3/5: I received this book from NetGallery in exchange for a review. This book started off slow. The author loved her thesaurus and the words overwhelmed the story at the beginning. About 1/3 of the way in it started to get interesting. At times the story got confusing with the sheer number of primary characters and it was hard to remember who everyone was and who was in what scene. I wish there was a half-star option because I would have increased my rating to 3.5 stars.

Nice and entertaining book with good characters. I really enjoyed the writing and the rhythm of the novel, and I would probably recommend this to anybody who feels like reading a YA-novel.

When I saw this cover I was immediately fascinated and couldn’t wait to read the book. I really enjoyed the first few chapters. Getting to know Hope, seeing her mother’s situation, and entering Olympus were well written and moved at a fast pace. Once the challengers break up into roommates and start training, I got bored and annoyed.
Arditi’s imagination is great and there is a lot of potential for a good story and great characters, I just didn’t see them here. Interactions between characters were often awkward or annoying (Hope’s roommate flips back and forth from quirky friend to hardened enemy it becomes frustrating and off putting). I could not connect with Hope. Her inner monologue was on constant repeat which got old quickly. The romances were not that great to read and I just couldn’t get into the challenge around everything else.
World building was done quite well throughout. There were great descriptions to assist with the unfamiliar areas. I put this book down a lot, and for long periods of time. This could be a good book for some, just not for me.

I couldn't put this book down. The mythology did it for me. How the whole world was set up, and how weird everything was. In a good way! The mythology was super interesting and the world dragged me in super fast. I found the whole premise super interesting, especially with Hope's mum. That was something I feel like I don't remember been done before, which is super well done.

However, the romance feels flat at times and I wasn't really convinced at the end that this was the greatest love out there for Hope. The writing I've seen some people comment on, but I found the writing overall good and it fit my reading preferences well.

Can I also take a moment to say that the cover is magnificent? Absolutely breathtaking!

As a huge fan of Greek Mythology, i eas very excited to read this book. I found this story fun and enjoyable to read and cant wait to discover what awaits the characters in book two

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
This was my first book by this author, It was okay. It was slow paced but it was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
3.5 star rating!

LOVED it. I really appreciated how human all the gods seem and the characters interact. You can really empathize with the bullies and friendships. It does seem like it's rather obvious from the beginning who is going to win to the Gods which irks me a little because if it was really such a "competition" then it shouldn't be even if the heroine is clearly head and shoulders in character above some of the cretins. From my understanding of Greek mythology though they were much crueler, and maybe it's the audience this book is aimed at but I didn't really see that level of cruelty in their actions (even though they're literally using human suffering as entertainment). It had an almost Harry Potter and the goblet of fire-esque feel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I'll start off by saying the only reason I asked for this book was because of the cover! The cover is amazing and really drew me in. I am guilty of the crime of choosing books for covers.

I really went back and forth on what to rate this book. The book as a whole did not warrant higher than a 3 star rating, but the second half and ending were much better than 3 stars. However, I couldn't forget the first half and how I had thought seriously about putting this book down (I NEVER DNF books).

Hope Diaz is just trying to get through high school and keep her mom from forgetting who she is when a good deed lands her on Mount Olympus and competing, at the pleasure of the Olympians, to become the next hero and champion of the Gods. Hope isn't interested in a competition, but the aspect of being granted any wish she desires tempts her need to save her mother. After some resistance Hope works to win the battle of the Gods using her wits and compassion. But will it be enough?

I want to start with the positives of this book, unfortunately they almost all came in the second half so I'll just go chronologically instead. That means the negatives first. The beginning of this book painted Hope as a Mary Sue and I couldn't stand it! She gets good grades, she likes to read, she's a champion swimmer, she cares only about her mom and thinks parties are stupid. It felt so fake! And then when she gets to Mount Olympus she continues this perfect facade by disliking the "bad" contenders and befriending the gay guy and telling him how he is so much better than he thinks he is and his father (who hates him for his sexuality) is awful. <i>"Then he is missing out on his beautiful son. You're wonderful just as you are, Gabriel. You have to believe it. </i> What teenager talks like that? I am for supportive friends and encouraging people to be who they are meant to be, but that is her first friend and she says things like "beautiful son"? Really? Can we just stop painting her as the savior to all controversial causes? This is where I was really tempted to drop this book. I want my hero to feel realistic and Hope just felt like every parent's dream for what their teenager will be.

