THE GREEK MYTHOLOGY BOOK TAG || FT. ME SCREAMING ABOUT RIORDAN BOOKS

Hullo, bookdragons!

I FINALLY FINISHED REREADING PJO (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) AND HOO (Heroes of Olympus) AAAHHHH. I know I have no time to reread because I have tons of unread books (a fact that my sister always brings up) and review requests but in all honesty,  I have never been happier. It was refreshing to step back from the pressure of blogging + reviewing and just go to these epic adventures with my favorite demigods. Of course, I’m lucky to have all these books and ARCs but it’s also important to take a break. I must admit rereading my old favorites also drowned out a lot of negative thoughts about college and I’ll be forever thankful for that.

Now I’m back to drafting blog posts (which I missed) and now I’ll be taking part in the Greek Mythology Book Tag! I found this tag on Emma’s books when I was blog hopping which was a lovely coincidence especially because I was in the middle of my Riordanverse reread at the time. It was like the Fates brought this tag to my attention and said, “Look! This is your opportunity to scream Riordanverse references in one long blog post. This is your life’s greatest purpose.”

I obviously took the opportunity.

I’ll be using the prompts in the aforementioned reference post but I’m jazzing up this tag a bit by adding prompts for some minor gods because that’s what Percy or Jason would do. I learned from the best.

Get the tag prompts here:

Zeus (god of the sky) — Favorite book

Poseidon (god of the sea) — A book that drowned you in feels

Hades (god of the underworld) — Favorite dark book

Hera (queen goddess of family and marriage) — Cutest couple

Athena (goddess of wisdom and battle strategy) – Favorite intelligent heroine

Gaea (the Great Mother a.k.a Dirt Face) — Favorite world building book

Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty) — Most gorgeous cover

Ares (god of war and battle) — Most violent book you’ve read

Hephaestus (god of blacksmiths and flame) — Hottest book you’ve ever read

Artemis (the virgin goddess of the hunt) — A heroine who doesn’t need a man to save her

Apollo (god of music, light, and healing) — A book that is the exception to a genre you don’t like

Hermes (god of messages, travelers, and thieves) — A book that stole your heart

Hestia (goddess of hearth and home) — A book you go back to for comfort

Demeter (goddess of agriculture and fertility) — Favorite book setting

Nemesis (goddess of revenge) — Favorite revenge story

Zeus (god of the sky)

Favorite book

This prompt is just as difficult as Zeus’s attitude. I CANNOT CHOOSE A FAVORITE AMONG MY CHILDREN. It’s like trying to read all the books in your TBR pile in one lifetime. It’s simply impossible.

Poseidon (god of the sea)

A book that drowned you in feels

It’s really difficult to find books with swoon-worthy romance subplots nowadays but this book really killed the drought and drowned me with feels. The Candle and the Flame has a slow burn romance ft. a don’t-mess-with-me-or-i’ll-end-your-life female MC and an i-dont-want-to-care-about-you-but-i-do male MC. I still need to write a review for this book but while I’m trying to recollect my thoughts, READ THIS BOOK NOW. It’s one of this year’s best so check it out.

Hades (god of the underworld)

Favorite dark book

I have lots of favorite dark books but the first thing that comes to mind is Pan’s Labyrinth. I already mentioned this one in my previous posts and up until now I still can’t get over how brilliant it is. It has dark undertones and fairytale vibes that gripped me since page one. I think this is something even Hades will appreciate if he decides to take up reading as a hobby.

Hera (queen goddess of family and marriage)

Cutest couple

I don’t talk about them that much but I really love Gansey and Blue from The Raven Cycle. When Richard Gansey III calls Blue “Jane”, my soul literally ascends to the heavens. I love their dynamics and their chemistry. SO. MUCH. FEELS.

Athena (goddess of wisdom and battle strategy)

Favorite intelligent heroine

I love my queens Annabeth and Hermione. They have a lot of similarities and I admire how they really serve as the glue that binds their friends together. They also show that wisdom is just as important as physical strength and that brains should not be underestimated. Just imagine what a huge honor it would be to save the world alongside these two.

