Reminiscent of Percy Jackson and the Hunger Games, this book is sure to be a hit! Written in the style of current YA best-sellers, it is an easy and fun read that is likely to be popular. As a fan of Greek Mythology I can say that it is very fun and, with the crazy plot in the background, who wouldn't love it?!

This book should have been a perfect fit for me. It’s basically Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games, with a female protagonist to boot. But it ended up seeming mostly silly to be honest.

I went into this obviously knowing I was going to have to suspend my disbelief for this story, seeing as it’s about a 17 year old girl who goes to Mount Olympus to compete in a contest for the Greek Olympians gods. On the one hand, when it came time for the contest, the challenges themselves seemed actually easy to figure out and win. Like literally anyone off the street could figure out what to do for these tasks, what makes these “Challengers” so special? They barely needed to prepare for them. The author seemed to force these tasks to be harder by making some random character suddenly relevant and then have them consequently throw a huge wrench in Hope’s plan.

But on the other hand, while the big challenges themselves were very underwhelming, everything else about this book was grander than it needed to be. The insta-love story was just nauseating and WAY too forced. One of the worst insta-love cases I’ve ever read, yikes. Hope’s friendship with Gabriel also happened way too fast and easily. They would actually die for each other after knowing each other for like a day and a half… smh. The god Hades was like a caricature of the Hades most people envision: brooding, evil, dark, plotting, blah blah blah. To the point where he tell his son that he will “fuck whoever I tell you to fuck.” ...wtf? There has been basically no cursing in the rest of this book, so this is SUPER out of place. I’m pretty sure Hades only delivers this line to make him seem more mean.

And the writing itself was unfortunately cringe-worthy. The characters did not talk like 17 year olds; the words they used, like “nor” and “shall” were way too and out of place. It’s like the author was trying to make the book better by sing more “formal” words than necessary.

He characters basically had one major trait, and then that was it. Hope’s roommate Amy for example is standoffish and a snarky tomboy. She doesn’t do anything but be a snarky tomboy. Kiernon is dark and mysterious, and all he does is talk about how bad he is for Hope and how he can’t tell her things about himself because then she’ll see how wrong he is for her. And Hope herself doesn’t have much personality either. She just does good because she wants everyone to know that doing the right thing is… right.

Also for being the heroine in this book, to the point of being a savior for Mount Olympus, Hope’s major heroic acts are honestly kind of lackluster. For example she calls on another minor god to help a drowning ship, but she’s seen as the hero who saved them… what?

I mean, I finished the book though, so I can’t give it one star. I save one star ratings for books I DNF. So I’m giving it no more than 2 stars. That one extra star is for having references to Greek mythology. And for the fact that Gabriel exists.

I stepped out of my fantasy comfort zone for this one! I haven't read a lot of greek mythology books, but after reading this synopsis, I was sucked in. However, it took me a while to get through this book. I didn't feel a deep connection to the characters, and the love story sort of fell flat for me. This is a first of a trilogy I believe, but I'm not sure if I will read on with this one. Thank you for NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

Greek mythology stories have the potential to be my absolute favourites, IF they are done right.

Unfortunately, this book just didn’t meet my expectations. There was no chemistry between characters, the story felt lacking and I found my mind wondering throughout readying this book.

Title: Olympian Challenger
Author: Astrid Arditi
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Hope Diaz lives in New York City. She spends her time swimming, studying, and caring for her mother, who has dementia. She doesn’t have time for parties, so when she receives a mysterious invitation to one, she doesn’t really care. It seems like every other senior in the city got one, so it can’t be all that special. Until she realizes that everyone else can only see a single sentence on the invitation...and she sees more.

Soon, Hope finds herself on Mount Olympus, a guest of the gods, as she and other challengers prepare for a competition that will grant them their greatest wish. Hope doesn’t want immortality. She just wants to go home and take care of her mother.

But leaving Olympus isn’t an option and Hope soon finds out that not everything—or everyone—is as it seems.
Olympian Challenger isn’t a completely unique concept. I’ve seen lots of comparisons to Percy Jackson and Hunger Games. Sure, there are similarities. It’s difficult to write anything that has nothing in common with any other book ever written. But Olympian Challenger is its own story.

