Night of Pan by Gail Strickland
First in the Oracle of Delphi trilogy
3.5 stars
Thaleia is supposed to marry a man she doesn’t wish to marry. She runs away in the middle of night after being taken by the priests for her ritual in preparation for her marriage. She finds herself in the mountains and meeting a satyr, the god Pan. From there on Thaleia’s life is completely uprooted and she learns that she is an important part in saving Greece. I’m surprised by this one. I started it on a whim because my copy on my computer was about to expire but I wasn’t expecting to like it very much. In fact, I thought I would DNF it quickly and move on. That wasn’t the case at all and I’m happy it wasn’t. The atmosphere of this novel is adventurous. Thaleia is always up to no good and it makes Night of Pan a fast-paced novel. I do think that there was too much going on in chapters and in the plot overwhelm. This book is tiny (254 pages) and there was no down time, which isn’t a bad thing, but the constant surprises and info-dumping gave me a headache.
I love the Greek mythology in this novel. It’s very heavy. In fact, this whole novel is just Greek mythology. There are gods present, but it’s not god heavy like most mythology YA reads. It’s an overall plus for me and it was what made reading Night of Pan enjoyable.
The main female character is Thaleia. I like Thaleia. She’s mischievous, strong, and smart. I really like her character, but my biggest problem with her is that she has four or five prophecies surrounding her greatness and all that jazz. Nobody is that special. Special snowflake in Greek times.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7.5
The main male character is no one because embrace the Oracle life. You belong to the Gods and don’t need no man.
Swoon Worthy Scale: ----
The Villain- There’s a war; a big war that is solved quickly and is a little disappointing. It was over too quickly and didn’t feel authentic.
Villain Scale: 5
I was incredibly annoyed by Sophia, Thaleia’s best friend. She wasn’t a very good friend and she betrayed her only to be forgiven. They didn’t even fight over the betrayal, it was just brushed under the rug and that really bothered me.
Character Scale: 4
This is very entertaining. It’s good fun. I didn’t like how it ended though. Cliffhangers in unnecessary places are annoying. I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequels, but I’m glad I read Night of Pan. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a quick read or in the mood for authentic mythology.
Cover Thoughts: I like the roses and the girl reminds me of Medusa, but I’m not really sure if that was supposed to be the point.
The concept is interesting but bad friends and unnecessary cliffhangers are a bit off-putting. At least the main character is strong and well developed, even if she's the Special Snowflake ;) I also see Medusa in that cover!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! This book has a lot of good qualities that balance out the bad. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can see the Medusa thing! I thought maybe I was just over thinking it.
DeleteI love surprises, honestly. The amount of plots I predict in books is pretty creepy (I'm almost always on the bull's eye or close to it). But the concept of 4-5+ prophecies seem to put me off a little. I don't think I can handle keeping track of all that! O_O
ReplyDeleteI do, too! I have the same problem. It's kind of frustrating when I can predict most of the plot. It was a little overwhelming and distracting, but it was also kind of necessary for the story, I guess. I understand that, but honestly it's not as horrifying as it seems. :D
DeleteHeee, it's been so long since I've read a book with Greek Mythology in it!! I seem to be reading only fantasy these days. Or contemporary :P I'm glad you didn't DNF it and ended up enjoying it! I think I will consider. Super review, Sarah <3
ReplyDeleteI know! They have so many of them, but I feel like I never read them. You should definitely! It's worth considering. Thanks, Lola!
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