In a reimagining of the Herculean labors, Gen must compete with the power-hungry Castor for a boon from their Empresses. Gen will use her Amazonian (here called Mazon) strength and her ability to influence or even control animals' minds to try and exonerate her father of a crime she's sure he didn't commit. Intervention from the Empresses is the only way to get him released from prison, especially since public opinion has labeled him a terrifying mind-control murderer. Castor has her own reasons for taking on impossible tasks. Her island's primogeniture laws mean the duchy will pass to her useless brother instead of to her, the one with actual business acumen and ambition. She needs the Empresses to change the outdated, misogynistic laws since her father will never see reason otherwise. She completes challenges using her twin powers of throwing both lightning bolts and money at problems that present themselves. When all else fails, she's happy to bully others into submission or intimidate them into compliance.

Throughout the challenges, I appreciated the way the multiple POVs are handled. Castor shines as this twisted version of someone who could have been a heroine if she weren't ruthless, self-centered, and arrogant. She's also queer (possibly a lesbian), so we love that for her. Gen is a blend of ferocity and insecurity, growing in strength on multiple fronts the more tasks she completes. Her love interest, Pollux, is also Castor's brother. He adds a nice third flavor to the POVs as someone who trusts and loves easily, a sort of kind, bumbling helper. He also happens to be a violin virtuoso and capable of hurling weather around like his sister.

The world is vaguely Greek inspired in terms of names and creatures. A monkey with a hundred eyes is Argos, for example. However, this isn't a retelling or even set in Greece. It's its own world with its own rules. In some ways, I think that's a refreshing take since it's not beholden to an ancient society as the sole source of material. I didn't find it hard to follow the magic system or the touch of lore.

In terms of relationships, the tumultuous sibling bond between Castor and Pollux is intriguing, but the romantic entanglement between Pollux and Gen fell flat for me. Pollux has long held a starstruck crush on Gen, resulting in a cross between hero worship and love. Gen ends up falling for Pollux because of his relatively straightforward adoration. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it, exactly. But I'm not particularly inspired by an emotional bond with that as the foundation.

Furthermore, I didn't find the plot as engaging as I anticipated. It's an adventure story in constant motion, which often appeals to me, but in this case, nothing roused my curiosity, empathy, or enthusiasm to make the journey worth it. Approaching each task felt like crossing something off a list rather than an experience unto itself that held my whole attention. This book has good bones, and it's kicking off a new series with a cast of fun characters and many adventures ahead. I think many ya fantasy readers will enjoy the ride and come back for more. Thanks to Flux for my copy to read and review!

The premise of this book made me want to read it as soon as I saw it, and it really delivered everything it promised! It was fast-paced, fun, adventurous and the competition was as interesting as you might imagine.

Game of Strength and Storm brings us a story of two characters, both determined to win a competition but with very different methods and overall goals. It brings us a reimagined story of the labors of Hercules, with the tasks divided between two girls. Our first protagonist, Gen, has found herself here because she wants the empresses' pardon for her father who's in prison for crimes Gen believes he didn't commit. She is fierce and determined, but most of all good and kind and her morals guide her through some very tough situations. She is judged harshly for the magic she possesses, but she's still full of love, for her family, and her animal friends. On the other hand, we have Castor, who is here because she wants to inherit the island of Arcadia instead of her brother Pollux. With her father currently reigning, she knows there's no other way to accomplish that but to gain the empresses' endorsement. She possesses much different magic from Gen's but she is ruthless and determined to a fault. To achieve their goals, the girls must race against each other, as there are ten tasks to be completed and there can be only one winner - the one who completes more challenges first.

First of all, I want to say I'm so glad I read this. I've been in the mood for exactly a book like Game of Strength and Storm, with its magic, its interesting world, and the impossible challenges. The plot was great and the pacing was really good, fast, and even - there was no dragging towards the middle. It took me maybe a chapter to really get into the story. I think the world was really interesting, and I wish there was a bit more world-building. The world is clearly ancient Greece-adjacent, and I wish we got a bit more information about how everything works. There are Oracles mentioned, and there are the Empresses but I wish we knew if there are gods or any such entities. Other than that, I really liked the different types of magic we see, and I hope the next book will explore them even more.