Hope is an interesting character, and the friendships she forges on Olympus are intriguing and inspiring. I enjoyed seeing the gods and the heroes through her less-than-impressed eyes. While the plot lags in places and does skimp on details at times, the writing is solid, and I’m interested in reading the second book.

Astrid Arditi lives and writes in Brooklyn. Olympian Challenger is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.)

This book was very addicting, I just had to find out what happened next! Easily one of the best stories I've read in a long time. I loved all of the characters except for Heath and Jessica, and I don't think you are supposed to like them either. Some of my favorite characters included Hope, Gabriel, Amy, and Lily. Lily wasn't in the book beyond the first chapter or so, but she had so much potential. I hope we get to learn more about her in the second book. (Yes, there is a second book which I will definitely read once it comes out!) The main romantic relationship of the book was between Hope and Kieron. I still am trying to figure out if he really does care for her or if he is just using her to get back at his father and the other Olympian Gods. He claims to not like any of them, but if so why not use his secret power sooner? The book did end on a small cliffhanger and Olympian Heritage (book two) doesn't come out until September 29th, 2018. I will be eagerly waiting until then.

I am a huge nerd for mythology, especially if it is Greek mythology. And this sounded very intriguing as well. And I did enjoy it. I basically read until my eyes refused to stay open for another second. I really liked how the writing style worked with the fast-paced, action filled plot. On the other hand, the speed of which the story pushed forward, made it hard to get deeper into anything.
While the reader gets to see a lot of Greek gods and heroes and the challenges they have in store for the contestants, we don’t get to see much of the contestants. Yeah, there is Hope with her friends Amy and Gabriel. But apart from them, minor characters appear and disappear and you just think „wait? who was this? What did they do?“ There is definitely not enough time to explore the characters. And there is also not much time for character growth. As far as I could see, none of the characters changed much. Some probably became meaner, but Hope stays the way she is. And to be honest, she is kind of a Mary Sue, which annoyed me at some parts. Because she never looses and if she does, it’s because she has done something brave and selfless and everyone loves her anyways. And while she tries to escape in the beginning, only thinking baout how to safe her mother from illness, Hope never really thinks about how she could actually help her. Though if she wins, she has a free wish from the gods.

Anyways. I think the characters really had potential, but the outcome could have been better. As well as the lovestory. While it wasn’t insta-love exactly, everything went pretty fast. Like, way too fast. The story’s time span are only a few days and in those days, Hope gets to know him and as soon as they kiss they both go „I love you“ and… no. Please. I know that there are people you bond with immediately, but you can’t just fall in love right after declaring you’ve never loved before in all of your hundreds and hundreds years of living. The whole thing felt off somehow, and I wish it would have been slower, like, over the course of several books maybe.

Those were my main issues with the book. I enjoyed it nevertheless. The whole concept was really keeping my interest and even though I did not get attached to the characters, I still wanted to know what was going to happen next. And now that I’ve finished, I still want to know how the story continues. So I guess I’ll be reading book 2 as well.

And what I haven’t said yet… I love the cover! It’s gorgeous!

About the Book: A hero’s tournament. A defiant contender. Does one girl have the courage to take on Mount Olympus?
Hope’s world doesn’t have room for heroes. She barely has time for schoolwork, swim team, and taking care of her ailing mother. But when she’s invited to a mysterious tournament, the all-powerful hosts won’t take no for an answer.
Transported to Mount Olympus, Hope comes face to face with her new trainers – the pantheon of Greek gods. While other contenders train hard to gain a fighting edge, Hope searches for a way out. Instead, she finds a gorgeous shadow god who may just convince her to stay…
As each round unfolds, the ultimate prize draws closer – the granting of her heart’s deepest desire. If she survives the final challenge, her mother’s cure would be within reach… but only if Hope can ignore the tournament’s dark purpose.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

# of Pages: 350

Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult

Age Range: 14+ (Some violence, not much detail though)

Favorite Quote(s)
“Mortal values such as love, respect and generosity are a hero’s most precious weapon.”