The second half of the book and the actual competition made this book better. Hope works with the other contenders to master many of the challenges and befriends all the teachers, continuing the Mary Sue aspect. However, as other challenges begin to get ruthless in their conquest to win Hope starts to show and give in to real emotions like rage, envy, and fear. For the first time she starts to feel real. It was what this book needed from the beginning. The quest revolve around other heroes quest and I have to hand it to the author, she did her research on Greek Mythology. She does a great job incorporating several myths about different heroes. She also portrays the Gods perfectly. She doesn't make them perfect or human. She paints them in all their deadly sins and competitiveness and it aligns with their portrayal in myth.

There is a romance which was a little awkward at times. It wasn't my favorite relationship and seemed a little bit too cliche, but again the ending made it have more value in my eyes.

The ending! The author set it up perfectly for another book. It is a cliffhanger, but it also wraps up this story nicely. It guaranteed that I will continue the series when the next book comes out.

When I saw this cover and read the summary, I knew I needed to read this book. Hope Diaz is a high school senior at a private school in New York City. Her mother suffers from dementia and Hope helps take care of her. One day, every senior in New York City receives the same silver invitation but only some of them can read the message hidden in the card. Those that read the message and then follow the instructions given were transported to Mount Olympus and told they were chosen to complete a series of quests that would end with one of them being given chosen as the God's Hero. Sounds super cool, right? I liked this idea, I enjoyed the different quests, and I appreciated how past hero's trained the teens and allowed readers to learn about some of the less common stories in Greek Mythology.

However, there were several things I didn't like. I didn't like how awkward the word choice was in the beginning. It was stilted and unnecessarily advanced. It felt like the author was trying to prove how smart Hope was by using obscure words in place of well-known ones but it only made it feel like the author was trying WAY too hard all through the first few chapters and it was very distracting. Thankfully, things definitely relax as the story goes and the narrative slowly starts to sound like something a teenage girl would be saying/thinking. Sadly, that didn't help me like the main character any better. Hope is supposed to come across as a teenage girl under too much stress (mother who's slowly losing her mind, absent father, low-income scholarship student at a private school, and forced to participate in the Olympic version of the Hunger Games). Instead, Hope is a judgemental little brat who is overly obsessed with a random guy named Kieron that she's literally known for maybe 3 days. She tries so hard for her first two days on Mount Olympus to find a way to escape back to Earth but once she realizes that's not an option and only the winner will be able to leave, she turns her attention to semi-trying to win but mostly sits around wondering why Kieron doesn't love her and occasionally picking up a random book on myths. She is just so shallow at times that it hurts.

I honestly don't know if I'm going to read the second book when it comes out. I finished the first book and while I do feel that it's something teen readers may enjoy reading, I didn't appreciate it.

I had pretty high hopes for this book after reading the description. While I enjoyed the story, it wasn't quite what I was expecting so I was a little letdown.

In the modern day, the Greek gods are still around, and they want a new hero. Sucked into the insanity of Olympus against her will, Hope is a contestant to become said hero. She got sucked in while trying to save another contestant from drowning. Because of her good act, she gets chucked into the dangerous world of gods, demi-gods, heroes and monsters. To survive she will have to tough, determined, intelligent and quick-witted.
Olympian Challengers could be described with one word; okay. It is nothing incredibly unique or exciting, but it was like eating candy: not good for you but fun to consume for consumptions sake. Hope was pretty generic, but was not a bad character per-say, she was just a cooky cutter character. As for the other characters, for the most part, Hope had two semi-interesting friendships, but one of the two still seemed pretty cooky cutter. I did enjoy the friendship with the self ship thief, since it allowed Hope to seem more moral and compassionate in comparison. Story-wise, the story did not really wrap up, making it obvious there is an intendend sequel. Because of this, the ending of the story did not really feel properly concluded and I was left feeling more like I had just finished a chapter, and had not been given a full book. In the end, Olympian Challenger was okay and I give it the rating of THREE AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

I really enjoyed the story it was different than most of the young adult books out right now. A very strong female lead that was not a damsel in distress. I think that the ending dragged on too long and the whole 'you are the first girl in a thousand year that I love' unrealistic

First of all, that cover? WOW. I'm tired of covers with 'girls in pretty dresses look resolute' but this one is amazing.