Gaea (the Great Mother a.k.a Dirt Face)

Favorite world building book

I’m in awe with Rin Chupeco’s world-building skills and that’s why The Bone Witch series is one of my most favorite fantasy series of all time. Her world is mostly inspired from Asia (particularly the Middle Eastern region). I love how vivid the Eight Kingdoms are. I was so fascinated with the world-building of this series that I actually mustered my courage to invite Rin on my blog for an interview. I remember screaming when she agreed to do it and discuss the world of The Bone Witch and her world-building process in general. It’s a gold mine of writing advice so you can check out the interview here if you want to pick up more wisdom 😌

Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty)

Most gorgeous cover

I really really love book covers with minimalist designs. My eyes just pop out of their sockets or cosplay into hearts when I see them. My personal favorites are the book covers (cover art by Will Staehle) of V. E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series. I fell in love with them at first sight and it was one of those moments where I was very sure I would love the book just by looking at the covers alone.

Ares (god of war and battle)

Most violent book you’ve read

No contest. It’s The Poppy War. This series is based on historical events (the Sino-Japanese War, the Rape of Nanjing) and has really graphic scenes of violence. It’s one of my most favorite books but it has a lot of trigger warnings that everyone should be aware of (refer to my review for the TWs). The Poppy War is unapologetically brutal and I admire R.F. Kuang for bravely writing this masterpiece. Its rawness and complexity brought this series so close to my heart. I probably think about The Poppy War and its sequel, The Dragon Republic, ten times a day or so. WATCH OUT FOR MY DRAGON REPUBLIC REVIEW SOON.

Hephaestus (god of blacksmiths and flame)

Hottest book you’ve ever read

If we’re going for ouright smutty and steamy, the Sarah J. Maas books get all the trophies (I don’t want to discuss this any further thank you very much). I guess I could also answer The Poppy War because it sure has a lot of fire that can heat up the universe in a blink. However, I’m still going for The Crooked Kingdom because it has one scene that holds so much tension between two characters that rules all of our feels. Ten points to your House if you get what I mean.

Artemis (the virgin goddess of the hunt)

A heroine who doesn’t need a man to save her

Lila Bard from the Shades of Magic series will stab first and ask questions later. You might as well jump off a cliff if you underestimate her. No one crosses Lila Bard and runs away unscathed. I have to stan.

Apollo (god of music, light, and healing)

A book that is the exception to a genre you don’t like

I’m not really a nonfiction kind of dragon but Reasons to Stay Alive helped me in a lot of ways. It’s my most highlighted book of all time and I pick it up whenever I need Matt Haig’s words of wisdom to get me through life.

Hermes (god of messages, travelers, and thieves)

A book that stole your heart

The Afterlife of Holly Chase took my heart out of my body and honestly I still don’t know where it is now. It’s probably stuck in between the pages of this masterpiece. I fell head over heels in love with this book because it’s a bittersweet story that is full of love and hope. I haven’t even read A Christmas Carol but I appreciate this retelling very much. MORE BOOKDRAGONS REALLY NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.

Hestia (goddess of the hearth and home)

A book you go back to for comfort

Definitely Harry Potter and any Rick Riordan book (excluding his adult books). Reading these old favorites warms up my heart. It always feels like I’m coming home whenever I read Harry Potter or PJO. Whenever I’m stressed or I’m on the verge of a reading slump, I pick up an old favorite and I immediately feel better. I feel the magic of books more strongly during these moments.

Demeter (goddess of agriculture and fertility)

Favorite book setting

I have always loved Hogwarts and Camp Half-Blood (it’s not obvious that I’m trash for these books agdhsjk). They’re like my second and third homes or something. Both settings take me to places that are so much MORE than what my mundane life can offer. Oh I’m sure there are lots of beautiful places on earth but I don’t get out of the house that much so I don’t have any firsthand experience of traveling. I won’t exactly call my kitchen as one of the wonders of the world (or my bathroom for that matter). I only get to travel through books. That’s why reading means so much to me.

