There aren't many books in my DNF list, but the books that are on that list are there for a reason. Unfortunately, this book will have to join the list. Protogenesis has a very promising synopsis about a young girl who loses her mother and goes on a journey to find her. Instead, what you get is a story about a young girl who loses her mother and goes to Greece to find her, but gets sidetracked by two young men, whom she can't decide who she wants to be with. It seemed like Helene spent more time being in a love triangle than finding her mom. Helene came off as a whiny brat, who didn't treat people very well. The author creates a love triangle that just didn't work for me. Both Nick and Ever were treated poorly by Helene. I understand she is going through something rough... but her rudeness was off-putting and made it hard to have any kind of sympathy for her.

The Greek mythology was there, but I don't think it was enough to save this book. The writing was a bit immature, and ironically, didn't take away from anything, but the execution was off. I made it the 62% mark and no longer cared about what happened. I will try to finish this book at a later time, but to get to 62% was a struggle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for approving me to read and review, but I don't think I was the intended audience for this one.

Recieved from Netgalley. As a lover of Greek and Egyptian mythology, I was really excited when I got this book. The beginning is brilliant, building a strong base and a beautiful world blending the Greek gods with the modern world. The plot itself continues to strengthen throughout the story and keeps you guessing. I like the idea and how well everything is co-ordinated.

There were two issues I found with the story, which would’ve ruined it for me if the plot wasn’t so good. The first would be the yelling/screaming that every character seems to be doing when they’re standing right next to each other. The second would be the love triangle and how the main character handles her problems. But she is a teenager and it is her first love, so there need to be mistakes etc etc.

My favourite character was Bastet (if I’ve spelt that wrong my sister will kill me) I liked how she was basically the catalyst for everything. I hope to see more of her in the next book and I’m curious if she has a more human form. In the beginning I really liked Janus and his complete lack of parental skills.

All in all it was a fun read and I will happily read the next one and probably the entire series. Oh and the cover artwork is beautiful.

Protegenesis was a book with a fantastic and intriguing premise, but the book itself just fell flat for me. The concept behind the book is unique and I felt that so much could have been done with it. I’m a huge sucker for mythology of any kind, so that was a huge plus for me in this book. Otherwise, I wasn’t a fan of much. Helene, our main character, was finicky and underdeveloped. I felt like, even though she was the main character, I didn’t know her very well at all. Some of her actions didn’t sit very well with me either. The writing was pretty flat and with such a great topic to be writing about, I felt like there could have been more descriptions. Certain things were revealed rather bluntly to the reader, which is not something I’m a fan of. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this book! Protogenesis, the first of a series of books, is an interesting mix of romance, science fiction and Greek mythology. I am such a fan of Greek mythology and fantasy, so this book was a great read for me. The writing is very easy and enjoyable so from the very first chapter you get into the story. It is set in US, Greece and in another dark dangerous world.

I can't wait to read more from this author!

This book synopsis sounded good but I wasn’t in love. I do like reading books that are about Ancient Greece and I liked that it was actually set in modern Greece.
It was very cliche, especially the guys she likes (love triangle). I also wasn’t in love with the main character, I thought she could be annoying. I found myself skipping over lots of paragraphs just to get on with the story. It reminded me of not-as-good Percy Jackson novel with lesser morals. Sorry, but it’s a pass for me.
**It has very mild sex, heavy kissing, bad language, lots of innuendoes, talk of arousing body parts.

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley*
I'm so sorry to bring down a new author with a great topic like this, but there were some things I just couldn't forgive.
First, the main character had a lot of mood swings. I understand that she wanted to portrait a dramatic teenager, but there are other (more believable) ways. Second, the writing was patchy at times. Third: she had to resort to a love triangle to make likeable a character otherwise undesirable.
But it was not all bad. The plot was interesting, and I found greek mythology to be a great main topic. Also, the secondary characters were more three-dimensional, so not all hope was lost.
Anyway, this is a decent YA, with a great plot, but a bit overshadowed by the irregular writing.

