*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

My thoughts after reading this are as scattered as the book itself, which is a lot. The idea of bringing in gods and goddesses from multiple cultures' mythologies was neat, especially combined with the premise that descendants of a certain death god, like Ana, can raise the dead with a touch. But the execution of the book was rather poor, unfortunately.

Ana (17, I think) and Marek (the same age?) were cute together. I mean, yes, they met and then almost immediately left the country together, lying to their families about where they were. So, you know, there's that. Good thing neither of them was a psycho, right? They sure got lucky with that.

And that's kind of where my appreciation of the book ends.

There were so many random flashbacks throughout the book. Something happens, and Ana remembers a time that such-and-such happened with Dalton or her dad/uncle (dancle? duncle? haha). Many times.

Ana and Marek go on a DaVinci Code-like hunt for clues his grandfather left, eventually leading them to a piece of something Marek is supposed to hide. Like, they even use codes, decoder rings, anagrams; they visit the Louvre, specifically the Mona Lisa, for some of the clues. They run from various gods and goddesses trying to kill them, except when they're trying to help them instead. Makes complete sense, right? Sometimes we learn about the war between the gods and goddesses, but mostly we just follow Ana and Marek around Rome and Paris.
Note: Some swearing. A rushed ending that doesn't really close up the book. A bombardment of LGBTQ+ characters and specified pronouns toward the beginning, which merely felt like an effort to say, "Hey, I'm LGBTQ+ friendly!"

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

I am honestly not sure how I feel about this one. I liked the concept of the story. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, which comes with powers. She finds out about this through a guy who had a list of names, and hers and her family were on it. The man directs her to his grandson, Marek, and to solve this mystery they take a little romp through Europe. Herein lies my first issue with this book. Marek is first seen sweaty and half naked while working out, a description of the typical perfect male physique follows. This is all fine and good, and Analiese takes an eyeful, again cool. What I DON'T NEED is almost every other paragraph from here on out being her just mentally gushing over EVERYTHING he does. There is boy crazy and then there is this. I'm honestly not sure how she manages to get anything done in this book as her main concern is Marek and what he thinks of her. Outside of this, there is some big war between gods going on. I really wanted the gods to be a bit more involved in the story. For all the talk of a war, they are pretty passive observers, and occasionally try and kidnap Analiese. The writing felt a bit choppy to me overall. At times there was too much detail. The characters were fine, maybe a little flat. The end felt a bit rushed, but it did end well, and open enough for a potential sequel.

Tried reading the first few chapters and didn't enjoy the main characters. They felt a bit juvenile for me. Entirely subjective, so I'll give it three stars.

Analiese Rising was another wonderful book by author Brenda Drake. I loved the writing and the world was super cool to dive into!

Loved this book. It was full of adventure and emotion!! I was literally at the edge of my seat. If you love fantasy, then try this book.

Marek and Ana meet over unfortunate circumstances. Yet they come together to solve a puzzle that brings them together in a joint effort to find out about their past and present.

Ana was adopted by her uncle and aunt after her parents died when she was a baby. Her uncle is now gone also. They all took a secret with them to the grave but Ana will soon find out about it.  There were many plot twists and turns…that helping to make the story very entertaining.

I really enjoyed this story as it had a new twist on Gods and Goddesses along with many underlings with twists that made for this story to take off. I liked the journey that Ana and Marek took it was very interesting. Marek’s grandfather new that he would die one day soon and worked with Marek at deciphering puzzle and showing him famous paintings and sights to help him along his journey.

I found that I not only enjoyed the main characters that happened to be well written and easy to relate to but I also found all the secondary people along with the gods and goddesses easy to like also.

I didn’t remember some of the mythologies as Ms. Drake didn’t use the ones that are well known…she brought new names to the forefront. I found this rather fun.

The descriptions…of the catacombs, the Louvre, the streets, the Colosseum, along with everywhere else the adventure took them were very vivid.

I really don’t know if Ms. Drake is going to continue with perhaps more to this story but I will wait. The story was different…fun and very entertaining. I really wouldn’t mind another adventure with these two.

This book was fun but nothing to special. It feels pretty run of the mill and I had been hoping for a lot more intrigue. The action was awesome but there were too many classic cliches for me to truly enjoy it.

Unfortunately I was a bit underwhelmed with this book. I thought it sounded so good, but in the end every page was a struggle. It wasn’t bad at all, but somehow it lacked that special thing that makes me long to pick it up and read again.

This YA novel was a mystery book desperately trying to be a fantasy. The majority of the time Ana and Merrick were searching for clues and trying to solve a puzzle that Merrick’s grandfather left them. Along the way they meet so many gods and goddesses from different mythologies that your head spin. But what made it so hard to read was how much Ana obsesses over her crush on Merrick. I think if perhaps Analiese Rising only focused on one mythology or didn’t mention how cute Merrick was every other page, this could have been more successful.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I FLOVED! this book.

