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Gods & Lies
A priestess of justice and a disgraced demigod investigate a grisly murder that threatens the throw the uneasy balance between gods and mortals into chaos.
Gods make everything complicated. No one knows that better than Justix Iris Tharro, a human agent of the Goddess of Justice, still reeling from a scandal that almost ended her career. Grateful for a second chance, Iris’ mandate is clear: investigate crimes, mete out justice…and never again insert herself in the business of the Pantheon.
But when the dead body of a young woman is found on the altar in the wind god’s temple, iris quickly realizes her task might not be that simple. Because while murder is usually a human crime, this one is rife with magic only a God would be capable of. To accuse a God of murdering a human acolyte would do more than ruin Iris’ reputation (again); it could put her life at risk.
That’s why she needs a partner who knows the good, the bad, and the ugly consequences of dealing with the Gods. Enter Andy: a handsome demigod with a silver tongue, desperately trying to win back the favor of his sea goddess mother. It’s a challenging partnership, but there’s no one better to guide iris through black markets teeming with illegal relics, nightclubs full of nymphs, and the nefarious politics of the Pantheon . . . especially when it becomes clean that more than one immortal may have something to hide.
In a world where ancient grudges and human desires live side by side and the old ways die hard, Iris and Andy are confronted with an impossible choice: whether solving one human’s murder is worth the wrath of all the Gods.
This fun, fast-paced fantasy noir novel by Elizabeth Vail is perfect for fans of American Gods and The Maltese Falcon, and was originally published on Serial Box (serialbox.com).
Gods make everything complicated. No one knows that better than Justix Iris Tharro, a human agent of the Goddess of Justice, still reeling from a scandal that almost ended her career. Grateful for a second chance, Iris’ mandate is clear: investigate crimes, mete out justice…and never again insert herself in the business of the Pantheon.
But when the dead body of a young woman is found on the altar in the wind god’s temple, iris quickly realizes her task might not be that simple. Because while murder is usually a human crime, this one is rife with magic only a God would be capable of. To accuse a God of murdering a human acolyte would do more than ruin Iris’ reputation (again); it could put her life at risk.
That’s why she needs a partner who knows the good, the bad, and the ugly consequences of dealing with the Gods. Enter Andy: a handsome demigod with a silver tongue, desperately trying to win back the favor of his sea goddess mother. It’s a challenging partnership, but there’s no one better to guide iris through black markets teeming with illegal relics, nightclubs full of nymphs, and the nefarious politics of the Pantheon . . . especially when it becomes clean that more than one immortal may have something to hide.
In a world where ancient grudges and human desires live side by side and the old ways die hard, Iris and Andy are confronted with an impossible choice: whether solving one human’s murder is worth the wrath of all the Gods.
This fun, fast-paced fantasy noir novel by Elizabeth Vail is perfect for fans of American Gods and The Maltese Falcon, and was originally published on Serial Box (serialbox.com).
111 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 13, 2019
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482 people want to read
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August 2, 2024
Gods & Lies is a quick, fast-paced urban fantasy/mystery. I really enjoyed the world-building, but wasn't as much of a fan of the mystery or the developing romance. I'll consider reading the next season of the series, which finished recently.
I generally like secondary-world urban fantasy better than urban fantasy set in variations of our own world, and I really like what Vail has done with the development of her setting here. This was the best part of the book for me. The pantheon seems pretty clearly based on Greek and Roman gods, but with some interesting twists (I loved the idea of the Threemothers, for instance). Partially because of similarities to our world, it was pretty easy to grasp how things worked and what the rules were, generally. I felt the author was successful in creating a cohesive system of gods, humans, and other entities, and then examining the conflicts that might arise out of that system as it changed over time. I enjoyed the way those conflicts were used to support the main plot of the story.
Where I had more trouble was the plot itself. While I had fun racing around with Iris and Andy to try to solve the mystery, I found the actual solution predictable and disappointing. This was somewhat ameliorated because of other aspects of the resolution that I enjoyed - the way this case related back to the bigger picture of human-god relations, in particular - but at the moment of the big reveal I was seriously considering giving the book only 2 stars. Additionally, I found the romance boring. Iris and Andy are fairly shallow characters, although they both do have potential, but a romance between them seemed a bit out of character and not especially supported by anything in-text beyond the fact that it might be expected of this type of story/relationship.
The writing was, on the whole, engaging and easy to read. However, there was some annoyingly exposition-heavy dialogue in the middle that I would have preferred to skipped - the information could have been introduced much more gracefully.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book.
