Hello everyone!
So a while ago, I sort of accidentally stumbled over Lizzy Ford's book 'Omega', because I think it popped up in my suggestions list on Goodreads. I may be wrong, but I think that was the case. In any event, however, I initially got it because it had an intriguing premise (Greek Gods in the modern world? An Oracle? Sign me up!), and I'd just been coming off a Percy Jackson high.
Yeah, you can probably see some resemblance there.
So I got the book and I put it aside for a bit since I was reading a lot of different things at the time, but then after I finished Percy Jackson for who knows what number of times, I was still itching for more Greek.
That was when I picked up the book, and I have to say, I haven't looked back since; I'm pretty much devouring any Lizzy Ford book I can get my hands on!
To be fair, her writing style is compelling and sucks you into the story; it has just the right mix of description, internal monologues, and dialogue between characters that I adore. I've been reading a lot of books lately where authors tend to go for one or the other and leave the story somehow lacking.
Not Miss Ford.
It was one of the many reasons why I decided to sign up for her newsletter, since I wanted to know when the books she's writing are getting published (currently in statis waiting for Theta and North, thank you very much). I was quite surprised when an email went out as a sign-up for ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of the Theta Beginnings Miniseries.
Me: There's something to tide me over before Theta gets published? Where do I sign?!
Almost literally. So I was extremely happy to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
But let's back up just a little, first.
Chronologically, these Oracle of Delphi books go like this: the Omega Miniseries (consisting of eight novellas), Omega, now the Theta Miniseries, and then Theta.
I had to do some re-reading to get back into the groove, I'll be honest with you.
In short, the Omega Miniseries tells the progression of events which begin with Alessandra's abduction and end with the organising of the 'school' and haven for her, leading us through eight pivotal characters of the series (Alessandra herself, Mismatch, Phoibe, Lantos, Theodocia, Niko, Cleon, Herakles) and the actions they take which are later only alluded to. This goes from Alessandra bringing Mismatch to life, Mismatch telling Phoibe not to speak again, Lantos finding a wounded grotesque while trying to help Phoibe, sending Theodocia to Phoibe, Theodocia breaking up with Niko and Niko going to work for Cleon, who provides land for Herakles' safe haven so that Alessandra may be protected.
Whew.
Luckily, I did an Omega review already, so you can find it here, but to be brief: Alessandra starts figuring out her powers, that she can't really trust anyone, that she has feelings for Mismatch/Adonis, and that she now has a chip in her brain so that Cleon basically controls her and she has to destroy cities for him.
Yeah, I know.
With that in mind, onward to Silent Queen!
Spoiler-free section: we know Phoibe became known as the Silent Queen because she hasn't said a word since she was just a child, and we've learned this happened because Mismatch (her ancestor) ordered her to do so because children of the Bloodline are cursed, and when they utter a sentence, they will eventually turn into stone grotesques after the succession is secure. We see all this in the Phoibe novella, but in Silent Queen, we move forward in the timeline (still not aligned with the story in Omega and Theta, as these are again flashbacks, to a sort of middle ground I suppose) to her coronation day, and the beginning of the conflict between the Gods and humanity. Or, well, let's be honest, the Greek Gods going on a rampage while humans get to watch and die.
Now, if you want to wait until Silent Queen is officially released, please stop reading here. Because from this point on, there will be spoilers. You've been warned.
***
Okay, more in-depth: Phoibe is nervous about her coronation, especially since the Bloodline monarchs always have their patron god come to visit, although in this case it seems that Zeus decided to pull a double ace, as he assigned not one, but TWO godly guardians to the Silent Queen, Artemis and ... Thanatos, the God of Death.
Cue pindrop.
We don't really have much time to contemplate this before Lantos, our friendly Titan, comes to warn Theodocia that Phoibe is in danger, and they whisk off in a helicopter just as the Gods start raining fire over New York City because the Oracle had closed the bridge between the two dimensions. Angry deities are NOT fun, everyone. Not fun at all.
Two other important bits that happen here are Thanatos offering his blessing to the Silent Queen that she would be under his protection, and only he would be able to determine when she dies; this eventually gets settled by Theodocia accepting the blessing (and chucking Lantos from the helicopter in the process). The other is that Phoibe wants to be more than just a figurehead: she wants an army like her ancestors had, to be able to fight the gods, like they used to back in the day.
And that, my friends, is how a rebellion is born!
I'm being perfectly honest here and saying that I love these prequel novellas and the insights we get into the characters. Since the main books are written mostly from one perspective (Alessandra's) it's sometimes difficult to get into the heads of the others, so these novelettes are treasures! This one is no exception whatsoever. I loved the pacing and the subtle hints here and there about a past that we haven't gotten to see in full yet, not to mention the seeds of the rebellion! I feel very Padmé Amidala right now.
I did notice a couple of typos, but those weren't enough to take away from the overall effect of the story, which takes us away from the frightened child we meet in Phoibe, and places us in the mindset of a young queen who wants to do right by her people and shake off the ceremonial titles she's weighed down by. And now that I think about it ... my Padmé comparison is quite on the money, as Queen Amidala was also fourteen when she ruled. Girl power!
Next in line is the Shadow Titan, and I'm excited to see what Lantos is up to in that one!
xx
*images not mine
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