I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot blame all the guys in this book because I want to marry Alexis too. She is such a fun character and had me giggling through the whole story. She has a lot of dark humor and I love her relationship with Nyx (who also made me laugh out loud throughout this book. While the guys did like her, home girl was too busy trying to survive and was thus oblivious to their attraction. This made for a lot of moments where the reader (who is aware they like her) cannot help but just shake their head and smirk at her, awaiting the inevitable moment in the future where she realizes what we already know. I will say that I'm low-key pissed that this is yet another book that I have read this year that I now have to wait an unknown, yet interminable amount of time before I can continue on with the story because the next book in the series is not out yet. As an impatient person who is now fully invested in these characters, this is almost inexcusable. I need more of Patroclus and Achilles; I'm very intrigued by Charlie (Alexis' brother) and I want to know the future in store for Helen and more about her powers. Needless to say I'm obsessed with these characters and Jasmine Mas' writing. I was also a fan of her Cruel Shifterverse series....which may merit a re-read while I wait for the next book in this series.

Definitely not my usual go-to genre of choice but I got sucked in to this dark YA romantasy by the fantastic cover/packaging and the way it gave off Fourth Wing mixed with Daughter of Sparta vibes. Featuring, Alexis, an abandoned, abused young girl who discovers she has the blood of Hercules in her veins and gets kidnapped and forced to compete enroll in the Spartan War Academy where she will have to fight to the death to survive.

I did really love the disability rep (Alexis has a stutter and is partially blind/deaf on one side), she also has a lot of childhood trauma, an invisible best friend/familiar snake, Nyx, and a bevy of morally grey men vying for her attention and affection. Reverse harem love stories aren't typically my favs but I loved Alexis's character and look forward to seeing where her story goes.

As far as the romance in the book, it wasn't as spicy as I was expecting and I didn't find myself rooting for any of the male prospects in particular over the others. Great on audio with a full cast of narrators and while a tad long for my tastes, still worth picking up for fans of the genre. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and Ms. Mas for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

In this particular case I don't think they really want my honest review. I was raised that if you don't have anything nice to say, you keep your mouth shut... So I'll try and be tactful, but, long story short, this was not the book for me. At all. Maybe I'm too old for it?

Apparently this version of English (TikToklish?) is what people speak now and I don't think I'm a fan. Example, I don't plan to "serve c*nt", ever, and I don't think I could take anyone seriously who said it. I'm also really tired of the phrase "in my ______ era". I guess it appeals to some readers but I feel that this sort of vocabulary will date the book negatively down the road. At least the author didn't use the word "skibidy" *shudders*

Then there was the writing style: a gazillion ((())) -not hyperbole-, choppy sentences, inconsistent descriptions and plotting, and the constant inner monologuing by the world's most socially awkward and inept narrator. "free the lips (vaginal)"??????!!!!! ewWw. No thank you. Everything was told; nothing was shown. All the male characters were exactly the same. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why any of these violent, gaslighting, red-flagged asshats were so into Alexis, other than the fact that she was a (view spoiler) with breeding capabilities. Alexis herself was infuriating. Despite being "VERY SAD" about Charlie, she effectively forgot about him 95% of the time and made absolutely no effort to help him (let alone the dog). I mean, for God's sake, she KNEW he was starving in a cardboard box in Montana winter. !!! She claimed to hate Augustus and Kharon but got all hot and bothered and forgot they tortured her, whenever they touched her. And her constant inner monologue, as I mentioned, really got on my nerves. I found her funny occasionally but mostly just... weird and vaguely off-putting.

The best character in the book was Nyx. If Alexis had listened to her even 25% more often she would have been in much better shape and circumstances.

Other random questions I had:
-Where on EARTH did Patroclus' and Achilles' sudden desire for Alexis come from? At what point did they switch from despising her and her wimpyness into wanting her for themselves?
-Why (and how) would months of near-constant torture assist with education of Spartan children? Why bother testing them?
-And for that matter: for a society that is worried about extinction and declining fertility, why oh why are they killing all their children off??????????? Somebody explain this to me.

I had more questions but then I just gave up asking because nothing in this book made sense. Seriously.

POSITIVES:
I liked Nyx.

Despite the annoying writing and the torture porn the pace was quick and I read it all the way to the end.

I've never read this author before, but the premise of the book seemed unique and the cover was gorgeous. Unfortunately, despite vaguely wanting to find out what's the deal with Charlie (I mean, he survived too, and he's clearly a Spartan since a Fate dropped him off in Montana with Alexis) I don't think I would continue the series. I see it's very popular: as I'm writing this review the average GR rating is 4.25. YMMV, obviously; I just don't think I'm the target audience for this book.

I'm not a regular reader of romantascy but I made an exception for this and am glad I did. Mas has turned the tale of Hercules on its head and expanded it into a swirling lively tale that will fully engage you. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I don't know what I can add to the many positive reviews except to say that I agree with them- this is a very good read.

