before the story and they get to share their experiences and history. With that the rotating narration between the chapters really helps it too, you get insight into the thought process for some of their actions and understand their feelings more. One gripe I have is that I think there could have been a bit more added to the narration to expand upon characters thought processes because sometimes their actions come out of nowhere. The romance in this book is a true slow burn enemies to lovers, with an emphasis on slow. That’s not a bad thing in this book considering the complicated relationship and history between Apollo and hyacinth. Once it gets going though it’s really good and seeing the two interact on the different levels of their budding relationship. The interactions between Apollo and hyacinth with their dueling personalities at times as well as the romance reminds me of ‘conventionally yours’ by Annabeth Albert. It’s not even just Apollo and hyacinth who are great characters, Temi, epiphany, and valerian have plenty of time to grow and interact with the world. When it comes to the love making scenes it felt strange at times because the entire thing felt ambiguous in a strange way, it’s difficult to explain. It really didn’t take away from the experience but don’t expect anything truly smutty. The writing was really well done, it was detailed enough to not be derivative and not excessive enough to create paragraphs describing the same thing. It really helped shape the world and add depth to actions. I have to mention their is a fair bit of humor sprinkled into this book which really just added a little extra to it as I was reading it. The ending didn’t feel rushed, it feels like it would lead directly into the second book, the final moments gave the story room to breathe. It didn’t end on a massive cliffhanger but it did build up to something I’m very excited to read about in the second book. Luckily it looks like the second book isn’t too far off coming out in a few months.

A beautiful retelling of the Apollo and Hyacinth love story. If you are at all into Greek mythology you will love this book. It was very interesting to have the dual POV but really worked to advance the plot and make you love the characters. At times I wished the chapters were longer to keep with the pace and mentality of the character but you get used to it! Overall would recommend to those who love romance and fantasy.

To be completely honest, I probably should have DNF’d this one. I spent a long time simply trying to get through it. By halfway, I was really hoping that I’d be wowed by the ending. I wasn’t.

While I think this story has an interesting and inspiring premise, I found myself wanting so many more things to be explained in further detail, and wanting more depth from the story than I was getting. I didn’t understand the Apollo or Hyacinth enough, and that made them un-relatable. I didn’t understand their motivations and that made their interactions feel very superficial. The way their animosity was presented felt to me that they’d just decided to hate each other on a whim. Without a greater explanation I felt no drive to find out why they hated each other so much. I got through it, but it definitely made it a bit of a struggle for me.

I also think this story was meant to be a slow burn, but it missed the mark for me. Yes, It takes Apollo and Hyacinth some time (nearly at least half the book) to warm up to each other, but that’s more a result of the time spent following side characters and all the other pointless interactions that happen in the time before they’re finally forced to spend time together. Once they finally FINALLY spend time together their feelings turn to fondness rather quickly.

Finally, something that I wasn’t expecting, and didn’t love, was the multiple POV. What felt like more than half of this story was time dedicated to side characters that aren’t even mentioned in the synopsis. In my opinion, the relationship between the more “side” characters should have taken a back seat to help give more room for Apollo and Hyacinth’s growth as a pair. As I understand it this is book 1 in a series, and the side characters and secondary relationships could have been explored further in those, rather than cramming it all into one book.

Needless to say, this book was not for me, and I probably wont be picking up book two.

There's so much to like about this book and it left me very intrigued and excited about the rest of the series. A Veil of Gods and Kings has interesting and complex characters, fascinating worldbuilding that's grounded in ancient Greece and Greek mythology, and more than one forbidden romance, and I am (mostly) here for all of it! Demigod Apollo, son of Zeus, finds himself being called to ascend by his father while Apollo himself would rather stay on Earth and avoid growing as distanced and hardened as most gods tend to once they've ascended. Zeus makes Apollo a deal and gives him one final year among mortals under the condition that Apollo spends this time being mentored by Prince Hyacinth to learn discipline and respect. Apollo begrudgingly accepts, and he and his half-sister Temi go to stay with Hyacinth and his family. While neither Apollo nor Hyacinth (or Cyn as he likes to be called) initially care one bit for this arrangement or each other, they soon manage to come to somewhat of an agreement which also so happens to let them get to know each other better without the pretense of disdain, secrecy, or formality. I really liked the development of Apollo's and Cyn's relationship and I found myself rooting for them although their love seemed to be doomed before it had even begun. The tragic nature of it reminded me somewhat of The Song of Achilles, and the book's setting also contributed to this. However, that's a tough comparison for any book to live up to, and while A Veil of Gods and Kings had a lot of things going for it, it also had some things that irked me. Firstly, it took me quite a bit to get into this book. The first maybe 20% were tough for me which is such a shame because I love the concept and I felt like the book really found its groove about halfway through but I'm not sure everyone will make it that far. Secondly, the language the characters used would throw me off at times because it would feel distinctly modern and out of place, and it took me out of the story. Nevertheless, overall I still was really into this book, and I mostly liked that we not only got Cyn's and Apollo's POVs but also Cyn's sister Pip. All of them were dealing with issues regarding identity, destiny, and love and while I could have used slightly less of Pip's chapters, I did find that the author weaved it all together well. No spoilers for the end of this but the final pages had me a mess of emotions and I literally gasped out loud at one point, while at others I both laughed and cried. I will for sure be checking out the rest of this series once it's released.

𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙣 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡. 𝘼𝙣 𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮.

One of the easiest 5 stars I've given this year. When I stumbled upon this book and read the synopsis, I thought I hit the jackpot. I mean, come on, it's an enemies to lovers slow burn featuring Apollo and Hyacinth. I couldn't say no.

Initially I was worried this book wouldn't meet my expectations - it felt too good to be true and I've been let down by books before, as we all have - so imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when it ended up being such a lovely read.

The writing style is great and makes the story easy to consume, the plot is interesting, a bit simplistic, but considering the fact that it's going to be a series, a set up is needed, and I found it super enjoyable to explore the world and characters. Especially the latter. I just adored them so much. On top of that, Apollo and Hyacinth had great chemistry, their banters were also to die for. Also let that be known that Hyacinth is my Moon and the stars around it, because I just fell in love with his character instantly. That being said, Apollo was great and has gone through character development, so he is also my Sunshine boy. Either way the two must be protected.

I liked the other sibling's story as well - Epiphany - who had her own struggles and wishes, plus the friendship she has formed with Temi and the existing one with Valerian - that's also complicated -.

I'm really excited to read the continuation of this story, and see how the plot will thicken. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed, because Apollo and Hyacinth's love didn't quite end well in the mythology 👀 so here's to hoping my heart won't break 😂❤️

Special thanks to Netgalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review

I love a good Greek mythology retelling and this one did not disappoint.
Is this a perfect book? No, but did I have a great time reading it? Definitely.

Thank you so much, NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Apollo is almost a deity, but he doesn't want to become one, reducing himself to another Zeus' puppet, so he spent his days avoiding responsibilities, partying and living with his sister Temi. Until his father gives him an ultimatum: ascend right away or spend a year mentoring under Prince Hyacinth and trying to avoid ascending, Apollo chooses the second option.
Forced together, Apollo and Hyacith struggle with their mutual disdain and misunderstandings, until they get to know one other, discovering the truth about each other and what was a disdain slowly turns to be something much more intense and important, able to change their lives forever.

A veil of gods and kings is a reimagining of the Greek myth of Apollo and Hyacinth and this NA is a slow burn, enemies to lovers with brilliant and wonderfully characterized characters, teasing, love and so much more.
Told by multiple POVs, Apollo's, Hyacinth's and their sister's, Temi and Epiphany the story is a rollercoaster of intrigue, romance and politics, dealing with themes like violence, abuse, poverty, misogyny, sexism and injustice.
Through the characters' POVs, the reader is able to know each of them, with their doubts, fears, dreams and hopes. Each in their own way is trapped by fate and duty, social expectations, rules and they don't feel free to be themselves.
I loved the bond between Temi and Epiphany and how slowly Epiphany starts to get more and more confident. Mostly, my favourite relationship was the bond between Apollo and Hyacinth and how they start to help, support and love one other, discovering themselves and their sweet and dangerous love.

I loved everything in this book and how the myth was reimagined and told in a fresh and original way, exploring the bond between siblings, the city's struggles, politics, responsilities and love. I can't wait to know what will happen next, but, knowing the myth, I'm a bit scared!

Half-mortal and longing for a normal life, Apollo is fighting his fate as a deity by refusing to take his place as god of the sun. When his father demands he ascend immediately or spend the year tutoring under obnoxious Prince Hyacinth, Apollo chooses the lesser of two evils. But maybe Hyacinth isn't all bad, after all.

A Veil of Gods and Kings had a lot of potential, but unfortunately I felt it fell flat in many respects. While Apollo's conflict with his father had a lot of possibility for excitement, and the themes of trying to find one's place while not running away from responsibility offered a lot of potential emotional weight, I never particularly connected with any character, and I felt everything was fairly surface level. For my tastes, the enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Apollo and Hyacinth was far too tepid, especially for NA. A lot of this comes down to personal tastes; while there's nothing wrong with the book per se, I tend to prefer something with stronger emotion and generally more hard-hitting in all aspects.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of A Veil of Gods and Kings. These opinions are my own.

Ok I became instantly hooked on this! It’s a Greek mythology retelling involving mostly the story Apollo and Hyacinth. I honestly didn’t want to put it down. If you liked Circe, Song of Achilles, Ariadne, etc. then this is a book for you! You don’t need to know the mythology background of the characters.

There is going to be a sequel coming out and I cannot be more excited about it!

"A Veil of Gods And Kings" is an incredible retelling of the Greek Myth of Apollo and Hycinth. The depth of the story amazed me. The author has an exquisite writting style. The story is so carefully planned and successfully executed. The book undoubtedly announces the arrival of a singular talent in the field of Greek Mythology retelling. From the first spark down to the last ember, the author's words paint a vibrant, enrapturing picture. Every description, whether literal or figurative, is deliberate and purposeful. 

It's fast paced and enthralling. Multi pov. Excellent characterization. Investing plot line. And of course, centres around an amazing and heart touching gay romance.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I really didn't expect it to be so good. This book had everything I alwaysclook for in a Greek retelling. It was a a rollercoaster of emotions I thoroughly enjoyed. The sad tone of the book made me cry. Can't wait to read the second book as soon as it comes out.