This book was very well written with great story line and interesting and unforgettable characters, I am sure Astride got as much enjoyment in writing this story as I did reading it. It was a another book I could not put down until I finished it. Will certainly want to be reading the second book in this series.
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review another great book.

Well written book with interest twist and turns. Most of the idea seems very cliche and predictable at the beginning but the ending was very new and surprised me a tad. Story about kids who align with certain greek get suck into an alternative universe where they must face trials to be name the hero. The main heroine at first seems very strong but as the story progresses she acts childish, so character consistence doesn't show growth. The romance in this book is cute if not cliche. Seems like there will be another book. Good read for someone who enjoyed the Percy Jackson series.

It's hard to read this book and not get immediate comparisons to the superior "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief." Obviously it's different enough to not be exactly the same, but you don't want your readers reading your story and constantly comparing it to another, much more famous work.

I had several issues with this book--among them the heroine's early and easy acceptance of being transported to Olympus ("Oh, I guess I'm in Olympus now with gods. Cool."), the framing of the world and death (the beginning makes it sound as if the gods/heroes will protect the competitors if anything happens to them, giving them ambrosia to heal severe and serious wounds; then later competitors start dying left and right. For real, gone forever type dying. Despite the fact that humans can be easily resurrected and the afterworld is literally a hop, skip and a jump away from where they are), a made up god to be the romantic love interest (when your reader is super familiar with Greek mythology, this kind of thing is very disconcerting), etc.

I also don't understand why if the importance of this competition is to find a true hero why the gods would allow murderous a-holes to compete. Greek heroes were HEROIC. They didn't sacrifice their friends to save their own skins. If they messed up, they paid for it. Kids in this competition are serious sociopaths, and you'd think that would concern the gods just a little. It doesn't.

And obviously something bad is going on--the gods need a hero to open the portals between the human world and Olympus. And this never raises a red flag for the heroine, despite her constantly telling us how selfish and vain and malicious the gods are.

The absolute worst thing though, and what knocked the rating of this book down from a four to a two (and had me seriously considering a one) was that the prize in this competition was one wish. One wish and the gods would grant you anything you desire. The heroine wants to heal her mother who is suffering from dementia. It's all she talks about the entire book. Then when she gets the chance to make the wish (sorry if that's a spoiler, but I think it's fairly obvious from the get-go that the heroine is going to win), she makes the absolute stupidest wish in the history of time. She doesn't save her mother. And even if she wasn't going to do that would you, I don't know, wish for world peace? An end to human suffering? No more hunger? Something that would make the world a better place given that she's now the hero of mankind? I literally groaned out loud and if this had been a paperback, I would have thrown it. And she saves one friend with her wish and I was like, "What about her other friends?" Including the one who she paid tribute to in her fashion choices? Why was his life so much more important than anyone else's? And couldn't she have wished, "I want all the competitors in this competition brought back to life and sent back to earth?" Saved everyone with one fell swoop? Or how about her sensing that the gods are up to no good and saying, "I wish that no resident of Olympus could hurt any human in any way ever again?" Thus ensuring that she could protect her mother from the god who keeps threatening to harm her? Bad, bad, bad ending. Stupidest choice ever.

This book is also obviously intended to be part of a series, so while one part ends it's left very open-ended for the series to continue. I won't be reading any of the other books as I can't get over the stupidity of the heroine's final wish.

Olympian Challenger has a beautiful cover that will entice younger teens who love mythology and the Rick Riordan books. The story and characters felt not fully fleshed out though, and the plot was jumpy and ill-paced. The (many, many) Greek gods and heroes are introduced in a roll-call fashion; some are not described at all and others thrown suddenly into the plot, so it is difficult to keep track of who they are. This book will find a niche of readers, I think, but it won't really live up to the Percy Jackson fans' expectations.

