I’ve always thought movies and books are an experience and uniquely so to each person that watches or reads them. Just as each person’s experience is unique, the aspect of the content that calls to them is unique too. For some it’s the reviews, for some the trailer, or the blurb, the representation, the quotes, the hype etc,. I’ve spoken before about the two types of lures I’ve experienced that drew me to books: one, the cover and the other, the blurb; but for the first time it was an excerpt that sparked my interest. When the publisher shared the link to the excerpt for The Games Gods Play, it was simple curiosity that drove me to click on it. Once I’d read the excerpt that describes a moment between the primary characters, there was just something about the protagonist’s voice that drew me in and I couldn’t stop thinking about it…
The world-building in any story—especially in a genre like high fantasy—is what can make or break a book. Abigail Owen is clearly very aware of that, because she begins establishing the rules, elements and nature of the world in The Games Gods Play from the very first page. The author has created a delectable blend of familiar and novel; with well-known Gods and legends from the Greek Mythology paired with dangerous competitions, high stakes, and heart-moving characters. The above elements are then supported by Owen’s unpredictable and immersive take on all these aspects by entwining them together into a rush of an experience that has you by the throat.
The writing, in my opinion, is this book’s strongest feature. Owen has chosen to have The Games Gods Play unfold through the eyes of her FMC, Lyra. The book reads on a knife edge between humour and heart-wrenching emotions; a difficult balance to acquire and maintain, without taking away from the seriousness of the theme and at the same time not letting the readers drown in it. The visuals that Owen paints with her words, the characters she introduces and makes us fall in love with, the emotional and physical challenges she creates, escalates and resolves are all written with the kind of skill and finesse that keep you immersed in every moment.
The plot in this book was so wonderfully hidden, unravelling in layers, that it surprises us each time one peels back to reveal more of the truth. Despite having read the whole book, I truly believe I only have some of the puzzle pieces, but do not have enough information to put them together. There’s a very clear plot purpose to this book and my favourite part is that the moment you underestimate it, you learn just how well Owen has played you. Additionally, being a reader most of my life, it’s very rare I read a book that surprises me as much or as many times as The Games Gods Play did. I could guess exactly one thing and I got it both right and wrong in this nearly 600 page book wherein a lot happens—sometimes on the very same page.
The characters in this book are aplenty; which is to be expected given the number of Gods there are (and then add to that each of their champions). With high fantasy, most authors usually introduce characters slowly; sometimes even over the course of a series. However, Owen did no such thing, she took a risk and it paid off! It’s one thing if there are a multitude of characters that you don’t need to remember or know, and another thing entirely when there are many characters that add important information and serve plot purpose and are required to be known and remembered. The Games Gods Play is the latter and the author has done a fantastic job incorporating her primary and secondary characters into her story at perfect intervals and over and over to firmly establish them in our minds and hearts. A special mention to how much I enjoyed that the author chose to depict her protagonist as someone painted in misery, but at the same time somehow always looking up at the stars. Additionally, given that it’s Lyra’s voice I’d fallen in love with and single person perspectives are my favourite narrative style to read, this book felt like it was written for me.
As mentioned earlier, this book is nearly 600 pages, but does it feel that way? Absolutely not. The pages race by you, the words acting as your ride and you’re flying, feeling absolutely powerless to put a stop to or change course at any point. Owen’s got the wheel and you’re a passenger to her whims; and what an experience the journey was!
Ten on ten! Are you looking for a rush? Or are you looking for a book that can tug your heart right out of your chest and trample it? Or maybe action, romance, adrenaline, found family, magic and secrets? If the answer to any of this is yes, then read The Games Gods Play. If the answer or all of this is yes, then definitely read The Games Gods Play.
Please check trigger warnings, there is content in this book that can be triggering to some. Happy reading.
The Games Gods Play is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 3rd 2024.
Will you be picking up The Games Gods Play? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
The gods love to play with us mere mortals. And every hundred years, we let them…
I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus.
Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won’t notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus’ patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god.
The worst god. Hades.
For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible―the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead.
So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me―a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders―as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I’m his?
I don’t know if I’m a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky?
Because Hades is playing by his own rules…and Death will win at any cost.
