Epic of Helinthia

Wow, did I enjoy this! The Epic of Helinthia is a captivating book by MJ Pankey that takes place in a world of gods and heroes. The story follows Dargon, Kelric, and Gadnor as they try to make their land better, but they are being watched by the king's spies.

The plot is full of surprises, and the characters are well-developed and interesting. What sets this book apart is the author's ability to bring Greek mythology to life, making the story feel real and engaging.

Overall, The Epic of Helinthia is a thrilling narrative that features adventure, danger, and intrigue. It is a great book for those who love well-written stories with engaging characters and thought-provoking themes. If you are a fan of the epic genre or ancient mythology, you should definitely read this book.

This book was amazing! Definitely an epic!!

I loved how the author utilized a glossed and Diagram to help readers understand the titles and hierarchy of this story as well as the meanings of words not usually found in English stories.
This is 100% a plot driven story where for once, not all is a happy ending (which is refreshing). The characters are lovable, the multi POV is PERFECTLY executed. And the reveal at the ending???? For the first time in a while I couldn’t guess where that was going to go from the beginning of the book. WELL DONE MJ Pankey and publishers. Can’t wait to read more

Epic of Helinthia heavily relies on historical accuracy to bring its story to life. The book takes place in ancient Greece and uses real-life historical terms and phrases to help further the narrative and immerse the reader in history.
It is clear that the author has done extensive research into the time period and has seamlessly woven historical details into the narrative. The attention to detail and accuracy are impressive, and the reader is transported to a different time and place.
Despite being a work of fiction, it feels authentic and grounded in reality. The characters are well-developed and feel like they belong in the historical context of the story. The dialogue and descriptions are also well-crafted and add to the overall atmosphere of the book.
That being said, there are a few things that I personally do not fully enjoy in a book. The narrator switches often and it is a little hard to follow. I will say it does help that at the beginning of the chapter, the header is the new narrator's name. This book also relies heavily on the glossary at the beginning of the book, I found it at times a little difficult to follow the story as a result. It is nice that they included it so that when we do get lost we can reorient ourselves, however, I did find that because I had to constantly refer back to this I was taken out of the story a bit more often than I personally like.
Overall, The Epic of Helintha is a well-written and well-researched work of fiction that relies entirely on historical accuracy to create an immersive and engaging story.

I liked this one! It had a very slow start, so I had trouble getting into it, but I got really interested around the 30-40% mark, once the drama started to kick off.

The character development is a strong point. Gadnor and Gonivein's development are particularly well-executed and I enjoyed their chapters a lot. Loric was my favourite, and I HOPE (!!!!!) to see more of him in the next book(s).

The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the treatment of the douloi, which I think was probably the point. It was nice to see characters like Gonivein recognize the injustices of this system, but in the mean time, it is hard to sympathize with/root for protagonists like Dargon and Kelric who are so close-minded about it.

This definitely reads like the first book in a series; it establishes the world and politics, and it left a lot of unanswered questions. I think the next book(s) will be even better as we'll hopefully dive straight into the plot and wrap up those loose ends.

Wow! What a fantastic book!

The Epic of Helinthia is an enthralling novel that follows a group of heroes on their quest to free their island from the clutches of a ruthless tyrant. This book is a must-read for fans of both fantasy and Greek mythology, offering an immersive experience that exceeds all expectations.

Although the use of traditional Greek language may be challenging for those unfamiliar with the mythology and terminology, the included glossary of Greek terms makes it easier to follow.

Furthermore, I found the coming of age stories in the novel to be particularly captivating. The characters undergo significant growth and transformation, which is skillfully portrayed by Pankey. I was particularly drawn to Gonivein's story, as she evolves from a shallow, infatuated child into a fierce woman who fights for survival.

Overall, I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a thrilling and unpredictable story. MJ Pankey's brilliant writing has left me completely engrossed and eagerly anticipating the release of the sequels.

Thank you NetGalley and MJ Pankey for the ARC!

I cannot describe how beautifully written this book was. When i tell y’all that i was so invested in this book that i literally got upset when I had to stop reading and go to work , oh my goodness. This book for me is not like any other mythology based book, I’ve personally never read anything this detailed that was mythology based and i love that about this book.

I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book , I feel like the glossary, map, and the hierarchy chart would’ve been beneficial if I received the physical copy of this book because it was difficult to flip back to the beginning to really understand who was who and what was what. Regardless of that i still enjoyed the book.

