This is such a phenomenal addition to the podcast that Albert has put years of information and love into.
I received this as an e-arc via NetGalley (thank you so much!) and the only "gripe" I have with it is that I would've loved to see even more art within the book, because all of the art that we do get is truly stunning and it simply left me wanting even more. It helps give this book the certain vibe that I think the author was going for.

Taken as a book on its own without the art, I would also recommend this book to anyone who is new to Greek mythology, or who wants to own an info filled book with a ton of great information. This doesn't just focus on the main gods, you get so much more packed in, such as entries on Jason and Medea, as well as many more characters from within Greek myths that are more lesser known than Zeus or Poseidon.

I'll be picking up a finished copy as soon as it's released so that I can have it to reference whenever I need to!

-This has been crossposted to Goodreads!-

Thank you Adams Media for providing this eARC for me through NetGalley!

As someone who loves Greek mythology and has been wanting to learn more about it, this handbook was a perfect way for me to do so! The book is laid out and organized well into categories so it is easy for the reader to find what they are looking for. On top of this, there is BEAUTIFUL art throughout that depicts the gods, goddesses, monsters, heroes, etc. I also really enjoyed how Liv Albert points out where some of these characters are familiar from in pop culture such as movies and other books such as Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan, Circe by Madeline Miller, and Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe. Overall, it was truly a really good way to learn about all the important myths quickly and in an entertaining way!

I am a huge fan of Greek mythology and have been since high school. This contained a lot of information and I loved how when a myth had other versions we got to read about them too. I found the beginning a bit chaotic, and hadn’t it been for the fact that I already know pretty much what was going on, I would’ve been super lost. Although, I think it was mostly due to the amount of information that had to be crammed in a short amount of space.
The illustrations in general were very nice, and the cover is beautiful. As for the content, it was very complete; it contains a lot of information. Even though I thoroughly enjoy Greek mythology, it is ridiculously easy to get lost in family trees and storylines in general, and it is nice to refresh them every now and then. Also, I learn various things that I did not know about, and I even made some connections that for some reason I hadn’t noticed before (like the apple of discord taking place during Achilles’ parents wedding… I feel dumb).

I like that it was divided in different sections (what is Greek mythology?, the Olympians, Deities, etc. and heroes and mortals); it makes everything clearer, especially since there are so many characters, and some of them has such similar names (Theseus and Perseus or Nereids and Naiads to name a couple). To this, added the fact that I studied all of this names in Spanish, and there are some names that I have never heard in English, and as a consequence my brain just reads as a series of nonsensical noises.

I loved the fact that they included Achilles and Patroclus together in the same chapter, because in my mind they cannot be separated.

The last thing to highlight is how the author uses the proper terms for the mistreatments and abuses at the hands of the Gods (Zeus especially). Zeus did not “court” women, he simply raped them and didn’t respect them at all. It is a good thing that the author addresses these issues.

Now this was a fun book! Kudos to Liv Albert. Most people won’t know how much Greek mythology has filtered into our lives, and I think people will be surprised on hearing how some modern day lingo has actually originated from greek mythology and how much they might already know in passing. I was surprised too, that plenty of everyday words and namings have their origin from this mythology.

The references to popular culture was great, as it really helped to bring the old into the now and definitely helped me remember certain tidbits which I then tied the information to popular characters, tv or film.

Each ‘character’ so to speak, has their own dedicate page, with information that was greatly communicated and easy to read. You definitely don’t need any prior knowledge on this subject as the author works perfectly at communicating this fairly complex field, going into a fair amount of detail and overview on each of the characters included.

The info is given in a nice, nifty layout and I love the whole design of the book, along with the illustrations and pictures that go with them (they are just stunning!). It’s a very addicting book, and it’s so easy to keep reading on with ‘just one more chapter’, as each dedicated characters chapters are fairly short but informative, meaning you can easily get carried away with the story tellings. I couldn’t put the book down!

There is a lot of gods, goddesses, heroes and mortals included in this book so it can get a bit overwhelming after a while trying to remember everything and all the wordy Greek names but the author is great at constantly linking characters together so there’s plenty of little recaps throughout.

I loved reading about the stories attributed to each character, and the authors tongue in cheek way of writing was very engaging, fun and made for an overall great read. Really loved it and I learnt an awful lot about Greek mythology. Definitely worthy of a 5 star rating!

An excellent and sometimes humorous guide to Greek mythology, that is suitable for beginners discovering the subject or those who, like myself, have always loved it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for letting me have an advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook.

I've loved Greek mythology since I was a kid and I've been lucky enough to be approved for requests when a new book about Greek myths is available.

This is a quick read, a handbook as the title implies, of the most famous and infamous heroes and monsters in Greek mythology. I've heard of all of them but this is a good primer for anyone unfamiliar with Greek mythology and wants to familiarize themselves.

I thought I knew nearly all there was to know about Greek mythology but I was pleased to learn a few things including:

1. Persephone's name before her abduction by Hades

2. Hades isn't the villain he's made out to be; in fact, he's hardly involved in god/mortal disputes and shenanigans and despite the fact he KIDNAPPED his wife, he remains faithful to Persephone

I also appreciated Ms. Albert calling Zeus' and other gods' frequent dalliances with mortal women and demigods for what it is: assault. Rape.

I liked how the author broke each myth down with quirky titles, explaining why this god/goddess is famous and the best myth attributed to him or her.

The author also includes a selection of her favorite books about mythology, retellings and novels, including historical research and plays penned by the original storytellers themselves, Greek and Roman poets.

This is an ideal read for anyone looking to learn more about Greek mythology.

This is very well organized and quite detailed. More than just a basic guide... Good enough for high school students who need to do research..... Adults will enjoy it as well. Not a storybook though if you are looking for just stories...... I enjoyed it a lot.

The title says exactly what you are going to get with this - a handbook.

It’s structured in a very informative and neat way, with a good glossary of terms and detailed entries for individuals, all categorised in different sections. Gorgeous illustrations are also scattered throughout.

Even though this is marked as adult nonfiction, I would actually consider this is to be more appropriate for pre-teens/teens. While I did enjoy this and think other adults will too, the writing is very casual and uses informal language. I think the author does this to try to make the information accessible, but for me, personally, it came across as a little juvenile at times.

But this is still a highly educational and engaging read and a great resource to have!