Rachel Menard

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
There are some scenes of violence, including one particularly aggressive fight between the two main characters. Genocide takes place off the page and is retold through flashbacks and memories. The topic of genocide is discussed throughout the book. References to several deaths, including mass murder, off page are referred to in flashbacks. There is one brutal animal death and other scenes of animal cruelty. The book engages with and discusses themes of patriarchy, forced marriage, misogyny, and abuse (emotional and physical).

Game of Strength and Storm is a brilliant reimagining of Greek mythology, transferring the mythological tales into a sprawling fantasy world where characters and creatures of legend inhabit islands. Every aspect of the world-building is shaped from Greek mythology, right down to the landscapes and fauna. As someone who has always been drawn to mythology, and Greek in particular, I fell in love with the world Menard created very quickly.

Her characters are just as likeable, with Gen the half Mazon (Menard’s version of Amazons) placed in the role of hero, and Castor in the role of anti-hero. Both have a unique set of abilities, and when they both use their lottery wish to ask the Empresses for something life changing the Empresses are eager to get something out of the deal. The thought of placing the two young women up against each other in a test is too good to resist. Gen and Cas find themselves with a choice; walk away with nothing or complete the impossible list of tasks that the other lottery winners have requested from the Empresses. And for good measure the Empresses have thrown in a few others, such as kill the hydra.

If this is sounding a bit familiar, it should. Game of Strength and Storm is a genderbent retelling of the labours of Hercules. The tasks that Gen and Cas have to complete are pulled straight from the myth, however, that’s where the similarity ends. This is a whole new story and while there are some similarities between Hercules and Gen’s story (mass murder and a link to family appear in both), they are very different otherwise. The story of what happened with Gen’s family is heartbreaking, and the history that Menard has woven for the Mazon’s is hauntingly beautiful.

Likewise, Cas’ story cuts just as deep. I called her the anti-hero of this story and circumstances beyond her control have forced her into that role. She’s a headstrong woman in the last patriarchal hold out, the only Island where succession goes to the next male heir and female offspring are pawns to be married off for influential and political gains. Despite spending years trying to prove to her father that she’s the woman for the job, her father refuses to budge and still only sees her for her gender. Cas is also attracted to women rather than men, so her island’s archaic laws will trap her in a loveless marriage no matter who the match is with.

As you can imagine, Cas’s father is not going to be best pleased when he finds out what Cas is trying to do, so it’s not just her freedom and future that is on the line. She’s on a clock to outrun her father’s fury and his goons, and she’s got the money, influence and storm powers to do it. No one is getting in her way. Enter Pollux, aka Lux, her twin and this is where things get very interesting. Normally at this point in the story it’s obvious where this is going to go; sibling rivalry. It was refreshing to have a sibling actually care about the other and meddling to prevent their sibling winning for wholesome reasons.

Lux doesn’t care about being in charge of their family’s powerful company, he doesn’t want to inherit. He just wants to be left alone to do his own thing which is completely different to what his father and sister believe that their ability to capture and bottle storms should be. The family has been selling the weather to the highest bidder for three generations now, including weaponising it, and Lux has found his own unique way of using their abilities which they do not recognise. Both of them have written him off entirely, however, he’s the male heir and tradition dictates that he will inherit. He would much rather have nothing to do with it, however, Lux sees it as the only way to undo the mistakes and tragedies that his family have had a hand in. That’s if he can stop Cas from winning, but before that he has to save her from their father’s wrath.

The fact that it allows him to help Gen, the famous circus performer he fell in love with long ago, is of course, just a bonus… (més)

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
There are scenes of violence, blood, gore and violent death in this book. This includes scenes depicting and discussing loss and grief, and a loss of a hand. There are several abusive relationships in this book; one is an emotionally abusive father towards his two children (on page and shown in flashbacks during childhood) and the other is an emotionally and physically abusive relationship between a master and a servant. Other themes in this book include depression, alcoholism, misogynist attitudes, and trauma.

At the end of Game of Strength and Storm Gen was faced with the shocking reality that the Olympian Empresses had set her up. Despite winning their impossible competition and defeating the hydra, a feat no one else had ever accomplished, they named her rival Castor the winner and denied Gen her prize; her father’s freedom. The Empresses give Gen another opportunity to save her father, another two tasks more impossible than the last. All she has to do is bring them the legendary golden apples of Hesperides and the monstrous Cerberus, both of which are in the Elysium Empire. The Olympian Empire has an uneasy truce with the Elysium Empire after a history of war, and Gen knows that her actions will undoubtedly provoke another war. But with her father out of prison and now in the Empresses “care”, she has no choice.

Meanwhile, Castor is not enjoying her win as much as she expected. Her father, the current Duke of Arcadia, is fighting her at every turn and refusing to pass power over to her despite the Empresses’ decree. When Cas’ actions from her competition with Gen in the previous book come back to haunt her she hatches a daring plan, one that aligns her path with her twin Pollux (Lux) and his girlfriend Gen. While Cas can’t stand Gen, and she’s never got along with her Lux, she needs them both if she’s going to pull off her plan and save Arcadia from financial ruin.

