Every so often the Gods of Olympus like to play with mere mortals, and Lyra doesn’t want to become involved in THE GAMES GODS PLAY, no one really wants to deal with gods and their egos. She is simply trying to keep her head down and survive being a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, having been cursed by Zeus – though she didn’t do anything as she was only an infant.

Once again it is time for their newest game. It is time for the Crucible – where a new King of Kings is chosen. But the Gods can’t be bothered to battle for themselves – no they chose a mortal to do the games and Lyra is chosen by the worst of all Gods. Hades – King of the Underworld has chosen her as his champion. She isn’t sure if she is a pawn, bait or distraction but the gorgeous temptation of a God does do wonders for her tripping heart.

THE GAMES GODS PLAY by author Abigail Owen is a cross between Hunger Games and Percy Jackson but very much with adults in mind. The mythological aspects of this book were well written and helped to explain the context of what was going on to those of us who have limited knowledge. The Gods, the Fates, and even Cerberus (who doesn’t love a three-headed dog) come alive in these pages.

Lyra and Hades are sometimes a mixed bag. Lyra had been cursed by Zeus as an infant and felt that she was never going to find love because of it (you have to read THE GAMES GODS PLAY to get the full story on that). She has a mouth on her and is full of sarcasm, but she manages to care about and be kind to others. Hades is at times a caring and concerned person only to turn and be the secretive king of the underworld who was definitely playing his own games. Though there is a bit of romance of the steamy kind that brings them together.

The only drawback I found in THE GAMES GODS PLAY was the repetitive nature of the mentioning of Lyra’s curse and how it works or doesn’t work. Once or twice was enough to understand why she believed what she did. That aside it was an entertaining look at Gods and mortals mixing in the world. Look for a lot of twists and turns because - well - there are Gods and Goddesses involved after all, so it is expected.

As always Ms. Owen offers her readers a well-written, exciting fantasy that will take them to another world. THE GAMES GODS PLAY does end in a cliffhanger – so be prepared for that.