Epic of Helinthia is a TRULY EPIC multi-POV tale set on a fictional island in Ancient Greece that follows a group of people as they attempt to start a rebellion and free their island of its evil ruler.

Pankey does an incredible job creating complex, imperfect characters and their development was so compelling to read. I came to really like many of these characters after they started out pretty unlikeable.

This story is very much about the mortals who inhabit Helinthia, but the Greek Gods are ever present. When they do make appearances they are depicted as ethereal, otherworldly beings which adds a magical element to the story that I love.

Also, the multiple POVs are all so engaging, which, along with all the twists and turns, made it so hard to put the book down.

This is not a mythological retelling. And while I love those, I also love that this is not constrained by an existing storyline. It reads like an Ancient Greek epic written for a modern audience. I CANNOT WAIT to read the next installment!

Thank you NetGalley and Muse and Quill Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, MJ Pankey, and Muse and Quill Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Epic of Helinthia lives up to its name! The political intrigue between the mortals (which, of course, also involves the gods) had me on the edge of my seat, but the characters are really what makes it special for me.

The world felt flushed out and whole, I was thrown into a living breathing place with a plot in motion enough to get me interested, and get me asking questions (but still early enough that I didn't feel like I was 'missing' anything). As the story progressed the plot kept me guessing in the best way possible. I kept thinking I had figured out where the story was going only for the next chapter to reveal a secret that changed everything. This is achieved so masterfully through the multiple viewpoints used to tell the story. Each character had different interpretations and knowledge. Their viewpoints helped to color my own which made the twists feel organic as the characters started sharing their knowledge, secrets, and experiences with one another (and internally). This also did a really great job of building tension, as quite often I (the reader) knew the characters were racing towards traps before they did.

When first reading I only skimmed the glossary and hierarchy at the beginning of the book, but because of that I found myself having to interrupt my reading to go back and reference the glossary when coming across a term or character in the beginning of the book. This, for me, impacted the pacing so I strongly suggest taking a few moments to review the terms in those sections. However, after the first few chapters, this was no longer an issue for me.

My favorite part of this book, though, was the characters. In addition to really helping the plot, the multiple viewpoints really helped flesh out each of the characters. I especially loved that each character had a different 'voice'. When reading a chapter, after the first or second chapter with their viewpoint, I always knew which character's head I was in. They each looked at the world very differently from one another and the different viewpoints all felt unique to them. I especially loved when a character whose viewpoint I was currently in would react to, or interact with a character whose viewpoint I just left. For example, Dargon and Kelric's interactions, and interpretations (either correct or not) of the other's actions always gave me insight into both of them.

I also loved watching characters grow into who they were at the end of the story, I watched Gonivein and Gadnor both grow and change so much in the course of the book and it felt so natural to me because I was there with them when their view of the world was challenged, and changed. Sometimes these changes were small, and felt almost subconscious, sometimes there were big life events that altered them-but even though they are both incredibly different characters from who they were at the beginning, neither of them ever felt unrecognizable or out of character to me.

The conclusion of this book was satisfying, but also did a good job of setting the stage for the rest of the series.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would strongly suggest giving it a try if you like other books that take inspiration from the classic epics.

I loved this story! Im so so so excited to read more (i hope there is more coming).

I had my suspicions at the start about what the conclusion would be at the end and I was in fact right, but there was so much happening in this story besides the search for the heir. I could not put this down, and I was continuously on the edge of my seat: what would happen, would they make it, etc.

M.J. Pankey made this so enjoyable and fun to read, and I really connected to the characters. Absolutely recommend to mythology lovers!

Thanks to netgalley and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

my instagram post (@lunarbookshelves) will be shared some time in august, and I will share the link with you by then as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Muse and Quill for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I opened The Epic of Helinthia and saw a multi-page glossary followed by a map, I knew I was going to need to put in some work. Thankfully, that work was generally a delight, and I was able to devour the entire story in one sitting, which isn't something I've been able to do very often in the last 10 years.

To start, this certainly wasn't an easy read. That multi-page glossary was a necessary buoy I returned to again and again as I treaded water and tried to keep from drowning under the terminology. My system actually involved reading the ARC itself on my kobo, while having another copy open on my phone to the glossary so that I didn't have to flip back and forth as much. Unfortunately, that meant that the first 20% or so of this story took a while to really click with. This most recent reading was actually my second go at that opening section because I felt like I missed so much the first time around and was frustrated by my lack of understanding. However, once it clicked, it really clicked, and I was able to power through the entire book from start to finish without wanting to put it down.

Part of what made it so enjoyable to read was that the pacing of this book was really well done. There was enough time spent establishing the world and the major players -- and especially the five POV narratives -- that I was actually deeply invested in their stories and their outcomes. Not all of those POV characters were likeable people, but they were distinct voices that fundamentally shaped the overall narrative and wove together well enough that none felt superfluous. I can't stress enough that I really don't come across that sort of balance very often.

