She hated the wheelchair. Hated the way it made her feel less than what she was. Most of all she hated not being able to do all the things she used to. Ari had been a track and field star, an archery champion and an Eskrima pro. Now she was confined to a wheelchair slowly dying inside from its restraints.
Medical science wasn’t working. The tests, the drugs, the therapies were all useless and a waste of time. She was tired of wasting her time; she was tired of failure. It was time to look away from the obvious and try something unconventional.
Nothing was ever free and that included miracles. Abruptly, Ari finds herself tangled in a web of lies, questioning everything she’s ever known as truth. Never had she believed she’d be thrown headfirst into a world of good and evil, magic and Gods.
Trapped in the middle of a war she had never known existed both parties demanded her allegiance. Ari was a catalyst that could change all the rules of the Earth. But when the time comes to make a choice will she be strong enough to know right from wrong?
Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but with the ability to claim eight states as home; Victoria Escobar writes fiction from her current home in New York. She writes whatever comes to mind and because of such has a variety of genres written including Young Adult, New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, and Contemporary Fiction.
In spare time if not with family, and friends Victoria enjoys curling up with a book from a favorite author with music playing. If not reading or writing she spends time drawing, sketching, crocheting, or some other random art project. She enjoys staying busy, but most of all enjoys staying creative.
She reads anything she can get her hands on, and devours a book in five hours or less. Victoria reads the Young adult books and the science fiction fantasy books more than anything else. However, she can be caught reading romance novels, and classics at times depending on her whimsy.
Victoria Escobar has a captivating style of writing. Her characters are well developed and easy to follow and relate to. The small details of Ari's struggles with her wheelchair are vivid and clearly shows the extent of forethought Ms. Escobar used in developing this story. Ari is a strong person that doesn't let her disability get in her way. She has a marvelously diverse collection of people around her, both supportive and negative. Ari's character could inspire her readers and Sasha could steal your heart!
Throughout the entire story, each twist and turn propelled me onward. Ms. Escobar had me from the beginning and it pained me each time I had to stop reading. The action and involvement never lags and even the few type-O’s fade away. Trust me, I find errors in everything I read, but I didn't even care about them when reading Of Gaea!
I won this book off of Goodreads' First Read Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads and the author, Victoria Escobar.
Of Gaea is a wonderful book about a young woman, Ari, whose life is turned upside. After an "accident" that left her crippled, she seeks a way to be able to walk again. This leads her on a path of finding out who she really is and where she comes from. Her life and the people she loved are not all what they appear to be.
I haven't read much on Greek mythology, but I didn't have any trouble following along when something popped up in the book. Things are explained throughout the book. The story is written in third person and mostly follows Ari (the main character.) Ari is a likeable character that has strengths and weaknesses (physical and other) that makes her realistic and relatable. The reader is strapped on for an adventure as Ari discovers the truth about her family and what is coming in the future. She has choices to make that not only affect her both the world as well. Most characters fall under (I'll say it like this) "pure", "tainted", and "balanced". Although these characteristics hinder some of their multi-dimensionalness (yes, I made that word up), it does not take away from the story and it's not always so black and white.
The plot moved along well. At the beginning the reader knows something more is going on than meets the eye, but the information is discovered as Ari finds out. There were also a few surprises mixed along the way.
The good parts? The plot kept my interest and I enjoyed the character Ari. There's was just enough action and information given as needed in the scenes.
The bad parts? The point of view would switch without notice and I would find myself stopping to think, "Wait. This isn't Ari anymore. She wouldn't say 'she'....Oh, it's Sasha!" [Perhaps in the next book there could be a line break between the change of views rather than normal paragraphs?]
Overall, it was a great read. I found myself at the end (with just a pinch full of pages) thinking how is she going to finish this book up. It better not be a cliffhanger during a climax that leads to the next! [I hate that. Seriously, a book should be finished and not left off no matter if it is part of a series.] But, it wasn't. If you like fantasy book, especially with a little Greek mythology, then you should try this book.
This book kept my attention all the way through to the end and I cannot wait for the second book! This book has a lot of greek mythology in it as well, which I’ve always had an interest in. It dabbles in a lot of pagan related stuff as well. The story starts out with Ari (Ariadne). She is confined to a wheelchair because of a car accident. She used to do so many things in life like track and field, archery, and other activities that involved the use of her legs. But not anymore. Now she is trapped in a wheelchair. She’s had to adapt her archery skills because of this. And beside her through it all is Sasha. If it were not for him she would not have the will to live. He is basically what he kept her going. He’s her best friend, yet he doesn’t know how much she wishes they were more. He has promised to always protect her and he feels like he failed her because of the car accident. Ari has tried physical therapy and other conventional methods to try to regain the use of her legs, but nothing has worked. She’s ready to give up hope. But there is more to the story. Her life isn’t just the story of a normal girl. She’s about to find out who she really is and be thrown into a battle between good and evil. And she seems to be their main target. A huge decisions rests in her hands that could change the fate of the world! This is definitely a must read if you love greek mythology. I give this book 5 stars!