I generally like secondary-world urban fantasy better than urban fantasy set in variations of our own world, and I really like what Vail has done with the development of her setting here. This was the best part of the book for me. The pantheon seems pretty clearly based on Greek and Roman gods, but with some interesting twists (I loved the idea of the Threemothers, for instance). Partially because of similarities to our world, it was pretty easy to grasp how things worked and what the rules were, generally. I felt the author was successful in creating a cohesive system of gods, humans, and other entities, and then examining the conflicts that might arise out of that system as it changed over time. I enjoyed the way those conflicts were used to support the main plot of the story.
Where I had more trouble was the plot itself. While I had fun racing around with Iris and Andy to try to solve the mystery, I found the actual solution predictable and disappointing. This was somewhat ameliorated because of other aspects of the resolution that I enjoyed - the way this case related back to the bigger picture of human-god relations, in particular - but at the moment of the big reveal I was seriously considering giving the book only 2 stars. Additionally, I found the romance boring. Iris and Andy are fairly shallow characters, although they both do have potential, but a romance between them seemed a bit out of character and not especially supported by anything in-text beyond the fact that it might be expected of this type of story/relationship.
The writing was, on the whole, engaging and easy to read. However, there was some annoyingly exposition-heavy dialogue in the middle that I would have preferred to skipped - the information could have been introduced much more gracefully.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book.
April 12, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Serial Box for providing me with a review copy. The below opinions are my own.
Gods & Lies is a quick read of an urban fantasy with a bit of romance. This book follows two POVs Andy and Iris who come together to investigate a murder. This book is influenced by Greek mythology a bit but nothing is stated outright. It had several twists along the way and at times they felt rushed with less attention to details.
The writing style was good and the imagination of the author is to be commended. However the book was too fast paced and the characters felt stereotypical. I wish this chapter was a bit longer and more fleshed out.
Merged review:
Thanks to NetGalley and Serial Box for providing me with a review copy. The below opinions are my own.
Gods & Lies is a quick read of an urban fantasy with a bit of romance. This book follows two POVs Andy and Iris who come together to investigate a murder. This book is influenced by Greek mythology a bit but nothing is stated outright. It had several twists along the way and at times they felt rushed with less attention to details.
The writing style was good and the imagination of the author is to be commended. However the book was too fast paced and the characters felt stereotypical. I wish this chapter was a bit longer and more fleshed out.
Gods & Lies is a quick read of an urban fantasy with a bit of romance. This book follows two POVs Andy and Iris who come together to investigate a murder. This book is influenced by Greek mythology a bit but nothing is stated outright. It had several twists along the way and at times they felt rushed with less attention to details.
The writing style was good and the imagination of the author is to be commended. However the book was too fast paced and the characters felt stereotypical. I wish this chapter was a bit longer and more fleshed out.
Merged review:
Thanks to NetGalley and Serial Box for providing me with a review copy. The below opinions are my own.
Gods & Lies is a quick read of an urban fantasy with a bit of romance. This book follows two POVs Andy and Iris who come together to investigate a murder. This book is influenced by Greek mythology a bit but nothing is stated outright. It had several twists along the way and at times they felt rushed with less attention to details.
The writing style was good and the imagination of the author is to be commended. However the book was too fast paced and the characters felt stereotypical. I wish this chapter was a bit longer and more fleshed out.
April 16, 2020
Man, I enjoyed this. Great characters, fantastic mythology, fast-moving plot, and a great mystery. And I loved the relationship at the heart of the story. Great audio readers, too.
Really hoping for a season 2!
Really hoping for a season 2!
November 25, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and Serial Box for this ARC.
This serial is an interesting mix of: gods based on the greek pantheon, romance, and mystery. Lead character Iris is a Justix for goddess Themia. Her job is to investigate when humans and gods run afoul of each other. Though, her role is really supposed to be to investigate when the humans involved with the gods do something possibly criminal. Not to investigate the gods and their potentially criminal or reprehensible behaviour.
So Iris is sent to the site of a murder of a devotee of Aestros, the Windtamer. She's assigned a partner, a ne'er do well demigod, Andy, son of the Seamother and brother of Tilamon, Goddess of Tides. Iris has issues with Andy's constant skirting of the law and the way problems don't tend to stick to him, so she's less than happy to have him along on her investigation.
Pretty soon, they both find, using their various individual resources and methods, that there's something fishy, and possibly quite horrible going on. And the more they dig, the more certain they become that the case isn't anywhere near as clear cut as Themia would like, and that they're attracted to one another.
I liked the mix of slightly noir-ish detective story and gods behaving badly. (Though, when don’t they?)
Iris and Andy are both interesting point of view characters, so it's fun watching them use their different skills to come to similar conclusions about the case.
The pacing is good, and I liked the characters. It's not a deeply complicated mystery, but enjoyable nonetheless, and I could follow this story easily, and look forward to the next instalment.
