The Games Gods Play (Standard Edition)

Confused why more people aren’t reading and talking about it?!

Lyra was the perfect MC she was not only sassy with Hades but ALL of the Gods. It was hilarious and kept things interesting.

The Crucible aka games to decide who is next God of the Gods were perfectly paced and action packed. I had anxiety for the duration of each 🫠 ITS FINE

And the banter and tension between Lyra and Hades? 😩🤭 I couldn’t handle it.

The side characters were just as great as the main characters. There is a character introduced about half way through that had me giddy af. I’m not going to say more bc I want everyone to have the same surprised giddy moment that I had when they meet them!!

We will not be discussing the end. I’m pretending it doesn’t exist tysm. I need book two immediately!!!!

Overall: grab if you liked Fourth Wing

What happens when a cursed office clerk for an order of thieves and the most hated god in all of olympus collide? Magic. Abigail Owen’s new spin on the story of Hades is an enchanting read that I could not put down. Combining mythology with a new spin on the Gods of old and their magic systems, taking the reader through an unexpected yet intense journey. While the rollercoaster is insane, and I am convinced Owen deals in pain and emotion, she had me on the edge of my seat, keeping me up reading all night to find out what happens next.

Sprinkled with the right amount of mystery and deception, the story sheds new light on another side of Hades, with Lyra bringing strength and a fight first ask questions later attitude that had me laughing and crying all at the same time. While the journey is difficult, Owen keeps us engaged the whole time, with the slower parts of the story providing a refreshing break from the intensity of the peaks. While I personally would never want to enter the crucible, the story is driven through the reader's ability to feel like they are there, and it did not disappoint. Just be warned this book ends on a cliffhanger, so be prepared to sit and wait for book two.

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen is nothing short of a literary masterpiece that captivated me from the very first page. Owen’s skillful weaving of myth and magic into a captivating narrative makes this book an absolute must-read for fans of fantasy and romance alike.

From the outset, the world-building in this novel is exceptional. Owen’s depiction of a realm where gods and mortals interact with intricate rules and high stakes is both imaginative and immersive. The depth of the world she’s created is astonishing, and her attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the story.

The characters are vividly drawn and incredibly relatable. The protagonist’s journey is both thrilling and heart-wrenching, filled with moments of intense emotion and gripping suspense. Owen excels at creating multi-dimensional characters whose personal growth and relationships drive the story forward.

The romance element is handled with such finesse. It’s passionate and electric, yet deeply nuanced, adding layers of complexity to the narrative. The chemistry between the leads is palpable and beautifully rendered, making their story all the more engaging.

Owen’s writing style is fluid and captivating, with a rhythm that keeps you eagerly turning the pages. Her ability to balance action, emotion, and intrigue is nothing short of masterful. The twists and turns in the plot are unexpected and well-executed, ensuring that readers are kept on the edge of their seats.

The Games Gods Play is a spellbinding read that blends mythology, romance, and adventure in a way that only Abigail Owen can. It’s a book that lingers long after you’ve turned the final page, leaving you yearning for more. If you’re looking for a story that combines epic fantasy with an emotionally charged romance, this novel is an absolute triumph. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary journey!

This book. Wow. Just wow. It was definitely a stay up too late, cannot put it down, it should get more than 5 stars kind of book. I fell head first into the story and was equally desperate to read it all at once and also to savor it and make it last. The Greek mythology based storyline was imaginative, the characters were real and relatable, and the writing was addictive. The world building was phenomenal, woven together scene by scene, layer by layer until it became a living breathing place full of three dimensional beings. Plus, this epic fantasy will have you feeling all the deep emotions - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, knuckle biting, raging, and cheering. I was right there with Lyra feeling all the things and by the end I was in love with Hades. Lyra is a human who is cursed by Zeus, bartered to the Order of Thieves at the age of three to pay her parent’s debt and is friendless and loveless. On the night when the once a century Crucible’s participants are to be chosen, Lyra encounters Hades. And for some inexplicable reason, Hades joins the Crucible for the first time ever and names Lyra as his champion. The 13 champions must participate in 12 labors devised by the Gods to entertain themselves and for the chance to win prizes and hopefully escape death. The God whose champion wins the Crucible is crowned King of the Gods and the champion gets a boon as well as abundance for their families and their homeland. Hades agrees to lift Lyra’s curse if she wins. Thus begins the God centered Crucible filled with arrogant Greek gods, terrifying monsters, impossible tasks, difficult choices, pain, death, and heaps of physical and emotional overload. Regardless of the winner, none of the Champions will be the same at the end assuming they live through it. The book has a little bit of everything just like you would expect from this genre - sweet moments, spicy times, real life issues, imperfect characters, dangerous moments, mystery, supernatural creatures, secrets, plot twists, painful pasts, evil actors, and love. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this series and seeing what happens next with Lyra and Hades because that ending…

I round up, but would give this book 4.5 stars; this is a must read for anyone that is a fan of Percy Jackson or the Hunger Games. I love Greek Mythology so finding this book put it to the top of my to read pile and I'm so glad that I did. It has a modern take which makes it super unique, and I like that it has some different elements that don't follow traditional books that use Greek Mythology as inspiration. There is so much world building and twists/turns that make this an easily devour-able book. The secrets build each chapter and trying to figure out the end game for each character keeps you immersed in the story.

