The Games Gods Play
by Abigail Owen
Summary
The gods love to toy with us mere mortals. And every hundred years, we let them…
I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus.
Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won’t notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus’ patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god.
The worst god. Hades.
For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible—the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead.
So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me—a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders—as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I’m his?
I don’t know if I’m a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky?
Because Hades is playing by his own rules…and Death will win at any cost.
GoodReads Nominee for Favorite Romantasy 2024
My Review
Stopped the audiobook around the 10% mark.
1 star based on the portion I read.
This was an easy DNF for me. I couldn’t take this book seriously from the very beginning. The writing felt sloppy, amateurish, and overly juvenile, which made it hard to believe this was meant to be an adult fantasy. The constant, unnecessary cursing didn’t add grit or realism; it just felt try-hard and distracting. Instead of enhancing the tone, it cheapened it.
The main character was another major hurdle. She came across as immature, annoying, and emotionally shallow, which made it impossible for me to feel invested in her journey. I never connected with her, and without that anchor, I couldn’t stay engaged with the story. The world-building didn’t help either. I struggled to get immersed in the setting, and nothing about the world felt vivid or compelling enough to pull me in.
I tried this in both formats, the audiobook and the Kindle Unlimited ebook, hoping one might click better than the other. Unfortunately, neither improved the experience. The audiobook in particular, pulled me out of the story even more. The choice to give the gods and goddesses British accents felt strange and tonally off for a story rooted in Greek mythology. Instead of feeling atmospheric, it felt jarring and unintentionally distracting.
On top of that, the plot itself was confusing and poorly presented. I found myself struggling to follow what was happening or why I should care. The story lacked clarity and focus, and by the time certain modern commentary started cropping up (especially when it talked about “all the genders” (eye roll)), it completely broke any remaining immersion I had. At that point, I knew I wasn’t going to push through.
Overall, this book felt like it didn’t know who its audience was. It read like YA dressed up as adult fantasy, with weak writing, an unlikable protagonist, and a messy, hard-to-follow plot. I went in hoping for a compelling myth-inspired fantasy and walked away frustrated. This one was not for me.