This serial is an interesting mix of: gods based on the greek pantheon, romance, and mystery. Lead character Iris is a Justix for goddess Themia. Her job is to investigate when humans and gods run afoul of each other. Though, her role is really supposed to be to investigate when the humans involved with the gods do something possibly criminal. Not to investigate the gods and their potentially criminal or reprehensible behaviour.
So Iris is sent to the site of a murder of a devotee of Aestros, the Windtamer. She's assigned a partner, a ne'er do well demigod, Andy, son of the Seamother and brother of Tilamon, Goddess of Tides. Iris has issues with Andy's constant skirting of the law and the way problems don't tend to stick to him, so she's less than happy to have him along on her investigation.
Pretty soon, they both find, using their various individual resources and methods, that there's something fishy, and possibly quite horrible going on. And the more they dig, the more certain they become that the case isn't anywhere near as clear cut as Themia would like, and that they're attracted to one another.
I liked the mix of slightly noir-ish detective story and gods behaving badly. (Though, when don’t they?)
Iris and Andy are both interesting point of view characters, so it's fun watching them use their different skills to come to similar conclusions about the case.
The pacing is good, and I liked the characters. It's not a deeply complicated mystery, but enjoyable nonetheless, and I could follow this story easily, and look forward to the next instalment.
September 24, 2020
If there's anything I love more than delving into mythology is just knowing that gods and their offspring are messy and well, they do everything just like humans to try and cover up their mistakes and this book gave a series vibe, it took me for a thrilling ride and I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
January 14, 2021
[ESP]
Gods & Lies fue una lectura interesante.
Me encantó todo acerca de la detective-de-divinidades y el haz-equipo-con-el-enemigo. A ver, me encantó.
Aunque es bastante triste que la historia sea tan corta, me hubiese encantado leer más sobre los dioses, las diosas y la mitología de este mundo con sus templos y todo. Y claro, quería saber más sobre la organización que lidera a los detectives por sobre los dioses. Fue una lectura muy entretenida y divertida.
Realmente me gustó.
[ENG]
This was interesting.
I love all about the god-detective-thing and the team-up-with-ur-enemy-thing. I mean, I'm on it.
It was just so sad that the story were so short, I would like to read more about the goddesses and the temples, and of course, more about the organization that leads detectives over gods. It was just fun.
I like it very much.
Gods & Lies fue una lectura interesante.
Me encantó todo acerca de la detective-de-divinidades y el haz-equipo-con-el-enemigo. A ver, me encantó.
Aunque es bastante triste que la historia sea tan corta, me hubiese encantado leer más sobre los dioses, las diosas y la mitología de este mundo con sus templos y todo. Y claro, quería saber más sobre la organización que lidera a los detectives por sobre los dioses. Fue una lectura muy entretenida y divertida.
Realmente me gustó.
[ENG]
This was interesting.
I love all about the god-detective-thing and the team-up-with-ur-enemy-thing. I mean, I'm on it.
It was just so sad that the story were so short, I would like to read more about the goddesses and the temples, and of course, more about the organization that leads detectives over gods. It was just fun.
I like it very much.
October 20, 2020
I want to thank Netgalley and Serial Box Publishing for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. You can read my non-spoiler full review at https://inkdrinkerhana.wordpress.com/...
December 24, 2020
I received a free Kindle copy of this book via Goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.
If detective noir fiction and the Percy Jackson books had a baby, this would be it - in all the best ways. I immediately fell in love with both Iris and Andy's characters and narrative voices. The writing was great - there were so many funny lines and the plot flowed super smoothly. I love the new pantheon created; the original gods and their symbols were really fun and believably implemented.
There are a few formatting errors, possibly due to the digital publishing, but nothing significant enough to impact the star rating! I cannot wait to read more from Vail in the future. Extremely excited for the sequel!
If detective noir fiction and the Percy Jackson books had a baby, this would be it - in all the best ways. I immediately fell in love with both Iris and Andy's characters and narrative voices. The writing was great - there were so many funny lines and the plot flowed super smoothly. I love the new pantheon created; the original gods and their symbols were really fun and believably implemented.
There are a few formatting errors, possibly due to the digital publishing, but nothing significant enough to impact the star rating! I cannot wait to read more from Vail in the future. Extremely excited for the sequel!
September 28, 2020
Gods & Lies is the latest Serial Box adventure that I decided to dive into, and man was it worth it! Written by Elizabeth Vail, and narrated by a combination of Cary Hite and Sarah Mollo-Christensen, this is an iconic read (or listen, depending on what you decide to do).
Has there ever been a tale involving multiple gods where they didn't make things more difficult for their human worshipers? In this world, there are gods everywhere, and in order to survive, you generally have to pick one to primarily worship, and hope that they keep the other gods off your back.
Enter Justix Iris Tharrow. She believes in the Goddess of Justice, and it's her job to investigate human crimes and bring justice to them. It's a tough job, but it is also certainly her calling. As opposed to Andy, a demigod trying to go clean from his life of crime, and struggling to do so.