3.5/5
This book a gave me serious Percy Jackson vibes, and I honestly couldn’t be happier about it. I mean, I am a huge Percy Jackson and Greek mythology nerd, so it started off with everything in its favor. Sadly though, it didn’t quite land in the favorites bin.
So, Olympian Challenger tells the story of a girl who ends up as a contender to be the next Olympic hero, the only thing is, she ends up there by accident. As she tries to figure out a way home to her ailing mother, she is put through trials and tribulations following the stories of her mentors, the great Olympic heroes that came before her. This lot includes as Heracles, Jason, Adrienne and a handful of others. Throughout the story she struggles with her inner turmoil; to return home or to continue on.
The Pluses:
+ The Greek mythology, duh. I love all things related to Greek myths and stories. I just find them so fascinating. This book managed to blend the two worlds, ancient and modern, together relatively seamlessly, with only a few unexplained hiccups along the way.
+ The characters are wonderful. They’re so sweet and lovable and yet, they still have their realistic faults. But they’re also all so different from each other. They are completely their own people, with unique quirks and flaws.
The Minuses:
- The beginning is very stilted and strange. The author leaves you hanging for far too long before explaining what’s happening with the main character. I had to set it down a couple time because I just couldn’t get into it.
- The flow of time in this book is very off. When I was reading it felt like weeks had gone by for the characters, when in reality it only been days. This make the whole book feel a bit unbalanced, which took away from the enjoyment of the story.
Recap:
Overall, I look forward to re-reading this book when the sequel drops next year. The challengers are relatable and the gods, detestable. I enjoyed how the story was interwoven with stories/myths of the path, instead of just plunked into current-day Olympus.

I found this book on Netgalley and thought it sounded like a good read so I grabbed it up. I haven't read a book on mythology in a very long time and I really did like the sound of this one. It was a good story, clever, adventurous. It had a lot in it and I thought it was well written. I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped but I think it was more my mind wasn't in the right mood. I was having issues with so many books at this time. I was in a bit of a slump. So I think I would have enjoyed it more another time but even with my mind somewhere else, I still thought the book was really good and I do want to read more.


Hope is a teenager with a lot going on in her life. Trying to get through school and taking care of her sick mother. Her days are busy and her life is full. She just wants to get through the day she is in. Everything changes when she receives a mysterious invitation. She planned on ignoring this invitation but an accident happened and she ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. She now finds herself among the gods. She is told she is a descendant and they are looking for the next hero. There is a series of tests, and lessons to learn, and new friends and enemies. The only thing Hope wants to do is get back home to her sick mother. What she gets is a new outlook on her world.


There were many things I did like about this book. I liked the main character, I liked the plot, I really enjoyed the tests. It was written well and it was really different than anything I have read in YA in quite a while. It wasn't completely unique, there are many similar stories out there, but I haven't read one in a while and it does have it's own set of differences that set it apart from the others.

The main character was a breath of fresh air. She did have her issues and a couple of times she was a bit irritating. She was a very loyal daughter and friends. She has a very honest and innocent and caring heart. She wanted what was best for others, never herself. Sometimes her selflessness got in the way of the bigger picture. I never thought I would say this, but it's so true. Her biggest fault was she couldn't see past the obvious. She had a one track mind and it was hard for anyone to get her to take off her blinders. Other than that I really liked her. She was just good. Sometimes I need to read a book where the main character is just good.

There were other really fun characters too. The book was full of good and bad and in between. There were so many fighting to be that last standing hero so they can get their prize. They weren't all good either. It seemed the gods didn't know what to look for in future heroes. It was fun to see though how each one ended up on Mt. Olympus and which god brought them in.

The story was full of relationships, family, and friendship. Relationships was definitely a focal point of the story and watching the relationships form and the characters bond, well I just love this kind of thing.

The tests were really fun too. Sometimes I felt they did get a little confusing, but again focus issues. They were interesting though and a fun way to work through the story. They were creative and they were very relative to the story. I really enjoyed this part of the story.

I think the main issue I had with the book was the pacing. I think this wouldn't have been such a thing if my mind wasn't having issues focusing at the time, but it was.





Really good read with a good story and great characters.

Good start to the series. I love mythology, especially Greek mythology so I was excited to start this read. Hope receives a cryptic invitation and by accident ends up in Mount Olympus. Once there she enters a competition to become a champion and win the prize of a single wish. Although Hope rather be at home with her mother, she realizes winning is the only thing that can help heal her mother and make her life whole again. I really enjoyed watching Hope grow and the friendships she made. I can't wait to see what is next for her and if her love story works out.

I loved this book. I was first I was drawn in by the cover and then the description. I was a huge fan of the Percy Jackson books, so I was definitely intrigued on another story based off of Greek mythology. This was a winner! I couldn’t put it down once I started reading. I am anxiously waiting for the next one!

