by Nikita Gill
First sentence: “This is an ancient story written long before us.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some violence and a hint of romance. It will be in the YA Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

I know I’ve heard the name Hekate before, but I’m not sure I knew her myth before reading this novel in verse. I’m going to assume that Gill took some liberties expanding the myth – putting Hekate at Troy, or raising Odysseus’s puppy from the dead, for example – but perhaps it mostly keeps to the general thread of the myth. It follows Hekate from her birth, through her exile in the Underworld, to her finding and coming into her powers – both witchcraft and necromancy – and helping the Olympians defeat the giants.

It’s a beautifully written book; the poems are lovely, and I liked following Hekate’s story. But – and perhaps it’s because it’s an epic story – I never really felt connected to Hekate or her story. I wanted to cheer for her or feel bad that she’s exiled from her parents, or feel something. I wanted Song of Achilles or Circe. And maybe it could have been. Maybe it wasn’t because it was in verse, because we weren’t given the chance to really delve into Hekate’s trauma or her motivations. Or maybe it’s because it’s geared towards young adults, when it’s not really a “young adult” story. I don’t know.

In the end, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. Which isn’t a bad thing.