Perfect for anyone with a thing for mythology! I don't know a whole lot about Greek mythology but I found this novel absolutely fascinating. Filled with fantastic writing and multiple time periods, it's a great read!

Omg omg omg .......... this book was amazing I could not put it down I read every word on the edge of my seat I loved the story line, i loved the way the story just kept us guessing all the way threw I loved all the twists and turns and would defiantly recommend this book it was so believable and kept the reader engaged I love it

I did not finish this title.

I found it to be very long winded, and frankly boring. This could be because it seems to be a younger target audience in the YA genre rather than general YA.
The main character seemed kind of dumb, and incredibly immature, but again, this could be targeted at the young end of YA. The way she jumps from from thought to decision based on basically zero information was off-putting

I thought the writing was poor. In fact I felt like contacting the author and offering my editing services. It was a mess of long winded and overly specific descriptions, and staccato dialogue. It also just felt chaotic. The overuse of ... was infuriating.

While this book had the potential to become the next Percy Jackson-esc hit, it unfortunately fell flat. Despite the research that the author used to flush out this world, it unfortunately lacked any real uniqueness. The protagonist was a mountain of tropes, all of which done poorly. The plot felt forced. The romance felt flat. I don't think I've ever read another book where the trope "not like other girls" was used in every aspect of the book. Overall, I felt as though reading this book wasted my time, which is never a good thing.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book and I did end up DNF ing it. I think I just wasn’t the right audience for it.

I apologize but this title did not work for me. I apologize but this title did not work for me. I apologize but this title did not work for me.

First of all, GORGEOUS cover. Love the premise - evil Greek gods? Sign me up. It was clear how much thought went into this story and I loved the elements of mythology woven into a modern tale.

DNF at 21%
Well, I broke my read 30-35% of a book before deciding to DNF. I’m sorry but this is just YA trash (and not the good kind). Now that I've had time to calm down some and sort out my thoughts I think I can write this review without too much ranting. But to sum up Alysia Helming's Protogenesis in short I would say it is painful. The writing, characters, plot, and everything else feel like a YA trope. I almost wondered at one point if she was making fun of the genre it was so cliche.

The List of Ridiculous Things
I'm not sure how else to easily talk about all the issue I had with Protogenesis except to list them out for you:
- Ever is not a name. It is a word. It is incredibly awkward to read things like "Ever carried her bag". In fact when our gal first meets him I had to read the paragraph twice to make sure I read correctly that his name is Ever. It's a ridiculous name and (so far as I could tell) added no actual value, except to confuse readers.
- All teenage boys are gorgeous. Apparently this is quite the world (even though it appears to be Earth in our time period...) that our gal lives in. Every teenage boy she encounters (and even some male adults) seem to be drop dead gorgeous! This chick is either in hormone overload (which I suppose is possible as she's a teen) or else Helming can't find a way to describe people that isn't with positive adjectives.
- Coincidences galore. Our gal spends less than 12 hours in Greece (after flying from the USA), where she knows absolutely no one. She meets two people at the airport or during her travels in the first 12 hours. And somehow those EXACT two people just *happen* to attend the same school she attends? Really?
But then the coincidences get worse... she happens to see a cats eye gem during her first 12 hours in Greece that seems to be important; and the next day at school in her geology class the teacher just so *happens* to talk about this gem? Where do I start with my complaints: geology is the study of rocks and earth not usually gems, what high school has geology class (isn't that just science class?), and what are the chances that she learns about this rare gem on her first day at the new school? I hate coincidences that are painfully obvious. At least try to work the plot points into a cohesive and believable story please.
- I've read this before. Based on the prologue and the quick dispatch of our gal to a new country, plus the details of the blurb on the back; this is just Percy Jackson for girls. I've already read that book thanks, no need to read a female version of it.

