I LOVED THIS BOOK! Its like Percy Jackson meets the titans, so good! The narrator was amazing, the storyline was great! I hope this book becomes a series, because I would love to go on more adventures and learn the origin stories of each character. I need more! Kids will love this book when it hits the shelves. Totally on my recommend list for those who are looking for books about mythology.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book that is reminiscent of a Percy Jackson book. This books takes place is a special school for young students in Italy where Ava’s parents have sent her and her brother. Ava needs to learn to control her anger and her brother needs to watch out for her. The book leads the children on an adventure with monsters, Gods and Goddesses. It’s a great story of friendship and also the power of women.
I listened to the computerized audio version of this book but would listen to the final version just so I could hear the detail in the character voices.

This was a great audiobook and a great twist on the typical mythology story. I like that the focus was on the monster POV plus the twist in perspective at the end!

This is a perfect twist on the “Percy Jackson” like modern day Greek mythology story with we learn that to save people we must keep their story alive. Ava finds her self sent to a boarding school after standing up to a bully. Only problem is this is no normal boarding school but a school for the descents of monsters. While there she discovers a dark secret that involves her family. This pushes her on a quest to unearth the true story for Medusa to help her friend, mom, and herself.

Thank you Harper Audio, Clarion Books, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this fabulous book! Fans of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Amari and the Nightbrothers would enjoy this feminist twist on Greek mythology. Another great twist is that the Monsters and their descendants are the main focus here. Well-written with great characters and full of unexpected twists and turns — this is one thrilling page-turner that I simply inhaled in one sitting. Can’t wait for the next volume!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. Ava and her brother,Jax are sent to a boarding school after she accidentally freezes a classmate. The kids think they’re descendants of Greek gods and goddesses but learn they’re descendants of the monsters in the Greek myths. The kids also realize the monsters aren’t all bad and sometimes the good guys can do bad things as well.

Ava Baldwin love studying and learning about the Greek gods, but struggles to fit in at school. Constantly compared to her brother, Ava always feels like she is being shadowed but by her brother, Jackson. When an annoying, popular, and well-liked boy pushes her buttons too far, Ava loses control of her emotions and accidentally freezes the boy. Sent to Academia del Forte for monsters, Ava feels at home for the first time in a long time. Things, however, aren’t what they seem. Each student only gets 3 strikes. Once they hit the 3rd strike, they are expelled and never hear from again. Digging into their school permanent folders, her friend Fia gets expelled and silenced. To get her friend’s voice, Ava and her group of friends will have to defy the gods and uncover the true story of Ava’s family ancestor. Will they succeed in getting Fia’s voice back? Will they defy the gods and succeed or wind up expelled?

The plot is well-developed, engaging, and draws the reader into the story. The characters are spunky, realistic, and likable. Although the slightly preachy ending will be off putting to some, the ending was satisfying and will leave most readers wanting to read more. Fans of mythology, monsters, adventure, and mystery will enjoy reading this book. Recommended for most library collections.

Please Note: A copy of this review was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No other compensation was received.

Ava isn't very surprised to be transferred to a new school in Italy after a certain incident at school, but discovering that the Greek gods and goddesses are real takes a little longer to set in. Ava's dreams of being a demigod are quickly crushed by the truth of her heritage, but the longer she stays at the school, the more she realizes that certain people, particularly female people, are repressed. Ava and her friends set out to do something about it, but a quest to change the gods' minds is doomed to fail.

I was really worried at the beginning that this was just another Percy Jackson wannabe, but it's so much more. This tale explores Greek history from a different lens and prods readers toward critical thinking with none-too-subtle gestures. It felt a little episodic, with most of the stories involving a hero sweeping in at the last second, but I still like Ava, and I enjoyed growing with her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Knowing that many 7th grade courses have a Mythology component, I think this is a great option to engage readers in the YA category as a female forward version of Percy Jackson that is unique in its own rights.

Ava is a likeable character because she wants to be accepted and noticed for her positives after living in her brother's shadow for so long. After she and her brother, Jax, need to change schools to Accademia del Forte in Italy, she's able to form friendships with Layla, Arnold, and Fia--all of whom are quirky and fun in their own ways.

The genealogy element for both the students and the Mythical beings is a strong element throughout the book that unites all the characters and the plot really well. It's interesting to uncover why Ava's mom wasn't completely truthful about her alma mater, and Ava needing to figure it out for herself is a low stakes mystery. The pacing is quick and intersperses individual god/goddess stories as a history base while weaving throughout Ava's original tale.

While parts are a bit of a stretch, it is still a fun read with many important messages spelled out for readers.