Joining these three in Clash of Fate and Fury are other characters we met in the first book; Bale, Lux’s servant who is much more than he seems, Adikia a mischievous pirate that helps them sail to the Elysium Empire and Flek, a Deaf MetalBender who’s metal magic is crucial to their quest. That’s the human characters, and there’s of course Gen’s animal companions; the grumpy and troublesome purple haired dog Chomp and her curious young whale Andromeda.

The stakes were high in the first book, and in Clash of Fate and Fury Menard has taken them even higher. Our unconventional group has to find a way to work together in unfamiliar territory where they know no one and have everything to lose if they fail. The result is a book filled with adventure, danger and great character dynamics. There’s more than one type of “clash” happening in this book, from the characters to the two empires and much more. All of which is set to the Geek myth inspired world that Menard has created. I loved her world-building in the first book, and in this one we get to see even more.

I sometimes find that sequels that promise higher stakes don’t necessarily deliver, however, Menard certainly does in Clash of Fate and Fury. There’s plenty of action, real risk and consequences that leaves even the most stubborn of characters shaken.

There’s a lot packed into this sequel, and I enjoyed the introduction of the new characters, Adikia and Flek as permanent team members. Both were interesting characters in the first book but only played brief roles, and their presence on the mission allowed Menard to explore a lot of different angles. Notable for me was Flek being from an Island where all living creatures were born without the ability to hear, an evolutionary response to the deadly shrieking caterpillars on the Island. He is asked to come on the mission because he’s the only MetalBender they know, and during their time together everyone learns how to lip-read and speak his language, Croecian (sign language). I was impressed in the first book that Menard had not just included a disabled character, but created an entire culture and civilisation that is disabled, and it was great to see more of Flek in this book.

Likewise, in regard to representation, Adikia appeared briefly in Game of Strength and Storm and there was some romantic tension between her and Cas. The synopsis already names her as Cas’ girlfriend, so it’s not a spoiler for me to say that the tension continues in Clash of Fate and Fury.

I didn’t realise that this was a duology, so the ending felt a bit abrupt to me at first simply because I wasn’t expecting it. On the one hand, I wish we were getting more adventures of these characters as I feel though there are many more stories to be told. However, I can see why Menard chose to end it where she did. Another set of quests, despite being true to the lore of Hercules, would have felt a little too ridiculous and tedious especially considering the situation.

Overall Clash of Fate and Fury had everything I wanted in it, and while I’m sad to see these characters go it’s a fond farewell and a thumbs up from me!

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… (més)

A ton of magic, badass heroines, animal companions, impossible tasks, found families and slow-burn romance. Brace yourself, because this book has it all.

Once a year, the Olympian Empresses grant the wishes of ten people selected by a lottery for a price. But this time, they change the rules and pit two girls against each other; they have to be the ones granting the wishes and only one will have her own desire fulfilled. Inspired by Greek mythology, specifically the Ancient Olympic Games, this fast-paced fantasy novel by Rachel Menard follows a dangerous competition between two 17-year-old girls: Gen, a former circus performer trying to free her wrongfully imprisoned father, who was sentenced to life for a mass murder she knows he didn’t commit; and Castor, who plans to rule Arcadia, but only after the island’s archaic laws are changed and her brother, Pullox, is no longer the rightful heir.

The main characters are diverse and quite intriguing. Genevieve, also known as Gen, is a MindWorker (she can connect, talk and influence animals to their bidding through feeding them her hair, spit or blood) and the last one of the all-female Mazon tribe (which was apparently extinct by Gargareans, an all-male tribe). Born with a fancy title, Castor, Lady of Storms, has endless money and the power to control storms. Both must use their cunning, strength and unique skill-set to master seemingly impossible tasks, including bringing to the empresses the head of a Hydra.

I love Gen: she’s determined, smart, passionate and kind. As for Castor, not so much. I mean, I would love her to be strong-headed, ambitious and proudly queer if she wasn’t too cruel most of the time; she does whatever it takes to get what she wants, even if it means hurting the people she loves. Her brother, Pollux, is the complete opposite: a misunderstood artist with a big heart and a knack for building and playing the violin.

As for the story per se, it was fast-paced but steady, which means the author let us know the characters, their backgrounds and even the lore of the world without ever leaving us dry for action. The writing is compelling and easy to read, and each POV was also very distinct. The twist at the end was expected but leaves space for a fun sequel, which I appreciate (and hope it brings us a much-need map!)… (més)

I LOVED this Viking-warrior YA story. Carina has grown up in a society where women rule, where she has trained since she was old enough to wield an axe and a knife to kill a man in multiple ways, and is now old enough to go out on her first raid. One of her hands has been replaced with a steel one. She must prove herself to the woman who raised her—who also took her from her biological parents on a raid much like the ones she now goes out on years ago.

The world building is superb, the descriptions absolutely delightful, and I fell in love with the characters and the harshness of Carina’s world. Things quickly shift gears as she finds herself a captive with Flavian, Nik and Mateo holding her prisoner on a ship. The scenes out at sea were wonderfully described and some of my favorites with a wonderful Viking/pirate feel! But why she’s been captured and where she’s being taken isn’t immediately clear. Not to worry, Carina will likely murder them all before morning. I loved the twists and turns that came as we got further in. I also loved the diversity of the characters—having strong female characters, LGBT characters, and characters with disabilities. The way the stone and the priestess and Mateo’s connection to Carina developed over the course of the story made for a great read. There were lovely hints of romance between her and Nik. A wonderful read!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
… (més)