The Immortal Games by Annaliese Avery

Where to start with The Immortal Games. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this book which I am very grateful for. Going in, I was very excited, Greek Gods and a Hunger Games-esque storyline, it ticked a lot of my nerdy boxes.

The Immortal Games centres around Ara, a young women who lives in the village of Oropusa in Ancient Greece. Every year, when the Blood Moon appears in the sky, the whole of Greece celebrates as it marks the start of The Immortal Games.

The Immortal Games is the yearly event where the Greek Gods of Olympus choose tokens (young Greek men and women) to compete is a series of challenges until one is crowned the victor. After years of the games, most young Grecians pray they are not chosen but not Ara.

Ara has a plan, a reason to compete. A few years prior, her sister Estella was chosen to be the Token of Zeus. Unfortunately, she did not survive. Estalla’s death ripped the family apart but it gave Ara determination to seek revenge.

On the night of the Blood Moon Festival, tragedy befalls Ara and she is clingy to the edge of life, an unlikely ally saves her. But all is not as it seems. Ara has been chosen. She is a token touched by death. As Token of Hades, Ara must literally fight for her life to secure her chance to get close to the God she blames for her sister’s death, Zeus.

While the tributes face their trials below, high on Mount Olympus another challenge is being fought. Fuelled with centuries of bitter resentment and brotherly feuding, Hades, Zeus and Poseidon enter into a wager that could end life as they know it for good. The god who represents the winner of The Immortal Games can lay claim to all three thrones of Olympus, the sky, the sea and the underworld.

As the tributes progress through each trial, their numbers begin to dwindle as one by one they perish to the challenges that Hermes has laid out for them. Aided by gifts from their gods, the tokens must figure out how to stay alive and reach their final destination, The Crown of the North.

If fighting for your life and being a pawn for the Greek Gods wasn’t enough, Ara must face one of her biggest rivals, the boy she is in love with (Theron) who has also been chosen by none other than Zeus. Caught between her will to survive, Theron (who seems to not be the person she knew anymore), her burning desire to kill Zeus and the blossoming lust she feels towards Hades, Will Ara survive long enough to see the outcome?

I loved every minute of The Immortal Gods. From page one, I was transfixed. Being an ancient history nerd, I loved the portrayal of the gods especially Hades, who is not painted as the god that enjoys the deaths of people but as a god that is saddened by the people that enter through his gates, wanting them to have the best afterlife. I cannot recommend this book enough and have already made several friends put it on their TBR piles.