Member Reviews
I really had a good time reading this book! Is it the best written thing ever no? Did I roll my eyes sometimes yes? And there is some weird slang.
But was it so super fun especially on audiobook and true enemies to lovers witty banter and total ridiculousness. The FMC you have to remember is 19 and it makes the book a lot more fun if you just embrace it. Iβm also a sucker for anything mythology based so this was up my alley! The audio was super great and I think it is a book that would be better as an audiobook.
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I donβt want to sound dramatic, but I became absolutely FERAL over this book! π₯ It has EVERYTHING I love OKAY! Intense trials, dystopian world vibes (modern society mixed with Greek mythology?! YES), sarcastically hilarious inner monologues, and possessive men who will be up to your standards.
Jasmine Mas, if I ever meet you IRL, prepare for me to bow πββοΈ because this audiobook was pure perfection! The world-building? AMAZING. The FMC? YES. Iβm already planning my reread before book two drops. Okay, enough fangirling.. let's get into the book
This is a reimagining of Hercules like youβve NEVER seen before. Titans roam freely, and the only ones powerful enough to stop them are the Spartans who are immortal warriors with god-tier abilities. The twist? They rule the world now. Enter Alexis Hert, just a girl trying to surviveβ¦ until a blood test reveals sheβs Spartan. Before she can even process it, sheβs shipped off to the Spartan War Academy, where survival means enduring trials that will test everything sheβs got.
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When I say I was addicted, I mean I couldnβt stop reading. Alexis is everything her POV chapters are packed with hilarious, sarcastic commentary that makes her feel so real and relatable. Sheβs the kind of FMC you root for from start to finish.
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NOW letβs talk about the dark romance vibes. π This book comes with trigger warnings, so pleaseee check those first, but OMG. The male characters? Possessive, morally gray, strong-willed, and fully committed to the βWho did this to you?β energy. AGHHHH! GIMME GIMME
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I wonβt spoil the details of the trials or the romance because you NEED to go in blind for the full "omg what is happening" experience. Trust me youβll be just as dizzy but as obsessed with all of them.
If you love fantasy worlds, deadly trials, and the kind of romance that burns like wildfire, do yourself a favor and pick this up. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! π₯β¨
tropes
π‘οΈ greek methodology society
π‘οΈ academy + trials
π‘οΈ multi pov
π‘οΈ who did this to you
π‘οΈ cliffhanger (so worth it tbh)
How to review this book/audio. This was a like/hate book for me. Parts were really good and parts were just aggravating. I think maybe it could have been shortened and possibly better. I enjoyed the male narrator in both roles. He was able to change his voice and make himself sound like two distinctly different people. The female on the other hand just didn't sound right. She sounded a bit to young and when she did different voices they usually dragged and sounded annoying. At least to me. As Alexis she did ok but as Nyx and a couple of other not main characters it was awful. Dragging so bad. I had to increase the audio speed to tolerate it.
Alexis was a very abused foster child living in Montana. Her "father and mother" were cruel beyond words. Then a boy was brought to them and things went from bad to worse. This book is set way into the future, 2090 and later. You would think that things would have improved by then. They didn't. They only got worse. Alexis and her brother, Charlie, live in a cardboard box after the death of their foster mom and imprisonment of the foster dad. Then Alexis is taken away to a whole other life to endure all kinds of horrors just to survive. She literally has to fight. She has to spend hours, months, enduring whatever to become immortal. She didn't choose this but it is what it is.
Alexis is a whinny young lady. She's nineteen and yes she has had to endure a lot but good grief. Every other page she talks about killing herself. She is so sleepy even after hours of sleep. She's starving even though she's suppose to be able to go a very long time without food or water. She just got under my skin in many places. I do admit she was strong in places too. She fought and struggled. She ran and swam when necessary. She had an aversion to being touched, except sometimes. She was threatened constantly.
When Alexis finds out who her real parents are she was shocked. I was shocked. With parents like that you should be able to endure anything. Ok it's a book but still....
The only character I really liked was Charlie and I think maybe somethings will be revealed about him in the next book. He seems to be the only innocent in this story. Although it's a story about mythological gods and warriors, it's also about other things.