Yet thanks to a murder, these two unlikely allies are about to end up working together. It is never easy to solve a murder, a fact that could never have been more true when the gods and their faithful get in the way.
“I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped out of the car.”
Warnings: Gods & Lies does touch upon a few heavier subjects, but the larger (and more dominant) moments and themes include sacrifice and animal death.
Will I ever get sick of diving into a series full of mythology? No, I don't think I will. Gods & Lies is full to the brim of gods, goddesses, and the humans who worship them. It is without a doubt the most unique take on this world that I've ever seen, and I feel like that's saying something.
This is a world where the old gods of legend exist, yet. But there are plenty of other gods to deal with as well. The god of traffic for example, or the one that loves all things text or phone based. Any convenience humans are used to is helped (or hindered) by the gods.
It's impressive and fun, all at the same time. And that's without taking the murder mystery into account. That in itself is a whirlwind of an adventure, fitting in thriller elements into a world that should be full of magic and lore.
Iris and Andy are such unique characters with huge personalities. It took me a little while to really get (and like) both of them, but once I did, I found myself fully invested in their stories. So much so that I'm basically sitting here waiting for an announcement about season two (which I'm assuming will be a thing, but I don't actually know that for sure).
“If you can't trust a priestess of the Goddess of Justice, who can you trust?”
Gods & Lies was the shortest Serial Box series I've tried, and yet the punch didn't feel diminished at all. Actually, I almost feel like a shorter format was better suited to this experience. It was quick, fun, and easy to impulsively dive into. It fit the world quite nicely in that sense. Here's hoping that any future season sticks to that format as well.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Has there ever been a tale involving multiple gods where they didn't make things more difficult for their human worshipers? In this world, there are gods everywhere, and in order to survive, you generally have to pick one to primarily worship, and hope that they keep the other gods off your back.
Enter Justix Iris Tharrow. She believes in the Goddess of Justice, and it's her job to investigate human crimes and bring justice to them. It's a tough job, but it is also certainly her calling. As opposed to Andy, a demigod trying to go clean from his life of crime, and struggling to do so.
Yet thanks to a murder, these two unlikely allies are about to end up working together. It is never easy to solve a murder, a fact that could never have been more true when the gods and their faithful get in the way.
“I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped out of the car.”
Warnings: Gods & Lies does touch upon a few heavier subjects, but the larger (and more dominant) moments and themes include sacrifice and animal death.
Will I ever get sick of diving into a series full of mythology? No, I don't think I will. Gods & Lies is full to the brim of gods, goddesses, and the humans who worship them. It is without a doubt the most unique take on this world that I've ever seen, and I feel like that's saying something.
This is a world where the old gods of legend exist, yet. But there are plenty of other gods to deal with as well. The god of traffic for example, or the one that loves all things text or phone based. Any convenience humans are used to is helped (or hindered) by the gods.
It's impressive and fun, all at the same time. And that's without taking the murder mystery into account. That in itself is a whirlwind of an adventure, fitting in thriller elements into a world that should be full of magic and lore.
Iris and Andy are such unique characters with huge personalities. It took me a little while to really get (and like) both of them, but once I did, I found myself fully invested in their stories. So much so that I'm basically sitting here waiting for an announcement about season two (which I'm assuming will be a thing, but I don't actually know that for sure).
“If you can't trust a priestess of the Goddess of Justice, who can you trust?”
Gods & Lies was the shortest Serial Box series I've tried, and yet the punch didn't feel diminished at all. Actually, I almost feel like a shorter format was better suited to this experience. It was quick, fun, and easy to impulsively dive into. It fit the world quite nicely in that sense. Here's hoping that any future season sticks to that format as well.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
April 17, 2021
I read this courtesy of NetGalley.
A fun secondary-world detective story. This is a country (not a whole world, it seems) where gods and goddesses are very real and very present. And we're talking ancient Greek versions of the gods: they're petty and vengeful and lustful and all those sorts of vices that, when write large on the immortal scale, are so obviously awful. And add in the sorts of characteristics that go along with whatever you're god of - the wind god being whimsical or devil-may-care, for instance - and there's all sorts of things that can go badly for the humans around them.
Here, a priestess of the goddess of justice is called on to investigate a murder. It's a weird one, and clues lead to weird places. She get assistance - unwillingly - from a demigod; because when you've got gods and goddesses interacting with mortals, that sort of thing is bound to happen.
For lovers of a good detective story, this is a lot of fun.
