Set Fire to the Gods

August 10, 2020
In this Greco-Roman-inspired duology opener from Raasch (the Stream Raiders series) and Simmons (the Vale Hall series), disputes between the six gods are settled gladiator-style by their human offspring. Only those who have inherited their progenitor’s magic can serve as that deity’s champion. After earth god Geoxus, the ruler of “the western country of Deimos,” declares war on fire god Ignitus, the ruler of Kula, their descendants—Madoc Aurelius, 18, an olive-skinned Deiman laborer, and Ash Nikau, 18, a brown-skinned Kulan dancer, respectively—volunteer for the arena. Madoc, hoping to earn enough money in combat to buy his adopted sister’s freedom from indentured servitude, doesn’t reveal that his abilities don’t stem from Geoxus, which would render him ineligible. Ash intends to avenge her mother, Char, who was killed by a Deiman gladiator—and to depose Ignitus, whom she blames for Char’s death and Kula’s poverty. When Ash discovers Madoc’s secret, she endeavors to win him to her cause, potentially at the risk of his own. Ample action and earnest romance fail to fully compensate for murky mythology and heavy-handed plotting. Although vividly rendered, characters feel underdeveloped, undermining the tale’s emotional heft. Ages 13–up. Agents: (for Raasch) Mackenzie Brady Watson, Stuart Krichevsky Agency; (for Simmons) Joanna MacKenzie, Nelson Literary Agency.

August 1, 2020

Gr 7 Up-A high stakes YA fantasy full of elemental gladiator fight sequences and political schemes. The diverse world-building puts familiar Greco-Roman mythology in a blender with Avatar: The Last Airbender. Each of the six gods have a different elemental magic called energeias. After the gods defeated the Mother Goddess, they settled down in six countries and now resolve their conflicts through energeias-ly gifted gladiators in arena combat rather than all-out war. Geoxus (god of earth and stone energeias) and Ignitus (god of fire energeias) declare war and bring the young gladiators together. Olive-skinned Madoc Aureliu has lived in the slums of Geoxus' country, making money in street fights and hiding his energeias by pretending to be powerless. Ash Nikau, who has brown skin, is the daughter of Ignitus's favorite gladiator and is forced to take her mother's place when a fight goes sideways. The well-executed plot is occasionally hampered by melodramatic moments and underdeveloped world-building. The mythologies often get repeated instead of expanded upon, making the world feel flat despite the interesting characters. The strength of the novel rests on the character relationships; not just the budding enemies-to-lovers romance between Madoc and Ash, but with their families, friends, and gods. Raasch and Simmons balance a large and memorable cast of characters with aplomb. VERDICT Recommended for libraries where fantasy and dystopia are popular, this series starter's action scenes are on par with the level of violence found in the "Hunger Games" novels.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2020
Two reluctant foes ally to fight for survival in this series starter. After defeating the Mother Goddess who gave them their magical powers (energeias), the six gods (and their six countries) can now settle conflicts through their similarly powered gladiators in arenas. While some gods have retreated, Geoxus (geoeia, or earth and stone magic) and Ignitus (igneia, or fire magic) continue their quarrels. Once a street-brawling quarry worker and seemingly powerless "pigstock" due to his lack of geoiea, Madoc Aurelius takes to the arena to free his adoptive sister from his evil estranged father's clutches. But with fame and fighting come the risk of exposing his true energeia, a long-forgotten power. Meanwhile, former fire dancer Ash Nikau arrives in Deimos hoping to avenge her mother, defeat Ignitus, and save Kula from starvation and invasion. Pawns in a vast power struggle, the two champions predictably overcome enmity to become allies amid melodramatically escalating stakes. The co-written effort from Raasch and Simmons is colorful, gritty (literally, given the stone magic), and roiling with emotion, yet the repetitive mythology is underdeveloped, the worldbuilding an unexplained Greco-Roman mishmash, and the plot twists telegraphed. Resembling their manifested gods, Ash and Madoc have black hair; Ash has brown skin. A self-righteous romance disguised as a gladiatorial slugfest and political thriller lacking much punch. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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