I loved this book. It is well written with a great plot and characters. I was engrossed from start to finish. I can't wait to read more books by this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

Astrid Arditi's, Olympian Challenger, is her first push into YA fiction. Olympian Challenger is the start of a forthcoming urban/mythology YA series, which was released February 2018. NetGalley provided me an ARC copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Now that that's all out there, I'm going to put it bluntly, I would've read this in one day if I didn't have to work.

[meme image]
Me and this book. For real.

Olympian Challenger is the story of Hope Diaz in the middle of a potentially fatal competition to determine the next Hero of Mt. Olympus. The book starts out with every senior in NYC receiving mysterious invitations, but only a few can read the full message. Hope reads hers, but doesn't care, she's got bigger concerns. However, in a situation of wrong place wrong time, she ends up fulfilling the requirements of the invite and following another teen to Mt. Olympus. There she makes friends and enemies and as per the rules of YA falls in love.

Arditi's main character, Hope Diaz, deviates from many of YA protagonists I've read recently. She's neither too perfect nor too imperfect. As much as I love a YA series, a MarySue lead is a always a bummer. Hope Diaz is no MarySue. She's a sympathetic character, who makes a lot of efforts to put things into reasonable perspective. At times it seems like she might be a little bit too mature, but given the backstory, it still feels fitting. She also manages to grow and change based on the moments faced in the book, rather than being static.

The rest of the characters aren't as strong, everyone is pretty two dimensional, but in the same way that a lot of characters in Hunger Games also never really evolved. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The author uses generalized action moments to teach you about a character rather than long exposition, so you get the same feeling of only knowing those characters as much as Hope herself does. One things that stands out, however, is the consistency of the gods themselves. Without spoiling too much:

[Gif: Hunger Games: Greed]

Final Verdict: I love this one. It was quick paced, well structured, and had interesting points and surprises you weren't fully expecting. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series, which is coming out Fall 2018. Hoping to see this one get picked up more mainstream.

DNF

I only made it through about 7 and a half chapters of this before I gave up. The writing style itself wasn't good, and nothing (at least by that point) was subtle or nuanced. One guy doesn't care about the hot nearly-nude ladies? Bet he's gay . . . and he is! And although I didn't read to the end, I'm willing to bet the scene in the first chapter where Hope is on the swim team and sets a new school record means that she's a descendant of Poseidon. In addition, there is a major issue with "show don't tell"; instead of just showing things, everything is spelled out for the reader.

Perhaps the most annoying thing--for me--though, is the representation of the gods. Some things I can grudgingly accept because they're mostly just taking from less popular versions (such as Apollo being the Greek sun god, or Aphrodite being Zeus' daughter), but the depiction of Hades as the evil, universally-hated "Death God" was too much. For one, he is the god of the dead, but not the god of DEATH. He rules the underworld, but Thanatos and the Keres were responsible for death. In addition, Hades had rule over everything underground, including the precious metals and gems--meaning that he was also the god of wealth. He was usually depicted as dark and somber, but he wasn't "the evil god of death" portrayed in this book.

In short, if you gave this book to like, a younger teen who's kind of interested in mythology, they might like it, but I don't recommend it for most people, especially anyone really into Greek mythology.

I really, really liked this book. Hope is a wonderful character. She is courageous, strong, loving, caring and much more. She never wanted to be part of the challenge on Mount Olympus. She was just trying to save someone. I love that she cares so much for her mother that she tries to and actually does defy the gods to try to go home.

The attraction between her and one of the gods was fun for me. I hated what all the challengers went through, but the author did it in such a great way. You will cheer them on as you read and cry for them. The alliances were intriguing. There were some characters I just didn't like and I can't wait to see what the author does next.

It was a 5/5 for me. I cannot wait until the next book is out!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

I picked up this book because it reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson, which is a series that I hold near and dear to my heart. I was not disappointed by this book. It really was a fresh take on Greek mythology, demigods, and Mount Olympus. Hope was an interesting main character, with an even more interesting love life. This book wasn't ridiculously predictable, and I enjoyed it a lot. Some of the characters were a bit cliche, but it wasn't something that really bothered me.

I love this book because I am a fan of Greek mythology. The plot of the story looks interesting and the writing is very good. The cover of this book is beautiful. The story reminds me of Percy Jackson series. I can't wait to read the next story. You should read this book if you love Greek mythology stories.

I went to bed thinking about this book and woke up thinking about it. I’m still thinking about it throughout the day. It has captivated my mind. Probably my favorite fantasy read of the year so far. I’m in love with everything about this.