On top of all that the writing is very cliche. It must include every YA trope ever (hey check it out, ever is a word not a name!) in the opening chapters, Helming has written a forced plot and nothing is shown to us, it's all told in a stilted, amateur way. I hate to be so harsh but honestly I could not find a single thing to take away from this book that I liked, or felt like I hadn't read a thousand times before.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I requested this books because the cover was great and I was intrigued by the description. I love Greek mythology and add in a geeky student and a mystery and I was excited to give it a try. It was a fun read and I liked the myths and world-building. Love triangles aren't my favorite trope but that is just a personal preference. It works for the story and for the YA genre in general and I think readers who enjoy the trope will like this novel. I liked the book enough to look forward to the next in the series.

So this took me longer than it should have to get up here but I was really debated if I wanted to or not. So this started off extremely slow for me and I kept hoping that it would pick up and take off but alas I was disappointed when it kept the snails pace.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I really did not know what I started with this book. It is so different and really refreshing. I loved the hidden rooms and dreams and Greek mythology. While it was a bit slow throughout the book, I liked the plot and I'm really looking forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you to #Negalley and the publisher. I received this for free in exchange for a honest review.

I really had high hopes for this book. And that cover is beautiful. But with the truth, I ended up having to DNF this book. There is to much time spent trying to describe the main character. I am unable to give a complete review of this since I did not finish it. I might have made it close to half way through. But based on what I read I will have to give the book around a 2 star rating. It has potential but never got there for me.

I hate that I can’t give this a higher rating, but 3 is the best I can do. I love reading Mythology books and this one had so much promise, but I couldn’t get past the characters. Helene had just way to many mood swings. I can understand trying to make a character dramatic, but it was just bad. I also thing that the love triangle was just unnecessary and confusing. So even though the plot was great, the characters and writing just weren’t that great.

I really liked this, but didn't love it. The story and characters were good, but not great. I wanted to love this one, as I'm a big fan of mythology, but I felt something was missing in this one.

i had high hopes for this novel. Sadly it was not for me, the trope centred around the main female character bored me,
Romance novels are also not my favourite books, this was just not for me.

<i>I was given a free copy of this book through NetGalley. This review is in no way is influenced by that factor.</i>

When Helene Crawford's mother seemingly dies in a fire at work, she's sent to live in Greece with an unknown godfather. Doubtful about her mother's death, Helene tries to search for answers while trying to assimilate to Greek culture and her new caretaker, the often unhinged Janus.

I wanted to like this, I really did, but it just didn't work for me. The description sounded awesomely different with a mix of fantasy, romance, and Greek mythology. Add beautiful cover art and I was exited to check <i>Protogenesis</i> out. Unfortunately, Greek mythology and a pretty cover were not enough to make me enjoy the story.

The following points are totally spoiler-y, so avoid the rest of this review if you are going to even attempt to read this book.

1) The main character was changed from an average American girl to a typical Barbie doll.

Helene first comes across as an average American teenager with faults. After a, ahem, trip, her sight is perfect, her complexion is flawless, she's a perfect fighter, she's skinnier, more toned, and tanned. Helene can also understand and speak fluent Greek. She was made into a freakin' Barbie, which she hated.

2) There were one too many love interests.

Sure, there were only two, but she fawned over them more in the first week than anything else. Not only that, but it was a horrible version of insta-love that didn't make sense. In the end, I never truly cared about either love interest because I didn't know enough about either of them to give a damn.

3) The Time Factor aka I think the entire book takes place over four weeks, but Helene acts like she has been in Greece for a year.

“It feels as if months have gone by since I first arrived here in Athens and started school.”

Girl, it was like <b>one</b> freakin' week.

And pulled from a note on my Kindle when Helene was walking down the street and reflecting on street music or the language (I can't remember which at this point and don't care to go back and look to clarify):

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“It takes me back to when I first arrived here, when it sounded so foreign, so exotic. But now that I live here, it feels very familiar, as if it has become a part of me.”

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Me: “Bitch, you've been there like two or three weeks. One of those weeks you were on another planet.”

