Olympian Challenger

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Pub Date 03 Jul 2018 | Archive Date 31 Jul 2018

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Description

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. 

Olympian Challenger is the first book in a bold YA urban fantasy trilogy. If you like Greek mythology, forbidden romance, and feats of courage, then you’ll love Astrid Arditi’s heroic coming-of-age tale.

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...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780998311630
PRICE $14.99 (USD)

Average rating from 290 members


Featured Reviews

I have a soft spot for Greek mythology. It was my obsession growing up. So I completely loved this book. Olympian Challenger is about a group of high school seniors who suddenly find themselves on Mount Olympus competing before the ancient Greek gods. The gods have called on their descendants in the modern world to become the next Olympian hero. Hope Diaz, our main character, becomes absorbed in the extravagant world of the gods and their challenges. As she fights to stay alive and continue her quests, she learns secrets of Olympus that suggest the gods are not as benevolent as they seem.
Overall, this is a pretty typical YA book for right now. A group of teens being thrown together and fighting, questing, etc. I thought the world-building could have been fleshed out a little more and lots of scenes felt somewhat rushed to me. I felt like there wasn't a whole lot of time for climactic tension to build. However, I did think the author had some interesting ideas about the gods and demi-gods, especially relating back to mental illnesses. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

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The book was original, and fresh strep in Greek mythology. The main character wasn't some bratty, whiny girl but someone who was actually enjoyable to read about. Overall I give this book 4.5 stars and I'm excited about the next book in the series.

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Olympian Challenger took me to a new world! I absolutely loved this Sci-fi teen read. Throughout the book we see Hope enduring these challenges on Mount Olympus that are so awe inspiring. I love how the author made this character out to be a true hero, but also a hero that yes has flaws. Towards the end of the book you think Hope can do no wrong but she too is human. I love that the author didn’t make this hero out to be wholeheartedly good without facing challenges in her character as well. A true hero is one pure of heart but is also one who can overcome the obstacles that can lead to ones downfall. I sure hope in book two Hope can get the justice that is well deserved for not only her friends but for the Gods as well. 2019 can’t come soon enough!

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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. When I started reading I couldn't put it down I read the book i couldn't put it down. Astrid is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of her books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.

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If you enjoy Greek mythology, heroes, action, adventure, betrayal, love, and hope, this is a novel you need to read!! Life is full of choices and one must make a choice between doing what is easy and what is right. The story is told from first person point of view.
Hope lives in NYC and deals with her mother who is suffering from a mental illness. Hope focuses on her school work, swimming, and her mother. She does not go out and party like many teenagers her age. When she sees a boy jump off a building and land in the water, she does not hesitate to dive in and try to save him. She ends up transported to Mount Olympus, where she and others will face several trials to see who will be the Gods' champion. Hope makes friends and enemies, but all she wants to go home. However, the winner of the trials will receive a wish, which tempts Hope. Hope and the others are descendants from Gods, demi-Gods, who have forgotten the Gods. Due to this, the demi-Gods suffer from mental illnesses. The demi-Gods do carry powers from their God descendants.
Hope cares for others, which shows in the trials. However, the Gods have an ulterior motive for the trials. Hope can trust no one, even the one God who makes her heart soar. Kieron, a Shadow God, has hid own plans. Hope helps him to remember what it is like to feel. He loves her, but needs to keep it a secret from his father, who would hurt Hope's mother in retaliation. As Hope goes through the trials, she must make difficult choices and sacrifices if she is to win and save her mother.

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Another late nighter. I was lucky enough to read this one, which I picked because I love Greek mythology. It’s a bit of a double edged sword because there are some that I’ve read which are bleh. I really liked this one, though I will warn it is part of a trilogy and does end on a cliffhanger. There’s plenty of action and a little romance to balance it all. The main characters are well written and of course have their own story. The heroine is the selfless type but I did find her whiny in the first few chapters (understandable) and by the end I was cheering her on. I found it easy to read in one sitting and definitely want to read the next one.

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UMMMMM i'm ready for book two now. Wow, this story was like a movie in my mind. See this is why i get iffy about series's because i get attached and now i'm attached. It had everything from romance,drama,and action. I really can't wait for the next one!!

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This book is nothing short of amazing! I can hardly believe I got to read such a wonderful story. No matter how hard I tried to predict what happened,it always came as a fantastic surprise!

Everything in this book was written perfectly,from the quests to the romance. I loved all the characters in this book,even ‘Hateful Heath’

All I have to say now is that the author has to get going on the next book,because I don’t know how long I can go without knowing what’s going to happen!

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I had fun reading Olympian Challenger; it reminded me why I still love reading teen books (20+ years later!). Hope Diaz, a sweet and selfless girl, is overwhelmed with love for her mother -- a mother that is slowly sinking into dementia at an early age. Hope is given an extraordinary chance -- to compete against other teens in a heroic challenge at Mount Olympus -- under the watchful gaze of the Greek Gods. The winner receives their heart's desire -- and Hope knows she has a chance at healing her mom. She befriends two other teens and starts to piece together the stories of why these were chosen as challengers. Top that off with a young god determined to have Hope win, it's a fun, quick, and clean read.

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This is the first book I've read by Astrid Arditi and let me tell you it was awesome!! The MC Hope has such amazing growth through the book. She starts off taking care of her sick mother and then gets swept away into this fantastic adventure/competition on Mount Olympus. There are epic conflicts along her journey that she must puzzle out in order to survive. It is now up to you as the reader to see if she makes t to the end. Happy reading!

This book contains new friends, romances, danger, epicness and beautiful gods/goddesses.

Enjoy!

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Initially my review was going to be a lot lower for this book. The first third of the book worried me; I went in excited for a fresh breath of air, a young adult contemporary that explore my love of Greek mythology in a supernatural setting. I was unhappily comparing it to novels that seemed to have inspired it, such as the Hunger Games and the Twilight Saga. The parallels were, unfortunately, still there until even the end of the book. There were moments that made me audibly groan at the protagonist, not-like-the-other-YA-girls-Hope. However, my opinions were definitely altered when the action of the book took place. I was enraptured by the attention to mythos, the implementation of Gods that lack humanity deciding the fate humanity, and these sad children holding in their broken hearts something these immortal Gods could not have as they pitted them against one another. It went from cliched, stereotypes (I was really, really annoyed at the LGBTQIA portrayal of Gabriel and the shallow stereotype he initially embodied) to heartfelt, meaningful characters that touched me. I actually ended up being angry at having to put it down to eat at some points.
Hopefully in the remaining books in the series, the character interaction is less superficial, particularly the forced relationship between Kieron and Hope. It was very predictable and I wasn't fond of the execution, though I did like the abhorred son of Hades angle. I really do have hope that this trilogy can pick up in these areas, as I feel it has great potential and it is definitely an informative and fun read.

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This book was beautifully written and I loved everything about this book. I couldn't put this down!

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This story is imaginative and creepy with just a dash of Hope. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson or Greek mythology. I loved that this book didn't just cover the main 12 Olympians, but talked about some additional gods and goddesses I'd never heard of. Hope, the main character, is swept off to Mount Olympus to compete for the privilege of being the gods hero, but she never asked to come. Hope is pitted against the other contestants and still finds a way to make friends. I loved that her sense of right and wrong was so strong, this is a atmosphere that would make it very easy for her to get confused about whether or not to protect her friends. I also love a bookish heroine and Hope's love of reading about the myths (and subsequently telling the reader) made for a feeling of participation while the challengers made it through the trials.