After that, the story. It's a clever use of Greek mythology, which I do actually know a bit about. I loved Gabriel, relatively indifferent to Amy but she was cool. Hope was another of the 'I don't have any talents, oh actually I'm the best at everything' type of heroine, but it worked very well in this novel. Shades of Twilight in her relationship with Kieron. I was surprised to see Hades as such an out and out villain, but that's probably because of yummy Eric Thomson on Hercules...wait, what was I talking about?

Right, the book. Very much enjoyed, hate the cliffhanger, when's the next one coming out?

The story is a little bit boring. I’m a huge fan of Percy Jackson series. All about the gods and myths are not as exciting as i expected it to be. Wish there are more exciting scene but the story is too simple.
Thought I quite like Hope’s personality.

DNF at 30%

This book really intrigued me because of the synopsis, it sounded so good but unfortunately it was not the book for me.

I mainly picked this book up because it had greek mythology and it did not disappoint, the 30% that i had read, I absolutely loved the way the author incorporated the greek mythology but it was not enough to keep me reading this book. One of the main reasons I did not finish this book was because of the writing style, it bothered me a little, I could not really connect with the heroin no matter how hard I tried.

However, just because I did not like this book, does not mean that you won't.

“‘A true hero fights for what’s right, no matter the cost or the glory dangled at him. It isn’t about what you want, Hope. It never was. You have a duty to win tomorrow.’”

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publisher, Astrid Arditi. I’ll thank Rick Riordan and Madeline Miller for my weakness for Greek mythology tales.

When Hope receives a mysterious invitation, she doesn’t expect it to lead her to Mount Olympus to become a challenger in the gods’ competition for a new hero. She doesn’t even believe in Greek gods; all she wants is to return home to her sick mother, who is slowly losing her mind like all the women in her family. Hope’s determination to return home slowly turns into a desire to win as she realizes that the reigning hero is granted a wish. If she wins, she may have the power to cure the most important person in her life.

Olympian Challenger is sort of Percy Jackson + romance. The mythology has a lot in common with the way Riordan writes it. For example, Hope’s mother reminded me a lot of May Castellan, and there’s a lot of focus on training heroes. It’s not as good, but let’s face it, Riordan is tough to compete with. I really enjoyed the way Arditi included famous Greek heroes in her story (I have a soft spot for Heracles and Achilles), but I wish there had been more women. (Atalanta? Medea? Her one female hero, Ariadne, spends most of her time in the library.)

I was less fond of her portrayals of some of the gods, particularly in villainizing Hades, but I guess that’s bound to happen. There’s also an overall sense of contempt toward the gods, and that’s a tired angle. Gods are not humans; they don’t behave like humans, and it’s very easy to make them out to be all bad. It’s much more complicated to try to figure out why gods do what they do, and there’s no depth to that here. I typically want more motivation from my villains.

The writing isn’t wonderful. There’s some stilted dialogue and a tendency to tell rather than show. In part, it’s a pacing problem. There are too many scenes for one book, particularly once Hope gets into her challenges (Why are there ten? I lost interest after four or five. They run the same pattern every time.) and many of them feel rushed. The novel could have been streamlined there in favor of building character and relationships.

That’s not to say I wanted to spend more time with Hope’s love interest, Kieron. He’s the typical brooding, stand-offish, and otherworldly handsome male that YA novels are overflowing with, and their instalove is all drama and no substance. I liked Hope well enough except for when she was agonizing over what Kieron thought of her; then her emotions ran to dramatic extremes, and it was tiresome. On the other hand, there’s a cute gay Cupid ship, and I think I needed that in my life. I almost wish the book had been told from Gabriel’s point of view, since his character development was a lot more significant than Hope’s.

Hope’s relationship with her mother is really strong–maybe the strongest relationship in the book, even with its small amount of page time. It’s the defining feature of Hope’s character, and while there’s some attempt to have her come into her own by the end of the novel, it’s a little saccharine. She’s a sort of cliche heroine whose goodness is beaten over our heads, but naturally, she thinks she’s a terrible person. Female characters with self-esteem are rarer than Greek gods. Her friends are fine but not wonderful, although Heath makes for an interesting villain. I wish there’d been more of his backstory throughout the novel instead of just at the end. While Olympian Challenger was fine for a one-time read, I likely won’t continue with the series.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