4) Everyone yelled at one another instead of having a conversation.

Holy crap on a cracker! Everyone yelled at everyone! Helene didn't agree with Janus, so she yelled! He was a raging wackado, so he yelled back! Helene didn't get what she wanted, so she'd yell! Arguments and tons of exclamation points over nothing instead of talking!

At one point Helene asks,

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>”What will I do now?”</i>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I really, truly didn't care.

While just shy of four hundred pages, it felt at least double in size. At halfway through I wanted to know what was going to happen, but contemplated not finishing. The love interest should have been done differently, the pacing should have been faster, and revelations came way too slowly.

I greatly appreciate the effort and the work that must have went into researching Greek mythology and Greece itself, but I just can't be tempted to come back to the series. Not for all the pretty covers in the world.

I love love love Helene! I can only wish I was that much of a strong woman at that age. She is tough, yet emotional and very feminine in her ways. I love me a good love triangle. And the mysterious bad boy element, love. While those elements are rather cliche as some would say in YA books, I love it and it brings another dynamic to the story. What the author focuses on is who Helene is as a woman, her beliefs, dreams, goals, and desires. I can't wait to read more and am excited for you to read it as well.

This book was one of my favorite reads this year so entertaining. I couldn't put it down. It is so unique and well written with the world building being just fantastic. all the characters were just great and I'm really excited to read more from this author

I unfortunately did not finish this book. I couldn't get in to in. The main character was far too unlikable for me, the plot moved too slowly, and it was very formulaic. This is however, a great read for someone who doesn't always enjoy reading, or needs an introduction to this kind of setting, dealing with realistic fantasy etc.

Helene Crawford has never really fit in anywhere. Awkward with a fascination with Greek mythology, Helene’s closest friend is her mother. But when Helene’s mother suddenly vanishes, Helene is whisked off to Greece to live with her godfather she never met. In Greece, Helene is desperate to unlock the secrets of her mother’s disappearance. But things are not what they seem. The Greek gods and goddesses from the myths Helene adores might actually be real, and one of them might want her dead.
Overall, this was an exciting story of a teenage girl’s journey to Greece to find her mother while getting caught up in a love triangle. There’s Ever, mysterious, alluring, rich and handsome. Then there’s Nick, handsome, a tour guide, and a bit of a bad boy. Usually, I find love triangles annoying, but somehow I found myself rooting for both Nick and Ever. I assume that there will be more drama between Nick, Ever and Helene in the books to come. It will be interesting to see how this love triangle will progress.
For those who are not too keen on young adult romance, rest assured, romance is not the only dimension of this book. Behind Helene’s mother’s disappearance, there is a world where the Greek gods and goddesses are real. I was expecting something along the lines of the Percy Jackson series, but Protogenesis takes a completely different path with parallel universes and secret relics, which I found interesting. There was also a considerable amount of world building that I hadn’t expected. Although I know only a basic amount of Greek mythology, it seemed as if the author did her research while writing Protogenesis.
Unfortunately, the plot development is extremely slow paced and it takes a long time for any secret to be revealed. While I do love the mystery aspect of Protogenesis, it was just too slow to keep me fully entertained. Helene spends a lot of her time wandering around aimlessly before she stumbles upon anything substantial to advance the plot. I constantly found myself putting this book down because the story had become slightly stagnant. Although there is a lot of originality, the plotline seems to be imitating a young adult romance novel instead of carving out its own territory. Ever and Nick, Helene’s love interests, appear to be only two dimensional characters. They seemed to be only in the story for Helene to fall in love with. Sure, they each have their own backstories and history, but when they are with Helene, they turn into a carbon copy of a potential boyfriend material.
Although I found the book to be a slow paced and hard to get into, I have hope for the rest of the series. There is still something engaging and redeemable within Protogenesis. I await the next book to see how the relationship dynamic will play out between Helene and her two love interests, and also if more secrets will be revealed about the Greek gods and goddesses.