“Forget about the fall and focus on the ride. When you believe in yourself, you can do anything.”

“If I ever needed to pick a place to hide, I would seek refuge inside a book.”

“We as humans are the sum of our love, our fears, and our memories.”

Review

Okay, I know that’s a lot of favorite quotes, but I honestly couldn’t pick just one. This book was so good, guys! I had pretty high hopes for this one since it’s Greek mythology in the modern world (and if you didn’t already know, I’m a huge Percy Jackson fan) and this book definitely did not disappoint! I would honestly love for this book to become a movie or tv show. It’s written in a way that I actually felt like I was watching it instead of just reading it and I love when that happens!

I really liked how they addressed dementia in this book. My grandmother has Alzheimer’s and I’ve never found a book that addressed anything like this before. As someone who knows what it’s like to have to watch someone they’re close to go through something like this, I believe the effect that it has on the people themselves as well as their loved ones was very well portrayed.

It was a lot of fun kind of comparing how a book that I love describes and portrays the Greek myths with how this one does, and even though there were differences, I enjoyed this portrayal just as much as any others that I’ve read! One of the things that I really liked about this book was that the author made sure to use the name Heracles instead of Hercules. Even though he’s almost always known as Hercules, that’s actually his Roman name and Heracles was first, which I think is a really interesting little fact. (Yes, I’m a major mythology nerd. 😂) I also feel like if I were ever in the challengers’ position, I would at least have an advantage in the knowledge part of it and wouldn’t have to do much research… Fighting on the other hand… I can shoot a bow? I can hit a target at least? 😂 (Also, speaking of bows, can I have Hope’s, please? It sounds gorgeous! 😍)

I absolutely love when characters have a love for books! Ariadne was great in this book because of that, and I loved Hope’s reaction to the library when she sees it for the first time! Honestly, that would be my exact thought process if that had been me. 😂

Honestly, there wasn’t much about this book that I didn’t like… Though, if Heath counts, I feel like he was the Cato (as in Hunger Games) of the competition… An absolute jerk until the very end of his story. He was still a great character with an important role in the story, though!

One thing that I will say I had a hard time getting into was the romance… I really like both of the characters, but I had a hard time with the idea of them being together. Yes, they’re sweet, but I don’t think I would have minded whether they ended up together or not. I would have felt sorry for Hope, but I wouldn’t have been heartbroken myself if their story had gone differently. This book actually could have gone without romance between this couple entirely and I think it would have been just as amazing! I loved the friendships that were made in this book so much! Hope’s relationship with each of the heroes as well as with Amy and Gabriel were great and I love the support (and teasing) that went on between them all! Also, I absolutely love the Pythia. 😂 She’s a sassy little old lady and I love it so much. 😂

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the next one to come out! If you enjoy mythology or just fantasy in general, I highly recommend checking this one out!

I had high hopes for this book and I still give it a solid 3 stars, but as far as it going into greek mythology and that kind of fantasy world aspect, it was not what I was expecting. It was more of an adventure quest novel than developing this fantasy world with the Greek mythology. There was a romance added to the mix which happened quickly and severely that it threw me off a bit. I do love a good romance, but again there was little substance to it. Depending on where the next in series takes this quest there is outlines of good lgbtq representation, but needs to be explored a bit more and handled carefully. Overall it was an enjoyable read just not exactly what I was expecting from the synopsis.

I can't wait to see this series develop. There are many comparisons to Hunger Games, and I would agree, to an extent. It certainly wasn't as dark or ruthlessly cutthroat, but full of intrigue. Mythological deities were fleshed out and enthralling. I did feel that the romance element was appropriately teased out and developed gradually, until the end of the book where it suddenly fell into hard and fast territory. However, the friendships, alliances and assembly of ancestral powers made this interesting and binge-worthy. This is fitting for fans of fantasy and Greek mythology.

Such a fun book! This did remind me of The Hunger Games though. I really loved reading Greek mythology as a child and this story takes place on Mount Olympus. Teens in New York City receive mysterious invitations. Some become able to read the writing on the invitation while others cannot see it at all. Those who can read it are forbidden to disclose what the invitation says. Hope Diaz is one of the few who are transported to Mount Olympus and involved in a challenge of quests for a hero put on by the Greek Gods themselves - the myths are real! A fun adventure as you follow the teens' quests for a winner.

