Maaaaaan I’ve been waiting for this one for a long, long time. I need something that I can have a mythological squee over, and if Paternus isn’t that thing, I don’t know what is.
I actually beta read this book, which is unusual. I read books before they’re released, yes, but not usually beta versions where I’m giving feedback and shit.
Makes me feel all special *^_^*
So, I had another quick jaunt through it just to make sure everything I loved was still there… it was… so, this one is going to be a little gushy. Just… like… a teeeny bit gushy. I like mythology guyyys.
On the run from an ancient evil and his army of terrors straight out of myths from around the world, Fi and Zeke aid Peter in his globe-trotting quest to seek out the remaining Firstborn, uncover the enemy’s plans, and gather the Warriors of Old for what may become the final battle in the world’s oldest war. Along the way, Fi and Zeke discover that they, too, have strengths of their own–though they come at a cost neither may wish to bear.
From the very depths of his preternatural being it comes. Stone cracks beneath his feet. The air itself flees from his fists. Flowers droop on the vines. Gloom rolls over the valley like fog. Sheep and cattle bow their heads. The grief of The Father rises to the clouds above. The sky whimpers, dismal gray, and weeps.
No, you’re sobbing at work! 😭 Jesus, this book gave me the feels.
This is the continuing story of Fiona Megan Patterson and her maybe-kind-of-boyfriend Zeke, and their not-so-normal cohort of actual mythological beings, not the least of which is Peter… the… uh, well, the father of all of them. Except the ones that are the kids of his kids. But, still.
The last book left me with questions, and I had hoped that this book would answer at least some of those questions, not the least of which was…. WTF happened to Zeke? There was a whole slew of other ones, but this one was at the top of my list.
This book answers that question, and it answers many more… but poses more in their place! It’s full of twists and turns, and things happened in it that legitimately surprised me, or legitimately upset me (but not in a bad way. If a book manages to actually upset me because of things that happen in it, that generally means it’s a good book.) Characters that I thought were good… might not be so good. Characters I thought were bad, are… not so bad. It’s all up in the air. There is the idea of the Asura vs the Deva – good vs evil – but it is actually a little more complicated than that, as it turns out. It’s not so cut and dry. The Asura and the Deva are… more alike than they seem.
It brings back most of the characters I loved from the first, Kabir, Edgar, Mrs. Mirskaya, and my favorite giant ridiculous dog, Molossus. This one introduced new characters who I latched right onto. We’re introduced to Freyja, who is a fantastic character that I immediately loved. The banter between her and Pratha is amazeballs, and made me laugh. There’s also Akhu, who is a Firstborn who is mute, but can communicate telepathically (with permission). She also carries Ruyi Jingu Bang (which is also known as Nyoi-Bo in Japanese), The Monkey King Sun Wukong’s staff from Journey to the West, which I nerded over like nobody’s business because it is one of my favorite weapons from all of folklore ever. We also see more of Myrddin Wyllt, who is basically hilarious Merlin if he was a doddering old man who’s just learning how to text, Baphomet the mischievous Goat, who is… who and what he is, and Cù Sith, who is trying very hard to prove himself to be more than the sum of his parts.
I thought there would be less mythological shit to squee over in this volume because there was so much in the last volume, but this one made me geek out just as hard. Figuring out who everyone mythologically *is* is really just fun as hell for me. Fintan, for example, is not only the Fintan mac Bóchra from Irish mythology, he’s also Garuda from Hindu/Buddhist mythology, and Horus from Egyptian mythology. Many, many of the Firstborn are like this. There aren’t as many Firstborn as there were gods in all the mythologies of the world, so many of them take on more than one role, and my guessing all of them with varying amounts of success is actually more fun for me than I’m sure I make it sound. 😀
I’m not the only one who geeks the hell out about this stuff though. Zeke does too, and I love that I had a comrade in mythology nerdiness within the very book, because it gives me a character to relate to, even if I don’t really relate to anyone else. Even at this point in the story, where he’s known Peter and his giant, ridiculous family for a bit, Zeke still manages to be surprised when he learns that someone he’s been casually hanging out with is really Kali, or Horus, or a host of other beings.
I read this thing in a day and a half, because I couldn’t help myself. I had to take notes and actually give feedback on it and everything, and I still read it in a day and a half with a notebook and a pen next to me, and took a whole bunch of notes and gave a whole slew of feedback. For me though, it was mostly just ‘I REALLY FUCKING LIKE THIS PART!@$#!’ which I’m sure was… not at all helpful for the whole process, lol. I was glued to this book just as I was glued to the first. It’s got a few pop culture references that made me giggle, too.
I honestly cannot wait to see how this story resolves, because I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS NOW ABOUT CHARACTERS AND THINGS.
As I said in my notes to myself when I reached the end of the book, aside from a line edit or two, I would have five-starred this thing right out the gate. And that is no less true now than it was then. 5/5 stars. This was a fantastic sequel to Rise of Gods. ❤
superstardrifter 
A true sequel surpasses its predecessor in most ways, It certainly sounds like that’s the case here. Awesome to hear! Thanks for the review.
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You know, I think you’re right. I do think this one was objectively better than the first. And I subjectively liked it more 😍
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