Now as someone who doesn’t have a huge knowledge of mythology , i can confidentially say that i appreciate how the author writes so descriptively that you really feel like you dont need to know anything else except for what was written (even though i will most likely do some outside research later on ). I know this is fiction and that the books characters are based off of the certain Greek mythological gods and goddesses / their oracles , saying this i appreciate the research i can tell the author put into writing this book to make it historically accurate and this book makes me what to further my research in Greek mythology.

I also enjoyed the multiple POVs from the characters , i think it was a good choice with this book to have those multiple POVs to further the story. However i do understand if people get confused with the multiple written POVs because i sometimes had to go back and be like “i thought it was someone else speaking not them “ and double check what’s going on, but i feel like once you read the book for a while you get the hang of who’s talking and whos not.

Now , what made me only give this book 4 stars rather than 5 was the fact that I was greatly confused in the beginning of the story and before i reached 100 pages i was really debating on whether or not i wanted to fight through and finish the book. I am glad that i finished it , obviously , but i wish it didn’t take me so long to get attached to the book like i ended up being. I could 100% be me but I couldn’t grasp what was going on in the beginning and had to really pay attention to the details the author was providing and that at first was draining to me and didn’t make me want to read but as the book went on i ended up understanding more and later enjoyed the details and the plot of the story.

With all this being said , i hope that there is going to be a second book to this one ( in the future of course not immediately ) and i cannot wait for the physical copy to be released so i can share with my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and thank you to the author MJ Pankey for the Arc copy of this book granting me the treat to read this book.

<b> <i> "men with power don't need proof from the gods to be persuasive" </b> </i>

This book was a bit tough to start - mostly because I started it out a little confused. Once I fully understood the relations between the characters, I was capable of fully enjoying it. It was incredibly useful to have a diagram at the start of the book, so I could go back and understand everyone's positions.

The description of the book is rather captivating and I'm happy to announce that the author does it justice. It's a rich tale of a plot to perform a coup and bring peace to the island of Helinthia - except it's much more than it first looks like. Throw in greek gods, oracles, mythical creatures, secret brotherhoods, betrayals and some extra secrets and you're still not quite seeing the whole picture.

My most favourite part of this book is that I couldn't predict where it was going. There were moments I thought I was guessing correctly when in truth I was falling for an intricate diversion - that's some of the magic of this book too: you find the strings and connections along with the characters and rarely ever before.

About the characters, some of them stressed me in the beginning and I could easily pick which ones I didn't like but, as the book progressed, I found that I couldn't dislike them quite as much - here and there, the author cleverly shows us a little bit of the depth each character holds and shows us faults that we cannot hold them against them. It's hard to say which one was my favourite but, in order to avoid spoilers, I'll restrain myself to pointing out how much Gadnor grew, never once letting go of his kindness.

As for the writing, MJ Pankey is damn good. Sometimes, no matter how good a book or plot is, the author's writing makes some parts of it boring and hard to get through. This was not the case. Never once did I get bored or skip any paragraph or line. I was captivated until the very last word.

Overall, if you're looking for adventure mixed with greek mythology and enthralling characters, I absolutely recommend this book.

4.5 Star

The Epic of Helinthia is a historical fiction disguised as a Greek retelling. It has all the wonderful aspects of a retelling but a breath of fresh air of a new story. I highly recommend this novel for Greek mythology lovers.

At points the writing was slightly wordy and some of the plot directions was obvious. With that being said, the prose is beautiful and captivating. The author did their due diligence in their research to give the feeling of a story that fits the setting. Also, I have to give the author kudos for not shying away and using proper Greek terminology and verbiage.



Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I liked this book, but I feel like I read it at the wrong time, so I will definitely give it a reread some day.

This book is different from most Greek mythology novels in a couple ways. First off, it gives you a glossary! I loved having the ability to actually have context for some of the lesser known terms. Secondly, it focuses less on the Greek Gods and more on the actual island of Helenthia. Don't get me wrong, there are still lots of references to the Olympians, but there's more of an adventure as well.

In addition, this book utilizes multi POV which I thought made it more interesting. However, multi POV in 3rd person can be confusing at times as well.

It's obvious that the author put in a lot of time and energy into making this book historically accurate. A must read for any Greek mythology fans!