I did not find any part of this book funny. It says it's funny but to me it just wasn't. Alexis was pathetic. She went through a lot but being who she was I had to ask myself if it was really necessary. Why didn't she stop it earlier. Do something. I think she was strong enough. At least part of the time. When she wasn't crying, wishing she was dead, killing others. I just didn't much care for her.
I will read the next book because i want to know what comes next. This one was good enough to make me continue and the last few chapters were the best parts. It just seemed to take forever to get there.
Thank you #NetGalley, #HarlequinAudio, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this audio book.
3 stars...
This is my review thanks to a free audio version through NetGalley. I started this book with high hopes, the idea was excellent, yet the follow through was just ok. If you enter this book reminding yourself this is about a 19-year-old who acts and thinks her age (if not younger), youβll be fine. When I reminded myself that, the book was easier to digest. I struggled because several other books in this genre are about 19 & 20 year olds, yet they function more maturely than the FMC in this book.
What I liked:
- FMC fighting for body autonomy and right to choose
- FMC supporting and protecting vulnerable people and creatures
- The concept of a female Hercules being hidden for a long time and being found
- Multiple morally grey or just flat out dark MMCs that you slowly learn about over the book.
- Taking place in modern times where mental health is acknowledged.
- Great description of what dissociation and/or numbing can look like in someone with a significant trauma history.
Issues:
- I found myself annoyed at all the internal dialogue. Quite immature (again normal for 19 year old) and found myself tuning out.
- The storyline was 50% of her starved, dehydrated, and half lucid while trying to learn, I sped it up to just get through those parts. They were highly repetitive and boring.
- The ongoing, somewhat pointless dialogue with the invisible snake was not that interesting and often didnβt add anything to the storyline.
- The chapter with the sirens felt like it was written from a 15-year-olds perspective.
I throughly enjoyed this audio. The narrator did an amazing job showing when excitement happens, sad moments, or when events were tense.
The plot was all there. The plot twists were amazing, I did not expect half of the things.
This book was sadly a little bit of a let down. The main character, Alexis, goes through a series of traumatic events throughout the book but it just didnβt feel very serious to me due to the constant jokes/sarcastic tone. Itβs just also just an instant ick for me when trendy, online phrases are used in books, especially in fantasy. This book was however, pretty entertaining. I listened to the audiobook and I really liked the narrators. Without the audio, Iβm not sure if I would have continued. This book just wasnβt the right book for me sadly.
Iβm extremely grateful to have received an audio arc of this, so thank you!!
Blood of Hercules was veryβ¦different. I just wanna know, why is everyone obsessed with Alexis? In Sparta, females wanted to befriend her and males wanted to marry her. Except she has zero personality outside her inner monologue. Like the ultimate alpha males who can and do have their pick of women want a girl who doesnβt talk. It just doesnβt make sense to me.
Alexis is also forced to participate in the crucible yet people assume itβs her choice?
Donβt even get me started on the word choices/phrases.
I think the only thing that kept me going is Meg Sylvan because I listened on audio. Sheβs my favorite narrator and always does a great job. If I had to read this, I probably wouldβve dnfβd.
Fav quotes
βLet the stalking beginβ
βIβm in my emo eraβ lol
Dark fantasy romance β
Greek godsβ
Touch her and dieβ
Grueling trials/ trainingβ
Stalkerβ
Multiple men lusting over the FMCβ
β
β
Blood of Hercules has so many twists and turns!
From the very beginning you get sucked into the world and it reminded me of Percy Jackson but make it an Adult version with lots of adult jokes lol
Please check the TW because the fmc goes through a lot of trauma going up and as the story progresses.
I absolutely loved her snake friend! Now sheβs a bestie I want to have lol
There were plenty of parts that made me laugh because the fmc and her snake bestie were so funny. I found the fmc very relatable as well. I honestly can not wait to the second book!!!
If you love fantasy and dark romance then I HIGHLY recommend you reading this book.
I wanted to love this one so badly. The take on greek mythology in a post-apocalyptic world was creative. But beware, the language is very modern with some slang. I had a hard time connecting or caring about any of the characters. It's really confusing being in the FMCs head. There are a LOT of "time warps" and "time jumps" phrases, and the character loses time often. I think we may have some answers as to why, but I'm still not quite sure even after the ending. The FMC is very self-deprecating, and at times, it is funny and relatable, but other times, it felt misplaced and took me out of the story. I also didn't care much for the romance - although we do have a lot of popular tropes, it just felt really rushed the last 20% even though I had a feeling where it was headed.