Thanks to Astrid Arditia through Netgalley for an advance copy. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in this trilogy.

I am giving this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I went into the book not really knowing much about it to be honest. I didn't realize it had anything to do with the Greek Gods. So that was a pleasant surprise. I really loved all the different characters in this book. The relationship in this book wasn't bad. It wasn't instalove which was good. It was expected that the main character would fall in love with a God though to be honest. Just like the winner of the challenge was kinda expected as well. All in all this was a good read but nothing super special about it. I am going to give the 2nd book in the series a try and see if that one is better though.

Do you love to dive into Greek mythology? Do you love all the scheming and betrayals and godly fights? Then be prepared to meet your next favourite book!

“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.”

Okay, what does this letter want to tell me? Where should I be at midnight? Our main character Hope does not know what to think about this strange invitation which shows up with no sender address. After all, she doesn’t have time for things like that. She has to keep her grades up and need to also take care of her mother who suffers from mental illness. There is no time for anything else.

But when Hope is trying to save a guy from drowning, she finds herself on Mount Olympus among the Gods and other kids her age and they all received the same invitation to compete in a challenge to be the next hero of the Olympian Gods.

Why have been they selected? Because they are all descendants from Greek Gods. In Hope’s case, she is descended from Asclepius, the God of Medicine.

Hope is not interested in being anyone’s hero. All she wants is to get back to earth and be with her mother. Unfortunately the only way out is to drink from the river Lethe, which means to forget everything and who you are.

"Memories are what make people who they are."

Hope decides to stay and to win, because the winner will be granted one wish by the Gods. But to be able to have a chance to win, she needs as Godly sponsor, which does not look to be an easy task for her.

"Your humanity – that is your greatest beauty."

If it would not be for Kieron, Son of Hades, who sees more in her as she does herself. Of course, he only chooses her to make a bet against his father. But quickly it turns out that he really thinks that Hope can be the hero he is waiting for, for so long.

"The world needs you more than I do."

After some time, the God of Shadows, who can use the shadows to whisper and travel through them, wins over Hope’s trust and maybe even her heart. But is it selfish of her to fall in love instead of thinking of healing her mother?

The first book in the Olympian Challenger series by Astrid Arditi takes you directly to Mount Olympus and brings Greek mythology closer to a younger audience. The book is very well written and gives you everything you can wish for. You not only get to love the characters, but you also get a little history lesson on how the Gods work. The sudden romantic interest could be a little frustrating because it seems to happen from one page to another. However, it is still a very nice read to dive into and be taken away from your day-to-day routine. And the best thing is, Hope and her adventures will return!

I'm a huge fan of mythology, especially Greek myths. This was a different take on it and a very interesting one at that. I'm curious to see where the rest of the series takes Hope.

4.5 stars. Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games. Strong female protagonist/reluctant hero. Lots of action. Sets up for a sequel out later this fall. I was pleasantly surprised by how this hooked and kept my attention. When I set it down, I was always eager to get back to it as soon as possible. Highly recommend.

A book written by Ms. Arditi brought something fresh to Greek mythology and trials topic, something that gave me a read that I was captivated by!
Hope is a type of girl that should be put more often in the YA books (or maybe not - so we would cherish that kind of characters like Hope a little less). The plot was intriguing, heck... it kept me captive till the end! BOOK 2 WILL have such big expectations from me, and I hope so much it will be meet.
If you like mythology, great heroine, intriguing ideas, and TRIALS!

