Jordanna Max Brodsky

Manhattan. The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone -- just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous. In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago -- when her name was Artemis. Much like Lev Grossman's The Magicians spoke to a generation of adults who grew up with Harry Potter, THE IMMORTALS will enchant anyone who loved American Gods or Percy Jackson.

The Immortals

Sophia 

She would let the cops do most of the legwork, but she didn't intend to let them arrest the murderer. This heretic would die. Not in some cell, after a drawn-out trial and years of appeals, but at the swift and deadly point of a goddes's arrow.

She often wondered why she stayed. What place was there for the Goddess of the Wilderness in a city of grids? Streets reached to the horizon. Towers stretched to the sky. But beneath the glass and steel, the city's heart still beats wild.

How have I never heard of this book?! I picked it up from my library on a whim, and I am SO GLAD that I did! Artemis living in modern-day New York, going by the name Selene DiSilva working as a private investigator/vigilante - protecting and avenging women. She gets caught up in a murder mystery, working to find the cult leader and its members who are responsible. I loved the crossover between fantasy and mystery novel. Very cool! 

Manhattan has many secrets. Some are older than the city itself. The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone -- just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous. In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago -- when her name was Artemis. "The Immortals is a lively re-imagining of classical mythology with an engaging premise, a page-turning plot, and an eye for the arresting and uncanny in contemporary urban life." --Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches The Immortals is the first book in the exciting new Olympus Bound trilogy. Look out for the sequel, Winter of the Gods, out in February 2017!

Colleen

4 Stars
 
Greek mythology remains one of the most enduring pantheons today. It certainly has enough material to keep people retelling these stories. The Immortals takes some of the big names from Greek mythology and imagines what would have happened to the gods once people stopped worshiping them. Some people have called this Percy Jackson for adults, and it does have some similar themes. But this is definitely an adult story and does not shy away from the gloom and goriness of the original myths. The ideas surrounding mythological creatures fading away as mankind forgets them strongly reminded me of American Gods. There were similarities between the ideas of American Gods and The Immortals, but I think the stories ended up with two different takes on the concept. The Immortals also had a mystery element to its plot that really kept me turning the pages.
 

  “Don’t you see? We couldn’t save her. We can’t save ourselves. The Fates have spun the thread of our lives, long and shining like the heavens, and now their shears hover above us, ready to snip.”

The story stars the famed hunter Artemis, living in present day Manhattan under the name Selene DiSilva and weakened nearly to the point of being mortal. She spends her time saving women from abusive men while trying to keep a low profile. One day she finds the mutilated body of a woman apparently murdered as a sacrifice to Greek gods and vows to hunt down the perpetrator. Her investigation leads her to Theo Schultz, a loveable, erudite professor of Classics at Columbia University who also happens to be the ex-boyfriend of the murder victim. The two of them become tangled up in a case much bigger than they imagined.
 
The story alternates focus between these two characters although both sections are told in third person. The dual perspectives allowed their different voices to shine through. It would have been a bit much if either had been the sole narrator, but the switching focus allowed a balance between these two drastically different personalities. Selene is no-nonsense, strong, and irascible. Theo on the other hand offers a bit of comic relief with his goofy charm balancing his stalwart heart and vast knowledge. It was great to have a story with a different power dynamic. Here the female lead is the butt-kicking impulsive one while the man is the more expressive one. And this dynamic is done without emasculating Theo. It was refreshing.
 
The story was different than I expected but very fast-paced. I wasn’t expecting the Mystery elements, but I definitely enjoyed them. It’s hard to classify this book, but I suppose I’d call it Urban Fantasy / Mystery. The Fantasy elements might be less than expected, because the gods are so weakened that their powers are greatly diminished. So don’t expect any cataclysmic sky battles or anything like that. It definitely could have used a bit more of Artemis kicking butt with or without her powers. Nevertheless, it’s a page-turner that I easily finished in two days. Although I did guess the twist, I still enjoyed the journey and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
 
There were a few flashback scenes told in first person, present tense which I didn’t enjoy, but the story was easy to read and engaging. You shouldn’t need an in-depth knowledge of Greek Mythology to understand the story although a passing familiarity would help. Most of the necessary information about the gods and previous events is explained well and without becoming an infodump. Part of that is because it is limited it to characters necessary to the story – there is a family tree included at the beginning of the book, but like the story itself, it focuses on characters included in the book and leaves off everyone else. Greek myths are a complicated labyrinth (pun intended), and although I missed seeing some well-known icons, I agree that the story would have been too convoluted and bogged down if everyone was included. But I have a feeling that more of those familiar names will pop up in the sequels.
 
As well as presenting an interesting take on the fading of mythology, The Immortals explores how myths evolve over time and how the gods are affected by those changes. It was a clever way of dealing with the fact that there are many conflicting versions of the so many stories. One tidbit I particularly liked was that even the constellations put in the sky by the gods were being forgotten because they were obscured by the mankind’s pollution. There were also a lot of clever details and symbolism in the story. Feminism is a strong theme – hardly surprising since the story revolves around Artemis. But the story not only tells of her experiences through the years, but also of various historical events and shifting societal views. The Manhattan setting was excellently done and incorporated many landmarks & events. (The author’s note provides further information on some of them.) And I really liked that it wasn’t limited to the standard touristy locations.
 
The downside is that the story could have used more character development and the romance is on the corny side. The ending was very melodramatic and did make me roll my eyes a little. But I guess that is consistent with the extreme drama of Greek Mythology. Given the detail put into the story, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brodsky purposefully made the ending melodramatic to echo the classic myths. Nevertheless, The Immortals was an impressive debut novel and an exciting page-turner. I’m excited to see what comes next in Winter of the Gods.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

MANHATTAN. Selene finds the body of a young woman on the banks of the Hudson river, mutilated and wearing a wreath of laurel. She feels a rage not felt in a lifetime, and an obligation: the promise that she made long ago. To protect those who are innocent -who cannot protect themselves. MURDERS. With the NYPD out of their depth, Selene must hunt the killer on her own. But when classics professor Theo Schultz offers his expertise to solve the case, the solitary huntress finds herself working with a man who's her opposite in every way. GODS. Together, they discover that a long-forgotten cult is behind the string of murders terrorizing the city. They'll need help from the one source Selene distrusts most of all: the city's other Immortals.

Janice Hopper

This book just didn't quite work for me, alas.

It seemed right up my alley, and the last thing I read by the author The Wolf in the Whale was really enjoyable. But I thought this one dragged, IMO taking a little too long to get to the point. I could never decide if we were supposed to like Selene or not, or what we were supposed to hope for her.

I finally finished it. 2.5 start rounded up to 3.

Maria

в общем, вполне захватывающий детектив с элементами древнегреческой драмы. её, впрочем, могло бы быть и поменьше, особенно в конце - все эти внутренние метания и страдания олимпийских богов показаись мне несколько не к месту. еще более не к месту - любовная линия, по-моему, она прямо серьезно out of character здесь, в конце концов, артемида - не афродита. а в остальном - такой перси джексон для взрослых, с прогулками вдоль гудзона и расчлененкой

Nickie Mohler

Selene DiSilva fights bad guys. Abused women call her, and she takes care of their problems. Lately, she doesn't heal as fast as she used to. She's also not as fast as she used to be. That's because she is no longer Artemis. When she finds a woman's body, it has ancient ritual written all over it and brings her past rushing back. This was a good book, but I got bored every time Theo started talking.

The Immortals

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