Lyra Keres has every reason to hate the Olympian gods since Zeus cursed her the day she was born. Cursed to never be loved, Lyra’s parents abandoned her to the Order of Thieves when she was three-years-old. Trying to vent her anger at Zeus doesn’t work out for Lyra either. Stopped by Hades before she could actually do anything to Zeus' temple, Lyra soon finds herself being used as a pawn in THE GAMES GODS PLAY. The gods each choose one mortal every 100 years to fight in The Crucible on their behalf to determine who will be the King or Queen of the gods for the next 100 years and Hades, who has never participated in the games, is participating for the first time and has chosen Lyra. Going from office clerk to a champion who has to compete for the god who chose her isn’t the kind of promotion Lyra was hoping to bag, especially since Hades is rumored to be the worst god of them all. Lyra also can’t figure out why Hades would pick her. Aside from a curse that makes her unlovable, there’s nothing remarkable about her. The more she gets to know Hades though, the more she starts to believe that most people just don’t know him. No one wants Hades to be the ruler for the next 100 years, and the other gods and their champions know the best way to prevent him from ruling is to make sure Lyra can’t win. But Death has never played by the rules. While I think a great way to describe THE GAMES GODS PLAY is as a mix of The Hunger Games combined with Percy Jackson, there’s so much more to it. Abigail Owen has done an excellent job of taking the Olympian gods a lot of us know and twisting them in a way we haven’t seen. Hades is definitely a standout there. You’ve never seen the god of the underworld like this before. I love the modern take with San Francisco being Zeus’ patron city. My absolute favorite though has to be Cerberus. Who doesn’t love an adorable three-headed dog? There are a lot of twists and turns; be prepared for adventure, heartache, betrayal, suffering, and a very hot slow-burn romance. THE GAMES GODS PLAY does end on a cliffhanger, so get ready to be left wanting. I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble Lyra finds herself in for book two.
The gods love to play with us mere mortals. And every hundred years, we let them…
I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus.
Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won't notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus' patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god.
The worst god. Hades.
For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible—the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead.
So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me—a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders—as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I’m his?
I don’t know if I’m a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky?
Because Hades is playing by his own rules…and Death will win at any cost.
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