Ava Baldwin has always tried to keep her anger in check, just like her mom taught her. But when know-it-all classmate Owen King tries to speak over her yet again, Ava explodes and Owen freezes, becoming unresponsive.
Although Owen recovers, Ava’s parents whisk her off to her mother’s alma mater, the Accademia del Forte, a mysterious international boarding school in Venice. There, Ava and her brother, Jax, discover that the Olympian gods founded the Accademia to teach the descendants of mythological monsters how to control their emotions and their powers and become functioning, well-adjusted members of society.
But not everything at the Accademia is as it seems. After her friend Fia is almost expelled for challenging a teacher, Ava realizes the school is hiding a dangerous secret. To uncover the truth, Ava and her new friends embark on an adventure that could change the way they view history, mythology, and themselves forever.
I’m a huge fan of Katherine Marsh’s books, but I was hesitant to read a story about the descendants of Greek monsters. It seemed too similar to the Percy Jackson books, and I could never get into that series. Why were so many Greek gods having kids with mortals in modern times? I could never wrap my mind around that. I ended up loving Katherine Marsh’s fresh take on Greek mythology and her portrayal of the Gods, Goddesses, and, most of all, the Monsters.
Greek mythology is vast. There are many gods, goddesses, and monsters to keep track of. A glossary would have been helpful. Luckily, I found a book with a Guide to the Greeks titled “Greeking Out: Epic Retellings of Classic Greek Myths” by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes.
My favorite thing about this story is how it calls out the gods for being jerks. The male gods, in particular, are jerks who twist the stories to make themselves look powerful and silence those who try to expose their lies. This story shines a spotlight on the women and girls who have been silenced and punished for trying to stand against them.
I can’t say anything more than that without giving away major spoilers.
Overall, this was a remarkable story with strong female characters and the important lesson of not letting others walk all over you, using your voice, and standing up for yourself.
Tune in next week for my review of the sequel, “The God’s Revenge.”