Ich weiß nicht, wann ich das letzte Mal bis nachts wachgeblieben bin, um ein Buch zu beenden. Ich konnte es einfach nicht aus der Hand legen, dabei war es eigentlich gar kein spannendes Buch, aber diese Geschichte hat mich so in ihren Bann gezogen, dass ich einfach nicht aufhören konnte. Ich kann mich auch nicht erinnern, wann ich das letzte Mal so geschluchzt habe wegen eines Buches. Ein absolutes Jahres Highlight!

I cant even describe the disappointment I felt reading this. I heard it was romantic and heart breaking and the general idea (the story being told by gods) sounded great. I love greek gods. The execution was mediocre to me. The whole set up was silly to me. When I figured out why the gods are telling this story I was so ... confused and also annoyed. The love stories itself - so insta lovey it hurts. And then the whole WWI drama added into it, it was too much. The only fun parts (and that is kinda ironic) were when Hades was telling his parts of the story. The rest was really not my cup of tea.

This novel beautifully combines several amazing elements that all add to why I really enjoyed it. There's the exciting narrative for one. Having a story told by greek gods is definitely something I could get used to. I especially liked Aphrodite's voice, her humour was on point and it was somehow the sweetest thing imagining her nudging the characters in her favored directions. The dynamic between the gods and their point of views were just in total a great part of the story. Then there's the World War I setting that felt vivid and that I have never read about before in a work of fiction. It's interesting to kind of see that period in time come to life through the stories of Hazel, Colette, James and Aubrey. War is not "just war"; it can both bring people together, but also viciously break them apart. And lastly, of course, the protagonists. My heart bled for the four young characters, it melted away in moments of joy and painfully winced in moments of sadness. Even in times of war, they get to experience friendship and love and I thoroughly enjoyed following these journeys.

I loved everything about this novel: storyline, characters, frame narrative, suspense, historical context and knowledge were close to perfection and the language is wonderful. And who could ever resist the beautiful cover? The story is rich, dramatic, full of romance and emotions, which are even more strongly highlighted as they are constantly threatened by the possibility of loss, pain and injury. It feels like an absolutely delicious treat, it's a novel you long to return to. I know that it is a YA novel, but it certainly does not feel that way and it has its gruesome and devastating moments due to the war topic. Still, I highly recommend this novel and thoroughly enjoyed it.