annieice's review
4.0
i can see why i liked it as a kid, Athena is cool, and the idea that the whole of Illiad and Oddyseus was just a school project is funny
mehsi's review
4.0
Since I loved the Grimmtastic Girls I thought I would try out this series as well. Since it is kind of the same but now with Greek Goddesses and Gods. :)
And yes, this was indeed pretty much Grimmtastic Girls. Only now instead of Fairy tales we have: Greek Gods/Goddesses, lessons that fit with mythology, set on Mount Olympus, Boarding School and some other similarities.
Note: I don't mind this at all, I like it, though it felt a bit weird. I kept expecting one of the girls from Grimmtastic to pop up, since it all felt so similar. :)
Athena was a wonderful girl, smart, sweet, nice and more! I loved her inventions (olives, shampoo stuff and more!) and I loved how hard she tried to fit in. Because until just a bit ago she thought she was just mostly human and she lived on Earth instead of on the mountain of Gods/Goddesses. She really had a hard time, mostly because she only just got her powers, and while everyone else has gotten education on basic stuff, she got dropped in school without any warnings or any help.
Oh, and did I mention I love how she never forgot her best friend from Earth? I was kind of worried their relationship would strand. After all, Athena is now a Goddess and living in a place very very high up. A place that no one mortal can go to. Luckily I didn't need to worry. The ending was truly wonderful.
I can't wait to read more of Athena, though I also want to know more about her friends and all the other Gods/Goddesses/etc. and see how they are living there and how they got to be Gods/Goddesses/etc..
I also loved the whole mythology part. A lot of things had me laughing and a lot of things had me happy. I love mythology, so I loved seeing things like Medusa and her powers to turn stuff into stone, or see the whole battle of Troy, or see Odysseus and his journey.
I didn't really like Zeus. I don't like how he is portrayed here. I expected him to be a tough, great guy with a knack for zapping people. But it turns out he is totally mellow and quite annoying. He embarrasses his daughter almost daily and while she doesn't really mind it that much, I minded it a lot. He also had quite a few weird expectations of Athena. Like her learning all 2000+ rules in one day, or her just doing perfect in everything while she has no clue what to do at times.
But all in all I am going to read the series further. Because these are just perfect as a fun snack. And also I love boarding school like books, and this one is perfect!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
And yes, this was indeed pretty much Grimmtastic Girls. Only now instead of Fairy tales we have: Greek Gods/Goddesses, lessons that fit with mythology, set on Mount Olympus, Boarding School and some other similarities.
Note: I don't mind this at all, I like it, though it felt a bit weird. I kept expecting one of the girls from Grimmtastic to pop up, since it all felt so similar. :)
Athena was a wonderful girl, smart, sweet, nice and more! I loved her inventions (olives, shampoo stuff and more!) and I loved how hard she tried to fit in. Because until just a bit ago she thought she was just mostly human and she lived on Earth instead of on the mountain of Gods/Goddesses. She really had a hard time, mostly because she only just got her powers, and while everyone else has gotten education on basic stuff, she got dropped in school without any warnings or any help.
Oh, and did I mention I love how she never forgot her best friend from Earth? I was kind of worried their relationship would strand. After all, Athena is now a Goddess and living in a place very very high up. A place that no one mortal can go to. Luckily I didn't need to worry. The ending was truly wonderful.
I can't wait to read more of Athena, though I also want to know more about her friends and all the other Gods/Goddesses/etc. and see how they are living there and how they got to be Gods/Goddesses/etc..
I also loved the whole mythology part. A lot of things had me laughing and a lot of things had me happy. I love mythology, so I loved seeing things like Medusa and her powers to turn stuff into stone, or see the whole battle of Troy, or see Odysseus and his journey.
I didn't really like Zeus. I don't like how he is portrayed here. I expected him to be a tough, great guy with a knack for zapping people. But it turns out he is totally mellow and quite annoying. He embarrasses his daughter almost daily and while she doesn't really mind it that much, I minded it a lot. He also had quite a few weird expectations of Athena. Like her learning all 2000+ rules in one day, or her just doing perfect in everything while she has no clue what to do at times.