Epic of Helinthia describes the struggles of the people leading Helinthia - a land fallen into a draught, leading to hunger and poverty. In an effort to better their land, Dargos and a group of his allies set on a quest to rebel against the leadership they believe displeased the Gods. What we get is a tale truly living up to its name: an Epic.

What struck me first about this book was the helpful guide at the beginning. A glossary describing the Gods and a map of the places important to the story. The story started off with a bang, with an intense, heart-racing situation before getting to the characters in their current day.The author did a phenomenal job with both character building and setting the scene. At all points of the book I had no trouble imagining the landscape, facial expressions, or reasonings why someone made the decisions they did.

What I most enjoyed about the story was the multiple POV. As with any Epic inspired by Greek Mythology, there are many people playing important parts. Although that can get confusing at times, I felt MJ Pankey did such a good job with descriptions and separation from events that things were actually really easy to follow. I felt invested and connected to the story and the characters.

Overall, I very much liked this book. It got a bit slow at times, although I understand why the pace varied. More characters requires more attention to detail and the slowing pace helped keep things clear for me. I was enthralled following along the story, and really enjoyed the various revelations throughout the book. Epic of Helinthia contains acts of heroism, personal growth, romance, friendships, and perfectly depicts the relationship of a Greek civilization with the Greek Gods. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading about Greek Mythology and adventure!

"But he came back. For her. Taking down the wall she'd built around her heart brick by brick and making love to her with a tenderness she never thought possible."

thank you mj pankey and netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

*spoiler free*

i went into this thinking "wow pretty cover" and was not expecting what was awaiting me.

lets start with the glossary (which i loved) however since i was reading as an e-arc, i had to keep flipping towards the front which was kind of annoying. im sure this issue will be fixed with the paperback, which i am absolutely going to get for a re-read.

i love greek mythology but my admiration has never extended to the heroes or stories where the main character isn't a god. however i have to say, this book pulled me in. even though it was a work of fiction, it had me believing there was an entire gap in my knowledge to where helinthia existed.

the writing was so immersive. the research that went into this was immaculate. the characters were well written and thought through i adored the contrast of their thoughts during the pov (even though it was in third person).
its definitely hard to start and follow but once you make it through the first quarter, it will pull you in. i was completely bamboozled at every turning (partially because i was confused) but i never expected what happened, to have happened. i did not have any issues with the writing or the plot because they both perfectly complimented each other! there's a little bit of romance, (there's quite a bit of romance (but it was closed door), along with a little "nobility tied in) if you're looking for tropes.

this book is part of a series (and ends on a little bit of an insinuation) but i absolutely cannot wait to read the next book and check out more of this author's work.

It was very refreshing to read an original story/ myth set in Ancient Greece. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a sucker for retellings of Greek myths. However, I appreciated the author’s gusto to write her own myth. Not to mention, the author wrote an amazing and original story. The author included the classic elements of Greek mythology, like gods/goddesses, prophecies, royalty, palaces, war, etc. Yet, the author made this story her own.

The multiple perspectives was a nice touch. Though, I felt interested in some characters’ journeys more than that of others. Still, some characters I grew to appreciate a bit more. I’m interested to see if readers will follow the same characters in the sequel or if new characters’ perspectives will be added.

There was an element of mystery in the book that I really liked. I also really liked the inclusion of Greek words/ terminology. The author definitely did her research.

This is a bit of a long book. It’s also one of three or four in a series. The author was right to call this story an epic. I hope I’m able to read the sequel and eventually the entire series.

5/5 Absolutely amazing read by MJ Pankey! I’m always a sucker for Greek mythology based books and this one is no different. The Characters are personable and there’s a few times I needed to remind myself that they are fictional and not real especially when it came to Kelric. The pettiness of the Gods/Goddesses were spot on, showcasing their amusement to use mortals as pawns in their elaborate chest game against one another. The life of a God/Goddesses is boring when having an immortal life.
I will admit, the book did start off a bit slower than I would have liked ,however, once I got further into the book, it was hard to put down.
There were a few parts that seemed a little rushed but overall I highly recommend this read.

This is whole new sub-genre for me of speculative mythology/fantasy. This book’s story takes place on the island of Helinthia which appears to be where the ancient Greeks moved to. It’s complete with Greek gods we know and love - plus one more, Helinthia (a newer goddess) and very true to Greek history.

