Crown of Cinders picks
up six months after the events of Wings of Fury, where the six elder
Olympian siblings are still trying to overthrow Cronus. It takes place from the
perspective of Althea, revealed to be the goddess Hera, who continues to fight
for the protection of all women.
I loved how King gave depth to Hera’s character where
many authors portray her as a harpy. Yes, she does have a habit of attacking
the children of Zeus’ extramarital affairs (justified, but the children shouldn’t
be punished for the fact that their father can’t keep it in his pants). In this
book, we see a very feminist version of Hera. Her character is developed more
in her interactions with her sisters Demeter and Hestia (Cleora and Bronte).
Crown of Cinders is undoubtedly a woman-centered Greek mythology retelling. I
was heartened to see their sisterly bond and reminded of my own bond with my
sister. It was also fun to see the inclusion of Poseidon and Hades in this
story.
Greek mythology is full of drama, and King’s writing style
helped emphasize that aspect of the source material. The tension did not let up
for one minute in the book, and the pacing of the story was consistent. I didn’t
find myself bored at any point. Crown of Cinders was an amazing read,
and I’m so happy that I was able to read it early!
I recognize that Greek mythology can be very confusing at
times (especially with all the different relationships and couplings). I’m
grateful that there was a family tree included at the beginning of the book to
help keep everything straight.
Thank you to Emily R. King, NetGalley, and 47North for
allowing me to read an early copy of this book at no cost to myself.
May Gaea be with you...
Althea Lambros is growing into her power, wrestling with a burdensome heritage, and unwilling to concede to Cronus, the redoubtable God of Gods. For that, Cronus is making good on his promise. Calling upon the elder Titans, he's bringing down his wrath on the world. Suffering quakes, tempests, fire, and hail, mortals are paying in blood for the war of the gods.
With the help of her friend Theo, Althea takes cover with her sisters, Bronte and Cleora. But they can't hide forever. To mastermind the downfall of the evil king, Althea must recruit allies of her own before the aggrieved mortals surrender the sisters to Cronus in exchange for peace.
Is Althea formidable enough to win? It'll take the help of her sisters and those willing to fight for the cause of the just. As the gods pick sides, Althea must divide heaven and earth to defeat the enemy and write the true history of the war to end all wars.
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