Ok, so first of all I have to give a giant SQUEEE for my bff Victoria Escobar on her debut novel, Of Gaea. I might be a little biased, but I think this book is fantastic. I was lucky enough to be the first person to read it. I knew from the start it was going to be an amazing story. And now here we are, celebrating it's publication. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it!
Of Gaea is a breath of fresh air in a young adult genre that is swarming with paranormal novels. It's unique and packed full of action and fantastic characters you grow attached to without even realizing it. As a fan of books like the Percy Jackson & Harry Potter series' I have to say, this book is my favorite kind of read.
If you love stories with twists and suspense, action, humor and romance, then Of Gaea is a must read! I can't wait for the second book in the series! ~Mel
**I received this book in exchange for an honest review**
This book begins in a rather strange manner. The first line in the book stated, "Ari's problems began with the orgasm incident." From that strange opening began the story which kept me turning the pages.
What happens in the story is a strange and twisting tale. Ari begins the book in a wheelchair. I won't go into any details other than to say that this book takes some twists and turns you will not see coming. It will make you laugh and cry and scream out.
In her debut novel, Victoria Escobar created a world very much like our own. But with a unique blend of reality, fantasy and religion. I enjoyed the twists and turns and the path this book took to the finale.
I give this book 5 stars and I am sure we will see much more from this talented author!
Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.
Of Gaea was a brilliant book to read and it was unique. The characters were very well developed and the story was great. I liked Ari’s character, although being disabled she never let that get to her, she was strong and courageous.
The book itself was a mix of myth, fantasy, paranormal, action, twists, romance and so much more. I was gripping.
This Book actually surprised me with how good it was. My only dislike was how it switched back and forth between characters so at times I was confused but other than that it was an awesome story line with strong characters. I loved It and cannot wait for the next one **I received this book in exchange for an honest review**
What I liked: I loved the setting of the story and the way everything came together by the end. Ari is a strong character who has to overcome very bad odds after an accident that leaves her in a wheelchair, though it takes a while to figure out what that accident was. There's always interesting twist to the story, characters who are not who they say they are or characters who we had no idea about. The dream aspects were really interesting as well, and the action was done fantastically in such a compelling way that I read it from beginning to end almost without pause in five hours! Everything that went into the story was compelling and the secrets that get revealed were ones that made me want to turn the pages faster to keep reading, but slow down at the same time to savor what's happening at the same time! We get the sense that not all is as it seems from the beginning but we discover things with Ari little by little as she finds out more about the people who surround her and where she comes from. Damia and Sasha are characters who stood out even when they weren't in the scenes, I was always waiting for them to show back up because they interested me quite a lot by the time the story began to pick up.
What I didn't liked: I didn't feel like in the beginning I clicked with the book, I was rather confused by what's happening, why the people had such strange names, and why a guy was called Sasha. Seriously for several pages I though Sasha was a girl because I didn't know his actual name, which only gets mentioned once, and it threw me for a loop for quite a while since I thought the masculine pronoun was a typo or there was another character who was a guy who's name I missed. I would have liked to know his actual name earlier, it would have helped. Damia was too run-of-the-mill bad, I wanted a better reason for her to be angry with Ari than the ones given. The POV also switched unexpectedly while I was reading and it would throw me off initially but I learned to just go with it after a bit.
Overall Review: I loved this book, and thought I read Victoria Escober's book Peerless first and was blown away by everything in that book, I knew I had to bring my expectations lower since this was the author's first book. I'm glad I did because it allowed this book to blow me away as well, and even though I didn't love the beginning of this book I loved the rest of the book and I'm still loving this authors writing. Seriously, the author's writing is fantastic and her stories are amazing! With characters who surprise, twist that you don't see coming, and an amazing plot this book is something everyone should read if they can get into it! The ending is explosive and parts of this book can leave you with some feels, especially during the final battle.
Recommend?:Highly. This book is wonderfully written with a plot that can and will leave you wanting more when you reach the end!
Of Gaea starts out just like any other book with a teenage girl for the main character. There is one difference, Ari, the main character of this book is in wheelchair and very much hating this fact. Aside from Ari's bitterness and deprecation of her situation, I think she's an outstanding role model for children, who like herself, are disabled, even if that disability is different from Ari's. Like most people in high school, Ari has a bully, Damia, the girl who is the reason behind Ari's current situation. Couple that with Damia's apparent obsession with Ari's best friend and hotty Sasha and it's a disturbing outcome. A lot of people may have some trouble with the names.. Though they aren't too hard to pronounce even if the spelling throws you off. Lyris is fun character. I can almost picture the fun Victoria had in creating her unique brand of "crazy" She will definitely throw the reader for a loop or two. As things start to piece themselves together for Ari, you can sense the inner struggle she deals with. People who she's trusted her entire life she's unsure of whether or not she can still trust them. That's something every reader can relate to. Ghita reminds me of my grandparents, always pushing their beliefs on me when it wasn't the path destined for me. I felt every shred of hurt from Ari as Ghita tried again and again to force hers on Ari. I am very impressed with this author's knowledge of Gaea and the Pagan ways. She's got our ways down to a tee which is a rarity, though I suspect you may have pagan blood in her veins if she doesn't openly practice. This book is not only a fascinating fictional read, it's also a great way to gain some inside into those of us who follow the old ways. This book is amazingly written and I eagerly await the next installment of it.. I give this book 5 of 5...Victoria keep coming out with books of this magnitude and you'll go far >^.^<
It took me a few pages to get into this story and get the feel for it, but once I did (and it really didn't take but a few pages), I was completely drawn in.
