Review 🧐 📖 "Epic of Helinthia", M.J. Pankey 🧿🇬🇷
Released October 1, 2023
I thank @netgalley for sending this Press Service 🙏

"Helinthia will not abandon us"
The island of Helinthia has descended into chaos since a tyrant seized the throne. The gods, silent, did not intervene, so Dargon, Kelric and Gadnor decide to foment a rebellion. They will have to win alliances in order to fight the coming war. Gonivein, Dargon's sister has stayed behind behind the walls of Shallinath, but the spies are everywhere and the enemy may already be in the city...
While the future of a nation is at stake, discoveries come to upset the spirits... What if the gods of Olympus do not want Helinthia to rise again?

This is a great read, perfect for my summer mood and necessarily the holidays in Crete. 🤗
Pankey immerses us in a universe inspired by Ancient Greece, filled with action and betrayal. I found the presence of the Dramatis Personae and the glossary at the beginning very welcome. The author uses Greek terms concerning the hierarchical place of the characters, the objects, the places as well, referring both to cities and to sites inspired by ancient myths... References that easily immerse us in the atmosphere of the narrative. And by the way, the author chose to make Olympus a palace placed at the top of Mount Ida, in Crete; the mountain where Zeus was born, when his mother Rhea fled Chronos.
I still had a little trouble discerning who was who at the beginning of my reading. The first chapters set the scene and the finale is quite intense. A very good first volume for Pankey. 🤩 I wonder what the author is planning for volume 2! 😀

My Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

This is a retelling of the Greek mythology of Helinthia, of a revolution of mankind that leads to a battle against the very Gods themselves. This first book in the series follows the journey of Dargon and few of his followers, as they try to fuel a rebellion against their tyrant ruler. As they embark on this journey, they are led astray by betrayals from their very friends. Even as Dargon believes the Goddess Helinthia wants this rebellion in order to restore her kingdom to the rightful heir, do the other Gods really want what is best for the island of Helinthia?

The story started at a very nice pace, engulfing the reader from its very first chapter. This is a multi PoV story, which I found slightly confusing at the beginning, but it developed a nice rhythm towards the end. The characters were beautifully developed. There were nice twists and turns which kept the story intriguing throughout. I especially loved the development of the characters of Gonivein and Dagnor as the story progressed. They both started off as very immature characters, without any sense of responsibility or direction in life. However, they grew into wise, restrained and extremely warm and mature characters. I believe this development of these two characters was the best part of this story.

I was in a slight reading slump while reading this book, thus it taking me over 15 days to complete this story. I was a bit irked by the immaturity of some of the characters towards the beginning of the story, which also contributed in me taking the book slow. But I completely fell for the story by the end of the book. I absolutely recommend this one to all fans of mythology and fantasy. I'm extremely eager for the next installment of the story to take me on this beautiful journey through ancient Greece.

While I enjoyed this book, I feel it would have been a lot better if it had been framed as a European Medieval fantasy rather than a Greek Mythology style fantasy. This inclusion of Greek culture really felt like an add on rather than a part of the story. That being said the story and the characters are really interesting and their relationships feel real and grounded. I took me until about 30% in to really get enveloped in the story so try to give it at least that long!

Thank you to Netgalley and MJ Pankey for the copy of The Epic of Helinthia. This book reminded me of Hall of Smoke if it was more based in Greek mythology and I enjoyed it. I was going to give it three stars until the ending and then I moved it up to a solid 3.5 (rounded up to four on good reads).

Note: The author lists helpful terms in the beginning and I found myself referring to them over the course of the book. It really helps you keep up with the world building.

Some things I liked: I enjoyed the way the author described the settings in the book, like the forest of shades and Thellshun. The description of Pallas’s home was also so vivid and heart wrenching. You could feel the pain and guilt of the characters so strongly. I also liked that you definitely know which characters to hate and which to root for as you learned more about their stories. In particular, the story of gadnors nurse was heartbreaking and it worked to tell you why the brothers turned out so differently. I did really like Gadnor. I felt like the way the author portrayed his feelings towards Kelric was so realistic (toxic but realistic). Despite the way he treated him, he was still his brother and he wanted to love him even though he knew it was damaging to his mental health.