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As a Classicist, I have a fondness for stories that incorporate elements of Greek mythology and am interested in finding books for teenage readers who enjoy ancient history and mythology. On the whole, I enjoyed Olympian Challenger, though I found the last third of the book much more engaging than the beginning, which felt a little rushed in terms of story pacing. I admit to finding the portrayals of particular characters (Gabriel) a bit too stereotypical and some features of the narrative cliché, but these elements seemed to improve towards the end of the novel. The twists and interpretations of the different stories of the gods were, to me, the most interesting parts of the story, as well as the use of the pythia as a proper character instead of the usual references to oracles that stories employing mythology often have. I look forward to the next book!

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i loved the olympian challenger, the relationships between the main character and her friends calls to me. i cant wait to buy a cop of this book.

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I just want to state the obvious... THIS COVER OMG. Love!

I really loved the story, it was a unique take on the classic Greek Mythology retellings. I felt like there was something slightly off about the pacing of the story. I wish we got to see more of Hope before the Olympus journey started. The first chapter she receives the invitation card, but I wish that that was either the second part of the first chapter or the second chapter. Even the ending happened really quickly. Also, it was never explained how the challengers knew what to do to get into the competition. They all seemed like the chose to be there, besides Hope, so how did they all know that "doing something brave" would lead them to Olympus?

As for the characters, I wish they were developed more, especially the supporting characters. The other challengers felt so basic that I didn't really keep track of who was who, except for Heath. Gabriel was not a likable character, even though I think he was supposed to be. He was so concerned with appearances that it was almost annoying. Same with Amy, she was obsessed with "things" but that aspect of her kept coming up. I guess I wish the characters were more multifaceted. There is also a Hate to Love trope in the book, but I didn't necessarily hate it. I actually really liked Kieron as a character.

This book is definitely set up for a sequel and I will be reading it when it comes out.

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Hope's life is tumbling down every day she sees her mother succumb to her dementia. one morning she discovers an invitation to participate in a challenge. She thinks is a joke and proceeds to worry about her mothers illness. That night she sees a guy jump into a river and with the frozen temperatures she know he will not survive long so she jumps in to try to save him. Because is this deed she is transported to mount Olympus where she is now part of a selected group of teens fighting for the chance of obtaining one gift from the gods. Hope is determine to win the competition and win the gift so she can ask the gods to cure her mother. Through out the competition, she founds love, frienship and a hate for the gods who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

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I love mythology and love it even more the ability to easily look up a god/goddess if I forget what their story or what they are god/goddess of. Yes, it was similar to a Hunger Games type arena. The contests were centered around a being and were mini-puzzles not just brute strength ones. I really liked Hope and her devotion to her sick mother. Her loyalty to her new friends was also a plus for me.
The romance was slight and has me interested as to how it will go in the next book. Ending was complete for this story but opened up for the next. I will definitely be picking up the next and I need Gabriel's story too. I received NetGalley ARC at no charge for which I voluntarily provided an honest review.

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I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a cross between The Hunger Games and Twilight. Well developed plot and characters, held my interest all the way through. The only thing I didn't like was the ending but that's because I was left wanting to know what happens next. Can't wait for the next book.

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LOVED this book, LOVE the cover! The first thing that caught my attention, I know they say don't judge a book by it's cover but I definitely do. SORRY! I have read so many books that were written with Greek mythology and this one takes the cake! I was pulled in from the moment I started it. The only thing I would say negative is it reminded me of another story the way the invitation was handled but other than that it was a powerful story, magical and I loved the characters. Beyond ready for book number two!

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I was skeptical at first but in the end this book blew all of my expectations away. The world building, character, and story are so well written you can see yourself there. You develop connections to characters and root for them. Hope is flawed and relatable but grows so much. Her story and those of the others are relatable and heartbreaking.
The cover is gorgeous but what's inside really is the art. I cannot praise this enough.

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I gave this book 4 stars. I had a blast reading this book. I was having a bit of a hard time reading some of the ARCs I had, but reading this one gave me the push I needed.

The thing about books like this is that I really love them for the whole competition theme. My only issue is that by the end when everyone else has been eliminated, it just feels so lonely. There is a reason I loved the Hunger Games and my favorite show when I was younger was Total Drama Island, but with all of these the same issue arose: It just isn’t fun anymore when there is a single person left.

The characters were a home run. They were well rounded, dynamic personalities and I wanted them all to be happy. I want only good things for them and hopefully, we will see that in the next book.

I’m a sucker for anything with mythology in it and I am happy to say that I was pretty satisfied with the knowledge the author had of Greek Mythology. There have been a few books I’ve read in the past which were pretty much 95% fabrication of the mythology. I mean it definitely wasn’t the most accurate, but it did have a healthy incorporation of fact.

Overall, I’m excited to get to the next book. This was an amazing start to the series and I want to see some happy things and some exciting things happening in the next book. Fingers crossed.

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Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi is a pleasant surprise, I hardly read YA Greek mythology but the few I've read have been amazing including this one.
Hope Diaz is a teenage girl that has had to be the caretaker of her mother who has dementia. Hope had to mature quickly and take charge of her life.
It all changes for her when she and some other kids her age and magically transported to Mount Olympus and told they're very distant descendants of the Greek Gods.
Not only that, they have to enter a competition that can have only one champion who will be the champion of the Gods and be granted one wish.
Hope at first rebels and tries to find her way back home to get to her ailing mother, but when she finds out about the time dilation and the fact that she can save her mother, she decides to stay and try her best.
From the large pool of competitors, 24 are chosen for sponsorship by the major gods who will compete at the final 10 trials. Hope makes friends, enemies, finds out things about the gods that reveal their sinister core.
Part of what makes this book amazing is the pace and the action, the words flow so easily and it's nice to devour. The mesmerizing details of the action, trials, magic and squabbles between the gods themselves entertain to no end.
Hope makes for an amazing heroine as she's selfless, loving, brave and quite magical.
Sometime in the book, powers originating from the divine ancestors are bestowed on the competitors and I certainly loved how that plays into the story.
It's a story of friendship and love as much as it is bravery and strength.
Hope grows closer to a lower god Keiron a son of Hades despite his father's consternation and disapproval. Theirs is a connection fraught with misunderstandings and doubts but the draw and pull is undeniable and it's great to watch them find their way to each other and realise they're stronger together than apart.
Hope's two best friends Amy and Gabriel are also great characters with interesting storylines.
The moments before the ending are thrilling and exhilarating as they ended what has been a phenomenal story in a way that's both satisfying and will still leave readers wanting for more.
Astrid Arditi is a talented author with lush and rich writing that has forged a book that is not to be missed, lovers of YA have to read this book.
I wholeheartedly recommend it, you will not regret it.

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I am in love with Greek mythology and this first book confirmed my love for these divinities. Hope is the main character, she's desperate to give her mother to dementia but she doesn't know what to do to help her. She then receives this mysterious invitation and after jumping into the water to save a boy, she finds herself at Mount Olympus, embarked in spite of herself in a fierce competition at a dark stake!

