Review of Mythos (The Descendants Series)
My sincerest apologies for running behind with this week’s blog post. I had an appointment right after work yesterday and had to race back to attend my daughter’s chorus performance. After that, and after two nights with a combined total of five hours of sleep, we came home and passed out.
And now, on to this week’s festivities. A book review for a Goodreads author, Vrinda Pendred. Her book, Mythos (The Descendants #1), is available through multiple retailers.
*I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review*
Plot – This was truly a unique and original plot. Kudos to the author. The basic plot, and the overarching storyline that will presumably develop over the course of the series, is very intriguing as an idea. In practice, sometimes the action seemed a little random and pointless. People doing stupid things and making bad decisions for no apparent reason. There was a lot of over- and under-explaining at key points in the story. Blatantly obvious things were described in explicit detail, then repeated several times just in case you didn’t catch that something important is about to happen (your readers are not drooling idiots). On the other hand, confusing moments that needed explanation were sometimes left unanswered. The best part of the book was the last section. Finally, the action picked up and something actually happened instead of everyone talking about something happening. The cool thing is that I read this part the day after we were visiting the very spot where it took place. I even remember the room, as well as the objects involved. It was my second trip there (third time to the U.K.), so I was more familiar with everything. It’s always a plus when real settings can come alive like that (pun intended).
Main Character – I didn’t overly connect with the protagonist, as she was often annoying and immature. For a character who is supposed to have been forced to grow up too quickly due to family troubles, she certainly does not act like an almost-eighteen-year-old in my opinion. Her self-awareness was refreshing, and I think she has a lot of potential to grow as a character throughout the series.
Other Characters – I connected far more with Oz and Seth. I felt like I connected emotionally with Seth’s character, so I felt his pain far more than I did with Itzy (I saw this in another review just now, so I’ll just say TEAM SETH!). The development of most of the characters was handled well, and the author shows that she has a talent for writing. One thing I want to point out is that many British terms that the average person is familiar with don’t pose a problem, but many of the ones used by this author were completely foreign to me. Luckily, my fiancé is British. However … some were unfamiliar even to him, and he grew up in Suffolk and London until his early twenties. And Aidan, oh my goodness! I can hear the accent in my head, but his parts were sometimes hard to interpret.
Overall, I liked the book. I didn’t fall in love with it. But the author has talent, and that goes a long way. Will I purchase the second one? Probably. I’m intrigued by the story now. Should you? If you enjoy YA literature, and want a distinctive take on paranormal elements, you just might enjoy this book.
If you’ve found my review helpful, go and get your copy today!
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