I have always loved Greek mythology and the last saga I read before starting this book was also about this, so I was pretty obsessed with the subject before starting and had really high expectations about it.
In brief this book seems totally recommendable to me and it fulfilled my expectations, I can’t give it 5 stars because I felt the whole book that I was reading a story instead of really feeling part of it. But I have faith in the following books, I look forward to them (2019 u.u)
The book itself was easy to read and I only had a couple of problems to understand some parts until the context guided me (this may have been because I am not a native English speaker). In fact more than once I got confused if they were talking about Hope the protagonist or about having hope. (Dishonor to my cow for this XD)
The central theme behind the story, the competition, was very entertaining and included enough mythology as a bonus. As for the characters, some just were lovely like Gabriel and Amy. Hope is also an interesting character but it is soooo good that it gets stressful sometimes XD. Most of the characters are introduced drop by drop, which makes you begin to really like them when the story is well advanced. Especially with Kieron, I love his character but I feel I knew him very little and I wish I had seen a little more of his personality change cause it was too drastic for me. Anyway, I’m not too worried about this ‘cause it’s only the first book in the series and we will have time to get to know everyone better and get deeper into the world that Astrid presents to us. Regarding the gods ... I love them because they are excessively imperfect. The heroes are much better though, especially Bellerophon (whose name is not so difficult but for some reason I am unable to say aloud XD), but I deeply desire the power of Aphrodite...
Now I need a second to express ... probably Heath is the character that I’ve hated the most in centuries! When I started reading, I was sure that he would be part of the typical love triangle and that we would understand why he does everything and blablabla. BUT NOOOOOO, he’s just a damn bastard, if you read this, feel free to hate him from the beginning, do not bother thinking about it XD. Actually I swear I hated him more every chapter and that just reading his name makes me angry, I just Hope (see what I did here? xD) that I’m not offending an important character for Astrid, if so I’m reaaaaally sorry but I still hate him :)
I just need to add that I really got kind of obsessed while I read the book and ended in every Astrid group in facebook, don't even know how that happened. And that I'm IN LOVE with the cover. I strongly recommend to give this book a try.

I picked up this book because of my love for Greek mythology. It starts in New York with a normal girl. But something unexpected happens when Hope receives an invitation...and is transported to Mount Olympus. I enjoyed the quests and trials. The premises of the story is good, yet it didn't live up to my expectations. The characters lacked depth, and the romance had no chemistry. Though I liked the book enough to finish it, I won't read the rest of the series.

[I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

I don't intend this to sound mean, but it may. I liked the book, but I didn't, so my review is mostly my problems with it.

I'm somewhat torn on this book. In pretty much all ways, it's extremely formulaic. Girl with home issues gets sucked into an adventure she doesn't want, she needs to beat out a whole crapton of other people who are better at everything than she is, somehow she makes it to the actual competition, and eventually she wins. I can't term this as a spoiler, because it is GLARINGLY obvious from the first page that she is going to win this thing. Even though she has no skills to help her through the competition, her "pure" heart and love are enough to beat out a bunch of other teenagers.

Along the way, she makes friends with a couple of people, hates and loves her teachers, and falls in love with a god. (This also isn't a spoiler, because from the second the guy is mentioned it's clear he's meant to be the love interest.) By the end they're whispering sweet nothings to each other and making out like horny teenagers (and at least one of them still is a teenager...).

This book is so meta that it even mentions The Hunger Games. In one scene Hope thinks that she has read that series and that's what this competition feels like to her. Well, it was. Really. I was reading The Hunger Games on Olympos. Even the government conspiracy comes into play because it's revealed at one point that the gods have their own sinister motivations for all of this. Next, I assume her job is to take down the gods/government and free the people (the demigods/heroes/earth) from their tyranny.

And Hope, as a character, is pretty bland. She's only concerned with getting back to her mother, she gets rescued a lot because her heart is so pure, she is the favorite of everyone to win except the actual gods, and she doesn't make mistakes ever. She's the perfect Mary Sue character - she can do no wrong (except that one time she tried to forfeit and then did the darn thing anyway). And she's annoying for it. Even when she can't do something herself, her mysterious powers come to the rescue. The scene at the end with the Pythia really sealed that for me. Her love conquers all! Her weakness has been turned into a weapon! It could not get any sappier.