I haven’t read a book by this author before, but I will read her again. I’m not a big fan of YA, mostly because I have so much to read, and I have to draw the line somewhere. However, if I find a book that sounds interesting enough, I’ll pick it up. This book was one such YA. In the beginning, I admit I almost put the book down after the big Olympus scene. Not because it was terrible, but because I am not a big fan of a lot of description, and this almost was too much for me. I did keep reading, and I’m glad I did! I love Greek mythology, and this book had some great mythology. Not only that, the book was well-written and I liked the characters although they need to be fleshed out a tiny bit more; this will probably happen in the next book which I can’t wait to read. If you are a fan of YA or mythology, give this book a try! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

I LOVE Greek Mythology so I was pretty excited to read this book.. The premise of the story was something I'd normally really really enjoy.

BUT
what ruined it for me were the characters and the romance. We get one detail about each character and then everything revolves around it. I couldn't like any of them and as for the romance, well, there was zero chemistry there and it was just not believable.

Overall it was fun and I enjoyed the quests and trials and will probably read the next book.

Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi is a phenomenal book. It had me hooked from the first word and I fell in love with the characters instantly. Hope and Kieron are amazing together and I love the dynamic relationship between Gabe, Amy, and Hope also the occasional contenders that decide to help out. If you are like me and love anything Greek mythology then read this book.
I really want to discuss the ending with whoever has read this because I feel like it shouldn't have ended there. 100% recommend this book.

Olympian Challenger is the first novel in the Olympian Challenger series by Astrid Arditi. scheduled for release on 3rd July 2018 I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Olympian Challenger follows the story of a teenager named Hope, who accidentally gets swept up in a deadly and mysterious tournament created by the Gods of Olympus. As descendents of the gods themselves, the teenagers that have been chosen to participate are more than happy to learn of their inherited gifts and fight their way to being crowned champion of the gods. But all Hope wants to do is find a way home, to find a way back to her single mother in New York City, who is suffering from dementia. But as the challenges continue and the prize edges every closer Hope decides she will do whatever she can to win so her wish can be granted,  to see her mother cured, if she can survive. 

Now as someone who has a deep love for mythology, especially Greek mythology I was very excited to read this books. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and the premise left me with some high hopes. As someone who enjoyed the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief series, I was excited to see what Arditi's book had to offer. 

The thing I liked about this book was that it tried to be diverse in the inclusion of supporting characters from different walks of life and how it highlight's some of the tough situations certain groups of people face. The two biggest in this book being the struggle of foster kids in the system, portrayed by a troubled and thieving Amy,  and the acceptance of LGBTQI+ people, specifically through Gabriel, a teenage boy whose wish initially is to be cured of his attraction to men so his father will accept him. Reading that part in the book was tough, but his growth in the book of self-acceptance and love is a beautiful sup plot to the main story. I really grew to love Amy and Gabriel, and their loyal friendship with Hope is such a crucial thing. 

I also liked Hope's growth throughout the book from a girl who just wants to escape home, to becoming a young woman with some guts and grit as the challenges progress and the number of surviving competitors dwindles. 

The book has some serious Hunger Games vibes, and I don't mind it. The characters themselves even reference it. A few pop culture references slip in throughout parts as a reminded that they all came from modern-day New York. 

Initially I struggled to get into the book. The opening chapters felt a little clunky and the flow of sentences felt stiff. All the sentences seemed to be the same length and didn't provide any flow or rhythm when reading. However after the initial chapters the writing smoothed out a bit and it was a lot easier to read. The book was a quick read and I finished it in less than a day. 

The main 'forbidden love' story that weaves throughout was interesting but predictable. I could love it or leave it, and I don't think the story would've changed a great deal without it. Hope is a fairly strong, sometimes a little too 'I have to save everyone' type of character but ultimately she studies and works hard towards the challenges and can get by just fine without the love interest, even if she doesn't always see it herself. 

Overall I did end up enjoying the book by the end as the challenges the competitors had to face, which followed the stories of various gods and their amazing feats, was what kept me going. A quick read the pacing of the book keeps you moving forward without leaving you too long to linger on the events unfolding. I know this is the first in a series of books, but the ending felt rather sudden and not quite what I had wanted or felt should've have happened. But nevertheless is was still a decent read. I would maybe read the second novel when it comes out next year just to know what happened after the tournament, but it's not on high on my list for books I'd recommend reading. 

3/5 stars