A fun secondary-world detective story. This is a country (not a whole world, it seems) where gods and goddesses are very real and very present. And we're talking ancient Greek versions of the gods: they're petty and vengeful and lustful and all those sorts of vices that, when write large on the immortal scale, are so obviously awful. And add in the sorts of characteristics that go along with whatever you're god of - the wind god being whimsical or devil-may-care, for instance - and there's all sorts of things that can go badly for the humans around them.
Here, a priestess of the goddess of justice is called on to investigate a murder. It's a weird one, and clues lead to weird places. She get assistance - unwillingly - from a demigod; because when you've got gods and goddesses interacting with mortals, that sort of thing is bound to happen.
For lovers of a good detective story, this is a lot of fun.
October 30, 2020
An interesting world, in which Graeco-Roman-style gods live among humans, and you can (under certain circumstances) go and talk to them, and it's a secondary world (or at least the names of countries are different), but the technology level is that of our contemporary world.
This forms the background for a good solid murder mystery. The investigator is a priestess of Justice, and she's assisted by a former criminal informant/demigod who is trying to get his act together, and faces an uphill battle to do so.
The gods are privileged (in the original meaning of the word: they have a private law, which is different from the law that applies to humans), and the investigator has a big problem with that. Especially since the clues in the murder keep pointing to it having been done by a god, and she has no jurisdiction if that is the case.
The undercurrent of attraction between the ill-assorted pair (who alternate as viewpoint characters) adds to the already well-drawn characterization, the mystery is textbook in its execution, and all in all it's a good bit of craft, as well as being entertaining.
Copy editing is good, too, with only a few small typing errors. I'll be looking for more from this author.
This forms the background for a good solid murder mystery. The investigator is a priestess of Justice, and she's assisted by a former criminal informant/demigod who is trying to get his act together, and faces an uphill battle to do so.
The gods are privileged (in the original meaning of the word: they have a private law, which is different from the law that applies to humans), and the investigator has a big problem with that. Especially since the clues in the murder keep pointing to it having been done by a god, and she has no jurisdiction if that is the case.
The undercurrent of attraction between the ill-assorted pair (who alternate as viewpoint characters) adds to the already well-drawn characterization, the mystery is textbook in its execution, and all in all it's a good bit of craft, as well as being entertaining.
Copy editing is good, too, with only a few small typing errors. I'll be looking for more from this author.
May 15, 2021
* I got a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review*
This was a quick-paced and entertaining read. I read this while listening to the audiobook (which has some pretty cool sound effects btw) and that really enhanced the experience. The audiobook is free in podcast form, so for anyone who is able, I definitely recommend checking that out. I love urban fantasies and stories based on mythology but I really wish that the book had been a bit longer. I really wish could have been more time spent on world-building in the beginning and that we had spent more time building up the characters' personalities and chemistry because I struggled to get invested in their issues and the chemistry fell a bit flat for me.
3. 5 stars overall and I would definitely consider checking out episode 2.
This was a quick-paced and entertaining read. I read this while listening to the audiobook (which has some pretty cool sound effects btw) and that really enhanced the experience. The audiobook is free in podcast form, so for anyone who is able, I definitely recommend checking that out. I love urban fantasies and stories based on mythology but I really wish that the book had been a bit longer. I really wish could have been more time spent on world-building in the beginning and that we had spent more time building up the characters' personalities and chemistry because I struggled to get invested in their issues and the chemistry fell a bit flat for me.
3. 5 stars overall and I would definitely consider checking out episode 2.
December 24, 2019
The balance of life for humans in a world where the gods of pantheon walk among them, their patronage the only way to get by, is a precarious thing. The hierarchies are complex and not everyone gets to be recognized as a person. So how does a human law priestess untangle a case with a human victim found murdered in a god's temple when it looks like a god did the deed?
This story is fun and moves right along. I really enjoyed it and I hope there's more to come, because there's a lot of possibilities here.
This story is fun and moves right along. I really enjoyed it and I hope there's more to come, because there's a lot of possibilities here.
May 11, 2020
Great fun! The narrators do a pretty good job of letting us know when the parties switch and the mystery really kept me guessing. I liked that there's a little 'something' going on between Iris and Andy, even though neither one of them really has a handle on it yet.
A young woman has been murdered in the Wind God's temple and Andy and Iris have to find out who done it. There's a lot of twists before they finally solve the case.
Best part for me? Sounds like there might be a sequel coming.
A young woman has been murdered in the Wind God's temple and Andy and Iris have to find out who done it. There's a lot of twists before they finally solve the case.
Best part for me? Sounds like there might be a sequel coming.
August 16, 2020
I really enjoyed this take on a modern pantheon of gods and other deities interacting with their favorites and humankind. It was a great mystery with a fast moving plot and wonderfully developed characters that I have found myself becoming invested in. I look forward to the next book/season 2 of this series.The main character of Iris was relatable and I look forward to learning more about her backstory.
I would like to thank Elizabeth Vail, Serial Box and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange free fair and honest review.