Hope is really a character we love over the pages. She is first devoted to her mother, then to her friends and finally to her love. She doesn't have a single evil thought for her competitors and is able to help them even if they are mean to her. That is what she has in her and she cannot fight against her nature. The Greek gods are frankly not nice in this novel, everything is decadence at their home and the life of humans does not matter to them as long as they serve their interests. The tests imposed on humans in order to obtain a wish is very much interwoven with mythology and requires ingenuity on the part of all the participants, but more particularly on the part of Hope. The end is rather predictable in itself, but the second volume is likely to be interesting. I hadn't seen the romance coming either, which is still light for the moment! The whole is very well pinned with the author's writing. I will not miss the second volume!

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I was given an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hope Diaz's life has been anything but happy. Her mother was diagnosed with dementia (early stages?) and it is slowly robbing her of her memories. Hope has given up her entire life to take care of her mom and she hopes to one day to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a doctor (her mother was a midwife). One day Hope receives a mysterious invitation. In fact, the entire senior class has received one. Only Hope's invitation has more and she ends up on Mt. Olympus after trying to save a young man from drowning. Here she finds herself trapped and will have to play in a tournament for the Gods. But Hope has only one thing on her mind - getting back to her mother and she will do anything she can to leave Olympus.

Unfortunately for Hope, the exits are sealed and the only way for Hope to leave Olympus is play in the tournament. As the games begin, Hope finds herself in a battle to not only keep herself alive but to win the tournament with the hopes of returning to her Mom.

Okay I admit that this book kept me glued from beginning to end. I liked the premises of Greek Mythology but then again any story with it will pretty much sucker me in.

I liked Hope. I felt she had potential. She is desperate to be apart of her Mom's life while her Mom is being robbed from her by the stages of dementia and I have to sympathize with her on that. My own Mom is in the early stages of dementia and much like Hope, I don't like leave her alone because I worry of coming home one day and her memory of me is erased. So I can see how hard it is for Hope especially when she is trapped on Olympus and forced to play in a tournament she really wants to part of. As each person is eliminated, Hope finds her goal within her sight.

The only thing I have grown tired of when it comes to ya is the fact that everything seems to incorporate the Hunger Games in their storylines. Next to insta-love (this one, I have to admit, is a bit different when it comes to romance. It is a slow burn), most of the ya storylines seem to think they need to add to some element of the Hunger Games into their storyline. While this story has set itself a bit apart from the dystopian storyline and used mythology instead, it still felt like I was reading something along the lines of a fanfiction.

There were also some sentence structures within that felt a bit awkward. Some of them caused me to have to re-read the paragraph twice to understand what the author was trying to convey.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It kept me rivted from the beginning of the book to the end. Again I am a sucker when it comes to anything written with mythology weaved into their storyline. I enjoy those types of books more than anything. If this is to be a trilogy, I cannot wait to see how the series ends. Hope has a ton of potential and I am looking forward to seeing how she does in the next book.

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When I started reading this book it drew me in straight away. The main character is a take no crap from anyone kind of person and I love her selflessness. The only thing I found a little repetitive was the way she would question herself. But when certain challenges came up she was all in and became a leader.

I found this book super easy to read and I am beyond excited to see where the next one goes.

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I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First let me start off by saying this cover is absolutely GORGEOUS! It deserves all the stars in the world!

I am going to start off by saying the first 40% of this book was really hard for me to read. I really liked the concept of this book. It's kind of a mash up between Percy Jackson and Hunger Games. And I loved both of those series. But it was a real struggle to get through the beginning of this book. I was mostly just bored. The MC was a whiney little thing. So absorbed in her self-pity. And I really can't stand MCs like that. I mean yeah, you were thrown into this world you didn't even know existed. But like seriously, cry about it for a bit then get over yourself and just deal with it.

The MC, Hope, had a lot of backstory to her. You learned a lot about her which I really enjoyed. Her character growth from being that whiney girl to where she ended up at the end of the book was pleasantly surprising. Her growth was what made me continue when I was ready to DNF the book.

The world building. Let me just say it was AMAZING! I mean there really isn't much building you can do to Mount Olympus because the story of Mount Olympus has been told so many times. But the quests that Hope has to go through brings her to all these different parts of the world and the details and explination of what she's seeing or going through was so spot on that I could literally picture what Hope was seeing in my mind.

The writing in this book was well done. The story, in my opinion, was really thought out and well planned. There wasn't one point in this book where I was confused as to what was going on.

If I could cut this book into parts, for the rating, I would. Let me explain, I would give the first half of this book 3 stars and I would give the last half and ending of this book 5 stars. So I figured having a happy medium of 4 stars was appropriate. :D

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

I freaking loved this book - LOVED!

I read this in one sitting and I honestly couldn't put the book down. It made my boring day at work 110% better. I loved everything about Hope and watching her grow throughout the book.

Olympian Challenger definitely gave me a Percy Jackson/Hercules kind of vibe. It's pretty much why I feel in love with it. I liked all of the quests and the mysterious invitation. I liked all of the friendships/relationship formed.

Hope, the MC, was amazing from beginning to end. I love her friendship with Lily in the beginning. Then her journey throughout Mount Olympus and her views on the gods and this stupid challenge were just amazing. I laughed and I cried. Overall, I loved the girl.

Besides Hope, I learned to love Amy and Gabriel. They were complete opposites of each other but in the end they made such a dynamic trio of friends. I cried when bad things happened to either one of them and I almost didn't want to accept the ending.. but then Hope used her wish and it was the most adorable and sweetest thing ever. I'm sad that she only got one wish but I'm hoping that she will earn or get more throughout the series.

Speaking of a possible series, I seriously need the second book STAT. I'm already sad that the book is over. THAT CLIFFHANGER is making me want the next book even more. I loved every character in this book. I shipped so many people together and I'm happy that two of my ships were sailing at the end. I just hope that they are continually sailing well into the next book. If not, I will cry.

Overall, I loved this book. I don't think I could mention how much I actually loved this book. It was just amazing and I'm so happy that I got the chance to read it.

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This was an amazing, unique young adult book. I absolutely loved it!

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Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi is a phenomenal book. It had me hooked from the first word and I fell in love with the characters instantly. Hope and Kieron are amazing together and I love the dynamic relationship between Gabe, Amy, and Hope also the occasional contenders that decide to help out. If you are like me and love anything Greek mythology then read this book.
I really want to discuss the ending with whoever has read this because I feel like it shouldn't have ended there. 100% recommend this book.

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I haven’t read a book by this author before, but I will read her again. I’m not a big fan of YA, mostly because I have so much to read, and I have to draw the line somewhere. However, if I find a book that sounds interesting enough, I’ll pick it up. This book was one such YA. In the beginning, I admit I almost put the book down after the big Olympus scene. Not because it was terrible, but because I am not a big fan of a lot of description, and this almost was too much for me. I did keep reading, and I’m glad I did! I love Greek mythology, and this book had some great mythology. Not only that, the book was well-written and I liked the characters although they need to be fleshed out a tiny bit more; this will probably happen in the next book which I can’t wait to read. If you are a fan of YA or mythology, give this book a try! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

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First of all, that cover? WOW. I'm tired of covers with 'girls in pretty dresses look resolute' but this one is amazing.

After that, the story. It's a clever use of Greek mythology, which I do actually know a bit about. I loved Gabriel, relatively indifferent to Amy but she was cool. Hope was another of the 'I don't have any talents, oh actually I'm the best at everything' type of heroine, but it worked very well in this novel. Shades of Twilight in her relationship with Kieron. I was surprised to see Hades as such an out and out villain, but that's probably because of yummy Eric Thomson on Hercules...wait, what was I talking about?

