The Immortality Trials: Skies of Olympus by Eliza Raine

Twelve Trials to Amuse Bored Gods

What a very fascinating read! I enjoy tales that are spin-offs of Greek or Roman mythology, and this a particularly enjoyable one. The author has set up a good premise that will see this series through twelve novellas: The Greek gods are bored and decide to choose heroes to face twelve trials, and the victor’s team will win immortality. Each of the twelve gods will choose a champion, but only four will be chosen to compete in the trials. One of these is Lyssa, daughter of Hercules, and she very much wants to win against her father, whom she sees as a brute who murdered her mother and brother. She certainly does not want him to be immortal.

I thought the author set the scene very well, showing Lyssa’s life as a smuggler before Athena comes to her ship to choose her as her hero to put forth for the trials. The goddess believes that Lyssa is the only one who could beat Hercules. Lyssa has made quite a life for herself, skirting the edges of the law as a captain of a smuggler ship. The author also did a good job showing how Lyssa is physically strong with her quarter-god ability to feel rage and channel it. She is a strong and believable heroine who is uncomfortable being thrust into the limelight after so many years in the shadows after she chose to flee from her father. The author also wrote good descriptions of the above-Olympus world; I could imagine it quite easily. I look forward to reading more about these trials.