I would like to thank Elizabeth Vail, Serial Box and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange free fair and honest review.
December 6, 2020
Elizabeth Vail has a cute mystery set in the land of Naxos where gods are quite real. Iris Tharro is a human agent of the Goddess of Justice. The murder victim is a girl transformed into a kestrel and laid on the altar in the Aestros windtamer’s temple. Andy Iriki, a demigod with mother issues, somehow ends up her partner. Iris can’t be involved in a case concerning the gods and this is clearly a case of Gods & Lies (ebook from Serial Box) lot of light fun, and probably more cases to follow.Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press
October 28, 2020
What an absolute hoot! It's no secret that I love a good mystery, but mix in gods and goddesses, a tightly written storyline, and a kickass protagonist or two, and for me anyway, thats perfection!
I love that some of the gods are familiar to me, like the goddess of justice, and some are completely new, like the god of the internet... or the god of the wind. It's a mixture of the known and unknown... and I found it completely entertaining!
Add in the great narration, and Serial box has once again brought in a solid gold plated read, and I hope it will be just the first book in a series!
I love that some of the gods are familiar to me, like the goddess of justice, and some are completely new, like the god of the internet... or the god of the wind. It's a mixture of the known and unknown... and I found it completely entertaining!
Add in the great narration, and Serial box has once again brought in a solid gold plated read, and I hope it will be just the first book in a series!
November 25, 2020
I really enjoyed this. For me it was “light” entertainment, which was great because I have been chewing through some really heavy WWII historical heavies and needed an emotional break. I loved the characters, and the society created based on the continued belief in ancient Gods and Goddesses. I have already signed on for season two.
April 21, 2021
I received a digital copy through a giveaway and I’m annoyed it took me so long to get to it. It’s a quick read, not just because of the short length, but because it /moves/. The worldbuilding is delightful, the characters are interesting, and the mystery is engaging. I’m excited for more of this world.
March 8, 2024
Fun Mystery With Unique Twists
I enjoy a good murder mystery, especially when the author keeps me in the dark most of the way through. I thought I knew who the killer was, but the twists and turns of the story, the addition of gods and mystical creatures, kept the story lively and entertaining even if I did guess right about the killer in the end.
I enjoy a good murder mystery, especially when the author keeps me in the dark most of the way through. I thought I knew who the killer was, but the twists and turns of the story, the addition of gods and mystical creatures, kept the story lively and entertaining even if I did guess right about the killer in the end.
December 26, 2020
I recently received a copy of this as a Goodreads giveaway.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The characters were interesting and well-developed, especially for such a short story. It was a quick read and I'm looking forward to the next installment!
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The characters were interesting and well-developed, especially for such a short story. It was a quick read and I'm looking forward to the next installment!
September 7, 2023
I listened to the audio drama version of this - really quite good i have to say - look it's no Circe or Song of Achilles, but it was good and with a whole host of god's represented that I had never heard of which I loved. Good plot, great character development. Overall, love!
February 13, 2020
Great modern take on gods, demigods and humans. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this murder mystery. I wish I didn't need to wait for season 2.
March 25, 2020
Super fun to spend a day bingeing! When does Season 2 come out?
October 25, 2020
Una de las historias más entretenidas que he leído en mucho tiempo. Estoy deseando que publiquen la segunda temporada, que es como Serial Box llama a cada libro.
October 26, 2020
Fun story and well narrated. Serial Box Audio.
February 16, 2021
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I thought the concept of this story was really cool, and while I enjoyed the characters, I found myself losing interest in the story. There were some good, funny moments in the story, and I enjoyed the banter between Iris and Andy. I didn't predict the ending either which was nice, but I just couldn't get hooked in the story like I expected. I would definitely read another season of this book though.
I thought the concept of this story was really cool, and while I enjoyed the characters, I found myself losing interest in the story. There were some good, funny moments in the story, and I enjoyed the banter between Iris and Andy. I didn't predict the ending either which was nice, but I just couldn't get hooked in the story like I expected. I would definitely read another season of this book though.
October 9, 2020
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my thoughts.
TW: murder, sacrifice
Part fantastical myth-retelling, part detective story, Gods & Lies is a fun little read. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going in, given that I’d never heard of it before and wasn’t certain about it being a true retelling of any one specific mythology, but I was pleasantly surprised.
It doesn’t waste any time jumping into the main driving force of the story: the murder of a gods’ Favoured human. Right from the get go we follow Iris and Andy as they search for clues and try to solve the mystery. It was interesting to see how the gods fit into the crime scene, turning a regular mystery into something more unique and exciting. I also found that the relics and temples were well explained for such a short piece of work. Nothing felt confusing and info-dumpy, but at the same time nothing felt underdone. It was the perfect blend of information and assuming the reader is smart enough to know what’s going on in the new world.
