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A review by schnoebs13
Blood of Zeus, Volume 1: Blood of Zeus: Book One by Angel Payne, Meredith Wild
4.5
Being a basilisk makes it’s hard to trust people and believe they actually mean what they say. When Marius, is given the opportunity to join Star Manor as a new client, he agrees to a deal that will guarantee his comforts when this new girl doesn’t live up to what is promised. The risk that comes from having a deadly stare means no one stays around for long but then she turns around and he realizes there might be a reason the Manor has its reputation after all.
I’m happy I waiting to continue on in this world until this got republished. I really appreciated the author’s note about how she wants to portray a variety of relationships in this world and not just the reverse harems the main books are focused on. I think that comment helped me value this story just a little bit more. Having the two perspectives was a really great opportunity to connect with how they were feeling and I loved the moments of Marius explain the visual details of the different scenes to Lilian. It provided a fun and sexy approach to including her in the experience even though she has a disability. In general though, Marius’s attitude in the beginning and his constant referencing of the deal dragged down the enjoyment of the story for me but once his attention diverted from that and focused more on Lillian, I found myself enjoying him. Growing up knowing you’re already promised to one of hell’s demons doesn’t really allow for much of a romantic life for Kara. Luckily for her, she has her degree to keep her distracted. Plus, she lets the rest of her family manage the constant pressure of finding a balance between showing off their wealth and staying out of the paparazzi’s negative spotlight. Truly easy enough, except when she finally gets into the upper-level literature class on Dante’s Inferno, and everything changes because the professor has her reconsidering every bargain her family has made with said Inferno.
I love a good romance and boy is the chemistry there, but for me, the true winner of this book is the world this author is building. Her family’s bargain with Hell makes this location a very tangible part of this world and somewhere I feel we’ll definitely be introduced to in future books. The concept of demons being real while also other parts of mythology being just as real bring so many different types of lore together in one place (definitely gives me a little bit of American Gods vibes). This allows for some really unique approaches in the types of magic and power structures that are present in this story and makes it harder to really determine quickly who are the strongest people or beings in the room. With how this book ended, I am looking forward to seeing how this world continues to be built and what other beings will be introduced to this couple’s path.
Beyond the world building, I found myself enjoying finding out more about the backstories for both Maximus and Kara’s grandfather though Maximus’s mother’s refusal to be helpful made many of those backstory moments extremely frustrating to read. Obviously, it helped to make later scenes even more impactful but that doesn’t stop me from thoroughly disliking her as a character. The incorporation of movie scripts was a fun twist and I’m curious to see if this will play anymore of a role in the story. Lastly, Jesse is a great side character and I love the approach that he’s the most outgoing and supportive one between him and Maximus even with the handicap injury he experienced. I’m really hoping for a bigger part from him in the coming books because I think he does a great job of making Maximus express himself more. Plus, what will happen with him and Kara’s sister! Overall, a really great start to a series with a world building concept that I think has a chance to make a great story.
I’m happy I waiting to continue on in this world until this got republished. I really appreciated the author’s note about how she wants to portray a variety of relationships in this world and not just the reverse harems the main books are focused on. I think that comment helped me value this story just a little bit more. Having the two perspectives was a really great opportunity to connect with how they were feeling and I loved the moments of Marius explain the visual details of the different scenes to Lilian. It provided a fun and sexy approach to including her in the experience even though she has a disability. In general though, Marius’s attitude in the beginning and his constant referencing of the deal dragged down the enjoyment of the story for me but once his attention diverted from that and focused more on Lillian, I found myself enjoying him. Growing up knowing you’re already promised to one of hell’s demons doesn’t really allow for much of a romantic life for Kara. Luckily for her, she has her degree to keep her distracted. Plus, she lets the rest of her family manage the constant pressure of finding a balance between showing off their wealth and staying out of the paparazzi’s negative spotlight. Truly easy enough, except when she finally gets into the upper-level literature class on Dante’s Inferno, and everything changes because the professor has her reconsidering every bargain her family has made with said Inferno.
I love a good romance and boy is the chemistry there, but for me, the true winner of this book is the world this author is building. Her family’s bargain with Hell makes this location a very tangible part of this world and somewhere I feel we’ll definitely be introduced to in future books. The concept of demons being real while also other parts of mythology being just as real bring so many different types of lore together in one place (definitely gives me a little bit of American Gods vibes). This allows for some really unique approaches in the types of magic and power structures that are present in this story and makes it harder to really determine quickly who are the strongest people or beings in the room. With how this book ended, I am looking forward to seeing how this world continues to be built and what other beings will be introduced to this couple’s path.
Beyond the world building, I found myself enjoying finding out more about the backstories for both Maximus and Kara’s grandfather though Maximus’s mother’s refusal to be helpful made many of those backstory moments extremely frustrating to read. Obviously, it helped to make later scenes even more impactful but that doesn’t stop me from thoroughly disliking her as a character. The incorporation of movie scripts was a fun twist and I’m curious to see if this will play anymore of a role in the story. Lastly, Jesse is a great side character and I love the approach that he’s the most outgoing and supportive one between him and Maximus even with the handicap injury he experienced. I’m really hoping for a bigger part from him in the coming books because I think he does a great job of making Maximus express himself more. Plus, what will happen with him and Kara’s sister! Overall, a really great start to a series with a world building concept that I think has a chance to make a great story.