The Games Gods Play (The Crucible #1) by Abigail Owen

The Games Gods Play is Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games with more than a touch of steam, jealousy, violence and magic.

While I have my favourite genres, I’m always happy, as a rounded reader, to delve into other genres and subgenres. In recent weeks, I’ve stuck with romance. So, it seemed a no-brainer to get into Romantasy, a relatively newly coined subgenre that’s basically an offshoot of YA Fantasy.

The Games Gods Play caught my attention as it was heavily based on Greek mythology, which I’ll forever be partial to. So, I decided to give it a go.

Synopsis

Lyra Keres is literally caught in The Games Gods Play when, through sheer coincidence, she’s chosen by Hades as his champion in the Crucible, a centennial event to determine the King of the Gods.

Cursed by Zeus and struggling with major self-esteem issues, our heroine enters the Crucible, a series of twelve Herculean-styled Labours, facing off against the other champions of the Olympian gods.

But her mentor, Hades, has other plans. And, as the Labours progress, the unlovable Lyra Keres is drawn to the King of the Underworld, who, in turn, cannot seem to resist her.

Who will win the Crucible? And, will Lyra Keres find romance in the arms of the most disliked Olympian god?

Thoughts

The Games Gods Play is Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games with more than a touch of steam, jealousy, violence and magic.

Characters

Lyra Keres is an interesting character, although she’s your typical YA fantasy female lead in many ways, without being overly whiny. This made her POV a bit easier to read and enjoy.

Throughout the book, we see her character develop steadily, and even her romantic dalliances are no hindrance to it.

I did feel, though, that there were certain conclusions she ought to have drawn from early on that only became apparent later.

Hades, on the other hand, didn’t strike me as very godlike. I know it’s Romantasy, but throughout the book, it felt like I was reading about some mafia boss, what with all the smouldering looks, the frankly cringeworthy “my star” endearment, and deep stares. He didn’t feel one bit like a god. Then, his boons… I don’t even know how to react to that. They felt so… teenage-y. Wild. Uncontrolled. On a whim, sorta.

The rest of the gods, though, were nicely written, especially Aphrodite. The other Crucible champions, though secondary characters, were a great addition. I liked a few of them.

Writing

Books written from the first-person point of view tend to give me a bit of an ick, but this book didn’t. We saw things purely from the eyes of the female lead, but it wasn’t all just dialogue.

There was some good worldbuilding, even if I felt the fast-paced, violent scenes could’ve been written better.

Plot

The storyline felt convincing until the last few pages, where the pacing seemed rushed. Otherwise, the conglomeration of a god’s curse, Labours, champions, Greek gods, and steamy romance seemed engrossing enough.

Not unique, for sure. But still, interesting.

Despite my misgivings about how the book ended, I strongly feel that book two will be much better, so I’ll certainly read it.

Verdict

For a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee, my expectations for The Games Gods Play were rather lofty. And, while I wasn’t exactly thrilled, it remains a book I’d recommend to lovers of steamy romantasy with mythology-based magic.