Putting aside the inaccuracies for the moment, if you accept it as a complete retelling of the Greek myths, it’s not a bad story. The lead character is hardly flawless: she can be a hypocrite, and the idea of the virgin goddess is completely discarded. This is definitely aimed at YA readers: the politics is fairly tame, the violence extremely limited, and the characters feel like teenagers rather than adults. By halfway through I dubbed this Athena – Valley Girl edition.

Regarding historical inaccuracies, there are many. This story is as true to the myth as Xena or Hercules and just as sanitised for daytime TV. Do not expect the violence, politics and deviousness of the original myths. The Norse pantheon is closer to the Marvel universe than myth when it appears. Around the time the Norse gods (from Norseland – no mention of Asgard in this) show up I seriously started to wonder about timing – there’s a few hundred years between the two and while Egyptian, Greek and Roman myth crossed (they were trading partners) Norse myth did not.

The cover is a shot of the main character and, like the main character, she’s not wearing a helmet and she’s not Athena. There’s nothing to complain about in the formatting and cover, but nothing to write home about either. That, to be honest, is how I feel about the story. If it were retold with original characters, I’m not sure the story would be strong enough to stand on its own.

Those who know anything about Greek myth will want to throw it at a wall – hard. However it’s definitely aimed at the Young Adult group, and those who enjoy very light fantasy will enjoy this book.