Book Review: Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

A modern girl's comedic odyssey in a school filled with the descendants of Greek gods. When Phoebe's mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe's plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. Now she must attend the uberexclusive academy, where admission depends on pedigree, namely, ancestry from Zeus, Hera, and other Greek gods. That's right, they're real, not myth, and their teen descendants are like the classical heroes—supersmart and superbeautiful with a few superpowers. And now they're on her track team! Armed only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.

I'm going to admit my bias right now. I'm a huge ancient mythology geek! Really, I took Latin in high school, own more than one translation of The Iliad, and am part of the Classics Honor Society. Now that you're aware...on with the review.

Characters: Poor Phoebe! If moving senior year isn't bad enough, she's forced to attend school with descendants of the gods. The fact that she gets to live in beautiful Greece doesn't seem to placate any of her anger, either. As soon as she arrives, she's greeted by her evil stepsister, who doesn't want to have anything to do with her. Sure, they've just met, but Phoebe isn't a descendant. Many of the other kids in school call her make it a point to remind her of her family heritage, and sometimes use their powers against her. Luckily, one girl, Nicole, takes pity on her. Over the course of the book, Phoebe develops her friendship with Nicole, as well as with Troy (the nice guy). The story also focuses on Phoebe's relationship wiht Griffin, the jerky yet irresistible guy. Upon learning more about him, Nicole starts to realize that the preppy, too-cool-for-you attitude might just be for show.

Plot

You're all aware of my bias, so you already know how much I loved the plot. The idea of the offspring of the Greek gods all attending school together was really fun, and it was nice to see some of those god's characteristics displayed in the students. For example, a character that shall remain nameless is an offspring of Heracles (aka Hercules), and when someone is in need he has no choice but to help them. I also really liked how Phoebe developed over the course of the book. At the start, she's extremely against the move, and concentrates only on how long it will take her to escape Greece. , she stopped sulking about the move, and decided she was going to prove herself worthy of attending the academy.

I can't wait for the sequel!

Oh. My. Gods.
By Tera Lynn Childs
Published by Dutton Juvenile
224 Pages (Hardcover Edition)
Rating: B+