antigoddess

I’ve been entranced by the cover art for Kendare Blake's Antigoddess ever since I saw it and read the official summary early last year.  It sounded bloody, slightly terrifying, and (honestly) pretty magic.  I’ve had it out from the library for a few weeks now, but I finally sat down for a few hours of quality reading time the day before yesterday because I told my book club that I was reading it. And although that was technically true at the time (I was halfway through the first chapter), I wanted it to be more true.  Lucky me, Antigoddess is the sort of story that doesn’t let you go once it has got its teeth into you.  In a good way, of course.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath. 

The Greek gods are dying mysterious, horrible deaths.  Athena is sprouting feathers from within.  Her brother Hermes is wasting away.  None of them know how or why it’s happening, but they are banding together to kill each other – or die trying.  In a desperate bid to save themselves, Athena and Hermes set out on a quest to find the prophet Cassandra, in hopes that something about her will change their fates.  The trouble is, this time around Cassandra is an innocent (and ignorant) teenage girl, and the other side isn’t going to go down without a fight.

Antigoddess is a story for Greek mythology junkies.  It’s for kids who grew up reading D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths, The Odyssey, and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.  That isn’t to say that if you haven’t read those books you CAN’T enjoy the book, but it won’t make nearly as much sense or be as easy to read if you don’t have the background.  Lucky me, I was raised on all of the books above.  Antigoddess was fun, quick reading, as well as a little dark, a lot savage, and all the way entertaining.

I thought the movement inherent in the plot was one of the strongest parts of the book.  I don’t want to spoil any twists, so I’ll just say that it starts with a journey, and ends with a full-blown war.  Also possibly the end of the world?  But yes, a war between the gods at the very least.  The beginning was a little slow – push through the first two chapters and you’ll hit the more interesting bits (at least, that was my take).  The action is helped along by the fact that most of the narration is split between Athena and Cassandra, and Athena is a goddess bent on justice and action.

Return for a minute to the part above where I said that the book was best if you’d read Greek mythology previously… that’s because much of the characterization relies on previous knowledge of the temperaments and exploits of those gods.  The back story is really back story, in this case.  And that’s not a problem, unless you expect pages of character exploration.  You won’t get it.  Instead, the focus is squarely on the action, the twists of the story, and the dealings between humans and gods.  Blake does a good job of making a millennia-old creature’s thought patterns both immediate and authentic.

Antigoddess is a dark young adult fantasy that relies heavily on Greek myth, but also explores themes of atoning for the past, the struggle to survive, and if it is possible for people (or gods) to change their natures.  It’s a little violent, a little gory, and a perfect set-up for what’s sure to be an epic death match.

Recommended for: fans of Greek mythology and young adult fantasy retellings, and readers who enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and/or Tessa Gratton’s The Lost Sun.

banana nut brownies

I became a banana-and-coffee-for-breakfast person last summer.  Before that I was just a coffee-for-breakfast girl.  Times change!  Anyway, now that I buy bananas, I also have bananas going brown before I can get to them.  I knew of one way to use those bananas: banana bread.  Last weekend I looked around the internet for a new recipe, but for some reason I kept thinking of chocolate.  Eventually, chocolate took complete control (as it does).  And that is how I discovered these brownies, which are ridiculously good.  Like, wow.

Banana Nut Brownies (modified very slightly from this Taste of Home recipe) 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, very soft

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (around 3 medium-sized)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and cocoa.  Stir in eggs, milk and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add flour mixture to batter in two batches, stirring after each addition.  Stir in bananas, then fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, and bake 40-45 minutes until the top springs back/stays firm when tapped lightly.  Cool in pan before serving (or be very careful of the chocolate chips, which will have turned liquid and extremely hot). 

This recipe makes a lovely pan of brownies, and although they are rich, they also have that hint of ‘lightness’ that the fruit brings to the table.  I took photos and then told my roommates they were free game.  The brownies were gone by the following morning.

Recommended for: fans of brownies, anyone with overripe bananas and a chocolate craving, and for an easy, family-friendly dessert to end any meal.

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads’ Weekend Cooking!

black dog giveaway

2014 is still young, but I’ve already read some great books.  As I mentioned on twitter yesterday, the best young adult book I’ve read so far this year is Rachel Neumeier’s Black Dog.  It has unique mythology, complex characters, diversity, and a plot that just won’t stop.  Basically, it’s AWESOME. 

I want to share my love of this book with all of you!  I’ll give away a paperback or ebook copy of Rachel Neumeier’s Black Dog to two giveaway winners.  To enter to win, simply fill out the FORM.  Giveaway open internationally, will end at 11:59pm EST on February 28^th.  Winners will be selected randomly and notified via email.  Good luck!

Natividad is Pure, one of the rare girls born able to wield magic. Pure magic can protect humans against the supernatural evils they only half-acknowledge – the blood kin or the black dogs. In rare cases – like for Natividad’s father and older brother – Pure magic can help black dogs find the strength to control their dark powers.

But before Natividad’s mother can finish teaching her magic their enemies find them. Their entire village in the remote hills of Mexico is slaughtered by black dogs. Their parents die protecting them. Natividad and her brothers must flee across a strange country to the only possible shelter: the infamous black dogs of Dimilioc, who have sworn to protect the Pure.

In the snowy forests of Vermont they are discovered by Ezekiel Korte, despite his youth the strongest black dog at Dimilioc and the appointed pack executioner. Intrigued by Natividad he takes them to Dimilioc instead of killing them.

