I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Immortals (Olympus Bound #1) by Jordanna Max Brodsky Published by Orbit on February 16th 2016
Pages: 464
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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MANHATTAN HAS MANY SECRETS.SOME ARE OLDER THAN THE CITY ITSELF.
Manhattan.The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone-just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous.
Murders.In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago. To protect the innocent-and to punish those who stand in her way.
Gods.With the NYPD out of its depth, Selene vows to hunt the killer on her own. But when classics professor Theo Schultz decodes the ancient myth behind the crime, the solitary Huntress finds herself working with a man who's her opposite in every way. Together, they face a long-forgotten cult that lies behind a string of murders, and they'll need help from the one source Selene distrusts most of all: the city's other Immortals.
Much like Lev Grossman's The Magicians spoke to a generation of adults who grew up with Harry Potter, THE IMMORTALS will enchant anyone who loved American Gods or Percy Jackson.
The first thing that really captured my interest with The Immortals was the depth of the research committed to get all the details right in reference to the Greek gods, their world and their cults. Clearly, Brodsky wanted a novel based on mythological fact rather than pure fiction. When I realized that Theo would be an academic and Selene would be a Greek goddess, I became concerned that the novel would become incredibly outlandish or unrealistic, but the narrative never veered from it’s Greek mythos roots and the characters never broke away from their core foundations. I was impressed that a romantic fiction novelist took the historical and mythological details seriously.
It’s usually easier to begin a book of this magnitude with aspirations for a novel with true historical detail than actually committing to the art. Generally, I find the author’s interest in academic details begin to fizzle when the romantic aspects of the tale begin to develop. Brodsky stays her course and builds upon a well developed world to create a palatable romance in the midst of so much ancient drama.
I loved the fact that in Brodsky’s debut novel we see role reversal in genders. Stereotypically we see female humans who fall into the realm of gods, teaming up with an attractive male God, whom the main character inevitably fall in love with. Normally this main character realizes their own super powers or learns of a secret lineage..however, Brodsky turns this routine plot on its head with a female goddess who meets a male human who’s just that – an every day human. I loved that the gender roles were reversed!
My only complaint was the obvious love triangle between Selene, Theo and Selene’s ancient mythological lover. I despise love triangles and didn’t particularly enjoy this one. Unfortunately, I can never see a true need for a love triangle in a novel and it only forces me to dislike both the main character and the love interests. I’m kind of a jerk that way. Regardless, I found The Immortals to be a unique novel with some serious intellectual details to keep me satisfied throughout the treacherous love triangle.
Although the idea of Gods living among modern day humans has been done to death the novel itself was engrossing, well plotted and well researched which more than made up for some of the novel’s predictability. I could have definitely done without the love triangle ad the ending was disappointing, but overall the novel was a fantastic start to what promises to be a fantastic series. A story of the ill fated lovers, mystery cults and aging Greek gods who live among us in modern day New York? Definitely worth the read!
I am unable to write a review to quite capture my feelings on this novel, but I can say that it was a satisfying read that was difficult to put down. Brodsky is a talented writer.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy novels about the Greek pantheon, romance, action, murder mystery and strong female protagonists. This book would be extremely satisfying for the historical reader looking for a little history mixed with modern day romance and intrigue. I would not suggest this novel to people who do not enjoy love triangles or struggle with academic details in their mystery novels.
About Jordanna Max Brodsky
Jordanna Max Brodsky hails from Virginia, where she made it through a science and technology high school by pretending it was a theater conservatory. She holds a degree in History and Literature from Harvard University. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, where she is working on the second book in the Olympus Bound trilogy. She often sees goddesses in Central Park and wishes she were one.
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