The first thing that I noticed in this is that the pantheon is very unique. As soon as I saw the name Iris my mind jumped straight to the Greeks. But after making my way through this, I’m not so sure I was right. There’s definitely a Greek influence here, but I’m not 100% sure this is an actual mythology retelling - of any pantheon - as names were slightly off and nothing is explicitly stated. Either way, I enjoyed the pantheon and was able to relate it to certain mythologies when I needed to get my head around names, and I’m a sucker for mythology in all forms.
My one issue with it, however, is that the case starts to get a bit confusing towards the middle of the book. When new victims and new evidence was introduced, I found it a little hard to keep track of what was going on as things were quite similar. This may just have been down to the fact that I’m not a big mystery or crime reader, but it might also have been the execution. It didn’t hinder my enjoyment too much, but it definitely took something away from the big reveal at the end because I didn’t fully understand it.
I do think that this ended very well, even if I didn’t fully understand the gods’ involvement in the plot. I liked the epilogue and thought it ended on a funny and well-rounded yet open to a sequel way. If that makes any sense. I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to reading more about Justix Tharro if there was a continuation, as this was a fun little read.
TW: murder, sacrifice
Part fantastical myth-retelling, part detective story, Gods & Lies is a fun little read. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going in, given that I’d never heard of it before and wasn’t certain about it being a true retelling of any one specific mythology, but I was pleasantly surprised.
It doesn’t waste any time jumping into the main driving force of the story: the murder of a gods’ Favoured human. Right from the get go we follow Iris and Andy as they search for clues and try to solve the mystery. It was interesting to see how the gods fit into the crime scene, turning a regular mystery into something more unique and exciting. I also found that the relics and temples were well explained for such a short piece of work. Nothing felt confusing and info-dumpy, but at the same time nothing felt underdone. It was the perfect blend of information and assuming the reader is smart enough to know what’s going on in the new world.
The first thing that I noticed in this is that the pantheon is very unique. As soon as I saw the name Iris my mind jumped straight to the Greeks. But after making my way through this, I’m not so sure I was right. There’s definitely a Greek influence here, but I’m not 100% sure this is an actual mythology retelling - of any pantheon - as names were slightly off and nothing is explicitly stated. Either way, I enjoyed the pantheon and was able to relate it to certain mythologies when I needed to get my head around names, and I’m a sucker for mythology in all forms.
My one issue with it, however, is that the case starts to get a bit confusing towards the middle of the book. When new victims and new evidence was introduced, I found it a little hard to keep track of what was going on as things were quite similar. This may just have been down to the fact that I’m not a big mystery or crime reader, but it might also have been the execution. It didn’t hinder my enjoyment too much, but it definitely took something away from the big reveal at the end because I didn’t fully understand it.
I do think that this ended very well, even if I didn’t fully understand the gods’ involvement in the plot. I liked the epilogue and thought it ended on a funny and well-rounded yet open to a sequel way. If that makes any sense. I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to reading more about Justix Tharro if there was a continuation, as this was a fun little read.
October 18, 2020
I'd read a few series from Serialbox before, at least till they stopped allowing people to download and keep the files they'd bought and started forcing people to use their app or the website to download everything. In general, the quality was pretty good and I'd enjoyed most of them enough to want to pay out. This particular title was a new one to me, as was the author, so I was happy to pick up a copy for free via Netgalley and check it out.
It's essentially an urban fantasy story set in a world where the gods are still around and people try to get their favour or ally themselves with a particular deity as a way of attempting to gain protection (mostly from other gods, by the sound of it). There are also plenty of demi-gods knocking around, for the usual mythological reasons, including one who plays a significant sidekick role to our protagonist and also a heavily foreshadowed future love interest, though that doesn't happen in this particular 'season'.
Our protagonist is Iris, who works as a justix, investigating crime and meting out punishment at the behest of her deity Themis. Iris has a tragic backstory (what good investigator doesn't?) and is pretty driven, ending up working with the demi-god Andymion when he gets himself involved in the case of a missing girl who subsequently turns up dead and transformed into a kestrel. The issue, it seems, is missing relics and a strong black market trade in said items, for which Iris needs Andymion's help as he's a bit shady himself, to the point of pretty much deputising him to help her out.
The overall plot-line is competently done and the world-building is okay but our protagonists are a bit two-dimensional. Even though it's told in alternating first person, that doesn't really help make the characters that much stronger and, in some ways, actually makes them more annoying as they fail to correctly interpret signs of interest in each other. It's bordering on TSTL (that's Too Stupid to Live, in case you haven't come across that) and at least they seem to be a little more competent when it comes to actually solving the case.