Right, the book. Very much enjoyed, hate the cliffhanger, when's the next one coming out?

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OLYMPIAN CHALLENGER was an original and riveting story that includes all of the Greek gods and goddesses. The main character is Hope and after trying to save a boy from drowning, she finds herself transported to Mount Olympus.

There, Hope becomes an unwilling participant in a competition the gods are hosting to discover the next hero. Hope must go through trials and quests to prove her worth, when she would rather just go home to help take care of her sick mom. As the competition progresses, she learns how insensitive the gods are, except one. Kieran. He is the son of Hades and Hope can't help but feel drawn to him.

I absolutely loved this story and thank Netgalley for providing an ARC. This story had a lot of action and was all about finding your place while following your destiny. I would recommend this to fans of Percy Jackson and Greek mythology in general.

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This was a great read! I love Greek mythology but this book explored mythology in a different and unique way. It was also a very quick read.

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LOVED it. I really appreciated how human all the gods seem and the characters interact. You can really empathize with the bullies and friendships. It does seem like it's rather obvious from the beginning who is going to win to the Gods which irks me a little because if it was really such a "competition" then it shouldn't be even if the heroine is clearly head and shoulders in character above some of the cretins. From my understanding of Greek mythology though they were much crueler, and maybe it's the audience this book is aimed at but I didn't really see that level of cruelty in their actions (even though they're literally using human suffering as entertainment). It had an almost Harry Potter and the goblet of fire-esque feel.

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Thanks to netgalley for an ARC copy of this book. I love the Greek gods and goddesses and I haven't read anything about them since the percy Jackson series. this book had me intrigued from page one and I can't wait to read the sequel to this book.

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As a huge fan of Greek Mythology, i eas very excited to read this book. I found this story fun and enjoyable to read and cant wait to discover what awaits the characters in book two

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This incredible book let me just tell you was a 5 out of 5 stars for me. It was one of the most detailed well-written books that kept me captivated and wanting to read more every page I turned. I would highly highly recommend this book because the characters were outstanding. The author did an excellent job creating the story and making the main and all other characters hope so relatable and wonderful. You really felt for these characters every step of the way and get really emotionally invested in the story and I loved it. Thank you so much to netgalley and the wonderful author Astrid Arditi for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book. I appreciate it so much and I cannot wait for the next installment that is set to come out next January 2019 because I will definitely be picking it up.

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I couldn't put this book down. The mythology did it for me. How the whole world was set up, and how weird everything was. In a good way! The mythology was super interesting and the world dragged me in super fast. I found the whole premise super interesting, especially with Hope's mum. That was something I feel like I don't remember been done before, which is super well done.

However, the romance feels flat at times and I wasn't really convinced at the end that this was the greatest love out there for Hope. The writing I've seen some people comment on, but I found the writing overall good and it fit my reading preferences well.

Can I also take a moment to say that the cover is magnificent? Absolutely breathtaking!

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Nice and entertaining book with good characters. I really enjoyed the writing and the rhythm of the novel, and I would probably recommend this to anybody who feels like reading a YA-novel.

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This book was a good read. I didn't know if I would enjoy the book or not but after I hit maybe chapter 5 or 6 I couldn't put the book down. The plot was interesting and very informative of greek mythology, the characters are all different and some of them you hate others you completely and absolutely love. The best way I can describe this book is that it's a cross between The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.

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A fun and engaging book about a teenager who is brought to Mount Olympus and discovers that all the myths about Greek Gods are not myths at all. Once on Mount Olympus the main character, Hope Diaz, finds out that she has to compete with other teenagers in order to return to her sick mother on Earth.

The Author of this book has developed a background story that explains why humans have been separated from the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece got so long. I really enjoyed how the Gods themselves are described and how they fit in very well with the descriptions you would find in a textbook; yet, the author makes them seem realistic and accurate in their responses to modern ideas. The whole setting worked really well for me and it seemed like the author worked hard to add in the creatures and individuals who are mentioned in Greek mythology.

When the quests began I wondered if the characters were downplaying the fact that their peers were dying. A couple pages later the main character herself wondered the same thing. I appreciated the reality checks that Hope had that brought her back to a rational way of looking at her experiences.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. It fits well in the Teen genre.

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This Book was at times Heart warming and heart wrenching amazingly done take on Greek mythology! It was a gender bent Percy Jackson like tale filled with Love imagination and a wholly unique take on Mount Olympus and the Gods that reside there. I learned things I didn't know previously and got to revisit old well loved myths! and the Romances SO well done especially Loved the same sex characters and how their characters developed all the way to the end and their Love story was really well done! All in all a new favorite and here to hoping she write many more books in this world cant wait Hope and her World again in the future!

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Hope Diaz is someone every girl can identify with: smart, funny, relatable, fashionable, who loves her mom and does good in school.

The Greek mythology changes everything: she is sent an invitation to tell no one but conquer a fear. After saving someone; she is sucked into Mount Olympus to compete to become their champion.

She makes wonderful friends and awful enemies, eats fabulous food, takes luxurious soaks in the tub and falls in love with a boy, Kieron. No, a man of shadows and myth. Hades son.

Will she become the champion? Will she get her one wish and save her mom? Find out in this fabulous book that leaves you breathless, waiting for more.

I am in love with the strong Mythology and stories behind each challenge. The author is very well researched. This is a better and more well written gender flip of Percy Jackson basically. But better. Read and you won't regret it. 5/5 stars.

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Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I'm heavy into Greek mythology and YA dramatics and this did not disappoint. It was like a mashup of Divergent (when they compete to be in Dauntless) and Percy Jackson.

Things I loved:
- The way the challengers had to prove their worth to be taken to Mt. Olympus
- The involvement of lesser known gods
- Each Challenger's unique ancestry
- How there were real stakes. Challengers could die during each task (or worse, depending on how you look at it)
- A heroine that wasn't the strongest/fastest/bravest
- Diversity - homosexuality, orphans, dementia
- Incorporation of many Greek myths

Things I wasn't so crazy about:
- Flat, rushed friendships. It just happened too fast for me and didn't feel genuine.
- I kind of felt like I was beat over the head with Gabriel's sexuality. It also felt like that detail wasn't so much about Gabriel, but more to highlight how open and accepting Hope is... over and over again. I thought it was great that there was a gay character, but I wanted to hear more about who he was, not the sex he was attracted to. For example, a big strong weapon chose him. WHY? The answer is implied, but it would've been nice to see him discover it too.
- I wish we got to know the other characters a bit more. We learn their names, but not much about them and why they were chosen by each particular God.

Overall, this was a fun read and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

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It’s just Hope and her mom. Her mom is her whole life. Her mom is sick. She is losing more and more of her every day. Her mom has dementia. All Hope wants is to save her mom, make her better. Hope spends her days at school and her nights with her mom. Hope takes care of her mom with the help a few friends. Hope would give anything if she could save her mom.

Her wish may have just come true when she receives an invitation along with every twelfth grader in New York to a challenge on Mount Olympus. If she can pass the challenge she will get her heart’s desire.

Hope wakes up in Mount Olympus to face other kids her age in battles. She meets some new friends along the way two to which she becomes very close to Amy and Gabriel. Hope has a very good soul who puts others before herself to keep harm coming to them. All the teenagers face some hard and terrible challenges in Mount Olympus. Hope, Amy and, Gabriel all work to face the challenges together but there can only be one winner.

