We’re thrilled to be revealing the cover for Rachel Menard’s Game of Strength and Storm, which is a YA gender-bent Hercules retelling and releases June 7th 2022.
Teenagers of Olympia Gen and Castor race to be the first to complete six nearly impossible challenges to obtain their greatest desire. Only one will win. The other walks away with nothing—if she walks away at all. Intrigued? Well you can add it to your Goodreads as well as pre-order Game of Strength and Storm from Flux Books and North Star Editions, where both websites currently offering 30% off fall release preorders using code SPRING22 and free shipping when you spend over $30!
Now read on to discover the cover and synopsis, but first, here’s what Rachel had to say about her cover!
“If I could draw, this is what I would have created for the GAME OF STRENGTH AND STORM cover. I started writing this story three years ago, and over the course of drafts, I had developed pretty detailed images of Gen and Castor in my mind. This is them. This is exactly how I see them. Gen with her quiet defiance, and Castor about to light the world on fire. Standing back-to-back with their magical abilities on display, this looks like a poster for an epic fantasy battle, and that’s exactly what readers will find beyond this gorgeous cover!”
Victory is the only option.
Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people selected by a lottery—for a price. Seventeen-year-old Gen, a former circus performer, wants the freedom of her father, who was sentenced to life in prison for murders she knows he didn’t commit. Castor plans to carry the island Arcadia into the future in place of her brother, Pollux, but only after the Empresses force a change in her island’s archaic laws that requires a male heir.
To get what they want, Gen and Castor must race to complete the better half of ten nearly impossible labors. They have to catch the fastest ship in the sea, slay the immortal Hydra, defeat a gangster called the Boar, and capture the flesh-eating Mares, among other deadly tasks.
Gen has her magic, her ability to speak to animals, her inhuman strength—and the help of Pollux, who’s been secretly pining for her for years. But Castor has her own gifts: the power of the storms, along with endless coin. Only one can win. The other walks away with nothing—if she walks away at all.
Loading…
Reload document 
Open in new tab
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Menard was born in New Jersey, raised in Arizona, and then relocated to Rhode Island. Throughout her life she has been a barista, college radio DJ, singer in an alt-country band, marketer, designer, and finally, a writer. Her short fiction has been featured on Cast of Wonders and her editorial work has been seen in Writer’s Digest. Game of Strength and Storm is her debut novel.
You can find Rachel on Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and Goodreads, along with at her website.