This was so amazing, brilliant, fantastic. If you like Greek gods and a heroine fighting for what she believes in this is a book you HAVE to read. It was impossible to put down and if I hadn’t have to sleep I would have read it in one sitting. I liked Hope, even if she can be a little too good sometimes. She loves her mom and would do anything to save her and when she learns that the Gods will grant her one wish, when winning the tournament, she knows she has to give it her best - for her mom. The Gods.... Well, not really likeable. It was more like I hated them a little more with every chapter I read. And the grand prize in being hated, takes Hades. Unsurprisingly, he is the one I wanted to kill myself. Or maybe trap him in the hell he creates for the bad guys to repent for their sins. The only ray of hope between the gods and divinities is Kieron, son of Hades and Persephone. I can see, why Hope would be attracted to him, it’s hard not to swoon. So, there is a lot of heartache, death and emotions going on and I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun in revealing more. But I urge everyone, READ THIS BOOK! Now I have to wait for the next one and it’s going to be really hard.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Astrid Arditi!

As a fan of Greek mythology, I was drawn to Olympian Challenger (along with it's pretty cover art) by Astrid Arditi. The book launches almost straight in with Hope, and every other seventeen-year old in New York, being invited to a mysterious challenge. The challenge turns out to be a Hunger Games-style competition to see who will become the next Hero to fight on behalf of the gods. One could enjoy this book for the retelling of many classic Greek myths, but there were also many flaws.

What I Liked:
Greek Mythology:

I enjoyed how the author wove various Greek myths into the story. Each challenge is centered around a particular Greek myth. This gives the characters an opportunity to learn about each Greek story, and find a way to win the challenge.

What I Didn't Like:
"Missing Parent" Syndrome:

If you have read some of my other reviews, one of my most hated tropes is the "missing parent". This book takes that trope to the extreme by making ALL the teen characters without at least one parent! The book's explanation is that having the blood of Greek Gods makes people go insane. I thought this was exploiting a painful situation for a teen to make it seem like some kind of badge of honor. It's not.

Romance:

Hope is instantly drawn to a "bad boy" minor god, the son of (who else) Hades. He "used to be bad", but he's changed and is now a great guy. But he is haunted by his past. This was such a cliche!

Lack of Originality:

Much of the book reminded me of The Hunger Games. There was the competition where, after learning about weapons, the challengers had to showcase their talents in order to attract "sponsors". The competition, itself, seemed to be happening mostly for the entertainment of the gods, and residents of Panem, oops, I mean Olympus. And most of the competitors die in gruesome ways.

And, until the very end of the book, Hope and the other teens don't seem very concerned or upset that other kids are getting killed as entertainment. I found that very disturbing.

Characters:

Most of the characters were two-dimensional, each having just one distinguishing feature. There was the angry foster kid, the handsome, but evil, jock, and the one gay character. All were mostly stereotypes.

I haven't come across a book that spotlighted the Greek gods since Percy Jackson came out, and considering that I'm a huge fan of mythologies, I found this tread really entertaining. I also love competition books with a hint of romance and a lot of danger. Hope is amusing, funny even in dire times, and I liked her friends and the thing she had with one of the other characters. The hopeless romantic in me wanted something a little deeper (or at least given more time to really sink into it) but this book isn't necessary a romance read, so I won't judge it too critically. Overall, it was a lot of fun. The bigger picture is pretty dark, which I loved, and though I didn't get her initial reluctance to be a part of this world, I still thought it was a good time. It's a recommended read if you love the Greek gods, competitions and heroes who learn that not everything is black and white.

I was provided this book for free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi is a Teen/YA novel and the first book in the series.
Wow! I loved this! Hope Diaz is a hardworking teenager who is juggling schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and caring for her sick mother. One morning she receives a strange invitation in the mail with words appearing on it that only she can see and a challenge that should she accept and win would allow her one wish. Hope doesn’t quite know if she should believe this mysterious invite but is intrigued as this one wish could be the answer to curing her mother. Unintentionally, Hope passes the first challenge presented on the invite and gets whisked away to Mount Olympus where she discovers that Greek Gods and all the myths she’s heard of are in fact real and she is now a contestant, along with a bunch of other kids her age, in a competition put on by the Gods. Hope and the other teens must face terrible trials and challenges to reveal the one winner. Full of action, twists, toooons of mythology(Love it!), and a bit of romance, I enjoyed watching Hopes growth throughout the book and her budding friendships with fellow contestants.
I would definitely recommend this book to my fellow lovers of YA and mythology and I can’t wait for the second book to come out!!