I loved the Greek mythology stories that were woven throughout Olympian Challenger and seeing Hope not only facing the challenges but being strong enough to know when and who to stand up against when the right time came. I also loved that the characters had to do the challenges not knowing who or what was coming for them next.

I have loved visiting this world in Olympian Challenger and going to Mount Olympus with Hope and meeting Amy and Gabriel as well as all the Gods and Goddess along with their teachers too. Olympian Challenger has been an awesome journey that has kept me amazed from beginning to end. While the ending was the best ever I still have a lot of unanswered questions so many that I can’t wait to read the next book in the Olympian Challenger.

If you like Greek mythology and the Greek Gods and Goddess and all their stories then you are going to love Olympian Challenger.

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This is a new to me author, and I am so happy with what I read! I truly loved this story! I've always been a huge fan of mythology, particularly Greek mythology, so when I read the synopsis of the story I knew I HAD to try Astrid's work.

This was a fast paced, fairly quick read for me. It was descriptive, but not TOO descriptive where it would become annoying with all the itty bitty details. It was a well blended read of courage, kindness, compassion, angst, and romance. There were times it was even heartbreaking. Yes, it was at times predictable, but then there were others where I was pleasantly shocked!

I can't wait for the next book in the series to be released because I HAVE to know what's going to happen next!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest review.

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Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
As Percy Jackson series' fan, I liked the description so much that I decided to request this book with a beautiful cover. I was not dissapointed... so many references to greek mythology! I even remembered some stories (thanks to Percy Jackson, I learned so much about these bloody gods and demi-gods), and I enjoyed so much the quests, since I love these type of battles where one have to guess and decipher the riddles aboout their missions using the gods and demigods' stories as a support.
I really disliked more Heath than Hades....
Besides that, I loved the trio: Hope, Gabriel and Amy... they are so different but yet became friends and strong teammates.
Now, I wish that we could know what the other characters were thinking besides Hope... and also, the romantic relationship beetwen Hope and Kieron was a bit bland... I mean, they are cute, sure. But I felt that something was missing... maybe the lack of consistent development? Kieron would be nice one time, another rude to Hope... and she didn't even think deep about Kieron's frequent changing mood
And that cliffhanger at the end? *sigh* I think it would be better...

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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.

★I got an ARC from publishers through NetGalley and this is my honest uninfluenced review★

Rating: 6 of 7; 5 of 5; 9 of 10
I'm struggling with the rating. Through the first half, I was sure it would be 4 stars, but things were getting better and I had to bring it up. This book is exactly what we call young-adult. But the thing is. It's a good one. I can't complain about the ya factor when I picked a book that I already knew it was ya. And yes I'm so going to read the next one. It can't be here soon enough.

So, Hope's life is kind of as normal as it gets. Then she receives this weird invitation and actually, she doesn't give a shit. But Fate is the most annoying lady and Hope unwillingly accept it. I think is pretty important say that she didn't decide to stay because of some random dark-mysterious-handsome-bad-boy, he may be the one who convinces her that it would be better for her if she stays, but it wasn't because of him.

Positives: This book doesn't take dozens of pages before the action starts. Actually, everything starts in the very first chapter, but not in a way that leaves you extremely confused. You have a little context, things start to happen, you have a little more context and then everything is happening. I can't be emphatic enough about how I loved it; Also - and it's very important - we are not dealing with a stupid main character. You know, all these characters that make you wanna be inside the book and slap them? Not her. And I loved the friendship here, I'm all in for friends like that.

Ending: Well, there's some wild idea. The main character is not dead. I would probably be ranting like crazy here if she was, but you know it really doesn't mean we didn't have plot twists in the very ending. Also, I had seen nothing that made me thought it was a trilogy. Until the end. So yeah I'm pretty much annoyed. Especially because honestly, what an ending without an ending!

Downsides: the character in general could be deeper, there was a lot of possibilities here and too little development; that may sound like bitching, but I dislike first-person narrators. I don't mind having just one pov all the time, but the first-person speech really annoys me.

Side note: There were a few things that made me remember of other series, and it doesn't actually bothered me but annoys a little. Also, pretty hard to read a book with that much Greek mythology when I didn't know the English names for all these characters, so the Wikipedia tab on Kindle was definitely my best friend through this book; I hate Hades like the big bad guy just because he's the god of death, it would always be way more interesting if he was some deep interesting character.

Tags: young-adult, Greek gods, lgbt+ side character, mythology, action, adventure, beautiful-cover, elementals, fantasy, fiction, great-read, magic

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The cover is amazing! I know we should not judge a book by its cover, but the cover attracts you to read at least what the book is about :)

I really liked the book. I love books where the main character has to overcome challenges and test against other people in order to get something.

In this case, Hope, the main character, finds herself meeting people she never believed existed (the greek gods). She makes friends, enemies, and she even finds love. What I liked about the book is that is not the typical love at first sight, or even the friendship at first sight, those things grow up throughout the book.

This is a book I enjoyed reading and I'd like to read more books from Astrid in the future.

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I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This was my first read from Astrid Aditi but I requested it because based on the synopsis it kinda sounded like one of my recent favorite reads and I wanted to give it a chance. Well, in the end it was nothing like that but I still enjoyed it quite a bit, even more than I lately do with these kind of YA stories.

The story is a phenomenal YA mythology with a slightly cruel twist to it. The book builds on Greek mythological elements and while a lot of people say that it is similar to Percy Jackson, I don’t agree with them. Other than the Greek mythology and the descendants of gods/goddesses there is not much else that’s connects the two book.

The writing style is really amazing and has a flow to it that makes it impossible to put the book down. It phenomenally easy to read and went by so quickly especially since the pace of the storyline is pretty fast as well. Personally I didn’t except from the first book in this series to contain so much and for the storyline to progress with such rapid tempo. Actually I liked it because it opens up the possibilities for the upcoming installment and also prevents any kind of boring moment for happening. I really loved the storyline and the different challenges, they were interesting, exciting but a bit bloody as well, just the right mix of everything.

The thing I didn’t like as much and the reason why I only gave it stars was mainly Hope character. I didn’t hate her and she has a lot of good and redeeming qualities but in the end she was overly nice, sweet and self-sacrificing for my taste. I liked her in the beginning, her tenacity, her friendliness, her creative mind and she also goes through quite the character development thorough the book. However when we reach the end of the book her decision feels more like an obligatory, heroic choice the author felt her character need to make than something genuine. I didn’t like this.

However I loved how the gods and goddesses were portrayed in this story. Most of them were shallow, cruel and selfish, not really likeable but more godlike or at least how I would picture them.
While the book mostly revolves around the challenges and the upcoming feats that the winner need to accomplish there is a slight romantic element to it as well. The thing is I usually like when my fantasy has a bit of a romance to it but in this case I would have done without it. It was kind of childish and made Hope act her age, like a lovesick puppy. Sorry but for me it just didn’t work however I can see how a younger generation would dig it.

In the end I love that I gave this book a chance because it was really great, it had a lot of funny and interesting scenes in t and also I see a lot of potential regarding the series. I definitely recommend giving it a try, it’s a quick and action packed read with a hint of romance to it.