Anyway, despite all of that, I did find myself liking the mythology, and some of the writing. Most of the characters were trope, and the time limits on some challenges didn't make much sense, but otherwise it was an okay read. So if you don't mind a rehash of The Hunger Games and all the similar books that have come out since (and before, since a lot of people argue that The Hunger Games was really just Battle Royale), and you don't have anything better to do with your time, you could give this one a whirl. I wouldn't buy it, and probably won't seek out book 2, but it was an okay read. I'm giving it three stars instead of two because I loved Gabriel so much.

Olympian Challenger is a slightly more mature Percy Jackson-esque book. The main protagonist is Hope, a high school girl whose mother is slowly, but surely, succumbing to dementia. One day, every teen in New York State seems to have received a strange letter. However, Hope is the only she knows who can read the invisible message. Next thing she knows, Hope is sucked (quite literally) up to Mount Olympus along with a crew of other teens. The gods command the teens to train and then compete to be crowned the latest Olympic Champion.
Zooming way out and looking at the big picture, I like the concept of this book. There was a flare-up in YA Greek mythology retellings a couple of years back, but it is rare to see new YA releases relate to Greek mythology. Astris Arditi clearly did a lot of research for this book, including many minor gods and creatures. I think that really paid off and made the world more immersive. Each of the challenges given to the teens was directly related to Greek mythology, instead of random, meaningless tasks. I think the cover is really beautiful and eye-catching.
Zooming in, I had a couple of gripes with this book. The pacing in the first 40% or so of the book really confused me. It frequently seemed as if transitional sentences or paragraphs were missing. The main character would be in her bedroom and then all of a sudden at the training field. I double checked and I do not think I received an unedited copy, but the final version. I hope I am wrong because I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I had not been so confused right off the bat. The love interest and instalove confused me. A cliche gay best friend also makes an appearance. I am totally fine with LBGT characters being featured in YA, but I think these ultra femme stereotypical characters might do more harm than good.
Overall, I liked seeing another YA Greek mythology book but was puzzled by missing blocks of text. I think if this book was tightened up a little, Olympian Challenger will be quite popular.

I absolutely loved this book. When I put it down, I couldn't stop thinking about where it would lead next. Subtle romance, but not the main focus of rhe story, but still a part of the story. The author did a great job in the writing of this book. Very descriptive!! The characters were great. I would love to read the next one as well. Looking forward to joining my heroine again in her journey. LOVE LOVE LOVE

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I must admit the cover is what first drew me to the book; it's gorgeous! I enjoy reading YA novels that have strong females characters that don't sit back and let the boys take charge. Hope Diaz thought she was trying to save someone, not become an Olympian challenger. She has the strength to stand up for others, but will her self-doubt be her downfall? This book drew me in right away, and I loved reading it. It's perfect blend of adventure, and coming of age romance that anyone will like. The author stayed true to Olympian tales which I enjoyed and I look forward to read the next book.

I was obsessed with Greek mythology as a child and this book brought back the love I had for it. This was such a fun read! The characters were easy to like from the beginning, especially Hope, Gabriel and Kieran (I have to say I fell for Kieran when she did.). It was well-written, flowed perfectly and kept my interest throughout with the descriptive challenges that continued to spark my imagination.

It was the perfect blend of Percy Jackson and Hunger Games.

Thank you for the privilege of getting an eARC. I'm so happy to have found another trilogy to look forward to reading. I can't wait for the next one!

PS I'm a graphic designer and the first thing that caught my eye was that breathtaking cover. Amazing!!!

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book. The writing did not draw me in and the plot did not compel me at all. The whole thing was coming off as superficial. Because I didn't finish, I won't post reviews for this book.

While I have a soft spot for Greek mythology, this book did not disappoint. This book has a fresh spin on heroes versus Gods and is a solid YA title. I'm looking forward to more in this series!.