It was only in the last 20% or so that I felt like things could have been a little expanded upon, as so much was happening all at once -- new information, life-threatening encounters, dramatic reveals -- that it became a little difficult to keep track of it all and to feel the full emotional weight of everything. However, as this appears to be the first book in a planned series (three or four in total), I am very eager to see where it goes! As an added bonus, the author seems lovely and graciously accepting of reviews of all kinds. I'm excited to see how her writing prowess evolves in further installations since The Epic of Helinthia is a very strong foundation to build on.

Dear Aurhor & Muse and Quill Press, I have just one question. When will the sequel be published? I need it like yesterday! No pressure, of course but…please hurry?🙏🥺

I haven’t been this excited about a completed read in a long, LONG time. This novel is excellent, simply amazing! 10⭐️/5 (yes, TEN)

If you enjoy reading epics (like Honer’s Iliad), fantasy (like LOTR), mythology retelling (Circe etc.), beautifully written, complex stories with well thought out characters, you MUST read this book.

This is 100% spoiler free, which means I will not be speaking about aspects of the story or the characters. I do not want to spoil anything.

I found ZERO faults in this epic tale, which doesn’t often happens.

Great writing style, layered, flows beautifully.

Great pacing. The story is complex, structured, and does not run nor is sluggish.

Extensive world building, inspired by (and set in a somewhat fictitious) Ancient Greece, the Mediterranean Basin and mythology.

Believable fantasy and mythological elements.

Interesting and complex characters easily distinguishable from one another, none without faults.

Politics, religion, adventure, drama, mystery, family, danger, war, vengeful gods, death, love…there is everything and it is blended seamlessly.

Thank you for allowing me to read this amazing novel through NetGalley. Now onto waiting for the next installment….🕰️

I'm a fan of retellings of Greek Epics. This book was right up my alley and I was excited to check it out. It started a bit slowly for me (reading on my phone, it wasn't very easy to refer back to the maps and glossary presented at the beginning of the text, so the various vocab and titles for the social classes were initially pretty confusing), but once I got hooked I flew through the remainder of the book. Some other reviewers mentioned being frustrated by the modern language, but I disagree. I thought there were enough Greek words thrown in and wouldn't have wanted to look up more words as I was reading! I'm okay with modern language for a modern audience.

It was fun to read a Greek Epic that was entirely new-- usually when reading this type of novel, I'm slightly distracted by trying to remember what I already know of the story and characters, but with this book I could just enjoy the ride. It was a little gritty-- it felt like a Greek Gods/Game of Thrones mashup-- but in a good way. I wouldn't recommend it to those squeamish about violence, but I like it when an author isn't afraid to kill off a few characters so long as it serves the story. I also liked being there for the very beginning of a Hero story and I look forward to seeing more of that development.

I do wish that the cover or description of this book had more clearly labeled it as Book One of a series-- I didn't see that in the About the Author section until I had finished the novel-- so as I read I was a little alarmed that the ending wouldn't be able to wrap up all of the loose ends. Eventually, it was clear that the ending couldn't do so and that this would jump start a series. I would have been all-in from the beginning, had I known, but was frustrated that it wasn't more obvious up-front. I will definitely read the other books, though, and I look forward to seeing where this story takes us! I thought it was a solid read!

Thank you to Netgalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my review.

First, I would like to say thank you to NetGalley, Muse and Quill Press, and M. J. Pankey for giving me an arc and giving an honest review of. This was the first mythology forward book that I have read. I liked this book. This book is full of world building and twist and turns. This book does have multi POV’s. I would recommend this book. It makes me want to read more like it.

This book consumed me. From the prologue I was gripped. All details of the world around me were reduced to nil. I had fallen into a new world, a world that was familiar but also, so new.
When Annassa Iptys falls and a usurper takes her thrown, the lands of Helinthia are punished by the gods. And only one can save the mere mortals, and only one knows how to find him.
A magnificent tale of love, war, and family.
Pankey really does a fantastic job of bringing a whole civilisation back to life again, of humanising mythology. Pankey paints a picture with her words. She whispers into mosaics and the characters start moving.
There were moments I gasped, cried and laughed.
Anyone can write, but there are a rare few that can write as Pankey does.
A 5 star book and hopefully, a 5 star series. I cannot wait to read the rest!

A big thanks to NetGalley, the publishers, and MJ Pankey for allowing me to get my hands on this epic read a little early!

As someone who’s writing this review right after getting home from seeing Hadestown with my Orpheus/Eurydice tattoo, you could say im a big Greek mythology fan. This novel did not disappoint. A fresh story with familiar mythology and shocking plot twists! The characters were well fleshed out and I grew to love (most of) them (not you kelric…).

This story will definitely become a staple in the Greek mythology novel world and I can’t wait for the next book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and MJ Pankey for providing an ARC of “Epic Of Helinthia” for review.

For the people who read and enjoyed Circe - Madeline Miller, “Epic of Helinthia” is for you.

I like MJ Pankey’s writing. I need to get that out there. It is descriptive and creates pictures in your head that are so vivid you think back and wonder if you were reading a book or watching a movie! It captures you and makes you feel warm. I especially like how she wrote her characters, they are not one-dimensional who only exist for one purpose, they are actually interesting.