This was fast paced to me. I never got bored. I put this book down a couple of times but was trying to rush to get back to it. I was so intrigued with this world. The details the author gave made my imagination picture everything perfectly. From the places to the challenges to the way the characters looked. Mount Olympus was a world I want to go back and visit. This is my first experience reading about Greek mythology. I’ve never read Percy Jackson. Shame on me. The author gave the backstories for so many of the gods and heroes that I just want to keep learning more.

The best part to me were the characters. I did not have a problem connecting with them. It was quite easy to become attached to many of them. Hope, the protagonist, was one of the most selfless characters ever. Honestly, she has a heart of gold. She took the heroic route every time.

But my favorite was KIERON. OH MY GOSH ANOTHER BOY THAT HAS TOOK MY HEART. He is simply amazing, everything. Bad boy with a tormented heart with a hint of goodness in him. May I add that he is Hades son. I mean come on. Just my type of fictional guy. Really no words can describe my love for him or how amazing his character is.

I need the second book ASAP because I am dying. I want more Kieron please.

I started reading this book believing that it would be a nice retelling of Greek mythology and for that I was super excited, being Greek myself.

Still, I didn't manage to connect with the characters, nor with the general writing style of the author. Yes, the premise seemed quite interesting but it was due to the writing that I didn't manage to get into it. Also, the fact that ideas like that have been introduced many years ago in different books make the plot twists and the unfolding of the plot in general quite expected and predictable, which ultimately makes the book to seem boring the least.

Overall, this book felt like one of the many books that have been published before, with nothing really unique or special to show.

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

*I received this book from Netgalley. My review is completely my own opinions and thoughts.*

I loved this book! I'm a big fan of Greek Mythology and love stories that incorporate and of the gods or myths in their stories. The way the gods and Olympus is incorporated in this series is very unique and creative and I enjoyed it very much. This story felt like a mix of Hunger Games and Percy Jackson, so if you are a fan of either, I would definitely recommend this series. 

The main character, Hope, is a very interesting character and although some of her reactions kinda made me roll my eyes, I felt she stayed true to herself and had very good growth. I also loved Kieron, although he sort of seemed the dark brooding type that is typical, but his powers and backstory was interesting enough to make me fall in love with him. 

The action and description in this series was done very well. There was always something gin on which made the book hard to put down. I read it in only two days and almost couldn't go to sleep until I learned what happened next. The only problem I had with the book is how Hades was portrayed. That is a personal opinion and not something I would ever base my rating on, but I just wanted to point out that darkness and death doesn't mean evil... A lot of people believe that and it gets old very quick. The author made the gods her own, and I really enjoyed that and hope that my followers check out the book and read it too!

I ended up aging to DNF this book. I love Greek Mythology and have read all of Rick Riordan’s mythology based books, so I really thought that I would enjoy this. Unfortunately, I just could not get into the story. It did not seem I trusting once I got into it and I didn’t really care about any of the characters. The synopsis sounded very intriguing, but despite that and the beautiful cover, it was not for me.

Olympian Challenger
New favorite book! This book was so much better than I expected. I can't put it to words. Hope, a teenage girl struggling with helping her mentally-ill mother, gets transported to Mount Olympus to compete against 13 other teenagers in a daring competition. Winner becomes a hero and gets their wish granted. Hope is not your typical aggressive fighter, but don't let that fool you. She will make your eyes pop every once in a while. As for the book itself... Wow! Greek Gods. Minotaur. Furies. Sirens. Magic. Unexpected romance. This is not your typical book. This is definitely a must read. I highly recommend it. I promise you'll love it.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.*
Books centered around mythology, Greek Mythology mostly, are some of my favorites. Mythology has always been one of my favorite things to learn about, so finding new fiction books based on it always draws me in.
I liked the new idea behind this book. The competition to become a new human hero is something that I don't think I've seen in mythological fiction.
The plot was pretty strong. I liked the character development as well. It wasn't very noticeable and I think the main character still needs to work on herself a little bit, but there was enough development to show how the competition and her new friendships had helped her grow. The relationship added in there wasn't very surprising at all. It was one of those things that I could tell, from the moment she spotted him in the beginning (don't want to give too much away), I knew that some sort of relationship would happen between them.
The twist at the end though, not expected. And that cliffhanger....I think I lost part of my soul for a second.
I for sure can't wait to read the next book!