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I am always hesitant to read new takes or perspectives on Greek mythology because I am afraid they will ruin what I love about them. This book was a pleasant surprise in many ways. I loved the protagonist Hope, she is an enjoyable character, is not self-absorbed and is bright. I found the back story of Hope's mother having dementia as refreshing and realistic aspect of the story. I enjoyed how the challenges continued through the story and Hope learns all is not as it seems. I am very happy this story is continuing as a trilogy. I was lucky to receive an ARC of this e-book via Netgally. I would recommend this book to any fans of Greek Mythology and anyone interested in young adult fiction. Astrid Arditi is a great author and I look forward to reading more.

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I'm half Greek and grew up listening to and reading about Greek Mythology with my Mom. Needless to say, I really wanted to read this book! I was thrilled when I received an ARC and literally couldn't put it down! Hope Diaz's story really resonated with me. She's a wonderfully written character with a good heart who is not perfect, but always tried to do the right thing. I love Gabriel and was happy with the turn of events at the end of the book. I look forward to the second book of the series (2019 seems so far off to wait!!) to see what further trials, tribulations and relationship developments happen. I have a soft spot for Amy and hope that we get to see her soon.

Excellent character development and descriptions. I love the setting! This book didn't read like Young Adult. I was captivated by it in the first chapter and can't wait to see what happens next!

*I would like to thank the Author/Publisher/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*

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This book was so good ! I can’t wait for the next one in the series.

I loved the mythology in this and the competition. It was really entertaining and fast-paced (once the challenges began). I felt like the romance was a little insta-love but I enjoyed reading it anyway. I’m really curious about what will happen next.

I’d love to know more about her family’s history and her powers. Then ending was really good and I’m glad that she made the choice she did.

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People who know me, know that I am a huge Greek Mythology fan, and OH MY GOD if Idid not dream about getting to face what these characters deal with in Greek Mythology retelling books. That said, I have read almost all the legends and stories available to human kind, about Greek Mythology, and I am a huge critic. So, while I enjoy the books, I also cling to the "mistakes" that they have included there, and being a big bookworm, I am judging from to positions, first, being a Greek Mythology fan, second, being a bookworm.

So let's get this started. First of all, as some of the other readers really thought that the book concept was very similar to the Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter. Both being about Greek Mythology, both having a heroine as a main character, both heroines having sick mothers and finally both heroines being somehow linked to Hades. However, while in the Goddess test the characters were mature and more serious, here, characters acted like immature kids. Their conversations, the way they acted, the way they reacted, everything. Although, I liked this one's tests more, they were more exciting.

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I was sent an e-ARC from Astrid Arditi on Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Greek Gods, heartbreak, mystery- everything I love.

The story follows a 17 year old called Hope, who receives an invitation for a magical competition. All the 12th graders receive this invitation in NYC, but only a few can read it. She is whisked away to Mount Olympus, with the others who could read the invitation. She and the others are put through training for a "quest" to find the next Olympic hero.

Each major god chooses 2 candidates to represent them, and surprisingly, Hope is picked by Hades. Hades son, Kieron made his father pick Hope, because he liked her. He has some bad boy vibes. I will reveal no more spoilers!

The only critisism that I have for this book is that I thought everything was a little bit too rushed. I didn't get to see the plot or characters grow as much as I hoped. Also, I expected everything to happen, Hope being picked, the ending etc.

Overall, 4 stars!

Birdy xx

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I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

I like these kinds of books about human's mixing with the gods, this was solidly written.
We meet Hope Diaz, hard working senior in High school, on the swim team. Her mother is suffering from alzheimer's and she's doing her best to cope with it.
Everyone in the city of Manhattan receives a mysterious invitation, but to most people it appears mostly blank, to others cryptic words are written but they are warned and are forbidden from speaking about it.
Things happen and she finds herself in the middle of Mount Olympus as a member in a competition to choose the next Olympian Hero.
I like the story, the love interest isn't quite believable, I wish a little more personality and emotion were built into these characters, it was so close to being right. But felt a little shallow on that aspect.
But overall was enjoyable.

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A beautiful book! Hope is sent to Mount Olympia by mistake. It is here she finds friends, love, and purpose. Greek Mythology has always been fascinating to me, and this author has done an amazing job telling many tales without it becoming boring or jumbled!

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While I have a soft spot for Greek mythology, this book did not disappoint. This book has a fresh spin on heroes versus Gods and is a solid YA title. I'm looking forward to more in this series!.

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I was obsessed with Greek mythology as a child and this book brought back the love I had for it. This was such a fun read! The characters were easy to like from the beginning, especially Hope, Gabriel and Kieran (I have to say I fell for Kieran when she did.). It was well-written, flowed perfectly and kept my interest throughout with the descriptive challenges that continued to spark my imagination.

It was the perfect blend of Percy Jackson and Hunger Games.

Thank you for the privilege of getting an eARC. I'm so happy to have found another trilogy to look forward to reading. I can't wait for the next one!

PS I'm a graphic designer and the first thing that caught my eye was that breathtaking cover. Amazing!!!

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I was so excited with the description of this book. Ever since i read the Covenant series by Jennifer L Armentrout I have been needing another Greek god book and this book by Astrid Arditi has really satisfied my need for a little while at least. I was not let down with this book.
There was so many characters and so much going on but it was never overwhelming. The characters were so diverse that it was almost impossible to not relate to at least one of the characters. I really loved the descriptions of the Gods the most. They were all so funny and they felt non human and human at the same time.
I like the romances in this book because the plot is so exciting that the romance story line is sort of secondary to the main plot which is great because that makes romances more enjoyable to me. Without spoiling anything for anyone I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed one romance in particular, I found it very amusing.
The only negative I have is that some of the chapters jump around a little bit too much for my liking but I think that is a personal preference thing.
Olympian challenger has definitely made me want to read more mythology books and more by Astrid Arditi.

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Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I must admit the cover is what first drew me to the book; it's gorgeous! I enjoy reading YA novels that have strong females characters that don't sit back and let the boys take charge. Hope Diaz thought she was trying to save someone, not become an Olympian challenger. She has the strength to stand up for others, but will her self-doubt be her downfall? This book drew me in right away, and I loved reading it. It's perfect blend of adventure, and coming of age romance that anyone will like. The author stayed true to Olympian tales which I enjoyed and I look forward to read the next book.

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I have always loved Greek mythology and the last saga I read before starting this book was also about this, so I was pretty obsessed with the subject before starting and had really high expectations about it.
In brief this book seems totally recommendable to me and it fulfilled my expectations, I can’t give it 5 stars because I felt the whole book that I was reading a story instead of really feeling part of it. But I have faith in the following books, I look forward to them (2019 u.u)
The book itself was easy to read and I only had a couple of problems to understand some parts until the context guided me (this may have been because I am not a native English speaker). In fact more than once I got confused if they were talking about Hope the protagonist or about having hope. (Dishonor to my cow for this XD)
The central theme behind the story, the competition, was very entertaining and included enough mythology as a bonus. As for the characters, some just were lovely like Gabriel and Amy. Hope is also an interesting character but it is soooo good that it gets stressful sometimes XD. Most of the characters are introduced drop by drop, which makes you begin to really like them when the story is well advanced. Especially with Kieron, I love his character but I feel I knew him very little and I wish I had seen a little more of his personality change cause it was too drastic for me. Anyway, I’m not too worried about this ‘cause it’s only the first book in the series and we will have time to get to know everyone better and get deeper into the world that Astrid presents to us. Regarding the gods ... I love them because they are excessively imperfect. The heroes are much better though, especially Bellerophon (whose name is not so difficult but for some reason I am unable to say aloud XD), but I deeply desire the power of Aphrodite...
Now I need a second to express ... probably Heath is the character that I’ve hated the most in centuries! When I started reading, I was sure that he would be part of the typical love triangle and that we would understand why he does everything and blablabla. BUT NOOOOOO, he’s just a damn bastard, if you read this, feel free to hate him from the beginning, do not bother thinking about it XD. Actually I swear I hated him more every chapter and that just reading his name makes me angry, I just Hope (see what I did here? xD) that I’m not offending an important character for Astrid, if so I’m reaaaaally sorry but I still hate him :)
I just need to add that I really got kind of obsessed while I read the book and ended in every Astrid group in facebook, don't even know how that happened. And that I'm IN LOVE with the cover. I strongly recommend to give this book a try.