Some things I didn’t love: I just feel like the idea of the whole political system and charixes is a bit underdeveloped, especially with the hierarchy of rulers and different polis’s (given it was a first book so I expected that to an extent). I also REALLY struggled with the names Dargon and Gadnor. Additionally, I was a bit surprised about the relationship between Gonivein and Loric. I was honestly thinking her and Gadnor might get together. Lastly, I felt like it took a long time for the book to really pick up. The pieces started coming together a bit more around 70% and I started getting more into it. Then, the ending really wasn’t revealed until like 96% and I felt like it was a bit rushed and abrupt. That said I did find the ending really interesting, especially with the predictions about the oracles. I feel like it sets up a next book really well.

Thank you to NetGalley and MJ Pankey!!

What I loved
-Greek Myth inspired without being a retelling
-Use of the silent god or gods who've looked away from humanity trope
-fictional island,government,and lore that allows for easier suspension of disbelief as a reader dives in.
-complex world building that has me grabbing sticky notes for a re read.
What didn't work as well for me
-The pacing for the first third of this title felt really off in a way that I couldn't pin down
-Character naming conventions felt out of place for the plot
Who I would recommend this title for
Readers looking for a fresh story in a Greek inspired setting that adopts the flavor of myth but breaks away from the current retelling trend will adore Epic of Helinthia.

As a fan of Greek mythology, I was so excited to read and review an ARC of Epic of Helinthia by MJ Pankey. Although there are a lot of characters to get used to and a glossary of new words to learn, I loved the characters and the story!
I was able to envision everything in my mind with the descriptive writing and was engrossed in the story from start to finish. There were so many perspectives and the writing was fast paced and captivating. I truly enjoyed the story.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and/or world building. I think you'll truly enjoy it!

Thank you to MJ Pankey and NetGalley for this ARC copy.

I'm a sucker for some mythology, so of course I was thrilled to see an original tale come out. This has everything you could want. War, betrayal, love, lust. Hoping there is more to come about Gonivein!

My one and only gripe is that the names Gadnor & Dargon are way too similar when reading and your girl kept getting confused.

This book takes on a trend I really enjoy of retelling famous Greek myths involving gods, but instead is a completely new story not from legends. I liked this new take on it, having a familiar mythical and magical world and yet knowing the plot wasn’t largely available through looking up the myth on wikipedia.

The plot itself was a classic attempt to start a rebellion, with multiple intrigues and interventions from the gods. Overall, it read very well. My only real issue in terms of the content was that some of the plot twists were easy enough to guess, and so waiting for the book to reveal them to you was at times frustrating, although this wasn’t necessarily the case for all (or even the main) plot point. Sometimes the pacing felt a little slow, but again not a consistent problem.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mythological retellings, or general ancient historical fiction.

I understand that there's currently a big market for mythology retellings and thus I see the appeal in writing a book that is inspired by Greek mythology. Make no mistake - although the Gods, currency and government style are reminiscent of ancient Greece, the names of our characters and most cities are not (why??), and the story is not a retelling of any classical story. To be honest, that is something I struggled with quite a bit. Helinthia the Goddess is fictional, Helinthia the nation is fictional, and none of the other Gods mentioned couldn't be exchanged for fictional Gods as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if one borrows from existing mythology, that mythology has to be relevant to the plot, rather than being a convenient way to skip over a part of the world building. The writing style was very good and I loved the existing world building especially in regard to the forest of the Shades, so I feel like the author would have succeeded at creating a beautiful, imaginative new fantasy world for her story.

However, that's just about my only criticism for the joy that was Epic of Helinthia.

I liked that the multiple plot lines were told from several points of view. It helped a lot with getting to know the rather large cast of characters, and I ended up liking most of them - and appreciating the way the unlikable characters were developed, too. I think in terms of character arcs, Raleon was my favourite! Well, Gonivein is pretty awesome, too.

That's probably because I liked the many twists that were honestly rather unpredictable. I liked the way the author hinted at how Loric might be special (and he deserved better!!) but then twisting the whole thing around on the reader. I was never bored for even a single chapter, and I finished the book in a day because I simply couldn't put it down.

I'm very excited to find out how the story continues, and can't wait for the sequel to come out (even though this book hasn't even come out yet, argh).

Oh, and something random I picked up on is the fact that Gadnor is an anagram of Dargon, and I'm curious to find out whether that's some kind of foreshadowing for the future?

4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great retelling and I throughly enjoyed the entire book.

Perfect for fans of fantasy and mythology, this story is unique and new, as the author has created her own world and characters rather than this being a retelling of an old tale.