Thanks to an accident, Ari is bound to a wheelchair. Part of me did think 'oh, it's that type of story', but it wasn't about how someone overcomes such obstacles. Rather, the author does a terrific job blending this fact into the story so that it felt natural and didn't over-power the main plot. It simply supported the rest of the story.
The plot itself is intricate (lots of lies and mysteries to work through) and well composed. Although action is often present, there are a few calmer periods which I did breeze through. Ari's thoughts are always clear, and it's easy to understand why she reacts the way she does. Despite all the lies around her, she manages to stay fairly level-headed and doesn't become bitter - something which really makes her likable.
Of course, she has a hero at her side, and he's amazing as heroes should be. The romance between them is sweet, definitely not hurried, and grows out of a long friendship. Simply said, enjoyable.
Summed up, I really enjoyed this. The fairly complicated plot pulls in as much as the wonderful characters. I read this in one sitting and couldn't wait to get my hands on book 2.
I received a free book in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this story from the author for an honest review. I was quite surprised by this story as it was very refreshing and new for a YA paranormal - not the same old story line at all. Not only were the characters well developed and entertaining, the story line flowed from beginning to end. I found myself reading the entire book in one sitting as I couldn't wait to find out how everything unfolded. I have to admit I was lost at some points as you don't really get to know what is going on. At first I was not happy about this as usually I can see where a story is going. With this book we were kept in the dark and things were revealed to us when Ari found out about them. Which of course is how the Author wanted us to find out. And in the end it all made sense so everything was good! The book does have some twists in it which kept me on my toes too. Well entertaining and I found myself believing in Gaea as much as Ari by the time the story ended. I hope there is more to come soon as I definitely want to find out what happens next!!
I was really excited to read this book because I love mythology, but I will admit that it took me some time to really get into this story, and even then, there was just something that held me back from enjoying this story completely.
I enjoyed the way Escobar incorporated certain mythical beings and I enjoyed learning more about Ari's legacy. Then there was the mystery behind whomever she was tied to, and the history between Leonidas and Sasha that had caused such a dislike for each other.
With a few twists and turns, and an intriguing build up to an epic battle between all sides, this story grew into something much more epic. I would love to see how Ari's life will change with the revelations at the end of this book, so I'm excited to read more of this series.
TBH this book was quite an emotional rollercoaster ride for me!
The story itself was quite good, at least good enough to rope me in and keep me interested. Still, I feel the potential of the plotline wasn't quite fulfilled.
The characters were another mixed bunch of emotions. Ariadne, or Ari, started out super whiney and annoying, basically ready to give up on life because she was in a wheelchair with a soinal cord injury after an accident. Of course I understand that it's hard to recover from such an event, but the level of self-pity Ari exhibited made me want to shake some sense into her. After her miraculous recovery she morphed into a Mary-Sue-like heroine. 🙄 I strongly dislike the trope of miraculous healing, so this rubbed me the wrong way.
Sasha and Nasya are two wonderful sidekicks, but they too could have used a little more fleshing out, as could the rest of the relevant characters.
My biggest problem with this book were the numerous (as in on almost every page) spelling and grammar errors! The author thanks her editor, but this book was NOT edited properly! Heck, English isn't my first language and I could've done a much better job at finding and correcting the mistakes! /Rant over!
The author would often use (Greek) words without explaining their meaning, leaving the reader to guess or google. Sometimes she would change the pov of the storyteller without creating a new paragraph, again disrupting the flow of the story. Not cool!
I don't regret reading this book, but it did leave me wondering how great it could have been.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love books relating to mythology so I was very excited to read this. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. The beginning was confusing. It took place in Virginia, yet no one questioned the overly Greek names that the characters had in a "normal" town. This Damia girl hates Ari enough to be trying to kill her out of nowhere and why? Over a guy? I didn't understand the level of hatred. Ari switched from calling Ghita "mom" to just "Ghita" randomly one day. Ari also seemed to accept the whole "I was magically healed from being paralyzed and oh yeah now I'm some sort of goddess and Sparta is real" thing without any skepticism at all whatsoever. The way the book jumped around to different character's perspectives without warning was very confusing to read, on top of the not-great editing. I had such a hard time trying to puzzle out the logic and grammar in this book that I just couldn't get into the story. It took me forever to get through. Overall, it was just a confusing book.
I really want to give this book 5 stars, but as it was the first book for this author, there was room for her to grow. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series as the plot carried you through the book like you are sitting in a theater watching a great movie. Awesome job Victoria, you deserve snickerdoodles for your birthday!