Now they must pass the tests of the Dimilioc Master. Alejandro must prove he can learn loyalty and control even without his sister’s Pure magic. Natividad’s twin Miguel must prove that an ordinary human can be more than a burden to be protected. And even at Dimilioc a Pure girl like Natividad cannot remain unclaimed to cause fighting and distraction. If she is to stay she must choose a black dog mate.

But, first, they must all survive the looming battle.

black dog

I am intrigued by the idea of werewolves, and I know I am not the only one out there (see: the popularity of paranormal fiction and film).  Even more than werewolves themselves, I’m interested in the mythology and world-building it takes to make a story with werewolves in it viable and more-or-less believable.  So: I was interested, and I’d heard about Rachel Neumeier’s Black Dog, But what actually got me reading?  Stephanie Burgis’ tweet and Liviana’s review.  All at once I felt a pull toward the book – you could even say it was like the lure of the full moon (if you wanted to be incredibly cheesy) – and I am so glad I heeded that call.  The puns, they just write themselves…

Natividad is Pure, one of the rare girls born able to wield magic. Pure magic can protect humans against the supernatural evils they only half-acknowledge – the blood kin or the black dogs. In rare cases – like for Natividad’s father and older brother – Pure magic can help black dogs find the strength to control their dark powers.

But before Natividad’s mother can finish teaching her magic their enemies find them. Their entire village in the remote hills of Mexico is slaughtered by black dogs. Their parents die protecting them. Natividad and her brothers must flee across a strange country to the only possible shelter: the infamous black dogs of Dimilioc, who have sworn to protect the Pure.

In the snowy forests of Vermont they are discovered by Ezekiel Korte, despite his youth the strongest black dog at Dimilioc and the appointed pack executioner. Intrigued by Natividad he takes them to Dimilioc instead of killing them.

Now they must pass the tests of the Dimilioc Master. Alejandro must prove he can learn loyalty and control even without his sister’s Pure magic. Natividad’s twin Miguel must prove that an ordinary human can be more than a burden to be protected. And even at Dimilioc a Pure girl like Natividad cannot remain unclaimed to cause fighting and distraction. If she is to stay she must choose a black dog mate.

But, first, they must all survive the looming battle.

Natividad and her brothers Miguel and Alejandro are on the run – and they’re hoping that their destination will offer a refuge.  Hoping, but not counting on it.  Natividad’s parents were killed in Mexico in an attack from their father’s enemy, and now they’re fleeing to his homeland Dimilioc, in Vermont. Dimilioc is their only option, despite its repulation.  Natividad is Pure, a rare girl who can use magic, her twin Miguel is human, and Alejandro is a black dog, a shifter.  And Dimilioc is famous for being the home of the most vicious and protective black dogs – black wolves – in North America.  But before they can find a place in Dimilioc, they will have to prepare for a battle against the enemy that followed them across a continent.

I REALLY liked this book.  It had unique werewolf lore, diversity, fantastic world-building, beautiful writing, layered characters and an intense fight for survival (aka plot).  Wait, I need to write more?!  Ha.  Let’s go with Natividad.  She’s a girl who has recently lost her home as well as her mother, but she’s still intensely protective and caring.  She’s not surrendering to anger or turning her emotions into reasons to fight. She doesn’t always know the answer, she sometimes acts rashly, but she’s constantly learning and hoping and surviving, driven all the time by love for family. I wonder if it is possible NOT to fall in love with Natividad.

Even if Natividad didn’t carry the story, there’s Dimilioc and its complicated hierarchy, and Miguel and Alejandro struggling to find a place in it – all the while wondering if death is around the next corner.  It’s pretty intense stuff, and that’s not even counting the fight against Malvern Vonhausel, their father’s old enemy.  Add in the very nature of black dogs, where the ‘shadow’ of their other self is always trying to overtake their human side, and you have a setting rife with tension and anger, shame and secrets that keep trust from taking root.  And still, that’s not all.

Neumeier has written a story where familial relationships shine.  Miguel and Alejandro and Natividad are the obvious family unit, but so too are the Dimilioc wolves.  The give and take of those relationships adds layers of depth to every character – there are no cardboard representations in Black Dog.  Also wonderful: the diversity of those characters and families, and the Spanish dialogue that Natividad and her brothers fall into unwittingly or use to describe their magic/nature.  The obvious contrast of Mexico and Vermont adds to the strangeness of the situation for the newcomers.  As Natividad assimilates to her new environment, so does the reader.  It’s really rather genius.

You may have noticed that I have said nothing yet about the fact that Natividad, due to her status as Pure, must choose a mate (it’s right there in the official summary). I understand that this is part of the culture/tradition in this setting, but it still made me uncomfortable in the extreme, especially at the beginning.  I believe Neumeier deals with this element well (by narrowing the field almost immediately), but the fact remains that all of Natividad’s dealings with the Dimilioc wolves have at least a double meaning.  Of course they value her magic, but they value her possible fertility even more.  I can’t decide if I think this is creepy enough to be a true reservation, or adds to the world-building.  Probably a little bit of both.

I will certainly be reading the sequel, and I very much enjoyed the book overall.  It’s young adult fantasy with a bite, and the tension and pace compliment the characterization and plot wonderfully well.

Recommended for: fans of werewolves and unique paranormal lore, those who like diversity, great world-building and solid characters, and anyone who loved Robin McKinley’s Sunshine or Anne Bishop’s Written in Red.

Fine print: I received an e-ARC of Black Dog from the publisher (Strange Chemistry) via NetGalley for honest review.