But all in all I am going to read the series further. Because these are just perfect as a fun snack. And also I love boarding school like books, and this one is perfect!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
anindistinctaccountant's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
amy_inthecatacombs's review
5.0
Athena the Brain is the first book of the Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams
I’ve always loved Greek mythology and have just gotten into reading middle grade level and children books. I was so excited to see this series combined both.
Athena lives with her best friend, Pallas, because she has never knew who her parents were. She goes to Triton Junior High…or at least had gone to Triton Junior High. One day, Athena gets a message from Zeus saying that he’s her father and that she must attend Mount Olympus Academy, where godboys and goddessgirls go, ASAP.
Athena is torn. She knows she’ll miss Pallas, but she’s excited to go to the Academy and to finally meet her dad. Athena is taken to the Academy by Hermes. She’s in awe of what she sees. She quickly realizes that even MOA has its mean girls. However, she’s quick to find friends in Artemis, Aphrodite, and Persephone. Athena has always been really smart. With classes like Beast-ology and Hero-ology, she’s concerned about keeping up. Will Athena be able to truly fit in? Will she have a run-in with the mean girls?
I loved this book. I liked that the author incorporated a lot of small details from mythology in the story such as Athena creating the olive and having the city Athens being named after her. I think young girls will love this series.
I’ve always loved Greek mythology and have just gotten into reading middle grade level and children books. I was so excited to see this series combined both.
Athena lives with her best friend, Pallas, because she has never knew who her parents were. She goes to Triton Junior High…or at least had gone to Triton Junior High. One day, Athena gets a message from Zeus saying that he’s her father and that she must attend Mount Olympus Academy, where godboys and goddessgirls go, ASAP.
Athena is torn. She knows she’ll miss Pallas, but she’s excited to go to the Academy and to finally meet her dad. Athena is taken to the Academy by Hermes. She’s in awe of what she sees. She quickly realizes that even MOA has its mean girls. However, she’s quick to find friends in Artemis, Aphrodite, and Persephone. Athena has always been really smart. With classes like Beast-ology and Hero-ology, she’s concerned about keeping up. Will Athena be able to truly fit in? Will she have a run-in with the mean girls?
I loved this book. I liked that the author incorporated a lot of small details from mythology in the story such as Athena creating the olive and having the city Athens being named after her. I think young girls will love this series.
haia_929's review
3.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I enjoyed this introductory book in the series, though I think it started off on something of a sour note for me. I liked the idea of the series, though had a couple issues with the execution of some of the things. I always like adaptations of Greek mythology to a certain extent, and this twist on the classics with the action centered in the Mount Olympus Academy. This particular book follows Athena as she heads to MOA for the first time and settles into her schooling. The focus is the group doing their hero quest projects – which leads to the Trojan War. I liked this little hint at the Trojan War which was kind of cute.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the characterization, it was okay but there were some issues. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War, is kind of a ditz. She's not wise, and instead is more in line with how Aphrodite is often portrayed, kind of foolish and flirty. I didn’t really enjoy this only because Athena doesn’t really…feel that way to me.
Overall the story was cute, though executed strangely, and the characters were a little off to me as the characterization didn’t fit.
I enjoyed this introductory book in the series, though I think it started off on something of a sour note for me. I liked the idea of the series, though had a couple issues with the execution of some of the things. I always like adaptations of Greek mythology to a certain extent, and this twist on the classics with the action centered in the Mount Olympus Academy. This particular book follows Athena as she heads to MOA for the first time and settles into her schooling. The focus is the group doing their hero quest projects – which leads to the Trojan War. I liked this little hint at the Trojan War which was kind of cute.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the characterization, it was okay but there were some issues. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War, is kind of a ditz. She's not wise, and instead is more in line with how Aphrodite is often portrayed, kind of foolish and flirty. I didn’t really enjoy this only because Athena doesn’t really…feel that way to me.
Overall the story was cute, though executed strangely, and the characters were a little off to me as the characterization didn’t fit.
asahome's review against another edition
2.0
Girl gets accepted to new school leaving her best friend behind. She doesn't get along with everyone and makes boats.
I didn't like how the whole pantheon was rewritten. The author took the characters' names and generic attributes and ditched the rest.
I didn't like how the whole pantheon was rewritten. The author took the characters' names and generic attributes and ditched the rest.