A Veil of Gods and Kings (Apollo Ascending Book 1) by Nicole Bailey – Review by Jess Dimmock

A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow.. I do love when an author takes on the task of writing a “fractured Fairytale” or any new twist on a “known tale”. This is an amazing take on Apollo and the Greek Pantheon.
This is a re-telling that humanizes the Gods and paints them a bit differently than I’ve seen before. Apollo is the future Sun God, one he ascends, and we get to see him in a mortal form. He has serious parent issues, as you can imagine any child of Zeus would, and he’s jaded about life. We also meet his mortal sister Temi, who is a total Bad@$$!
Due to what Zeus perceives as Apollo’s many failings, he forces him to make a choice, ascend immediately or spend a year being mentored by the Prince Hyacinth. Since Apollo isn’t ready to give up his humanity yet he goes to stay with the Prince, and Temi goes with since she isn’t letting her brother give up or go alone.
We meet Prince Hyacinth in depth and his beautiful sister Princess Epiphany. Both of which aren’t what you expect. You also briefly meet their other brother. Our characters are a brilliant balance of strength and vulnerability. They jump off the pages and crawl into your heart.
With a beautifully written cast and world that feels like you can reach out and touch it, this story positively gleams with creativity. The imagery evoked is breathtaking and I can’t wait to read the next book.

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