Gen is definitely my favorite character in the novel. We know the most about her, she's the most developed character, with a full backstory, and with her personality, it's easy to love her. Gen's mother was a Mazon (where she gets her superhuman strength from) and her father is a MindWorker, just like she is. Being a MindWorker for her means she gets to communicate with animals and also that she is ostracized from wider society, as everyone is afraid of her. Especially with her father, in prison for murders for which it's believed he used his powers. She walks into the challenges selflessly, only thinking about her father and saving him. She also refuses to make her animal friends stay with her, she wants them to want to be there. She is a great, strong character, she is what you would imagine if you thought of a hero. We know much more about her, and we see more of her so I've defaulted to seeing Gen as the main main character, if that makes sense, but her story and her character are interesting enough that it is no surprise.

Castor, on the other hand, is definitely harder to sympathize with. Yet, I do like her as a character. She comes off as cunning, cold, and ambitious, but beneath that, she just seemed scared. Terrified of not being good enough, of being left behind of being in her brother, Pollux's shade. She sees her brother as soft and therefore unfit to rule, so she justifies her actions as wanting what's best for Arcadia, but frankly, I think she wants to be the one in power for once. While Pollux is willing to share his throne, she constantly says she doesn't want a pity-half of everything, she wants the entire thing. She definitely does many inexcusable things, and hurts many people (and animals) without any real necessity, so she's very hard to like but she's nonetheless a very interesting character. She has many moments in her chapters where we see her lashing out of hurt, acting impulsively, and often expressing regret for the things she's done. Her place in the world, in her family, is what's hardened her, so we see her snapping back to her cold self even after honest moments of doubt. I think there is so much more to her than we saw in the book, and I wish the second book puts her in the forefront more, as I would love to see more of her (and maybe see how her story with a girl she's met plays out).

I will be very short on Pollux, I loved him as a character but I definitely wish we knew more about him as well as Castor. This is probably why I felt like Gen was the sole main character, even though all three have their POV chapters - she is the most fleshed-out one. Pollux was super sweet from what we've seen. He and Castor are twins, and they could not be more different. He is fierce in his own way, but he is quiet, thoughtful, and gentle. I really liked him as a love interest, and this is a great book if you love stories where the boy falls first.

All in all, I thought this was a great book, a great start to the story and I cannot wait for the next one! The way it ended definitely left me wanting more immediately. As I mentioned, I hope the next book brings more world-building, magic, and Castor and Pollux! I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy fast-paced adventures and interesting characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!

This took a while to get into, but the set up paid off and I hope there will be a sequel. There was some really interesting world- building that was similar to a Greek mythology re-imagining. Two main characters , Gen and Castor, of which I much preffered Gen. There were some big plot twists and overall would recommend. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for approving me for this e-ARC.

Rachel Menard creates a really awesome world that was built on the Greek myths - the plot twists are ones I did not see coming at all! I think Menard creates a really fun world and pretty awesome characters! I think those that are a bit too old for Percy Jackson will really love this one because it has similar vibes and it was a really fun and entertaining read with characters you really want to root for!

First of all, thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for approving me for this ARC. I’m very appreciative. Now for the review.

I’m happy I pushed through this book but it was a rough start for me. I could not get into it and it was a long time coming. It is definitely a solid YA book I’m sure many people will like. I loved the overall story and plot but I wasn’t racing to see where the plot went or excited to get to the next chapter. I just don’t think this book was for me.

I've been on a greek mythology kick so this book definitely fed into that! I loved the retelling aspect and world building was done super well. My one thing is the romance felt like it came a bit out of nowhere, it didn't have the slow build I was expecting.

Our main characters Gen who’s a former circus performer with her dad has a wish to get her dad out of prison for a murder he didn’t commit and Castor who’s wish is to rule her island instead of her brother. Once a year the Empresses grants wishes of ten people but this year there’s a twist. To have their wishes granted they need to complete against each other and complete the wishes of the other 8.

This book has magic, love and most of all it’s a retelling of hercules with a female twist.

I loved Gen the most but I did feel like the romance was a little out of nowhere; There wasn’t much build up to it.

This a 4 star read for me and it I did really enjoy it. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t keep putting it down for a different book.

I've always been fond of stories involving Greek mythology, and this story is no exception. This story follows two main perspectives: Gen, the last of the race of Mazons who's wish is to get her father back, and Castor, the daughter of ruler of Acadia who longs to take over and become Duchess. Both characters request a favors from the Empresses during the lottery, and find themselves in competition to find their wishes fulfilled.