A beautiful book! Hope is sent to Mount Olympia by mistake. It is here she finds friends, love, and purpose. Greek Mythology has always been fascinating to me, and this author has done an amazing job telling many tales without it becoming boring or jumbled!

Honestly, I was a little weary starting this one out, because I just read The Goddess Test and he sounded very similar. I didn't want to do nothing but compare the two in my mind the whole time I read this one. But the more I heard friends of mine enjoying it, the more I thought that I should give this one a shot. Some of the similarities were possibly impossible to ignore them. Both books are about Greek mythology, both involve some sort of test , both main characters participate because they're trying to say there's like mothers and both main characters jump into rivers trying to save someone. But after hope is brought to Mount Olympus for the challenges, the similarities between the two books end.

Both the plot and pacing of this novel are really good, the book kept moving forward with all the challenges while Hope battle through. I really enjoyed all the Greek gods included throughout the book and how the challenges related to some of the major stories of heroes in mythology.

The characters were kind of immature at times. There was something about the writing that failed to convey the intensity of the super dramatic moments. The writing failed to capture my emotions, so some of these moments fell flat and felt anti-climactic. I didn't feel the romance at all. The buildup just didn't work for me and at one point Kieron started to act completely differently from the character that he was developed to be. It was insta-love and it did not feel authentic at all.

The plot and ideas were all really good, but the execution wasn't great. Without invoking any feelings for the characters some of the points that were supposed to feel like big moments didn't. It was a cool story and full of mythology that made this a good retelling, but something just felt like it was lacking. I did thoroughly enjoy following the story though, so I would pick up a sequel or continue with Astrid Arditi's writing.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

I like these kinds of books about human's mixing with the gods, this was solidly written.
We meet Hope Diaz, hard working senior in High school, on the swim team. Her mother is suffering from alzheimer's and she's doing her best to cope with it.
Everyone in the city of Manhattan receives a mysterious invitation, but to most people it appears mostly blank, to others cryptic words are written but they are warned and are forbidden from speaking about it.
Things happen and she finds herself in the middle of Mount Olympus as a member in a competition to choose the next Olympian Hero.
I like the story, the love interest isn't quite believable, I wish a little more personality and emotion were built into these characters, it was so close to being right. But felt a little shallow on that aspect.
But overall was enjoyable.

I am always hesitant to read new takes or perspectives on Greek mythology because I am afraid they will ruin what I love about them. This book was a pleasant surprise in many ways. I loved the protagonist Hope, she is an enjoyable character, is not self-absorbed and is bright. I found the back story of Hope's mother having dementia as refreshing and realistic aspect of the story. I enjoyed how the challenges continued through the story and Hope learns all is not as it seems. I am very happy this story is continuing as a trilogy. I was lucky to receive an ARC of this e-book via Netgally. I would recommend this book to any fans of Greek Mythology and anyone interested in young adult fiction. Astrid Arditi is a great author and I look forward to reading more.

People who know me, know that I am a huge Greek Mythology fan, and OH MY GOD if Idid not dream about getting to face what these characters deal with in Greek Mythology retelling books. That said, I have read almost all the legends and stories available to human kind, about Greek Mythology, and I am a huge critic. So, while I enjoy the books, I also cling to the "mistakes" that they have included there, and being a big bookworm, I am judging from to positions, first, being a Greek Mythology fan, second, being a bookworm.

So let's get this started. First of all, as some of the other readers really thought that the book concept was very similar to the Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter. Both being about Greek Mythology, both having a heroine as a main character, both heroines having sick mothers and finally both heroines being somehow linked to Hades. However, while in the Goddess test the characters were mature and more serious, here, characters acted like immature kids. Their conversations, the way they acted, the way they reacted, everything. Although, I liked this one's tests more, they were more exciting.

I'm half Greek and grew up listening to and reading about Greek Mythology with my Mom. Needless to say, I really wanted to read this book! I was thrilled when I received an ARC and literally couldn't put it down! Hope Diaz's story really resonated with me. She's a wonderfully written character with a good heart who is not perfect, but always tried to do the right thing. I love Gabriel and was happy with the turn of events at the end of the book. I look forward to the second book of the series (2019 seems so far off to wait!!) to see what further trials, tribulations and relationship developments happen. I have a soft spot for Amy and hope that we get to see her soon.