I would like to start off by saying that I was thrilled at the opportunity to read “Epic of Helinthia”, as I absolutely adore greek mythology and all the myths contained within it. I would however like to state that most of the story is centred around Helinthia, a fictional land with a fictional goddess. But there are other gods/goddesses who play major parts!

“Epic of Helinthia” has multiple POV’s and is based in the fictional world of Helinthia. We, the reader, follow multiple characters, some of which listed below.
Dargon, the basileus of his polis (city), is the elder brother to Gonivien, a girl who has been raised the same as Dargon except one thing, she spends all her time focusing on Kelric, the eldest son of a basileus, and in return refusing to accept her responsibilities as sister to a basileus.
Kelric, son of a basileus, is in fact a bully. Kelric is known to constantly tease and make fun of his younger brother, Gadnor, the runt of his family, one that many people do not believe exist due to him being ‘hid away’…

“Epic of Helinthia” is a perfect combination of Greek mythology, suspense, romance, chaos, and rebellion, with plot-twists crazy enough to make you rethink yourself!

Thank you, MJ Pankey, one of my complaints about this book is the fact I need to wait so long for book 2!

Thank you MJ Pankey, Muse and Quill Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Epic of Helinthia was among the first books I applied for an ARC of when I joined NetGalley. I’m a huge lover of Greek mythology and have several shelves in my personal library dedicated to various Greek mythology retellings, epics from Homer, nonfictions, and fictions no matter how loosely based on Greek mythology they may be.

Epic of Helinthia, though based on Greek mythology, also invents a new island with a new patron goddess, Helinthia. We’re thrust into a fictional Greek world in which the island of Helinthia has slowly shriveled and died in the nearly two decades since their rightful queen was usurped and killed. We’re given a handful of different POVs to help us along the journey. While most of the POVs were helpful, I wasn’t a fan of Kelric. I’m not completely certain of how we as readers should even feel about him at the end of the book. He spends nearly the entire book acting completely horrible. There are probably two or three of his chapters where I thought maybe he was going to begin a path to redemption, but he just never really got there for me. He snaps back to being awful the second he gets the chance. I’m interested to see where his character ends up as we progress into the series. I don’t trust him as of now. Gonivein’s POV chapters could also be pretty frustrating, though very important in this first book. I expected for her to grow a bit quicker than she did, but this is the first of three (maybe four?) books, so I know she has time to progress. I just found her a bit hypocritical and stubborn even towards the end.

I enjoyed this book. The writing was good! It was a slightly slower start than I expected but it picked up a bit into the book. The first book in a series often seems to be a little slower due to all the world building required, so I do understand that! I enjoyed the world building. Gadnor and Forluna were my favorite characters in this book. Gadnor starts out an anxious mess (which….same here buddy), but his growth throughout the book is phenomenal. It definitely feels like the most thought was put into developing Gadnor and Forluna. They’re the most complex characters we’ve met so far, in my opinion.

I really thought I had it all figured out by around 50% into the book. Once I hit around 70%, I realized I was wrong and had to reconsider how I thought the story would go. Of course I won’t spoil anything, but I will say I was pleased with the direction it went.

The main criticism I have is that there were certain words that felt too modern for the setting, and they mainly occurred in Kelric’s POV chapters. He would use the word “plowed” when referring to sex and it just took me out of the story for a second because of how modern that term is. If he had used something like “bedding”, I don’t think I would have minded it as it feels much more accurate to the time period.

Anyway, I look forward to reading the rest of this series as it comes out and I will be picking up a physical copy of Epic of Helinthia to join my mythology bookshelf when it releases this October!

Let’s start this review being clear about I am a big mythology fan, as kid was one of my favourites topics ever. I enter this book thinking it will be some kinda a retelling of some story I hear before.. The story is created around different POVs: If I am Honest I felt a bit lost in the beginning of the books and couldn’t connect with the characters completely but that don’t means is a bad book. Sometimes it take me a while to connects. The epic of Helinthia isn’t a retelling or a Recook of another mythology story. Is a unique and own story that is based in the Greek ambience and for his classic politics. The autor was bold enough to create her own story and own myths and that’s refreshing and lovely for me this time. It does have violence and a bit of gore but anything located in this time and period will probably have some of that. In a long term is such a beautiful book, it can get a bit heavy in the world building but as a reader we expect this in the first book of a saga. As I said in the past the amount of narrators in the story make it a bit clunky at times and is the only down fall for me in the book. I think this book is perfect for reader that like fantasy with a BIG world building and is like a new intake of Greek mythology not the traditional one we normally get in this type of books. The storyline show that Pankey’s writing is very descriptive, fast and fluid. She educate herself and did lots of background research to create this book and you can sense this in her writing. (I really appreciate when you can sense that in a book show the author really care and show respect to a culture) big shout out to NetGalley and the author MJ Pankey
,victory editing Netgalley Co-op and muse and Quill press for the opportunity access to this ARC . The publish day is the 1 of October 2023 so preorder it if it seem interesting for you.