I think that if you go in with the expectation that this is a very unserious, satire like dark fantasy, you will enjoy it. At this point, I'm not sure I will continue the series. I guessed the plot twist halfway through and thought there would be something else.
I did listen to this on audio, and I feel like it made my experience 10 times better. The narrators are great! This is not duet style narration and the male POVs aren't that prominent but I did enjoy listening to the different characters and Meg Sylvan did amazing during dialogues.
-Greek mythology retelling
-Post apocalyptic
-Sarcastic fmc
-Hidden Identity
-Trials
-Academy setting
-Touch her and die
-Possess and protective mmc
Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for sending me a finished copy of the audiobook.
i love a good greek mythology and i love a twist on greek mythology even more!
the audiobook and the narrators are top tier! i could listen to this all day, everyday.
this book is funny and witty. but in a low key way. i did not like how the FMC was so quiet and and everything that made me chuckle, she said in her head. i was really hoping she would speak up for herself and not just at the end.
i also did not enjoy all the βtiktokβ language. iβm not a fan of when authors bring in modern day technology and sayings, especially when this is supposed to be greek mythology. it is very evident when something is said and my mind knows what itβs from. and that is social media.
i do enjoy the storyline and the concept, i just think it needed a couple more rounds of edits in the writing. however, i will be continuing the series.
Blood of Hercules was such a chaotic ride, and honestly, I kind of loved it for that.
The story follows Alexis, a girl who finds out sheβs a Spartan and gets thrown into a dangerous trial and academic setting.
The book is packed with over the top drama, meme worthy, and dare I say, TikTok humor. With wild characters who are all a little unhinged.
It doesnβt feel like a true Greek myth retelling, more like it borrowed some names and a few nods, but itβs still a fun, fast paced story thatβs hard to put down. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrators all did great, especially the narrator for Alexis.
That said, donβt go in thinking this is YA just because Alexis is in high school (my local Barnes & noble has a display table of this book in the YA section) thereβs a lot open door spice and lots of vulgar and graphic language. I would say this book toes the line of dark romance and book 2 will probably step fully into that genre.
The plot is all over the place, but despite its flaws, I finished it in two days and will be picking up book 2 because I want to see where this is going.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for sending this ACL for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Loved this! The audio is so well done! I do wish it was dual audio though. Thereβs multiple narrators, no point in not doing it that way. But this was such a unique and exciting take on the Greek gods! I can not wait for the next book!
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Overall I thought this was a very good book. I would definitely read the next one.
The parts that I loved about the bookβ¦
The fact that she comes from the bottom and rises to the top with her own strength. The character growth of the female main character was very well written in my opinion. I also like the lead up to the next book which is going be interesting. The fact that we truly know who she is now and we have two sets of partners wanting her, I can almost predict the drama for the next one. The greek god lore was balanced. You get a little bit of backstory based on each God, but it is twisted a little bit to match the storyline. There was no shock value to who she really is. Itβs predictable just because itβs given away in the title, but the plot of the betrothal was a little bit of a shock. A little bit of competition for her heart we will see.
I would like to point out the reason why I did not 5 star this book.
First off I didnβt like how she was always unconscious all the time. I also feel like with this book in particular the promo was mostly for the spicy parts, but that doesnβt even happen till the end of the book. For someone going into this book blind off promo, they might get a little disappointed. Iβm the type of person that likes plot over spice, so this did not bother me. I was just expecting a little bit more than there was because of this. Another point to mention is a lot of people saying this is a why choose, for the first book in particular, I donβt feel this is the case. Thereβs more of a sharing moment than anything or even a situation of convenience.
The narration for the book was very good! The only thing I was a little put off by was the drowsy/unconscious narration that the female narrator does, which makes those parts prominent in my mind. I didnβt like that. other than those parts she did very good narrating her part. I would still give the narration in this book 5 stars. I really loved the chemistry between all of the narrators voices. I also liked that there were more than two narrators in this book. I love a full cast. Iβm excited to see where the next one goes.
Blood of Hercules is a dark fantasy romance novel that reimagines the myth of Hercules. Set in a world ravaged by Titans, the story follows Alexis, a young woman who discovers she is a Spartan, a powerful immortal with god-like abilities. As she navigates her newfound powers and the dangers of her world, Alexis must also confront her own past and the prejudices she faces as a woman in a male-dominated society.