Excellent character development and descriptions. I love the setting! This book didn't read like Young Adult. I was captivated by it in the first chapter and can't wait to see what happens next!

*I would like to thank the Author/Publisher/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*

3.5 stars
I saw the cover for this and immediately went to read the blurb. I was sold. Greek mythology, young adult, fantasy! All things I love so I dove in. I really enjoyed this book but I there are things I wish had more depth, like some of the other characters. Their backstories seem important but left to the imagination.

Hope takes care of her mom who suffers with failing health from dementia. Hope is slowly and agonizingly losing her mom. She gets and invitation to go to NYC and takes it. This seems a little off to me because anyone who has a family member with dementia knows you shouldn't leave them alone. The thing that entices her is if she goes and enters this competition she could win a wish.

She of course goes and is transported to Mount Olympus for the tournament. There are some familiar things with the completion and Hunger Games but I still enjoyed it anyway. The excitement of being a spectator to this competition through Hope is there.

Keirnan, one of the competitors, is the son of Hades and Persephone. He quickly becomes a love interest for Hope and of course he has the bad boy vibe. You can probably see where that is going because of Greek Mythology. I am glad this is a series because I would like to read more. Hopefully book two will explain more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The cover is amazing! I know we should not judge a book by its cover, but the cover attracts you to read at least what the book is about :)

I really liked the book. I love books where the main character has to overcome challenges and test against other people in order to get something.

In this case, Hope, the main character, finds herself meeting people she never believed existed (the greek gods). She makes friends, enemies, and she even finds love. What I liked about the book is that is not the typical love at first sight, or even the friendship at first sight, those things grow up throughout the book.

This is a book I enjoyed reading and I'd like to read more books from Astrid in the future.

You’re cordially invited…
To embark on a singular journey.
If your heart is true,
And your soul heroic,
Dare to face your fears,
And your most precious wish will be granted.
If these words you can read,
Don’t breathe them to a soul,
The punishment would be severe;
That confidant may disappear.
You have until midnight.

★I got an ARC from publishers through NetGalley and this is my honest uninfluenced review★

Rating: 6 of 7; 5 of 5; 9 of 10
I'm struggling with the rating. Through the first half, I was sure it would be 4 stars, but things were getting better and I had to bring it up. This book is exactly what we call young-adult. But the thing is. It's a good one. I can't complain about the ya factor when I picked a book that I already knew it was ya. And yes I'm so going to read the next one. It can't be here soon enough.

So, Hope's life is kind of as normal as it gets. Then she receives this weird invitation and actually, she doesn't give a shit. But Fate is the most annoying lady and Hope unwillingly accept it. I think is pretty important say that she didn't decide to stay because of some random dark-mysterious-handsome-bad-boy, he may be the one who convinces her that it would be better for her if she stays, but it wasn't because of him.

Positives: This book doesn't take dozens of pages before the action starts. Actually, everything starts in the very first chapter, but not in a way that leaves you extremely confused. You have a little context, things start to happen, you have a little more context and then everything is happening. I can't be emphatic enough about how I loved it; Also - and it's very important - we are not dealing with a stupid main character. You know, all these characters that make you wanna be inside the book and slap them? Not her. And I loved the friendship here, I'm all in for friends like that.

Ending: Well, there's some wild idea. The main character is not dead. I would probably be ranting like crazy here if she was, but you know it really doesn't mean we didn't have plot twists in the very ending. Also, I had seen nothing that made me thought it was a trilogy. Until the end. So yeah I'm pretty much annoyed. Especially because honestly, what an ending without an ending!

Downsides: the character in general could be deeper, there was a lot of possibilities here and too little development; that may sound like bitching, but I dislike first-person narrators. I don't mind having just one pov all the time, but the first-person speech really annoys me.

