Ungodly: A Novel (The Goddess War, 3) - Hardcover

KENDARE BLAKE holds an M.A. in creative writing from Middlesex University in northern London. She is the critically acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares, and The Goddess War trilogy, including Antigoddess, Mortal Gods, and Ungodly. She lives and writes in Lynnwood, Washington.

Gr 7 Up—The final book in the modern, Greek myth-based "Goddess War" trilogy (Tor Teen) finds the group scattered after their failed attack on Olympus. Hermes is trying to lead and protect Andie and Henry. Athena remains on the banks of the underworld, where Odysseus hovers between life and death. Cassie and Calypso are in California, where Cassie seeks revenge for Aidan. The gods are dealing with the painful loss of their immortality, and the gaining of human emotions. The reincarnated humans from Troy are now supercharged by the myths that surrounded their previous lives, giving them powers once limited to the gods. A sense of fear and urgency rings through the dialogue as the gods race to save themselves and their friends. After quests, adventures, and schemes, they gather once more in Kincade, having formed new and surprising alliances. The deities turn out to be as dysfunctional as any human family, but they find a way to put their differences aside and work together. Athena and Cassidy change the most over the course of this volume and the series. Athena begins to accept that she can fall in love and make mistakes. Cassie struggles to let go of her desire to kill all of the gods. In the end, the characters defy the Fates and create their own destinies. More fast-paced and action-packed than the first two installments, this entry will engage teens because of the family tensions and loyalties, shifting alliances, constantly changing emotions, and the characters' desire for love and vengeance. VERDICT Purchase where the previous titles have a strong following.—Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA