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A review by ihavetosay
Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Full review at ihavetosay.blog
This book is a mythological, historical fiction retelling of Hercules. There’s some romance, but it isn’t the main focus. Familial love is also showcased. Kinda.
I loved the first few chapters of this book, but what pulled me in eventually got stale. This concept of showing someone’s life through others is really cool and makes for an interesting story because their accounts of what happens have some biases.
We never really know why Hercules does what he does, if he is really cursed, or what he is really thinking. We only see his actions through other people’s eyes, though the facts of what happens remains.
The story gets repetitive because Hercules doesn’t change. There is a glossary in the back that touches on each person mentioned.
It is interesting to read from the eyes of those who love him and can forgive, or at least get passed, the heinous acts he commits. Actually, most people look past what they know he’s done, because he has also saved and touched lives by being a hero. People looked up to him, which is kinda scary.
It is sad that almost everyone’s life he is in, he ends up destroying one way or another. The gods would punish him for his actions and essentially make him a slave, instead of a king throwing him in jail or killing him, letting him get off easy.
This was a different Hercules than I am used to. (My base is the Disney version). The lighthearted tone of each character offsets the darkness of the story. I really enjoy the concept of showing how multifaceted people are. People can be one way to you and another way to someone else.
OVERALL
Overall, I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. The first half of the story and when he meets his last wife were my favorite parts of the story.
If you’re into mythology, I would try it out for yourself and see what you think.
This book is a mythological, historical fiction retelling of Hercules. There’s some romance, but it isn’t the main focus. Familial love is also showcased. Kinda.
I loved the first few chapters of this book, but what pulled me in eventually got stale. This concept of showing someone’s life through others is really cool and makes for an interesting story because their accounts of what happens have some biases.
We never really know why Hercules does what he does, if he is really cursed, or what he is really thinking. We only see his actions through other people’s eyes, though the facts of what happens remains.
The story gets repetitive because Hercules doesn’t change. There is a glossary in the back that touches on each person mentioned.
It is interesting to read from the eyes of those who love him and can forgive, or at least get passed, the heinous acts he commits. Actually, most people look past what they know he’s done, because he has also saved and touched lives by being a hero. People looked up to him, which is kinda scary.
It is sad that almost everyone’s life he is in, he ends up destroying one way or another. The gods would punish him for his actions and essentially make him a slave, instead of a king throwing him in jail or killing him, letting him get off easy.
This was a different Hercules than I am used to. (My base is the Disney version). The lighthearted tone of each character offsets the darkness of the story. I really enjoy the concept of showing how multifaceted people are. People can be one way to you and another way to someone else.
OVERALL
Overall, I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. The first half of the story and when he meets his last wife were my favorite parts of the story.
If you’re into mythology, I would try it out for yourself and see what you think.