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I always love reading Greek Mythology stories, so of course I jumped on the chance on reading Olympian Challenger. Olympian Challenger is a bit like reading any Greek Mythology like Percy Jackson/Hercules, but the plot of the stories are not the same. I enjoyed reading how Hope and her new found friends embark on challenges hoping to win. Through their ups and down, Gabrielle, Amy and Hope became inseparable. I love their friendship and how lifted each other up and how much they believed in each other. Most of all I enjoyed the little bits of forbidden romance that Author Astrid Arditi gave us of Hope and Kieron, but it wasn’t enough. I hope to read more about Hope an Kieron’s growing romance in book 2. This story had lots of action/adventures that kept me reading. I would love to read book 2, can’t wait.

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I absolutely loved this book. When I put it down, I couldn't stop thinking about where it would lead next. Subtle romance, but not the main focus of rhe story, but still a part of the story. The author did a great job in the writing of this book. Very descriptive!! The characters were great. I would love to read the next one as well. Looking forward to joining my heroine again in her journey. LOVE LOVE LOVE

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When I first started this book, I wasn't sure I was going to make it past the first five chapters. The author seemed to have a love affair with adjectives and adverbs, and honestly, it was annoying.

Another thing she did was try to put in every cliche she possibly could from the Beginner's Handbook for New Writers: Plucky heroine befriends hard-hearted loner. Girl/boy fall in love, angering boy's powerful father. Heroine must win to save the world. That kind of thing.

Finally, though, we made it to the meat of the book. I wouldn't consider it steak, more like a decent hamburger, but it satisfied the teen hiding inside me. Sometimes, you just want a book that's fairly light and predictable with very little strife going on.

Don't get me wrong-I liked the book. For one thing, the heroine didn't do anything so stupid I wanted to jump in and slap her. She was pretty rational throughout. She also thought things through without leaping before looking. Even when she and Love Interest had a spat, she realized she was being unfair to him. I like that. Too many times I read a book where the main character does one stupid thing after another, and doesn't take anyone else's feelings into consideration. This alone made the book worth reading.

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I am not a fan of mythology but this book may have just changed that. The main character Hope, who this book is centered on finds herself in Mt Olympus after trying to save a "drowning" boy. The only way to leave is to compete against other boys and girls who had also found themselves there in order to become a hero or heroine.

The winner of the challenge gets to win a wish from the gods who all make an appearance in this book. From Zeus, Hades, Aphrodite to Ares. What follows is a deadly competition where challengers are cut after every challenge.

Some things that I liked about this book.
1. The cover. This is one of the prettiest covers I've seen this year.
2. The pacing. I wouldn't describe it as fast paced but maybe the right pace? There was no lull in the middle or anywhere for that matter like in most books.
3. I liked Hope although she was such a goody-goody. Surely there is no one this nice.
4. The mythology

I removed one star because honestly that was the worst ending I have ever read. I can't wait for the next book, I want to find out more about Kieron. Please, please no random facts about him in book two.

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Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi is an adventure filled novel featuring a well-paced and spirited story littered with Greek Mythology, forbidden romance and high stakes action.

Seventeen year old Hope Diaz is a model student and carer to her ailing mother whose dementia is growing worse with every passing day. All Hope wants is to do the best for her mother, and then she receives a baffling invite to participate in a mysterious competition. After an act of bravery sees her taken to Mount Olympus where Hope meets the Greek gods in the flesh, she finds herself participating in a tournament where contenders must complete a number of quests in order to be crowned the winner and be rewarded their hearts wish. Knowing it must be too good to be true, Hope desperately searches for a way back home, determined to find a way out of Mount Olympus. Instead she finds herself drawn to a fascinating shadow god who wants to convince her to stay. Winning the competition may be what Hope needs to save her mother, but with every challenge becoming more and more treacherous, the contenders aren’t guaranteed to make it out alive. Deciding what she’ll fight for is only the beginning as Hope begins to discover the tournament has a darker purpose than the participants were led to believe….

Olympian Challenger was a really impressive novel and I have to say I enjoyed it very, very much. As a fan of Greek mythology, I really appreciated what Astrid Arditi has done with this novel. Not only does she give the Greek gods we’re all familiar with—Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena etc---a modern twist, but she also explores some histories of the lessor known deities and the heroes that litter ancient Greek literature. It was refreshing to read about something I hadn’t heard a million times before, while also enjoying the tales I was familiar with and comfortable reading about.

Main character Hope was a real joy to follow. She was honorable and courageous and kind-hearted. Here was a girl taken from her life and facing tremendous challenges but each one she faced with poise and grace, loyalty and humility. Hope was quick to help people and not someone to put herself above others; I liked that. She was self-sacrificing and kind, while also being quick thinking and intelligent.

Olympian Challenger is a very emotionally packed and eventful novel. I liked many of the characters Hope met including Amy and Gabriel who became true friends to her and of course Kieron who is her love interest and a soulful god who made Hope weak at the knees. Kieron was certainly swoon worthy and I think he and Hope had a great chemistry—I’ll definitely be vying for their romance. I also liked the demi-god trainers who teach the contenders during the story—they were very unique and personable.

Ending well and definitely leaving me raring for more, Olympian Challenger had all the elements of a great book and I can’t wait until Astrid Arditi releases the next instalment in the series as I’m keen to read what happens to Hope next.

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This was Quite a pleasant Read!

I honestly was not expecting to enjoy the book as a much as i did. i've always loved greek mythology however find it really difficult to find a book in this subject that isnt too cheesy.


The story follows a group of teens who all of sudden find themselves on Mount Olympus competing against each other in the presence of the ancient greek gods. Specifically our main Character is Hope, and she comes with everything you expect of a lead female in a book, she witty, intelligent and independent. Hope is sent a mysterious invitation to compete in the Olympic challenger that promises her a wish is she wins.

The book as a bit of a ' Hunger Games' feel in the sense that Hope if transported and trained by the pantheon of greek gods ready to take on the other contenders shes up against - although she doesn't want to be there and is searching for a way out despite the winner being granted their ultimate hearts desire. Hope has great sense of compassion and this shows throughout the trials

Arditi has great character building and every individual really does stick out in their own way, the take on greek mythology is honestly great and really geats some great world building into the storyline.

We also have an interesting little love story when Hope Meeting Kieron - the shadow god. hes captivating and mysterious and brings and element to Hope's Character that really draws you in throughout the storyline although he does have ulterior motives like all the gods watching the games.

