The Woken Gods by Gwenda BondMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have received a copy of The Woken Gods through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
The world has changed after the Gods of old mythology had been awakened. Now they roam freely all over the world. Washington DC has been transformed. The old center of political power is now the home of the Society of the Sun who handles all the intricacies of human relations with the woken gods. It is also home to the houses of power of the major gods.
Transformed Washington is also where 17 year old Kyra Locke lives. She is a typical teenager who sees herself as a rebellious one who is always trying to do things that would upset her Dad the most. Her father is always busy with his work and is rarely ever home -- and when he is home, they often disagree and argue. Kyra's mom has left them and is living in Oracle Row.
On her way home from school, she is walking with her best friend Bree and ex-boyfriend Tam. As they approach the statue of Einstein, she finds herself face to face with a trickster god and just as she was trying to think of how to get away, another god drops in, and then another. Just as when Kyra thinks she will definitely not make it, Society operatives come to her rescue.
Justin and Oz managed to rescue Kyra and her friends from the gods that were attacking them. Both boys are rookie operatives with the Society and have been tasked with bringing Kyra to her grandfather. But Kyra has never known she even had a grandfather. Then she learns that her Dad, who happens to be missing, is not who he says he is.
It seems her Dad has stolen a very powerful and extremely dangerous Egyptian relic from the Society and has disappeared. As much as Kyra feels hurt that her father had lied to her, she knows that she needs to find him and help him even if doing that will mean coming face to face with powerful gods and monsters.
Kyra and her friends have to go to the houses of power. The trikster Legba had whispered to her, when they were face to face at Einstein's statue, that her father might be found at Enki's house. There they meet the powerful god Enki and also her father. But just as they were trying to make sense of what is going on, the Society has come to arrest Kyra's father who decides it would be best to turn himself in.
Now things have become more complicated for Kyra as her father is being tried for treason. No one has ever been acquitted of that charge and the punishment is death.
The Woken Gods is a YA fantasy novel which I found exciting to read. I find the idea of having the different gods of ancient mythologies alive and living amongst humans very intriguing. And I also enjoyed the idea that relics that humans have collected over the centuries can be used to either fight with or subdue gods or provide the user with powers.
Although I found the ending rather abrupt, I am hoping that it is a sign that there is another book that will continue where this book left off in the near future.
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