Unfortunately I read this immediately after a much better Greek gods book which may have made my thoughts a little colored. It wasn't bad. I really liked the fact that magic = advanced tech. The characters seemed a little too advanced for their age - I don't know any teenagers with that much sense or freedom. Overall, I liked the story, liked the page, like the way everything was explained. Janus was a rather obvious name, that was one gripe, and if Bastet is real then other pantheons must also exist and it would have been nice to have them included more.

When Helene's mom dies under suspicious circumstances, she's sent to live with her godfather, Janus, who she has never met or even heard of. Worst of all, she's being sent halfway around the world to Athens, Greece. Once she arrives, she finds herself surrounded by mysterious people, gorgeous men and an all-powerful crime organization. 

I initially picked up this book because of it's link to Greek mythology. I've studied mythology a lot through History and through my Latin studies. The title was also intriguing. You don't often see a mix of science and myth, especially in Young Adult Fantasy novel. 

With the setting of Greece, this book was interestingly unique for this genre. Clearly, the author has a personal connection to the country and as I researched her and her previous novels, it definitely seems like she has experience here. Her descriptions of the political and economic climate of the country really added to the story and enhanced the main characters interactions with others. It was interesting to see her navigate this foreign country in about the same way I would, with wonder, excitement and wariness. I give the author full marks for her choice of setting and how it contributed to the plot. 

The plot of this novel was intricate and complex. There are a lot of moving parts and I can tell the author works hard to line everything up to work the reader towards the eventual climax. We work through Helene's coping with her mom's death or potential disappearance, as well as learning about a new city, falling in love, dealing with criminal organizations, and discovering the power she has within herself. There was so much going on, that the book did at times feel exhausting or confusing, but the pieces are cohesive and I'm not sure if there is any specific element I'd recommend taking. 

The biggest struggle I had with Protogenesis was with the characters. The main character, Helene was difficult to like as she was judgmental and unreliable. While this is a great example of a well rounded character it was difficult to cheer for Helene and want to follow her throughout her journey. The side characters, such as Helene's love interest were more one-dimensional, flat and predictable. I wish they'd been more dynamic and original, rather than stereotypes that I've seen in many other stories and novels. 

Protogenesis by Alysia Heming has a beautiful setting and complex plot but the characters fall short. This would be a perfect quick read for a plane flight or while you're on vacation. The love triangle and intrigued is great in this novel, making it a perfect quick, fun read. Just go in, knowing your characters will be fairly predictable.

Greek Mythology and anything fantasy related is right up my alley. I really enjoyed this book as well as the characters. Helene must figure out on her own what happened to her mother and a lot of secrets is kept from her. The beginning of the book was a bit slow and not well developed for me but the author quickly found her feet and the book soon had a nice flow to it. I would recommend this book to all YA readers as well as lovers of fantasy. A great debut novel as well as a great start to a new series

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

I love Greek mythology, so this books was definitely something I enjoyed. It looked at Greek mythology in a whole new perspective, actually making it seem as if the “mythology” aspect was actually humans versions of the stories of the Greek Gods.
I liked some of the side characters, but the main characters were a little harder to like. I felt that Helene was a little self centered at times (I mean, don’t get me wrong, she was worried about finding her mom but she could lighten up just a little bit). The whole thing with Ever and Nick was just confusing. Helene could have been a strong female heroine, but instead relied a lot (and thought a lot) about those two boys. (The love triangle is another aspect that I don’t think I can even explain adequately. I was way too confusing).
The story idea is great, but the characters just ruin it a bit for me. A lot of things were repetitive, which made the books seem boring at parts. I just felt things were explained a thousand times over sometimes.
It was a good book though and I can’t wait for the next ones, because I’m excited to see where the story will go.

I enjoyed this book so much!
This book is about Helene Crawford who loses her mom in the beginning of the book. Than she learns that there is a possibility that her mom is still alive, and that she has to look for her in Greece, where her godfather lives who she has never heard of before. As soon as she arives in Athene the adveture begins. She does her best to find her mom, while also going to a new school, meets new friends and potential boyfriends.
I loved this story, it was a good mix between greek mythology and culture, fantasy and romance and mystery!
I won't give the book 5 stars because of some tropes (missing parent, love triangle..)