It was such a fun and fast paced read. And I freaking adored the world Brenda created.

It had some of the coolest mythology to it.
And some pretty memorable and really well developed characters.

But the plot itself was what really drew me into this book. It was such a unique story, and I found myself not wanting to put it down.

There were so many twists and turns, and every part of this book was so well planned and described. I got completly sucked into the world.

I really really liked Analiese too. She was such a well written character. And I loved how feisty and smart she was. She definitely tops as one of my favorite female protagonists

I give ANALIESE RISING
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was kinda eh for me. Felt like other stories I've read without adding anything new. It was just sort of weird. I did not really like the characters or the story overall.

I have a lot of thoughts on this book.

So i guess I’ll go with positive and than negative!

Positive:
-there is AMAZING rep in this. For anxiety, LGTBQ, disability. Out main character Ana has crippling anxiety and struggles with it throughout the whole story and it’s down very well (it’s also own voices for anxiety). A lot of the characters are in The LGTBQ spectrum, we have gay male characters and some mentions of lesbians. It’s really fantastic! We also have a good passage from a disabled man and how he keeps faith!
- this has tons and tons of mythology. I mean every God or Goddess from almost every culture is mentioned. They were explained as to who they were but there were sooooo many I kind of got confused a little
- lots of historical places being visited throughout Rome and Paris, I thought that was really cool!
-CONSENT! Straight up pure CONSENT! I mean I LOVED that! It’s a very nice paced romance and a perfect kiss with actual consent! That was awesome!
- revolves around riddles, games, codes. That was awesome. It could have been done a little better but it was still really cool!

So with that being said here’s some issues :(

- a little repetitive. They were constantly on the run from Gods and never knowing who was on their side they had to run from all of them. But it got very repetitive. It was the same slipping away scenes, talking about how to slip away, mostly the same Gods. Very convenient on somehow managing to run into someone who helps them escape.
-EVERY character is described as gorgeous or model like, they are even called Model Squad at one point! Every male character is tall, rugged. Etc.. and yes we are describing Gods and Goddesses but we could have used a little bit more descriptive words than model..
-I really liked the plot, but I don’t think I ever FULLY understood it either. It’s explained but maybe it was just me I didn’t really get all of it
-DONT READ THE BACK the stuff on the back doesn’t happen until about 50-60% of the way in so I was waiting and waiting lol
-The ending was super fast and not the Epic War we thought we were getting? So idk if there is gonna be a sequel or not?

Overall it was a decent fast read. I enjoyed most of it and really liked the main characters.

This is a fun to read YA fantasy romance full of mythology. Analiese is supposed to be going to a bereavement camp with her brother Dalton, but she is drawn into a mystery with a good looking guy named Marek and together they are chased by ancient gods, raise the dead, and travel to Rome and France. I think that fans of mythology and romance will enjoy the story!

I'd say this was more of a 3.5 Stars!

I really enjoyed this (once again) some things to note:

- The pacing confused me slightly, but once I got into it it was quite I was sold, however it did take me a while
- The rep! I was here for it, as someone who has anxiety I could relate to this
- The world building, I need more!
- Tick tick for the romance
- I can't decide on my thought about the ending, I can't decide if I loved it or hated it!

Overall I'd recommend this!

The premise of the story was exciting and I was excited to read something different from other books I have been reading lately, especially in the YA Paranormal/Fantasy genre. This was a very enjoyable book!

3.5⭐*
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I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All of the following opinions are my own. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Analiese Rising is a supernatural modern mythology romance young adult novel which is most definitely going to be the first book in a series and it is a really fun read. I know I used up about all the genres in existence to describe it but it is what it is folks. I keep it real around here xD. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Anyway, the story begins when Ana is an unfortunate witness of a man's death who uses his last breath to tell her to pass on a belonging of his to his grandson. Also this apparent stranger knows her name and everything and that freaks her out big time. Then when she meets the grandson, he is not only what one might call eye candy, but also the bearer of all things not so fun and dandy. There's a quest. Freaking Thor chasing them around. Lots of action and a little bit of smooching. It's fun, like I said. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I really enjoyed the plot in this novel, but I had issues with structure and pacing. Something was just...off about them. It is a page turner, but it does miss that certain "umpfh", you know? I would spend all day reading the book, sure, but the moment I closed it, I was just...out of the world. There was nothing keeping me immersed there. This, when I compare it with something like Crooked Kingdom which was so immersive that I remembered even the tiniest of details for days, was something that was a let down.

The same goes for the characters in this novel. They're okay...kind of captivating but they're missing something but I'm not sure what. I'm sure a sixteen year old teen reading this would be enjoying it but I can't tell if she'll like the characters because they're actually relatable or because they're bland enough to let the teen project herself ont them. There is, however, an immense potential for a series in this novel, so I'm looking forward to how the characters are developed there.

