Book Review: The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Crucible
Publisher: Red Tower Books (September 3, 2024)
Length: 509 pages
Author Information: Website
I’ve always said that I can only do romantasy in small doses. While it’s a genre I enjoy, it’s also not one I can dive into all the time, but when the mood strikes, it can be just what I need! The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen was a novel that hit that sweet spot. Providing a nice break from my recent binge into dark fantasy and horror, this book was a refreshing change of pace. Apparently, action-packed mythological escapism was a perfect fit for the mood I was in at the time.
Set in modern-day San Francisco, the story is inspired by Greek mythology especially the Twelve Labors of Heracles. Every hundred years, the pantheon consisting of all the main gods hold a contest call the Crucible to determine a new ruler to ascend the throne of Olympus. Each god selects their own champion to represent them in a number of trials, which results in an entertaining spectacle for the whole world to watch.
Something is different this year, however. Hades, the King of the Underworld—who has always stayed out of the Crucible—suddenly announces that he, too, will select a champion. That champion is none other than Lyra, a young woman with a rebellious streak who works for the Order of Thieves. Cursed by Zeus at birth to be unlovable, Lyra has spent her life feeling isolated and disconnected from others. Now, she must not only prepare herself for the deadly trials ahead, but also face the great gods on a very public stage where both her physical and emotional limits will be pushed to the breaking point. Then there are her complicated feelings for Hades, her patron who has placed this huge responsibility on her. A mutual attraction growing between them adds an extra layer of tension, confusion, and longing to an already dangerous situation.
While I ultimately had a lot of fun with The Games Gods Play, the book and I didn’t exact get off to the best start. The opening felt chaotic, with lots of characters and world-building thrown at me all at once, making it difficult to envision this peculiar setting that blends the ancient and the new. You could also say Lyra’s smartass attitude didn’t immediately endear her to me. More often than not, her impulsiveness and wise cracks came across as more annoying than charming.
Then there was the instalove. Lyra’s first meeting with Hades did nothing but turn me off, with her acting like a belligerent child and him being a patronizing sleazebag by giving her a cheesy pet name within the first five minutes. Ugh. Overall, the romance arc felt rushed and did not provide the emotional build-up I was hoping for, and Lyra’s sarcastic and smart-mouthed personality didn’t make her very convincing as the kind of love interest that the King of the Underworld would fall for.
But once the story settled into its rhythm and the stakes of the Crucible became clear, I found myself more engaged with both the action and the characters. Despite the rocky start, the novel won me over in the end with its fast-paced elements. It started with the trials. As they progressed, each one tougher and more intricate than the last, I found myself looking forward to the subsequent challenges, learning more about their dangers and rewards. I became hooked on the tensions surrounding the alliances between the champions and the conflicts amongst the gods, even becoming invested in Hades’s backstory and the mysterious motivations behind his participation in the Crucible this year.
So okay, maybe the actual romance in this romantasy novel wasn’t my favorite thing about this book. Lyra and Hades never even interested me as a romantic couple. Still, this was an enjoyable read. The Games Gods Play was exactly what I needed at the time—a fast, adventurous read that took me away from the heavier stories filling my TBR lately. I had fun, and that’s what counts.
The BiblioSanctum 
Ooh nice! I preordered this one at one of the last second preorder sales at B&N. I enjoyed Abigail’s YA series and I love Greek mythology, though I did get a little burnout on St. Clair’s Persephone and Hades series, but mainly because I binged the last 4 books of that all in one go, so I wasn’t feeling ready for another one. Although I am curious now as to where Persephone is if Lyra is to be Hades’ love interest. Guess I’ll be reading it sooner rather than later…if time actually permits, lol. I do think I might Lyra as I love a good heroine with sarcasm! But it’s projection will be key I guess. Nice review!
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Persphone is part of the plot line, but it’s kind of spoilerish so I kind of left her out of my review, lol. However, in the book Hades did describe loving Persephone as more of a sister.
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Ooh good to know! I was wondering about that when I read the cover description! Can’t wait to find out! So weird too after finishing so many other series where the two were sooo in love. Lol.
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It’s always good when a book ticks the exact box that you need at the time. Glad that you enjoyed this one despite the romance not being as good as it could be
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Yeah, had it not been for the action adventure elements, I probably would have set this one aside.
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I’m curious: does Persephone appear at all in the book? I always thought that Hades rather stood out from the other lecherous gods by being faithful to his wife.
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Ah, you bring up another issue I had with the romance. Persephone definitely plays a role in the book, in that her storyline is part of the series plot. However, in the book, Hades loved and cared deeply for her platonically, “like a sister.” Which was such a copout imo.
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Definitely a copout! Does the Norse pantheon put in an appearance (because that looks like the Helm of Awe in the background on the cover)?
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Nope, just the Greek gods. At least so far anyway!
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I just googled it to be sure, and that is most definitely the Helm of Awe (aka Helm of Terror) from Morse mythology in the background… I think they need to speak to their cover artist 😬
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*Norse 😂
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Oh and she is a love interest too? I could have done without that. But there is something
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I saw a special edition of this a couple of weeks back and was kind of tempted to get it but not entirely convinced. Your review has made me definitely want to check it out (I can’t resist anything linked to Greek mythology) but I think I may have been right not to get a print copy as I can kind of see the romance grating on me. Maybe 🤔 I guess I’ll have to wait and see. But the competition, which makes me think of Lore, sounds so exciting. I’m glad that side of things worked so well for you once it got going.
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Having fun is, indeed, what counts, so I’m glad to hear that’s exactly what you had.
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Eek, yet another unpleasant heroine using attitude to masquerade as toughness. The competition element does sound very fun and I am a sucker for all things Hades related though!
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Sometimes you simply need a fun read. Glad this one worked for you – right time.
Lynn 😀
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