It's not something I would have bought, given the overall setting but it was an enjoyable read, though not gripping enough to make me want to find out what happens to these characters next. There's a teeny cliffhanger at the end of the story but also it's clearly going to be resolved, if you care about that sort of thing.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
It's essentially an urban fantasy story set in a world where the gods are still around and people try to get their favour or ally themselves with a particular deity as a way of attempting to gain protection (mostly from other gods, by the sound of it). There are also plenty of demi-gods knocking around, for the usual mythological reasons, including one who plays a significant sidekick role to our protagonist and also a heavily foreshadowed future love interest, though that doesn't happen in this particular 'season'.
Our protagonist is Iris, who works as a justix, investigating crime and meting out punishment at the behest of her deity Themis. Iris has a tragic backstory (what good investigator doesn't?) and is pretty driven, ending up working with the demi-god Andymion when he gets himself involved in the case of a missing girl who subsequently turns up dead and transformed into a kestrel. The issue, it seems, is missing relics and a strong black market trade in said items, for which Iris needs Andymion's help as he's a bit shady himself, to the point of pretty much deputising him to help her out.
The overall plot-line is competently done and the world-building is okay but our protagonists are a bit two-dimensional. Even though it's told in alternating first person, that doesn't really help make the characters that much stronger and, in some ways, actually makes them more annoying as they fail to correctly interpret signs of interest in each other. It's bordering on TSTL (that's Too Stupid to Live, in case you haven't come across that) and at least they seem to be a little more competent when it comes to actually solving the case.
It's not something I would have bought, given the overall setting but it was an enjoyable read, though not gripping enough to make me want to find out what happens to these characters next. There's a teeny cliffhanger at the end of the story but also it's clearly going to be resolved, if you care about that sort of thing.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
March 18, 2021
Wow! What a fun ride! I have always loved Serial Box for their awesome enhanced audiobooks with sound effects and music, but I was not expecting to enjoy their titles as straight up written books almost as much! Gods & Lies season one, along with season two of this serial, also exist as one of those amazing audiobooks and you can bet I’m listening to season two as soon as possible. After finishing this book, I am eager to immerse myself in this world again.
The world that Vail has constructed is fascinating and the possibilities are endless for future stories set within it. Every aspect, no matter how small or insignificant, has a god connected to it. Like the familiar Greco-Roman deities, these gods like to meddle in human affairs, including sometimes taking humans as favourites/lovers. The murder mystery in this season was unique and really interesting, bringing up everything from the perils of god/human sexual relationships, the horrors of transmogrification, to the difficult plight of recent immigrants. I was immediately drawn in and raced though the entire story. It was very funny, super fun, and had little touches of ideas that were a bit deeper than the surface.
The characters were fun and surprising. I never knew what strange being was going to show up next! I loved strait-laced, tough Iris and sexy but hapless demi-god Andy. Their chemistry was smoking hot, and their will-they-or-won’t-they relationship has me dying for them to share a real kiss in the future. After her revelations in this book about her previous relationship with a deity I feel there is a lot more to Iris to be discovered. Andy is the comic relief with a heart of gold and a fledgling conscience that is a constant struggle for him. Iris inspires him to be better and Andy forces Iris to loosen up and relax her stringent devotion to the rules, at least a little. Together they are the perfect foils to one another, and I am sure there are plenty of hijinks to be had in their futures. There are so many fun and slightly horrifying possibilities for these characters and this strange world that I really hope this becomes a long, ongoing series.
Thank you to Serial Box or providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
The world that Vail has constructed is fascinating and the possibilities are endless for future stories set within it. Every aspect, no matter how small or insignificant, has a god connected to it. Like the familiar Greco-Roman deities, these gods like to meddle in human affairs, including sometimes taking humans as favourites/lovers. The murder mystery in this season was unique and really interesting, bringing up everything from the perils of god/human sexual relationships, the horrors of transmogrification, to the difficult plight of recent immigrants. I was immediately drawn in and raced though the entire story. It was very funny, super fun, and had little touches of ideas that were a bit deeper than the surface.
The characters were fun and surprising. I never knew what strange being was going to show up next! I loved strait-laced, tough Iris and sexy but hapless demi-god Andy. Their chemistry was smoking hot, and their will-they-or-won’t-they relationship has me dying for them to share a real kiss in the future. After her revelations in this book about her previous relationship with a deity I feel there is a lot more to Iris to be discovered. Andy is the comic relief with a heart of gold and a fledgling conscience that is a constant struggle for him. Iris inspires him to be better and Andy forces Iris to loosen up and relax her stringent devotion to the rules, at least a little. Together they are the perfect foils to one another, and I am sure there are plenty of hijinks to be had in their futures. There are so many fun and slightly horrifying possibilities for these characters and this strange world that I really hope this becomes a long, ongoing series.
Thank you to Serial Box or providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
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