A Veil of Gods and Kings (Apollo Ascending Book 1) by Nicole Bailey – Review by Amanda Haller-Doris

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

A Veil of Gods and Kings (Apollo Ascending Book 1) by Nicole Bailey – Review by Amanda Haller-Doris
This is the first book in what I hope to be a very long series. The series is a twist on Greek Mythology and the first book focuses on a new interpretation of the relationship between Apollo the Sun God and Hyacinth. It is written from the view point of 3 of the main characters in the story, Apollo, Hyacinth, and Epiphany. At the start of the book, Apollo is still part mortal and has not ascended to become a God. He lives in the mortal realm with his younger half-sister Temi. Apollo would prefer not to ascend and take his place as the sun god, but his father Zeus’s patience is waning. Zeus gives Apollo an ultimatum, ascend now or spend a year with Prince Hyacinth learning how to be a better prince. Since Apollo would rather stay mortal longer, he begrudgingly travels to Hyacinth’s kingdom with Temi. Hyacinth or Cyn, as he is called, would rather not have a spoiled half God underfoot, but if Zeus commands it, he must follow it. The two slowly begin to work together and get to know each other on a more personal level. Gradually the relationship moves from enemies to friends, into something more. While Apollo and Cyn are trying to figure things out together, we are also seeing the view point of Cyn’s younger sister Ephiany who has started spending more time with Temi. Epiphany is soon to be on the marriage market, but she would rather make her own destiny. She and Temi become close friends who encourage each other to step outside their comfort zones and see the world with a different perspective.
The author uses modern language in the book which makes it enjoyable to follow. She writes in a way that it feels like she is seamlessly bringing ancient Greece into the modern world, while still capturing the feel of ancient times. The story definitely kept me engrossed until the last page. Her interpretation of the different Gods and how they interacted flowed well. The characters are all well developed and the storyline was tightly woven. She took a well-known story and created a whole new world for the characters to live in. I can’t wait to read the following books.

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