A review by aveyator27
Arrowheart by Rebecca Sky
4.0
This book was not at all what I expected – as some of you know, if I’m given or recommended a book I often don’t even look at the synopsis but dive straight in – I like surprises. So when I began reading this and realised that it centred around a Greek God everything else stopped and I just read.
Arrowheart has a really perfect blend of Greek mythology with a modern day backdrop; a conflicted protagonist who has power to make any man fall in love with her - but why would she want to take anyone's will away from them? Rachel attends a special school, disguised as a religious institution for who would believe in the powers of a Hedoness? The aim of this school is quite simple; teach the girls about their ability and how to use it for the greater good of society. But Rachel hates her gift and despite being paired with the class' top student, she still hasn't turned anyone.
I liked this protagonist and I really felt that we had the opportunity to get to know her well, I wasn't the biggest fan of Marissa however - her supposedly "best friend" - she just came across very self-centred. But I think this aspect also accentuated just how level-headed and self-less Rachel was.
There were times throughout the story when the powers of a Hedoness and their use in society were justified, but ultimately Rachel's argument won. This was something that reflected Rachel's self-belief and character strength; as she became more determined, the more the argument for the powers started to dwindle.
This is quite a light-hearted read but still captivates the author regardless; for me the ending was particularly strong and I'll definitely be looking out for sequel books in this series. The beginning of the book is more intriguing than captivating, and whilst I wasn't bored with the book, when I compare it to the end I definitely have more of a desire to continue reading now.
I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book; a romance, that kind of felt like a contemporary fiction but actually had this intriguing fantasy blend - and Greek gods and mythology are definitely one of my favourite topics.
I think the only improvement I could really suggest is a more shocking and impactful intro, but other than that this book is well written, has a good balance of character discovery and development and action, and provides a really great ending which is sure to have the audience begging for the next book! I loved the use of contrasting characters at the forefront of the book to highlight the protagonist's viewpoint. Overall I'm awarding this 4.5*/5 . This book is recommended for fans of Holly Smale, Ally Carter, and Zoe Sugg.
Arrowheart has a really perfect blend of Greek mythology with a modern day backdrop; a conflicted protagonist who has power to make any man fall in love with her - but why would she want to take anyone's will away from them? Rachel attends a special school, disguised as a religious institution for who would believe in the powers of a Hedoness? The aim of this school is quite simple; teach the girls about their ability and how to use it for the greater good of society. But Rachel hates her gift and despite being paired with the class' top student, she still hasn't turned anyone.
I liked this protagonist and I really felt that we had the opportunity to get to know her well, I wasn't the biggest fan of Marissa however - her supposedly "best friend" - she just came across very self-centred. But I think this aspect also accentuated just how level-headed and self-less Rachel was.
There were times throughout the story when the powers of a Hedoness and their use in society were justified, but ultimately Rachel's argument won. This was something that reflected Rachel's self-belief and character strength; as she became more determined, the more the argument for the powers started to dwindle.
This is quite a light-hearted read but still captivates the author regardless; for me the ending was particularly strong and I'll definitely be looking out for sequel books in this series. The beginning of the book is more intriguing than captivating, and whilst I wasn't bored with the book, when I compare it to the end I definitely have more of a desire to continue reading now.
I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book; a romance, that kind of felt like a contemporary fiction but actually had this intriguing fantasy blend - and Greek gods and mythology are definitely one of my favourite topics.
I think the only improvement I could really suggest is a more shocking and impactful intro, but other than that this book is well written, has a good balance of character discovery and development and action, and provides a really great ending which is sure to have the audience begging for the next book! I loved the use of contrasting characters at the forefront of the book to highlight the protagonist's viewpoint. Overall I'm awarding this 4.5*/5 . This book is recommended for fans of Holly Smale, Ally Carter, and Zoe Sugg.