What works:
Alexis is a strong and relatable protagonist, and the supporting cast is diverse and well-developed. The reimagining of Hercules as a young woman in a post-apocalyptic world is a fresh and intriguing concept. I loved The world of Blood of Hercules is richly imagined, with a unique blend of Greek mythology and dark fantasy elements. The plot is engaging, The story is fast-paced and full of action, with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers hooked.
The only parts of this book I can say could you work is its often Overly descriptive, which I think often leads into Repetitive themes.
Overall, this is a captivating and thought-provoking read that will appeal to fans of fantasy romance and Greek mythology. While it may not be perfect, the novel's unique premise, compelling characters, and engaging plot make it a worthwhile read.
I did get the ALC edition of this book and I loved it so much, I am actually currently listening for a second time! I cannot see where book 2 takes us!
this audio was a WILD ride from the start! the FMC is thrown into a life of abuse and chaos with her foster parents only to be taken and tossed into yet another world of chaos in the gods trials. while the storyline was fast paced and very engaging, it was difficult to follow the specifics at times. and I found myself really hankering for the romance! considering this is book one in a series, I understand why the romance didnβt surface until the end. it still left me a bit overwhelmed with the world building and trying to learn all the characters etc. I have a feeling Iβll grab the next book tho out of simple curiousty to see where the story goes!
3.75βοΈ I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The story itself flowed nicely and I am now a huge fan of the female voice actress - Meg Sylvan. I had never listened to a book read by her before but she does a fantastic job! She really brings Alexis to life!
My biggest complaint with this book is that itβs not narrated in duet. While Meg does a fantastic job performing all the parts, I feel like it was such a missed opportunity to not have the male narrators more involved. For full transparency to other readers - the male voice actors are used very minimally in this compared to what may have been expected.
Overall, I would recommend the audiobook and I am looking forward to the second part of this series. It ended in such a way that I need to know what happens next!
Thank you to Jasmine Mas, Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.
This book is wild. I feel like the first few chapters are like being thrown off a cliff into freezing cold water. My heart really hurt for Alexis and the things that she had to endure in the begining, at the hands of people who were supposed to care for and protect her. I'm not the least bit sorry for the way that that situation ended. I really like Nyx her snarky comments and fierceness. The rest of this book is absolutely ridiculous. And I don't really mean that in a bad way. I legit laughed out loud at things that I think were meant to be serious. There are also a lot of weird turns of phrase and things that are either said out loud or in Alex's inner monologue that made no sense but again made me laugh. I will say that I was super disappointed that she isn't actually a descendant of Hercules. And to be honest as someone who loves Greek mythology I really don't understand her being named that considering her parentage. But I digress, and I will probably be back for book two because I want to see the chaos that ensues.
The famale narrator for this audio is an absolute delight. I loved how she brought all this to life.
Unhinged love interests with sociopathic tendencies stalking a self-deprecating strong-willed young woman who is clueless about the powers she possesses.
Unwillingly thrown into a deadly spartan war academy, Alexis has to use her sharp wit and resilience to physical abuse to survive as the only female in centuries to attend a dangerous academy.
Mythology reimagined
Reverse Harem
mistaken Identity
orphans
Deadly training
Touch her and die
God blood
Morally grey
multiple POV
Post-apocalyptic setting
Who did this to you
Found family
Abuse
resilient FMC
murder
Spartans
Titans
Spartan School
This book had me laughing, teary, and anxious, making it hard to pause the audiobook. It doesnβt end on a frustrating cliffhanger, but I do want to listen to the next ASAP.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So here's my thing- this wasn't bad. It was pretty good. But it just didn't click with me as a reader. It felt like a chore to get through. And I wasn't even reading it I was LISTENING. it's hard for me to really know if it was the narration or the actual content. But I do believe for the right person this would be a great book to them. Just not me unfortunately
I listened to this before reading it. This was the least irritating I've found Teddy Hamilton. So that was a plus. Having Alexis' narrator sound drunk the entirety if the crucible was kind of annoying. I know she was supposed to be delirious but they took it too far.
As for the plot. Her being out of it the whole time was confusing and frustrating. It felt like a fever dream. And repetitive. I wasn't impressed.