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this one. I love Greek mythology and I love YA so I was eager to dig into this one. Unfortunately, the execution was quite poor. The writing style seemed juvenile, events were rushed and only half-explained, the relationships between characters were flat, and the main character wasn't likable. All around, it didn't seem like a well thought-out storyline and a lot of the dialogue made me cringe.

"'Oh wow,' I say in awe of his intelligent mind. I knew that he was deep, but this is wholly unexpected."

This is what I mean. It reads like the diary of a sixth grader who just learned some big words. Listen, I could dissect the entire thing and point out all the things I didn't like, but there's no need. Bottom line: It wasn't enjoyable, it took me forever to finish because I didn't like it, and I wouldn't recommend it.

This book was so wonderful and interesting. I love Greek mythology and this story had my interest from beginning to end. The writing was great and I loved Helene. The Greek mythology and modern day time were interwoven beautifully and I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book was a bit longer than it needed to be to tell the story. Helene outbursts of rudeness really bugged me. It seemed to happen a lot in instances it didn't need to happen. Also didn't like the love triangle. She really played both boys and flip flopped too easily. She treated both of them awful most of the time. In the beginning the ballerina part was played up but then it dropped off after her change, that was a bit confusing. Now the mythology part of the story I loved. Even if Helene would be with Ever alone it would have been better. Nick could have just been a friend. I received an ARC and voluntarily provided an honest review.

This was a great plot and seemed like a fresh storyline but I just couldn't get into it.

I had genuine high hopes for this novel. Protogenesis is a story based within Greek Mythology. In the past, I've loved stories that take place, or are inspired by Greek Mythology (henceforth known as GM). When I saw on Netgalley that Protogenesis was indeed another take on GM, I couldn't help but get excited. I didn't know what to expect! And with a cover like the one that Protogenesis has, I was looking truly forward to reading Protogenesis even more. 

The synopsis led me to believe that this story would be about Greek Mythology. I am ALWAYS up for Greek --or any other type of-- Mythology book(s). While the book does have a bit of Greek Mythology in the beginning.... There are factors that made me stop reading this book, so I can't tell you about the other 71% of Protogenesis that I didn't read. 

I ended up marking Protogenesis as a DNF at 29%. There are a few things that bother me with this book.. First and foremost is the way that the main character, Helene, acts towards cheerleaders, or really any kind of female that isn't her or her mother. She pretty much hates all females (especially cheerleaders!!) because of one incident that happened when she was younger. 

The second reason why I've elected to stop reading is because the characters in this book just seem to be incredibly gaudy and very much annoying. I couldn't deal with them anymore. There were many, many worn out tropes that are seem to be (to me at least) outdated. 

The third reason I stopped writing is that Protogenesis feels incomplete. Kind of hollow, in a way. The writing doesn't have any flow to it, and there were a few times where the sentences didn't make sense at all. So there is quite a bit of editing to be redone in my opinion. 

Overall: I genuinely wanted to enjoy Protogenesis. I've DNF'd it because this book feels incomplete; and the writing to be just as shabby. The tropes that tried to come into play feel over-exajerized and cringe-worthy.

I can't really give a full review on this one since I couldn't force myself to get through it I got around the 3rd chapter it's not that it is bad it was just not very interesting to me so I never wanted to read the next page.   I am sure others might like it, I just couldn't keep my focus on it I keep putting it down and going on to other things which is not something a good book should inspire you to do.  

I loved the cover art just it alone made the book look like something I would love since greek mythology is usually something I enjoy books using but unfortunately the writing just didn't match up to my expectation.

This book was good and I enjoyed the characters a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sci-fi and mythology mixed together sounded great but this book felt too long winded and even though I enjoyed certain parts of this I still found it hard to want to finish this one.

Great for a true teen reader. Easy to follow and great story.