Another thing that really impressed me was the anxiety rep in this novel. It wasn't over the top or pivotal to the story, but it was kind of nice to see this girl thinking about her medicines and taking them when she needed them even when she was running around being chased my demon gods and what-not.
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The writing in this book is actually pretty good...except..it doesn't do anything to elevate the story as such. It's perfectly okay for the story, but it isn't adding that something-extra to the story. It was more reporter-styled than anything else and I think it could have been more enjoyable had it been a little more engaging.
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The ending though...whooo! That was some fun stuff right there. The whole novel was a little on and off for me, but the ending was definitely very engaging and action packed and it was SO MUCH FUN! It definitely made me want to keep reading more...except there's no more here.

I've seen book series' that start out very okay and develop into something really impressive before and I'm hoping this book turns into a series and does the same because I WANT TO SEE MORE! I want to know what happens with Ana and I was a war, GODDAMNIT! Is it too much to ask for, really?! XP

All in all, I found this book to be a pretty okay read. Like...I wouldn't recommend you stop everything you're doing to go read it, but if you're free and are looking for some chill YA to chill with, you should definitely check this out!

3.5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. This review MAY contain spoilers.

This was such an exciting book! I absolutely loved Brenda Drake's Library Jumpers series so I knew that I had to pick up this book.

I absolutely adored this unique take on mythology. I think that the premise for this book is incredibly original and thought-provoking. The plotting was delightful. The suspense and the mystery that was unfolding as the story progressed was amazing. It definitely kept my interest. I couldn't wait to see what was happening next.

The world building in this book was excellent. Analiese and Marek visit several European countries on their journey. I felt very much in the story because of the vivid descriptions and flawless detail of the well-known places in the book.

The romance in the book was adorable. I loved the slow-burn romance. Analiese and Marek definitely had chemistry, but it wasn't over the top.

I really liked the representation for mental health and anxiety issues. I personally have an anxiety disorder and it was nice to see that in a character and see how it impacts their story.

I felt that the character development was a little stunted. I definitely enjoyed the story as a whole, but I realized as I was reading the book that I didn't really know the main characters. Sure, I knew of their families but I didn't really know their personalities. A few things were touched upon in terms of hobbies, but it didn't feel real enough. Sure, Analiese liked going on hikes with her father and Marek liked to work out but those things didn't really define them. And their passion for these things is lost on the reader since they are only seen or mentioned lightly. As to what any of their other hobbies, interests, or passions are, I couldn't say. They didn't feel like blank slates by any means, but they didn't feel as real as they could have.

I am really on the fence about the ending. Things came to a close, but there was so much left open. The ending is structured in such a way that the reader expects a sequel, but I have no idea if there will be one. I have seen no mention of a second book or even that this is going to be a series of books instead of a stand-alone. I feel like this book needs a sequel. Having a sequel would very much benefit this story.

Overall, this is a compelling story with plenty of twists and turns. It has a fascinating take on mythology that will captivate readers. If you are looking for a fast-paced fantasy story with a lot of mystery and a scavenger hunt, then you'll love this book! I so very much hope that there will be a second book to this story!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Analiese Rising was definitely one of those books that I was excited to dive into. However, once I did - well, I ended up either bored or excite throughout the entire book. There was no in-between.

In it, you will meet Analiese and Marek. They both are connected to something bigger than themselves. Whether it's Analiese basically being an orphan or being the romantic interest for Marek. He, who just happens to be her keeper and she the riser of the dead. These two were okay characters but if I'm being honest I didn't really feel the whole relationship part. I mean, I liked these two but I wasn't really fully invested into them.

Plus the whole relationship didn't really seem like a thing until the end.. and by then I just didn't care. Other than that, the whole mythology (view spoiler) was actually pretty cool. Even if it did get a bit annoying every now and then on who to trust.. because gods are evil and make me second guess myself all the time.

The mystery was an okay kind part of the book. I thought it was interesting that people in her family or that her family knew were dying... but who was behind it all? Now the reveal to the villain wasn't really a surprise to me. Mostly because of mythology books but damn, this was just an eh kind of villain.

Overall, I'm glad that I got this ARC and that I finally dove into it BUT I just feel like I just went with the flow of this book. I didn't really what was going to happen so I didn't really expect anything to really happen. I am, however, glad that I took a chance on this ARC.

I'm also up for another mythology retelling, and I couldn't wait to read this one! While I did enjoy reading this one, I didn't really connect with Ana. She just seemed too...Modern? She always seemed to be attached to her phone, and despite saying otherwise, she didn't seem to know much about mythology. (Which is fine, since I get readers might need things explained, but don't pretend a character knows something if you are going to have to take the time to teach 'said character' as well...)

I received this ARC copy of Analiese Rising from Entangled Publishing, LLC via Net Galley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Analiese Rising is an interesting story though it didn’t hook me the way I would have hoped. The story is a little slow and I had to force my shelf to keep reading. Don’t get me wrong this is worth reading it just wasn’t the right fit for me. The author created an interesting story with will build characters. If you're into mythology and hiding powers definitely give this a try.