Dionysus (god of wine and ritual madness)

A book you’re absolutely crazy about

I’m crazy for a lot of books but for now, Jade War takes the top spot. Fonda Lee is a master at dropping plot twists at random so you’re always on guard while reading. Jade War, in particular, stole the air out of my lungs and it drove me mad with anticipation. There’s so much political tension and power play in this series that I always fear for my faves’ lives in every paragraph. Check out my review for more screaming.

Nemesis (goddess of revenge)

Favorite revenge story

If Tomorrow Comes is an adult book by Sidney Sheldon (that I probably shouldn’t have read when I was 14 or 15) that follows a character named Tracy as she transforms into a con artist after being framed for a crime she didn’t commit. This book is intense in every sense of the word. It has heavy and emotional scenes that made me feel a torrent of emotions while reading. Sheldon is a great storyteller and this book is definitely one of his best.

Nike (goddess of victory)

Best series conclusion you’ve ever read

Series conclusions always leave me battered and broken but I love them all the same. Here are just some of my favorites:

Hypnos (god of sleep)

A book that put you to sleep

I mean no offense to half this world’s population but I really found LOTR boring. I have no doubt that it’s a great book but the writing style just didn’t click with me. As a mood reader, I don’t have too much patience for snail-paced books. I struggled with it and fought off sleep every ten minutes as I tried to get through it. I must admit I felt free when I returned it to the school library. In the end, I think it’s a matter of preference. This book just wasn’t for me.

Iris (goddess of the rainbow)

A book with LGBTQ+ main characters

LEI-WREN NATION RISE! I actually don’t know their actual ship name but this will do. Girls of Paper and Fire is a story about girls who are chosen to be concubines of a very powerful and abusive king. We’re used to books where a concubine falls in love with the king and they live happily ever after. In GoPaF, two of the concubines fall in love with each other instead and vow to squash the patriatchy to bits. This Asian-inspired fantasy sheds light to a lot of important issues—such as abuse and oppression—and themes like friendship and love.

Hecate (goddess of magic and witchcraft)

A book with a unique magic system

I’ve hardly seen any magic system that is as unique as that in Warbreaker. It’s been a long time since I’ve read it but if I remember correctly, the magic system is heavily based on colors. It’s better if I don’t give too much information about it because this is one of those books where you’ll enjoy it best if you know next to nothing about it. Of course this has nothing to do about my rusty memory and my inability to explain things I can’t remember properly. This has nothing to do with that AT ALL.

Hebe (goddess of youth)

A book you loved to read as a kid

The Magic Tree House, Baby-Sitters Club, and Boxcar Children books made up the ultimate book series trifecta of my childhood. These books fueled my love for adventure and thinking about them makes my heart warm and fuzzy. It feels good to revisit childhood memories sometimes. Looking back, I really wasn’t picky with books as long as they had magic, mystery, or unicorns in them. Life was simpler back then.

That’s it! I left out lots of gods but this post is really getting long so they just have to forgive me and refrain from blasting my mortal essence into oblivion. I hope you enjoyed reading this one. Be wary of monsters, always keep Celestial Bronze weapons with you, and stan Uncle Rick for clear skin.

A LITTLE INTERLUDE:

I would like to thank everyone who nominated me for the #2019BookBloggerAwards! Ya dragon has made it to FOUR categories in the next round and that’s a huge enough honor (I didn’t even expect to make it to the next round ahdjsk). I love y’all so much. You can support your favorite bloggers by voting for them here. Voting deadline is on July 31, 2019. Thank you so much for May @ ForeverAndEverly for all your hardwork. I appreciate all you’ve done and I support you all the way.

Are you interested in Greek Mythology? Who’s your favorite god/goddess? Who’s your favorite Rick Riordan character?