This story has two unique perspectives that both add a lot to this story. It is primarily plot driven, but does have some character development through relationships between characters. It was also really enjoyable to see all the different nods to greek mythology that I picked up, as well as the different ways the two characters go about completing the tasks.

The end of this story also seems to lend itself to a sequel and I will absolutely be looking forward to that!

Initial Thoughts
I was super excited to be chosen for this tour. I love Greek Mythology and I love retellings so this book sounded right up my alley.

Some Things I Liked
Multiple POVs. I always love this feature. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with multiple POVs that I didn’t like. I just feel like it adds such a richness to the storytelling and this book was no exception.
Retelling elements. This book uses a lot of familiar characters and elements from Greek Mythology but in a unique and creative way and I loved that. I also loved the idea of the main myth being gender-bent.
Competition element. Again, this is another feature I almost always love. This story was filled with action and adventure and it allowed the story to feature so many elements of Greek Mythology that I loved reading about.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
The romance. This book isn’t labeled as a “fantasy romance” but I was hopeful for more romance than we got. I’d love to see it expanded upon in the next book.

Series Value
I’d definitely continue with this series. I loved the world and the characters.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I think if the romance had been a touch more prominent, it would have been a five star read but overall, this was a solid debut from an author that I’d love to read more from.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

loved 2/3 of the mcs but COULD NOT GET INTO THE THIRD every time I read her perspective I was mad at her. LOVE the magic system tho it's wonderful

I saw this book shelved as LGBT and since the two main characters are on the cover I believed it will be a Sapphic enemies to lovers but I was wrong...
I was interested in the plot and the setting, but didn't love the book.
It felt repetitive and the characters were inconsistent in their behavior. The romance felt too rushed.
Ended in a cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed this book! One of my favorite parts about it was the world building. It was so well developed and there was never a moment that I didn’t feel totally immersed in it. Not to mention, I loved all of the Greek mythology references. I was so excited when I heard that this was a Hercules retelling, and it definitely didn’t disappoint on that front. While there were moments that I felt like the energy of the book dipped sometimes, I was usually engaged in the plot, and so excited to see what was going to happen next. As for the characters, I really liked Gen and Castor. I just fell in love with Gen’s character and loved to see how she developed throughout the story. With Castor, her story was just as complex and developed, and I’m so excited to see where her character arc will go from there. I think the only thing that fell a little flat for me was the romance. While I thought it was okay, it wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t feel much chemistry between them. Maybe that’s just because the development of the romance felt a bit forced, but hopefully the second book will give them time to further develop and flesh out the relationship and build that chemistry. I guess we’ll see. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m excited for the next one!

This book was incredible! Such a fantastic array of characters and the magical world they live in. Entertaining, compelling, imaginative, everything you want from a YA adventure SERIES! Cause I can’t wait for the next one!

I feel so bad right now. Because I actually follow this author on social media. I love her skits for Book Emergency. But this book however, I just didn't like it at all. I just think that the execution of this one fell short of what I was looking for. The POVs just don't work for the story and it all felt tossed together.

Thank you, NetGalley, North star editions and Flux, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people chosen by a lotter, for a price, of course. Gen is former circus performer and she wants the freedom of her father, sentenced to life prison for a crime he didn't commit. Castor wants to change the rules in the island Arcadia, but only if the Empress will change the laws that require a male heir. To get what they want, Gen and Castor have to race and complete the better half of ten impossible labors. Gen has her own magic, the ability to talk to animals, her strength and the help of Pollux, Castor's brother, but also Castor has her own fights, like controlling the storms. Only one can win.

Action packed, intriguing and magical, this story is absolutely amazing and I loved everything. Gen and Castor and Pollux are amazing characters and I love their characterization. As a mythology fan, it was really nice reading this twist on Greek mythology, with compelling and brilliant heroines, brutal and dangerous tasks and the story left the reader wanting for more adventure in this world. Truly brilliant.
I've just found it a bit too rushed sometimes, but that's my only complaint. Overall the story is pretty amazing.

