G1102 Book Review of The high court by Chris Ledbetter
Author: Chris Ledbetter
ISBN: 978-1-946700-72-8
Publisher: Month9Books
Part of a Series: Sequel to The Sky Throne
Type of book: Gods, goddesses, justice, friendship, brotherhood, couples, young adult, daily life, learning, surviving
Year it was published: 2018
Summary:
High atop Mount Olympus, dawn breaks on a new academic term. Normalcy has returned to campus following a harrowing expedition into The Underworld to rescue kidnapped students by Zeus and his fellow Olympians. Now, as they prepare to testify in The High Court, Hyperion will be tried for the attack on Crete and death of Anytos. Kronos will stand trial for the murder of Mount Olympus Prep’s Headmaster Ouranos.
As the trials draw near, Mount Olympus Prep students and faculty are besieged repeatedly by a race of gargantuan stone and earth giants. Under heavy assault, the Olympians are forced to flee to the volcanic island of Limnos to regroup.
Meanwhile, a toxic poison Zeus has carried with him since a prior fight with a dragoness, creeps toward his brain.
In a race against time and beasts, Zeus and his friends must find a way to survive not only the toxin ravaging Zeus’ body, but also the giants who grow stronger after every attack, and somehow make it to the The High Court alive.
Characters:
Main characters include the previous gods and goddesses as well as some new additions, namely Aphrodite. For me personally, it seemed as if the characters didn't change much from chapter to chapter, and they continued to remain themselves. Zeus is a brash, outspoken student who seems to think that the sun revolves around him. The women are definitely unique, but unfortunately not a lot of time was spent on getting to know their personalities. The men are also unique, but it often felt as if Zeus stole the thunder from them (a pun) and made sure the lightning illuminated him.
Theme:
I am really not sure what message the author was advocating for: to become a vigilante and take to doling out justice, or else the relevance of history and how it can tie up to the present? I think I am going for the latter.
Plot:
The story is in first person narrative from Zeus's point of view. In my opinion, the previous book does need to be read to understand what is happening because the second one immediately picks up from the first one, and the readers might get lost with the plot. I also would like a character sheet or something of the kind that will address the characters as well as some of their nicknames and their functions. Also as well, take short reading times between reading this book and the prequel. And yes, there is focus on daily life of the gods and goddesses.
(From iRead Book Tours)
Meet the Author:
Chris Ledbetter is an award-winning author of short fiction and novels for young adults. “Jason’s Quest,” a short story retelling of the Jason and Medea Greek myth was published in the anthology, Greek Myths Revisited. His first full-length novel, Drawnearned him two awards, Library of Clean Reads Best YA 2015 and Evernight Publishing Readers’ Choice Award Best YA 2015, as well as a USA TODAY “Must Read” recommendation. His second novel, Inked, concludes that duology. The Sky Throne is his newest young adult series. It includes, thus far, The Sky Throne and The High Court.
He's a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. He now writes and lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Walmart
Ebay ~ Indiebound
Chapters Indigo ~ The Book Depository
Add to Goodreads
Opinion:
The beautiful thing about myths is that they can be reworked or re-tweaked to show relevance for modern issues, and this is the case about THE HIGH COURT. I am used to thinking of Greek myths in the historical setting, and although I have read the prequel, its a bit odd for me to see Greek myths retold in a modern voice that is suited for young adults. Despite the tone, I really enjoyed the tale and loved seeing how Chris Ledbetter dared to carve them out for modern readers, making all too real and acessible, especially when addressing the issues of unfairness. The characters that are presented in this and the previous book aren't in Greek myths because ones I am familiar with read a lot like history books with little to no motivation. I look forward to seeing what else he has in stores as well as how he will address some issues with future Mt. Olympus Prep school.
This is for iRead Book Tours
BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:
April 1 - Working Mommy Journal - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 1 - Viviana MacKade - book spotlight / guest post
April 2 - Locks, Hooks and Books - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
April 2 - Cheryl's Book Nook - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 3 - A Fountain of Books - review of The Sky Throne / author interview
April 3 - Bound 4 Escape - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 4 - A Fountain of Books - review of The High Court
April 4 - #redhead.with.book - book spotlight / giveaway
April 5 - A Madison Mom - review of The Sky Throne / giveaway
April 8 - The Autistic Gamer - review of The High Court
April 8 - Crossroad Reviews - review of The Sky Throne / giveaway
April 9 - Crossroad Reviews - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 9 - Truly Trendy - review of The Sky Throne
April 10 - Life as Leels - review of The High Court
April 11 - Character Madness and Musings - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
April 11 - Sefina Hawke's Books - review of The High Court
April 12 - Celticlady's Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
April 12 - A Madison Mom - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 15 - T's Stuff - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
April 15 - Adventures Thru Wonderland - review of The High Court / interview/ giveaway
April 16 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of The High Court / guest post / giveaway
April 17 - Bookworm for Kids - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 18 - Books for Books - review of The High Court
April 19 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 23 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 23 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of The High Court / guest post / giveaway
April 24 - Literary Flits - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
April 25 - Lisa-Queen of Random - book spotlight / giveaway
April 25 - Ginger Mom and Company - review of The High Court
April 26 - FUONLYKNEW - review of The Sky Throne / giveaway
April 26 - Amy's Booket List - review of The Sky Throne
April 27 - Splashes Into Books - review of The High Court
April 29 - FUONLYKNEW - review of The High Court / giveaway
April 30 - Dab of Darkness Book Reviews - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
April 26 - Amy's Booket List - review of The High Court
TBD - That Bookish Princess - review of The Sky Throne / guest post / giveaway
TBD - That Bookish Princess - review of The High Court / giveaway
TBD - Truly Trendy - review of The High Court
TBD - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of The High Court
TBC . - Library of Clean Reads - review of The High Court / giveaway
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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