Side note: There were a few things that made me remember of other series, and it doesn't actually bothered me but annoys a little. Also, pretty hard to read a book with that much Greek mythology when I didn't know the English names for all these characters, so the Wikipedia tab on Kindle was definitely my best friend through this book; I hate Hades like the big bad guy just because he's the god of death, it would always be way more interesting if he was some deep interesting character.

Tags: young-adult, Greek gods, lgbt+ side character, mythology, action, adventure, beautiful-cover, elementals, fantasy, fiction, great-read, magic

I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This was my first read from Astrid Aditi but I requested it because based on the synopsis it kinda sounded like one of my recent favorite reads and I wanted to give it a chance. Well, in the end it was nothing like that but I still enjoyed it quite a bit, even more than I lately do with these kind of YA stories.

The story is a phenomenal YA mythology with a slightly cruel twist to it. The book builds on Greek mythological elements and while a lot of people say that it is similar to Percy Jackson, I don’t agree with them. Other than the Greek mythology and the descendants of gods/goddesses there is not much else that’s connects the two book.

The writing style is really amazing and has a flow to it that makes it impossible to put the book down. It phenomenally easy to read and went by so quickly especially since the pace of the storyline is pretty fast as well. Personally I didn’t except from the first book in this series to contain so much and for the storyline to progress with such rapid tempo. Actually I liked it because it opens up the possibilities for the upcoming installment and also prevents any kind of boring moment for happening. I really loved the storyline and the different challenges, they were interesting, exciting but a bit bloody as well, just the right mix of everything.

The thing I didn’t like as much and the reason why I only gave it stars was mainly Hope character. I didn’t hate her and she has a lot of good and redeeming qualities but in the end she was overly nice, sweet and self-sacrificing for my taste. I liked her in the beginning, her tenacity, her friendliness, her creative mind and she also goes through quite the character development thorough the book. However when we reach the end of the book her decision feels more like an obligatory, heroic choice the author felt her character need to make than something genuine. I didn’t like this.

However I loved how the gods and goddesses were portrayed in this story. Most of them were shallow, cruel and selfish, not really likeable but more godlike or at least how I would picture them.
While the book mostly revolves around the challenges and the upcoming feats that the winner need to accomplish there is a slight romantic element to it as well. The thing is I usually like when my fantasy has a bit of a romance to it but in this case I would have done without it. It was kind of childish and made Hope act her age, like a lovesick puppy. Sorry but for me it just didn’t work however I can see how a younger generation would dig it.

In the end I love that I gave this book a chance because it was really great, it had a lot of funny and interesting scenes in t and also I see a lot of potential regarding the series. I definitely recommend giving it a try, it’s a quick and action packed read with a hint of romance to it.

It’s just Hope and her mom. Her mom is her whole life. Her mom is sick. She is losing more and more of her every day. Her mom has dementia. All Hope wants is to save her mom, make her better. Hope spends her days at school and her nights with her mom. Hope takes care of her mom with the help a few friends. Hope would give anything if she could save her mom.

Her wish may have just come true when she receives an invitation along with every twelfth grader in New York to a challenge on Mount Olympus. If she can pass the challenge she will get her heart’s desire.

Hope wakes up in Mount Olympus to face other kids her age in battles. She meets some new friends along the way two to which she becomes very close to Amy and Gabriel. Hope has a very good soul who puts others before herself to keep harm coming to them. All the teenagers face some hard and terrible challenges in Mount Olympus. Hope, Amy and, Gabriel all work to face the challenges together but there can only be one winner.

I loved the Greek mythology stories that were woven throughout Olympian Challenger and seeing Hope not only facing the challenges but being strong enough to know when and who to stand up against when the right time came. I also loved that the characters had to do the challenges not knowing who or what was coming for them next.

I have loved visiting this world in Olympian Challenger and going to Mount Olympus with Hope and meeting Amy and Gabriel as well as all the Gods and Goddess along with their teachers too. Olympian Challenger has been an awesome journey that has kept me amazed from beginning to end. While the ending was the best ever I still have a lot of unanswered questions so many that I can’t wait to read the next book in the Olympian Challenger.

If you like Greek mythology and the Greek Gods and Goddess and all their stories then you are going to love Olympian Challenger.