I struggled to get into the story at first, I did have to pick it up a few times to really get going but in the end it was an interesting story and had a sense of mystery that kept me going. At the very end especially I struggled to put it down! I enjoyed that it was told from different characters viewpoints.
I really hope there will be a sequel, it seems like the author has left it open for one. In the mean time, I can’t wait for publication so that I can add a physical copy to my mythology collection!
Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

Mortals have no power over the gods, but are nevertheless key to their plans. This book is a good start to the game plan the gods have for our crew on Helinthia. With echoes of tales like the Trojan War and, as rightly stated in the premise, the Iliad, the island of Helinthia is the setting of another case of gods playing with mortals in their battle of egoes.

We see the story from 5 POVs as each of them embarks on their own subplots as they get separated by plots to gather support for an impending war, a surprise takeover from a madman and discover how they are entangled with the gods. Pankey does a fine job of developing the mythology of Helinthia and establishing the characters' relationships and histories. I'm not too sure why but I did find myself a bit sleepy with the first third. It can be expected since Act 1s are often the slowest section for me. It's hard to be emotionally invested in all the characters, but I find myself drawn to Gonivein and Gadnor the most. By the end of the novel, they are set up in very interesting positions that may take the series into very wild territories.

Quickfire comments:
- Bless Gadnor but screw Kelric.
- The island and the patron eponymous goddess are completely fictional and new! I remembered never hearing this name and am I glad I wasn't hallucinating! By forming her own fictional setting but interlaying it with Greek mythos, Pankey allows herself the room and space to form something unique and avoid needing to rise to the expectations of retellings of renowned ancient Greek stories.

Overall, it's a good opener to a series! I like Greek mythology but it's refreshing to see an original tale so if one is open-minded give this a shot.

Thanks to Netgalley and Muse and Quill Press for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Big thank you to M.J. Pankey and Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

First of all, I love Greek mythology, so I was so excited to dive into this story. Pankey took bits and pieces of authentic Greek mythology and made her own story come alive. I loved the way she used her amazing creativity to make an entire island, complete with many territories, but also incorporated the origin God and Goddesses into it as well. I also really liked the map and glossary provided at the beginning of the book to help with names and terminology in the story.

The island of Helinthia is ripe with famine, and on the brink of war, it will take a small group of leaders to join together and fight the evil that has taken over the lands and find the true Anax of Helinthia. Filled with twists and turns, secrets, betrayal, and interference by the Gods and Goddesses themselves, this story keeps you on your toes and guessing what will happen next. But you'll never guess what will happen in the end. I thought I knew for sure what the outcome would be, but I was left shocked in the end.

Well written, and well researched story that I recommend for any lover of Greek mythology and fantasy all rolled into one.

I love Greek mythology and was excited to read this book.
Thank you to MJ Pankey and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am purposefully not going into detail to keep this spoiler free.
I eat with my eyes first, and the cover of this book is stunning; it was what initially drew me in. Many Greek Gods and Goddesses are the same, but the author created one of her own: Helinthia, the island's patron by the same name.
The writing is amazing, and paints a detailed picture of the island and its people. However, the worldbuilding makes the book. It is well-researched, and you can tell with how Pankey sets the scene for everything. The dictionary and the list of people/places at the beginning of the book are really helpful. The map at the beginning is very nice. I love a good map in a book. My fantasy book-loving soul is bought with a good map.
The story is told from five separate points of view. I enjoyed each of the character's voices, even when I wanted to strangle one of them. It was sometimes a little awkward moving between them, but that was only a small thing.
I love a book that I can fall into its world and have to crawl back out when I am done. This book is a 5-star for me and I am looking forward to what Pankey publishes in the future.

First of all, thank you, Netgalley, the publisher, and especially the writer for allowing me to be an Arc reader for this incredible book.

Let start with the characters they are all wonderfully written and felt like real persons I loved reading every chapter and all the perspectives we get in this book all are equally well developed and written and equal to each other.

The setting the Author has painted with her words a beautiful setting that felt well researched and well developed so much that you could believe it's part of actual ancient Greece if you didn’t know better.

The plot itself was great, especially the ending me on my edge of my seat and I didn't want to put this book down even when I had to because of sleep and work

I enjoyed reading this book from the very first page. I was hooked and loved reading MJ Pankey her prose is very vivid and very nice to read. I'm definitely looking forward to the next few books in this series

5/5 stars definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves Greek Mythology and Fantasty