I’m obsessed with Maz Evans’ Who Let the Gods Out series, if you haven't read them yet then you're seriously missing out ⚡️ A super, hilarious adventure series full of Greek mythology, brilliant characters and a dash of saving the world drama! Here are my reviews!
Who Let the Gods Out (Book One)
Everyone knows and loves Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson - half boy, half god, all hero. Riordan absolutely nailed it when he brought Greek mythology into children’s literature as it’s an idea that’s rarely drawn on within the diverse and broad world of kids lit. I’m a massive fan of myths, legends and folk tales, especially the Greek Gods, so coming across Maz Evan’s Who Let the Gods Out I was VERY excited! Twelve-year-old Elliot Hooper has a lot on his plate: he’s being bullied by a teacher at school; his mums health is disorienting; his home is under threat, and to top it all off he accidentally discovers that Gods are real and finds himself drawn into an ancient mythological war with the fate of the world hanging in the balance! Maz has such a fresh, time relevant, hilarious outlook on the Greek Gods. The scenes with the Zodiac Council were especially my favourite - bringing to life the star signs was a magical touch. But in between the laugh out loud moments, Maz perfectly grounds the novel with the touching relationship between Elliot and his mother and Elliot and Virgo’s friendship. Who Let the Gods Out is a brilliantly fast-paced adventure story that will have kids, and parents, reading way past their bedtimes ⚡️
Simple the Quest (Book 2)
I absolutely LOVED Who Let the Gods Out and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the eagerly anticipated second instalment, Simply the Quest! Elliot, by far is one of my all time favourite characters, and I was so excited to carry on with his continuing friendship with Virgo, and also with his moving relationship with his mum, but did it match up to the first? Oh boy it matched up and more! The book literally absorbed me from page one and the pages practically turned themselves as I laughed, cried and cheered with Elliot and his motley crew of Gods. Simply the Quest follows on almost directly from Who Let the Gods Out as Elliot and the Gods try to prevent Thanatos, the daemon of death, from getting his hands on the Chaos Stone. We meet a bunch of new Gods and Underworld characters along the way, likes Hades and Persephone, and Maz is excellent at writing her villains - Nyx is terrifying but hilarious. However, the story is extremely poignant in parts, such as Elliot’s mums worsening dementia, that I had tissues on hand. Maz Evans is an extremely talented author to be able to capture such a perfect depth and balance of adventure and humour versus emotion and sensitive subjects in a middle grade novel is masterful. The characters are so realistic, genuine and hilarious that if I could have a dinner with anyone in the world it would be with Elliot and the Gods! Simply the Quest is true to the pun - simply the best!⚡️
Beyond the Odyssey (Book Three)
As you know from my past reviews, I’m a huge fan of this series! Who isn’t?! Throughout the series we meet Elliot as he teams up with the Greek Gods (who have abandoned Olympus and now live on earth with Elliot and his mum) to search for the Chaos Stones, to prevent Thanatos from ruling the world! Keeping up with the hilarious, breath-taking, fast pace of the previous two books, Beyond the Odyssey, offers just as many twists and turns, laughs and tears, as Elliot and the Gods try to track down a potentially magical potion that could cure Elliot’s mums dementia. The tone of the book felt a lot darker compared to the others, as the stakes are incredibly high for Elliot, but Maz still maintains the hilarious humour that the series is known for. The odyssey begins with new characters, old favourites, new places, old haunts, but can Elliot save his mum, even if it means sacrificing the fate of the world? I absolutely cannot wait for the fourth instalment - Against All Gods (Book Four) is out February 2019! Pre-order now via Waterstones here.