Overall: 4 stars

I'll tell my students about: violence

**Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio, Clarion Books for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.** *Note: This version has the synthesized voice narrator, which will not be the final version.

Ava and Jackson find themselves being shipped off to a boarding school in Italy after they had already started the school year at home. Once there, they realize there is something special, perhaps magical, about this boarding school. Learning which who in Greek mythology they are related to makes school so much more interesting. When her friend is punished and cannot speak, Ava finds herself investigating what is going on. The investigation requires her new friends and her brother and perhaps could get them all in trouble and expelled.
Opinion
This book is fabulous. After finishing it, I immediately sent a text to my school librarian requesting she buy the book for our school. I loved the Percy Jackson series and love this one more for the simple fact that it uses a female lead, which seems to be lacking in these types of books. Your middle school child will love this story.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Clarion Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Ava has to write a report on one of the Greek gods or goddesses for her class in school. She really wants Athena, but another student chooses her and then, to spite Ava, grabs the book Ava is planning to check out of the library for research. In a fit of anger, Ava accidentally freezes him. This has never happened before.
Ava and her brother Jax are whisked away to her mother's alma mater, Accademia del Forte. Ava soon learns about the magic of the school and her real place in the world. She also learns her unbelievable relationship with Athena herself, and the stories she has been taught about the gods and goddesses were not always stories- or the truth!

I hope to use this book while teaching a unit on Ancient Greece as a companion to the ELA lessons. I think the students would enjoy a new take on the gods and goddesses, and one where women are more empowered.

I was given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with the rating and the review...
I love the concept. Anyone who has ever read my reviews knows I love alternate perspectives, and especially love to use them in my classroom. And this book has lots of "alternative perspectives" - the hero is a strong young woman, unusual in this genre. And, all of the characters at the school are descendents of monsters, rather than gods/goddesses. It definitely harkens comparisons to Disney's Monster High... but in middle school. I liked that the MC struggles and overcomes, and that she values her friendships... all of the stuff we love in a good YA book, especially aimed at middle school students.

However... there's a lot of REALLY bad behavior (like attempted murder) that is never addressed or punished. I REALLY don't like the idea of horrible acts not facing consequences. It's so bad, that it ALMOST cancels out the good lessons that are there for kids to read.

Ava tries to keep her anger in check but one day at school she gets so mad at a boy he freezes, certainly it could not be her fault. But next thing Ava knows is she and her brother are on their way to her mom’s Alma mater in Venice. Here she is all she never was in her old school she makes her teachers happy because she is a great student and is even making friends, but her brother who also got shipped with her is now not the best student and is no longer earning all the praise and accolades he was used too. All is great for Ava until her friend and her almost get expelled and then find the Academia is not all it seems, after all it was founded by gods to teach descendants of mythological monsters how to control their emotions.
This is a fun, action packed, full of suspense middle grade audio book that will keep all audiences entertained. I like the wide array of characters and how their differences come together to make a winning team. This book includes everyone at some point whether strong monster that has found their power of a not so strong monster that hasn’t found their power yet. I like how it left no person behind. I really enjoyed this book a lot and can’t wait to see what the team will get up to next school year.

There were parts of this book I enjoyed, but some content is highly disturbing. Namely, that three of the students attempt to murder the main character and her friends, and because Ava and her crew "pretend" to be dead, the three students walk off, thinking they got away with murder. This is never addressed or resolved in the remainder of the book, and those three students never face any consequences for their attempted murder. It is suggested that school returns to normal after the traumatic events and these three antagonists progress with their lives and status as model students. There are other issues with the book with how characters are bullied (an example is the MC who reads as being a POC being called ugly, hideous, etc), and nothing is done to stop these behaviors.
I do like the feminist approach to challenging the Greek myths and how terribly women have been treated both in myth and historically. Unfortunately, with the way exactly none of the antagonists face repercussions for their actions, this wasn't enough to win me over.

When I started this book I was a little nervous it was a Percy Jackson knock off but it turns out to be such a great story from a completely different angle. Instead of being the children of gods these characters are the descendants of the monsters in the same stories. The main character Ava freezes one of her male classmates and her parents whisk her away to the Accademia del Forte along with her brother Jax. Their adventure was so fun and they uncovered secrets that improved the lives of Medusa & other mythical characters. The supporting characters were fun. Fia & Albert are great. I loved when Albert found his wings & Fia couldn’t talk but still helped save the day. I will definitely be hoping for another entry in this series,

The voice galley was ok & not too distracting. I can only think this book will be even better with a real narrator.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio/Clarion books for a copy of this book. It was great!

I tried to read this book, but my device could not play it, as the Netgalley app is non-compatible with chromebooks.