Don't let the slow start fool you she is world building, you're getting necessary background. This book was great. Ms. Mas builds a world and brings us to live in it. In this book Greek myths meets the apocalypse world humans inhabit. I got to the halfway point and couldn't put it down. I wanted to know how she could make it out and who would be her allies.

This book is the perfect blend of myth and dystopia! The central character is witty, resourceful, and strong even when she does not believe that she is. The story kept me on edge and wanting more- I absolutely could not put it down. The morally gray heroes and their alpha possessiveness lend some wonderful tension and spice to the story. I am so excited for the remainder of this series to come out and I will definitely be recommending it to both adults and students.

Look, I don’t mean to be a d*ck here, but I DNFed this 2% of the way in - which might be a personal record. I had an immediate allergic reaction to this. Why would someone put forward a “reimagining” but not align - even a tiny bit - with the mythology they’re purportedly spinning off?! I looked over the genealogy chart at the start and immediately grew nervous. I am far from a Greek mythology purist, but this made my head hurt. Why is this set in the future?! In rural America?!? If the writing had been sharp, I might have given it a chance. But then the “Star Wars crawl” information-dump chapter happened. And I realized I just couldn’t do it.

This book ate me up and spit me out I loved every moment! The pacing was fantastic, the action scenes, the brutality of the world, the characters. I have mixed feelings about the romance, but I feel like that’s how you’re supposed to feel. I have no idea who I’m supposed to trust!!

I read this book in less than a day and LOVED everything about it. Lately I’m obsessed with ANY retelling about Greek mythology, gods and Olympus- especially when they’re dark and this one was no exception. Dare I say, this may be one of my favorite books of 2024? Okay I’ll say it- it without a doubt is!

The humor hooked me immediately but the characters are definitely the best part. Alexis might just be my favorite FMC ever- she starts out as the most awkward and sheltered girl and becomes a bad ass female Hercules. I loved that she was the only female who had to compete agains olympian dudes at an absolutely bonkers war academy. She immediately finds herself with the attention of the 4 deadliest men and she is definitely not interested. Too bad they could care less about her interest. I actually loved all 4 of them and I cannot wait to see how their stories all progress in the next book. Base on the ending of this one, it’s going to be a wild ride.

Just gimme a sec to catch my breath……wowza that was a wild ride!

Whilst I’m no Mystic Meg, I have a feeling this book is going to feature in a LOT of people’s ‘Favourite book of 2024’ posts!

Once you get past the world building chapters and get your head around the time line and history, the plot starts to take off and you get swept along for the ride. The pacing is pretty steady for the first 65/70% but you better buckle when you get to this point because things really kick up a notch and I stayed up far too late trying to finish it because I was GRIPPED!

The POVs are mostly from the female protagonist, Alexis and she does not hold back! Her humour is incredibly sarcastic and dark and I actually felt quite at home in her mind! Not sure what that says about me!! There are also few additional POVs towards the end which help give a bit more context to what is going on.

We were treated with not one, not two but FOUR morally grey alpha holes to swoon over so take your pick! Or why choose if that’s what you prefer, no judgement here!

This is marketed as an enemies to lover - there is lots of tension and loathing - but it is a very slow burn so this doesn’t materialise until the very end!

There were a few twists (some I saw coming a mile off, some were a surprise) but be warned, this does end on a bit of a cliff hanger! BUT have no fear, a bit of light digging has revealed a second book is planned!

I REALLY liked this book. I had zero expectations going in except that it was a dark romantasy and I was pleasantly surprised by everything. I loved the characters and Jasmine did an amazing job of making each of the men feel very different from each other. I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did with a dark romance but I was cackling at times. Alexis' inner monologue was the most relatable thing I've ever seen. There is so much story left to tell and that always excites me. The world building was fascinating and definitely a different take on the typical "Greek Myth" books I've read in the past. Definitely recommending this book to everyone I know and cannot wait for book 2!

I had such high hopes and expectations going into Blood of Hercules.
The book started with a literal BANG- the first violent scene played out almost like a clip from a Quinten Tarantino movie: I imagined the foster parent’s fight scene in slow motion with classical music playing in the background, all while Alexis’ witty monologue took center stage.
I was hooked- Alexis and Nyx felt beyond likable and the plot felt exciting and fresh.

Somewhere around the halfway point I began to feel my excitement dwindle. I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to despise or root for certain characters; the four main villains didn’t come across as very likable (even in the “why choose” romance setting). The “who did this to you” vibe hit right at certain times, but then felt a bit cringy at other times. The repetitive phrases/themes and immature language/dialogue felt disappointing.

Overall, I loved the idea of the story; the twists at the end didn’t disappoint. I found myself still entertained and couldn’t wait to finish to find out what was going to happen to the FMC.

Thank you for allowing me to read a copy of this novel!