Lyra is such a strong, independent, fierce woman, and her sass level is epic (you will laugh at some of the things that she says to these all powerful gods!). Hades is our morally gray MMC that holds his cards close to his chest. However, I think Cerberus might be my favorite character and I wish we got so much more of him! Fingers crossed for books 2.

My reason for the half star deduction was because the ending seemed a bit quick and squished together. There was a lot that happened in a short amount of time and I had to re-read a few sections to figure out what was happening. Maybe we'll get some type of recap in Book 2 that better helps explain the last few chapters. It's such a minor thing, but given the length of the book and the epic story telling it was a bit challenging to follow along at the very end.

Note: This does end on a cliffhanger so prepare to wait for book 2! Overall, I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the next one.

This is about Lyra and orphaned girl working off her parents debt as a clerk for a den of thieves. If that’s not sad enough for you she was also cursed by Zeus himself when she was born to forever be unloved. Once every hundred years each God chooses a mortal champions to fight for them in a Crucible. The winner determines which God will rule Olympus for the next century. Hades has never competed in the challenge before. Unexpectedly he chooses Lyra at the very last second to fight for him. She must now find a way to survive twelve labors all designed to test the mind body and soul of each champion.

For starters I LOVE Greek mythology. So this was right up my alley. The world building was phenomenal 🤌 and the characters were so much fun. I really loved or hated them (in the best way). And the plot has a ton of layers that kept me interested. There is one spicy scene in these 500 pages but the build up and tension is great. I have two pauses with this one. One being it really felt like a YA read. With that being said I think that also is what made it super easy to fly through this. Second being, again huge mythology fan, I don’t know how I feel about the changes made to the classic Hades and persephone story. It made sense for the book buuut it’s one of my favorite love stories so I took it too personal haha. Overall this was a very fun light read that kept me guessing.

This book was a great time. The characters were complex and likeable, the main character was easy to root for and did a great job of being the underdog but still having some chops--she didn't wallow or fall apart, she made the most of what she had and didn't leave me disappointed. The plot was solid and while I could guess some things it left me some mysteries all the way to the end--I liked having a little of both. The writing was also really good, I had fun reading it the whole time :) And I'm invested, I'm definitely reading the next when it's out and may go check out more of this authors work perhaps!

I couldn’t put this book down! I loved every heart pounding, heart stopping, and heart melting moment of Lyra’s story. This slow burn romance was an absolute page turner. I loved Lyras quick wit and unapologetic way of handling the gods and goddess of Olympus.

Action was brimming on every page and was littered with elements of suspense as Lyra worked her way through each Labor, figuring out where loyalties lie and how to survive.

This was a fun book that kept me interested and did not drag on despite it being a longer book. The story kept progressing which was nice and there weren’t pages upon pages of repeating inner thoughts like some other books. I’m always hesitant about books with dealing with the Greek gods because it can go a lot of different ways and unfortunately in romantasy that usually isn’t a good way. Was this book a translation from ancient times or following the myths we know exactly? No and that’s ok, but the gods and goddesses are somewhat recognizable and the basis is entertaining and engaging. Is having deadly trials a new idea? No, but is it fun? Yea, as fun as deadly trials can be. And if you like deadly trials well strap in because there’s a lot of them!

As other people have said in reviews, this is not quite being marketed as what it is. This book is not enemies to lovers and there’s really not a whole lot of romance in it. There’s kisses and one scene which aren’t bad, but do seem a little out of place at times. It also does read a bit younger. Did I still like it? Yes, but just a fair warning there.

Cute quick read! Love the dialogue witty & steamy at times!!!!! No grammatical errors which is always a plus! The story flowed nicely for most part! Will be reading the next one as not this ends on a mild cliffhanger, somethings are completed others news things emerge lol think it if a HFN instead of HEA! Let’s hope it is eventually a HEA!!! Will continue to read this series as overall did like it! Too funny almost paints the underworld more ideally than actual heaven! We all want to go see Hades now! Definitely touch her you will regret it! Bad boy with heart of gold & age gap troupes!!! 🎉🤩😍 Definitely can sense some connection loved that!!

Lots of Hunger Games & Percy Jackson type book vibes!!! Adventure/mystery/deception/magic/love & friendship!!!! Was a fun action packed story! The chemistry between our main characters was very slow burn, but possessive /protecting too! Loved that Lyra was not a damsel in distress, but had grit & fiery energy to her—this quality alone made her more fleshed out than anyone!!! Did like some of the secondary characters!!! Some came off wooden at times, but for most part great descriptions!!! Obviously loved the forbidden romance trope the best!

One of my FAV QUOTES…“Do you know what I see in Elysium?” He’s smoothing his thumb over my cheekbone in rhythmic circles. “What?” “The two of us there. And you as my queen. I’ve seen it for a long, long time.” He swallows hard. “I just thought it was only something I’d get in the afterlife someday. But now that I’ve had you there with me, I won’t wait that long. Being King of the Underworld without you at my side is an eternity of my own personal hell.” Omggggg 💯🤣🤩🥰🥰🥰🥰