Blood of Hercules: A Dark Fantasy Romance of Myth and Power, Perfect for Fans of Greek Mythology and Spicy BookTok Reads, Discover Hercules Reimagined Like Never Before (Villains of Lore, 1) Paperback – November 26, 2024

Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas takes rethinking the Greek gods and Spartans to a whole new level. Instead of all of the gods being together in a shared ranking excluding Zeus, now you have Olympians and Chthonics. Olympians are the sunshine and carefree gods while the Chthonics are evil and ruthless. Now throw in a poor, traumatized, homeless Alexis who loves math and her adopted brother, Charlie. She finds out that she is a long lost Spartan and being a female Spartan is unheard of due to fertility issues throughout the gods. Alexis now has to fight for her life, her sanity and her status in the Spartan hierarchy. Spartan Academy is a brutal “mental” exercise in starvation, training, and little sleep with some very grumpy professors.One of my favorite things about this story is that Alexis has just enough will to live to live for Charlie. Otherwise, she jokes constantly about God listening to her prayers of a death. It’s dark, morbid, sarcastic and incredibly funny. How can you care about swimming in cold water when she had to survive in a harsh winter in a cardboard box? I enjoyed that Alexis didn’t let anyone harm Charlie or Nyx. She may have not stood up for herself out loud enough, but she never let anyone be hurtful to her loved ones.There were two things I thought could have been better in the story. The first one was that “time warped” constantly. I know that it’s supposed to speed the length of time in the Academy and to show that Alexis is losing her mind. However, that phrase was used often and I felt that there could have been better wordage used. The other thing I disliked was that at the end of the story there’s all of these people who are into Alexis, but she’s described as weird and unattractive consistently. Two of the people are doing it for their own agenda, but they do like her as well. I just thought that was a strange turn in the story.I personally give this book 5 stars even with some of the weirdness. I was hooked and will be in a slump for a while. I cannot wait for October for the release of the second book. I think if you’re looking for STRONG enemies to companions and maybe lovers in book two this may be for you. If you’re into the Greek gods, I highly recommend! There is a “who did this to you” moment at the end and “why are you living like this” moment as well. Tiktok made it seem that this was much earlier than the last few chapters, but it was still nice to read. If you’re wanting a sarcastic FMC who is very smart and hilarious, you have found your next read.

This is a fairly dark and violent romance/adventure loosely based on ancient Greek/Spartan mythology (there is real Latin phrases used and a number of myths or historical information mentioned I think our accurate, but the "loose" stems from magical powers, etc.). There is a lot of gore and violence, allusions to suicidal thoughts, overt homicide, as well as on-page abuse. However, the female main character has an amazing/ amusing inner monolog that manages to give the book a humorous lightness despite all the darkness it is set in. It is technically a slow burn/ "why choose" romance, but the focus of the book is her surviving the trials of "the crucible." This is definitely a novel and complex story, with a while selection of morally gray characters to choose from. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it appears the next book may already be out, or soon.

Gahhwwd!!! This was the best book ever. I needed this. It felt a lot like the TV show, The Boys, but make it a bully romance with gods. And I ate it all up. What an incredibly well written and phenomenal book.I'm a sucker for bully romance, and while we didn’t get through a lot of the story yet, it gave me everything I love about the genre.And like all Jasmine Mas writes, this was hilarious. I laughed out loud as much as Zodiac Academy. This is much more twisted, and the humor is darker, but I loved it.If you liked both, The Boys and ZA, you're in for a treat.I think the internal dialogue was the best part of the story. The FMC has a lot of character. Actually, everyone in the story was well written. They all had their own brand of crazy that worked well for the story. Even her "pet" throughout had such funny lines and brought a lot.I'll definitely add to my bookshelf and read again and again. I can't wait for the next one.The plot and worldbuilding were also incredible elements to the story and I loved the quick pace and the trials kind of thrown in. You also get a tiny bit of academia vibes.Big Hit. 1000% recommend to other bully romance fans.Also not spicy, really in this book, but I could see it leading to it. There's maybe 1 pepper worth in this one. If you're looking for immediate spice, this isn't that. This first book focuses on character and plot more than romance/spice.Addicted. ✔️Obsessed. ✔️Need more. ✔️

I have never had a romantasy book make me laugh so hard. I loved everything about this story. I really enjoy Greek God based stories and this was such a fresh and new take on them and their story. I was hoping to wait to read this one until closer to the release of the second story, but I am so glad that I did not wait. Alexis's inner dialogue gave me so many laughs throughout the story. It was obviously a coping mechanism, but it was great. I really love how she just accepts what she can and had been preparing for the crucible her whole life without even intending to. I will say, my initial theory after chapter 5 was spot on but there was one twist that I tried to guess and got wrong. I really enjoying being able to pick up on things like that but also enjoy being surprised like that! I freaking love how bada$$ that Alexis is and how she won't back down from anything. There are a lot of su!ci!dal thoughts throughout the book, but no action ever taken and she pushes through it all. I loved everything about this and cannot wait to get the answers to some of the missing pieces that should be coming from the next book. So great! I loved it and probably one of my favorites of the year so far!