Circe/Madeline Miller/ 391

Circe is one of the many, many daughters of the great Titan Helios (God of the Sun). When she was born she was cast as a nothing with no great future or worthy of any notice from mother or father. She was so despised by her family and so lonely that she began to seek the company of mortals. Beings that the rest of the Gods clearly despised and thought were no better than worms. She eventually meets a mortal man and falls so deeply in love with him that she decides to transform him into an immortal by using the flowers that grew from the blood that was shed from the great battle between Zeus and Kronos. In doing this unspeakable act to the mortal she realizes that she does in fact have powers, powers that she had no idea she even had her entire life. Circe admits what she did to her father and he in-turn banishes her to an island for the rest of eternity. It is on that island that she studies and becomes a true witch; able to hurt mortals and even great Olympian Gods alike. Circe is not like any Goddess humans have ever met and unfortunately goes through great trials and tribulations because of that.The only thing i will say about this book that i did not fully care for was the ending. It leaves you hanging and I for one am not a huge fan of not knowing what happens to characters that I've come to know and care about. Don't get me wrong though this book is definitely worth a read; especially for those that enjoy Gods and Goddesses and all the crazy fantastical or horrendous things that occur in their great long lives.

The Penelopiad / Margaret Atwood / 198 pgs

I have to admit that I've only read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood before now. To remedy that, I read The Penelopiad which is the story of Odysseus and Penelope of Homeric myths, but from the point of view of Penelope. I enjoyed the insertion of the twelve maids that were hung by Odysseus when he returned from his Odyssey as a chorus, much like how most Greek epic poems included a chorus of maidens that told a bit of the story from a third person point of view. Overall, since I have always enjoyed books based on Greek myths, like Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, I really liked this book. At only 198 pages, it's not overly long at all. My only beef is that a portion of the book, towards the end, got a bit hyper-feminist for my taste, but this is Margaret Atwood we are talking about!

Heroes of Olympus Series - Book 5 The Blood of Olympus / Rick Riordan / 528 pages / Fantasy & Adventure

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan is the fifth and final book in The Heroes of Olympus series. This fantasy, young adult, Greek mythology is full of adventure, action, magic and romance.  It brings to full circle the adventures of seven demigods in their race against time to prevent the awakening of the earth goddess, Gaea. This has been an incredible journey for fans of the series beginning with The Lost Hero, the first book in the series, and it has been getting bigger and better with each book.

In The Blood of Olympus, it is the day of reckoning for everyone - the ultimate showdown. The heroes of Olympus - Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Reyna, Nico, and the rest of the crew of the Argo are pitted against Gaea's evil Earthborn children, the giants. A daunting battle lies ahead. Percy and his friends must stop Gaea from awakening and gaining control of the earth. It is an all-out battle of the forces of good versus evil. Will Percy and his friends succeed or will Gaea have her way and have two demigods sacrificed in Athens?

The final chapter in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series is a huge, huge delight from start to finish. Percy and his friends will captivate and mesmerize you, leaving you in a state of delirium. This is a story that not only brings new life to Greek legends; but also offers a gratifying conclusion to a series that has been a part and parcel of many readers' psyche for the past few years. However, a word of caution may be appropriate if you come looking for a strong POV of Percy and Annabeth. They are there but this final installment is more about Jason, Reyna, Leo, Nico and Piper.

Blood of Olympus / Rick Riordan / 502 pages

This book was a fitting end to the Blood of Olympus series.  All of our favorite characters are back and all of their storylines are mostly resolved.  We find out more about several of the characters as they deal with the ghosts of their past, before coming to Camp Half-blood or New Rome.  As always when finishing one of Riordan's books, I wanted more from each of the characters, but perhaps they will make appearances in the next series coming out next year.