Memory Game

Hound of Hades #2

by Zoe Cannon

Mal’s job used to be simple: find the people causing problems for Hades and give them a one-way ticket to his realm. But with Hades’s temple a pile of rubble and his other operatives dead, she has a new mission—prevent the entire world from finding out about the temple while single-handedly holding Hades’s territory against the rest of the gods. And in less than two days, a documentary crew will get access to the ruins of the temple, and broadcast the truth about the gods’ secret wars.

Unless... Mnemosyne, goddess of memory, can alter a few memories and make the publicity problem go away. All she wants in return is one human dead—a human who happens to have the power to level entire buildings with a thought.

Mal’s maybe-ally Bastian offers to provide backup—but nothing is ever free. He needs her help settling an old score against a certain goddess. A goddess named Mnemosyne…

Genres: Urban Fantasy

Unknown Binding

Published February 21, 2020

About the author

** I no longer use Goodreads to track my reading. My subjective rating and review standards aren’t likely to be useful to other readers--how would it help anyone else to see that I rated a book 5 stars because I read it at the exact right time in my life, or 2 stars because it used a popular trope I dislike?--and I’m not comfortable with the idea of readers and even authors taking them as objective measurements, or worse, constructive criticism. I now track my reading privately, but send out monthly book recommendations through my mailing list at https://www.zoecannon.com/newsletter. My old ratings and reviews are still here, but don’t take them as anything other than personal reactions. I may not see messages and friend requests. **

Zoe Cannon may or may not be a supervillain out to conquer the world through writing. When not writing, she can be found perfecting her schemes for world domination, plotting against her archenemies, and staying up too late reading a book. Her secret lair is rumored to be located somewhere in southern New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Coralee Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine a world were Leda and the Swan really happened. Where Hercules was the son of a God. Where all the legendary gods use this planet as their personal playground. Humans for the most part are clay in their hands. This is the world that Caldwell introduced in Book 1 of the Hound of Hades series. In this urban fantasy, the Marked do the tasks the gods demand, the Guardians worship the Gods, and the rest of the world is pretty much oblivious.

Mal is one of Hades Marks, and her job is to be a fixer. For the most part, fixing consists of eliminating a threat to Hades. This job became moot in Book One when Hades temple was destroyed. Now Mal must help strengthen the remaining guardian. The consequences of not doing this are dire.

Hades is off the stage in Book 2. Here Mnemosyne (the Goddess of Memory) moves the plot. Mal is charged with killing a person named Ellierose. When she discovers Ellie is a fire starter, and a 10 year old demigod, Mal is thrown into an ethical dilemma. Should she complete her mission and kill a child? What will Bastian do or say if she does? What about Bastian, the intriguing man from Book 1. Is there more to him than one would think?

The author promotes this series as "darkly and snarky'. Both are true, however there is also a lot of ruminating that tends to drag at times. One hopes Cannon will allow for more character growth and less angst as the series progresses.

Recommended for readers who enjoy urban fantasy. The violence is not hard core, making it suitable for readers from High School on up.

[Witch-at-Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is fantastic I absolutely love the MC Mal and her fierce determination to do the right thing and still serve her God Hades. This world is fascinating and who knew I'd love a series and root for a servant of Hades to save the day. Seriously great storyline and I'm so glad I found this author!