Overall i really have loved this book. it kept me gripped throughout and i LOVED the greek mythology theme - the characters are great and well written

and Hope is a true heroine that has everything to offer in a good read as well as plenty of flaws and i'm genuinely looking forward to the next book in the series.

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Olympian Challenger was such a refreshing Greek Mythology Book! It really had an interesting spin on the Gods and for once included lesser Gods rather than only the Olympians! Seriously obsessed with Keiron btw!
The story begins when every 17 year old in New York receives a letter telling them ‘they’re cordially invited to...’
Only descendants of the Greek Gods could read the rest of the letter and our MC, Hope Diaz, just happens to be able to read it(;
Hope is completely confused by this letter, as any sane person would be when threatened through a mysterious letter that only she can read, and doesn’t know whether she’s going crazy (totally possible) or if something else is happening.
At this point she finds herself jumping into a river to save a boy who seemingly is trying to commit suicide and BOOM she’s in Olympus.
The rest I want to keep under wraps to avoid spoilers! I will say though that this was a seriously fun read, I literally could not put it down
This seems like it’s going to be a series, so I can’t wait for book two!

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I love mythology and it has been a very long time since I have enjoyed a good mythology fantasy book.

I love this cover because I have always loved fashion (pretty dresses are my weakness). The mystical cover with the moon, mist and peculiar lightning was a great visual choice. That along with the intrigue of the title was enough to get me to request the ARC. When I saw that this was a mythology based fantasy book I was more than happy to read it as quickly as I could. It took me about a week to read the first chapter because I kept on getting distracted, but once I sat down and actually read the book, it went by really fast. I went into the typical book trance and enjoying every moment I could spend in Arditi’s world. Each character has some quirky and endearing trait. This created a great depth that made the characters realistic and relatable.

The gods were similar to how I imagine them. They have a snobbish sense of power when in the presence of mere mortals. I know a fair amount of Greek mythology and it was fun and interesting to see Arditi’s portrayal of Olympus and all its inhabitants.

The smallest issue I had was that Hope was a little bit too angsty teenager for me. I have read A LOT of young adult fiction and thus I can say that the teenagers don’t actually tend to be as full of angst and hurt as Hope. Of course, this shows how Hope has a layer to her that is not often seen. She has a side to her character that is normally seen as a negative trait, yet Hope somehow makes it work.

The Olympus that Astrid Arditi has created for us is a rich and enticing world. It is not the utopia it seems to be. Arditi gives the Olympian world that bad taste of over-opulence and beauty that is hiding the ugly underneath. It looks like the flower but is actually the serpent under it. (A little bit of Shakespeare paraphrasing for all those Shakespearean lovers out there).

This book will be great for people who love mythology and adventure. It might not appeal to all audiences but in general I recommend it if these types of genres interest you.

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Ok, I chose this book cause I love Greek Mythology so any book that has that will get a second look from me. I was happy I gave this book a read. Let me get you straight on this. This book is a young adult (I mean young, almost pre-teen in my opinion) book. Not that I am complaining one bit about it. The story line was very interesting and the characters were very well developed. The characters were easily either liked or disliked quite quickly and that kept the story moving along. The casting of how the Gods & Goddesses were left me a little sour in the mouth but that is to be expected. Hades was cast as a bit more "evil" then I feel that he actually is in most of the legends. My main issue is that for most of the heroes in the story you had to go outside the book to find their back stories. I felt that the story would have been better if you knew the legends about the heroes that are listed in the book. Why they behave and act the way they do.

The main character, Hope, is very well developed and you quickly like her and cheer & cry along with her as she unwillingly competes in the challenge with her rivals. You feel the deep love she has for her mother and for me the ending was quite a shock. The decision she made, in my opinion, will either break her or make her stronger down the line.

I can not wait for the next two books to come out to see where this story line and plot go. If nothing else to read more about the budding romance between Hope & her shadow god. Even if you are an adult and want a nice easy read that will keep you engaged then you will like this book.

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Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi is a more grown-up version of Percy Jackson, bringing the Gods into the present.
After receiving a mysterious invitation, Hope Diaz finds herself on Mount Olympus competing to become the God's new hero and get the wish promised to the winner.
Hope's goodness shines through the darkest moments. (Hades is involved, so there's going to be some darkness.) You can't help but like her. Hope struggles to stay true to herself and not get caught up in the game. She bonds with Amy and Gabriel. Their interactions were both endearing and hilarious. Amy and Hope are so different, but they help balance each other. Gabriel's temperament is closer to Hopes, but he has issues of his own. My favorite conversations involved Hope and Kieron, the dark mysterious God she's drawn to. There was an instant attraction, but their relationship evolved with the story instead of jumping straight to being in "love." The relationships are all well written.
The author's description of Mount Olympus was amazing. There was just the right amount of detail that makes you feel like you've gone to Olympus and drank ambrosia with the Gods. Olympian Challenger was so sweet and action packed I can't wait to read the next book!

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This book has easily paved it's way into my heart. Spellbinding is the right word for Astrid Arditi’s writing. She has serenely woven a new world of Greek Mythology, and made it a hundred times better. Must pick for dystopia lovers. Throughly enjoyed. Waiting for the second part. Find my blog review with the link:

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Book Review of Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi
Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟
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I’m personally a big sucker for Greek Mythology books. So I’m always down to read retellings or reimaginings.
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Hope is a teenage girl just trying to get by and take care of her mother who is sick. Until one night where her life is swiftly changed and she’s taken to Mount Olympus to compete to become the next Hero.
I honestly love the gods and lower gods all being involved and the challenges they have to face are epic as are the quests they need to finish to move on in the competition.
Hope makes some unlikely friends whom I adore. Especially the shadow god that likes whispering from shadows and being the perfect broody god you would expect.
I’m so sad I have to wait until 2019 to get the next book in this trilogy.
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Astrid Arditi did a fabulous job with the scenery she paints for you and the intricate quests she has the challengers go on. Definitely would recommend this book. It has Greek mythology tied with new humans into the mix, courageous acts from friends, and a romance that’ll make you swoon.

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This book is a gem for readers who were captivated by the Rick Riordan Olympus series. Similar in some ways but darker. This was a book difficult to put down. I have found a new author for our young adults and look forward to the other books in this series

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Olympian Challenger ~ Astrid Arditi
HYLIANREBEL June 20, 2018

An amazing journey into the world of the Greek Gods. It is hard to find a way to do a spin on the Olympians that hasn’t been done in some form of fashion, but I believe the Astrid Arditi has done just this. The story was well written and well read. I was waiting to find out what came next every time I had to step away from the book.

Astrid has managed to instantly establish a secure and emotional connection with the heroine. Quickly giving you a sense of their personality without taking more than a couple of pages. She has even managed to give a good well rounded personality to the supporting characters. Making a lasting impression on each and every player on the board. You cant help but hate the villains (even though they aren’t who you think at first), love the underdogs, and want to save every single friend.

She has awaken the Olympus that we have all imagined at one point growing up. From the colossal temples to the cloud filled surroundings. Every aspect of Mount Olympus is as you would expect it to be with out feeling like you just watched a Disney movie. Hopes home in New York is described in such a way that it could be your own home adding to the attachment to the character.

I will personally be awaiting the next installment in this fast paced new series from Astrid Arditi.

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i really liked this book. It was a great mix of urban and fantasy, and a nice touch of mythology. I really enjoyed the romance aspects, as well as the world building and strong series opener. The characters were strong and likeable, a solid read.

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