There seems to be a lot of books retelling Greek myths about on the market at the moment. This is definitely one of the better ones. Well constructed world and characters and situations that are believable. The motivation behind why the characters acted as they did seemed plausible and so we connected with them. A very good read but not looking forward to waiting for the next book to find out what happens next. I want to know NOW.

first thing i was to start with is that i am SO happy this book is a part of a series!! it was such a strong opener and there was so much room for more and i’m glad there will be!

game of strength and storm is a hercules retelling following gen, who’s father has been arrested for a murder she knows he didn’t commit, castor, who wants to rule over her island but can’t because there’s a law that it has to be passed to the male heir, and pollux, castor’s twin brother who’s in line to rule but he just wants to be with his music. gen and castor get sent on impossible tasks, and whoever completes more gets what they want. it had a slow beginning, but it picked up as soon as the girls got assigned the tasks and started completing them.

every character was compelling, but my favorite had to be castor. i love morally grey women what can i say? she has so much room for development and i’m excited to see where she ends up! you can tell she cares about what she does, but she cares about power more and it was great to read. i really enjoyed her relationship with pollux as well. despite the fact that they’re twins, there is a rivalry there since castor wants what pollux has. despite that, though, they don’t want anything to happen to each other, and i really enjoyed reading that.

as for gen, i really enjoyed her character. she’s a mindworker, so she can control animals. the attachment she grows to them was beautiful to watch and something i could relate to. while i didn’t enjoy the pick me attitude she had toward pollux at first, i enjoyed her character overall. her relationship with pollux was adorable and i can’t wait for more of them! i felt they were a bit forced, but there’s room for development in future books. i thought him already having feelings for her was so cute and i loved his internal dialogue where he freaked out whenever he was around her, if you like boy obsessed, you’d like him. (not gonna lie, i thought her and castor were going to get together at first, but it looks like castor does have a sapphic romance forming and i am SO excited for that)

another thing i really enjoyed was the worldbuliding. worldbuliding in fantasy books can be tricky when you don’t explain it correctly, but i think menard did a wonderful job and i thought it was pretty easy to follow. i’m also fascinated by the way the stormmakers powers work. i thought the way castor has to use vials and pollux had to use his violin were super creative and it captivated me every time. i also enjoyed how gen would travel in a whale’s mouth. i can’t say i’ve seen that before.

watching the trials was my favorite part. i couldn’t decide who i was rooting for! castor and gen both had their own strengths and weaknesses so it was very enjoyable watching them competing and seeing who completed what task and how. (i was on the edge of my seat about the hydra task. i was most looking forward to who would complete that and how)

i can’t wait for the next installment of this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for any greek mythology retellings!

What an interesting twist on Greek characters and mythology! Gen and Castor both have powerful motivations that propel them through the challenges of winning wishes from the olympians. The only drawback is the story being told through three points of view, which I found difficult to track all the switches.

I really enjoyed this! It's a new take on Greek mythology (Herculean tasks) with diverse characters who you actually feel invested in. I appreciated the multiple points of view especially for a book that has characters who are multilayered and also enemies. I definitely would recommend this to anyone who likes Greek mythology retellings.

I was sent a review copy of Game of Strength and Storm for a promotional post through TBR & Beyond tours. The following is the text of my promotional post, along with links to postings.

What fantasy novel are you most looking to reading this summer?

I am personally very excited to get to read Game of Strength and Storm by @menardrachel! This queer fantasy novel is right up my alley, with it’s mythological elements and competition plot hook!

Today is my stop on @tbrbeyondtours’ release tour for Game of Strength and Storm! Be sure to check out the full tour schedule over on my blog (link in bio)!

Here’s a Synopsis of Game of Strength and Storm:
Victory is the only option.
Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people selected by a lottery—for a price. Seventeen-year-old Gen, a former circus performer, wants the freedom of her father, who was sentenced to life in prison for murders she knows he didn’t commit. Castor plans to carry the island Arcadia into the future in place of her brother, Pollux, but only after the Empresses force a change in her island’s archaic laws that requires a male heir.
To get what they want, Gen and Castor must race to complete the better half of ten nearly impossible labors. They have to catch the fastest ship in the sea, slay the immortal Hydra, defeat a gangster called the Boar, and capture the flesh-eating Mares, among other deadly tasks.
Gen has her magic, her ability to speak to animals, her inhuman strength—and the help of Pollux, who’s been secretly pining for her for years. But Castor has her own gifts: the power of the storms, along with endless coin. Only one can win. The other walks away with nothing—if she walks away at all.
Doesn’t it sound incredible?