Synopsis: The story starts off with an evil high king taking the throne and ousting a long line of descendants of Apollo. We then jump to 18 years later where Helinthia is suffering under this king, and there’s plans of a rebellion to overthrow him and potentially restore the land to the rumored surviving heir. The story follows Dargon, Kelric, and Gadnor on their path to rebel against the king and hopefully restore favor to the gods. Unfortunately there are many invested parties in keeping them from succeeding in their mission. The book also has the POV of Gonivein, Dargon’s sister, who has her own separate path to follow.

The book leaves off on a cliff hanger setting the stage for the upcoming two to three books the author has planned for the series.

My thoughts: What an amazing book! The characters were complex and I loved really learning and getting to know them more deeply as the book progressed. I loved the setting and how it took place in a made up place within a time we are all very familiar with. The author stayed true to the time period and typical references to the gods. The story really picks up in the middle of the book once the pieces start coming together. It’s full of action/adventure and even has a little 🌶️! Some mysteries were a little predictable but others were not. Either way it did not deter from the story because you wanted to see how all the characters would react when the big reveal came.

I am definitely excited to finish this series and see what else this author writes!

Thank you to Net Galley and Muse and Quill Press for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book! I was honestly a bit intimidated by this book since it is an epic and seemed very detailed with all the Greek nomenclature. However, after the first chapter or two I was pretty much fluent and it didn’t take away from the plot at all. Once the book started it only got more interesting and action packed and the world building was so detailed it created a truly enjoyable experience. Although there really isn’t any heavy romance, there is a sort of slow burn between many characters that kept me satisfied! This author really impressed me and I can’t wait for the next book in the series! Thank you so much to the author MJ for allowing me to read this as an ARC and for being involved in Goodreads as I posted my progress!

This book, it grabbed my attention and would not let it go.

Did I know this was going to be a series. No. I got to the cliffhanger and almost raged. The book is that good!!!

I don’t even know how to rate it. The book is just epic. It is a great blend of what we know of gods and goddess, epic journeys (like the odyssey), and even better character arcs and developments.

Was surprised at all the twists and turns along this journey and can’t wait for the next book to come out!! Would and will recommend this to everyone who loves mythology.

Thank you NetGalley and MJ Pankey for an ARC ebook.

Firstly, I love Greek Mythology and was so excited that I got to read this early.

What can I say about this book? This was brilliantly written and I love the concept, MJ Pankey has a great knowledge of Greek Mythology and this is apparent in this book. Even though this is a fictional book I actually thought it was a real part of Greek Mythology that I had somehow missed over my numerous years of reading it. I can’t wait for the next part to find out what happens. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone and everyone, I can’t wait to buy a physical book so O can add it to my Greek Mythology shelf.

Congratulations MJ Pankey on writing such an incredible book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Epic of Helinthia. MJ Pankey has a lovely writing style, fluid and melodious, bringing the reader along between different perspectives. I was a bit confused about who was who for a while in the beginning of the novel, which may be a reader fault. All in all, though, the novel seems like a great set up for further books in the series, which I was excited to see were planned in the author's note at the end of the book.

Have you ever started a book thinking you knew the ending, only to be blown away in the final chapters?

I thought I had this book figured out about halfway through and made my predictions for how I thought the story would end. I am content to say that I was almost entirely wrong.

The pacing for Epic of Helinthia was equal parts story building and action. M. J. Pankey does a great job at creating her own Greek myth with the same twists and prophetic foreshadowing that would make the ancient Greek gods and goddesses proud. Some of the characters were a little flat, but I am willing to give some leniency since this is the first in a series and generally Greek myths are a little weak on character building. After all, who are mere mortals to the gods?

I can hardly wait until the next book in the series is released or for whatever book M. J. Pankey publishes next!

Thank you for netgalley for the advanced reading copy of elic of Helinthia. Epic of Helinthia was just that an absolute epic. Their island on the brink of war from a usurper to the throne once ruled over by apollo's heirs. The unlikely group of people have to make their way through constant hardships all over the island. The unlikely few who become friends and the closest betrayals to save their island from falling into complete ruin by finding the true heir and restoring peace.
This was fantastic, I loved it so much more than I could have hoped. It was lengthy to be honest but it made it worth it. The suspense the author wrote in, the betrayals thrown about. The absolute biggest twists and turns, the ending not what I expected of course because that came out of left field I had no way to guess untill maybe 75% of the way through. Just wow. As soon as I always thought all hope was lost all the sudden one thing makes it better and the unlikely band has hope, until it's torn down again of course. Absolutely fantastic and I cannot wait for this release!