This was such an amazing book. I am so happy for Jasmine Mas that she is transitioning from indie to traditionally published.

I was able to read this by a audiobook from NetGalley UK. This was such an unexpected book. Jasmine has unexpectedly been able to convey her book through an amazing narorator through her audiobook.

I am so thankful to NetGalley UK for an opportunity to read this book before it came out.

I absolutely cannot wait for Jasmine’s next book. It was absolutely amazing and should be added to anyone’s TBR NOW.

Wow, I have so many thoughts about this book!

So overall I did really enjoy myself and ended up deciding on a four star rating, but there are three elements of the story that I was not a fan of.

1. The title. It would have been such a fantastic plot twist if we didn't know before publication that she was Hercules. Alexis herself hasn't got a clue about it until about 40 pages from the end, so why couldn't we find out then too! Whilst I did figure out the other element of that plot twist about a third of the way through the book, it might have taken me longer to work out if I didn't already know who she was

2. The narrative. I'll be honest, the writing style was not my favourite. There were certain elements that I really enjoyed, but some of the commentary was cringey (free the lips (vaginal!) for one), and the author definitely overused brackets in Alexis' inner monologue. I also found myself getting a bit frustrated at how little Alexis knew and questioned - she got thrust into the crucible, had no clue what was going on, and never once asked anyone a single question? A bit strange to me

3. The post wedding scene at the end. Completely unnecessary at this point considering how terrified she was of them both, and I think probably poorly timed

If those three things had been tidied up this would easily have been a 5 star read for me. I am a sucker for Greek mythology and absolutely love this world that JM has created. It is lush and filled with all the elements of Greek myths that I love, both the good and the bad. The cast of characters made for an entertaining and fast paced story, and there were some interesting seeds laid throughout (who was that woman who spoke to Alexis at the end and where exactly did Charlie come from?) that have left me eager to consume the next book.

Despite my criticisms of this book I really did have a good time reading it and ended up consuming it in a few hours. I'm excited to see where this story goes next

I can honestly say that this is probably the best book I have ever read, and as someone who has read over 100 books per year for the last three years, I am pretty qualified to say this.

The storyline? Heroic. The sarcasm? On point. The characters? Extremely likeable (and unlikeable).

The chokehold that this book has had me in is unprecedented. I have laughed out loud for the vast majority of this book and been engrossed from the very beginning. Alexis is funny, witty and relatable and you are 100% rooting for her throughout. I’m also really into Greek mythology retellings at the moment and this one is done so well, I have learnt so much in such a fun way!

I listened to the audiobook version and definitely think it’s the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. The actors were incredible at bringing the characters to life. I’ve heard of Teddy Hamilton before and love his work (which is definitely the case with this book) but this is my first time being introduced to Meg Sylvan and she is an absolute artist! 10/10 for the performance here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the audiobook, this is my favourite ARC so far!

DNF at 47%

Are you ready for a rant? Because I have thoughts.

I wanted to love this. I really did. The premise sounded so promising: a dystopian future where immortal Spartans reign supreme, and our heroine, Alexis, is thrust into their brutal world. Add in a war academy, dark romance, the mention of Patroclus and Achilles, and the allure of Greek mythology. I was sold.

But that excitement fizzled out pretty quickly.

First, the good: the audiobook narrators were fantastic. Their performance honestly kept me going far longer than I would have otherwise. I’ll give the book credit for ambition. The idea of blending ancient Greek lore with a dystopian setting was really interesting. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.

The world-building was chaotic and underdeveloped, leaving me constantly confused. Instead of immersing me in this high-stakes, dangerous world, the story kept telling me how brutal and cutthroat everything was without actually showing it. The infamous academy trials? Disappointing and lacking the tension or originality I was hoping for.

And the characters? Flat, repetitive, and underwhelming. Alexis, our FMC, spent most of the time on the brink of dying or just reacting to events around her. Meanwhile, the male characters—despite being positioned as significant love interest—felt like little more than placeholders. Their personalities blurred together, lacking distinct traits or meaningful development. Even my favourites Achilles and Patroclus were unrecognisable, reduced to background figures who barely interacted with Alexis at all even though they were supposed to be her mentors.

The writing itself felt rushed and clunky, full of sudden scene cuts and repetitive jokes that grated on my nerves. And the humour was TikTok-style slang references that might have worked sparingly but was overdone to the point of exhaustion. When an ancient pet snake says, “I knew you had it in you, bestie. Pussy power, crush the patriarchy!” … I’m out.

As a lover of Greek mythology, this book was such a letdown and I had to put it down..

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, Blood of Hercules just wasn’t for me.

This book was hilarious, there wasn't a dull moment. I don’t think I stopped laughing. Alexis’ inner monologue was amazing, I related to it a lot! Nyx was my favorite character.
It had me hooked, I need the next book immediately!

The narrator's performances were also amazing! I loved everything about it.

Took me a while to get into it, and may not be for everyone. Admittedly it wasn’t what I expected. The dialogue especially made me cringe at times, however, if you look past that and the info-dumping at the beginning it’s quite an enjoyable read.

I listened to the audiobook and I feel the narrator was perfectly suited to the FMC.

I loved this, plot twists and all

This book was just what I needed and boy was it funny. I loved the world Mas built around the greek gods and I am a sucker for a fight-to-the-death style games. The novel was easy to follow, picturesque and full of wit and dark humor. I can see lovers of Romantasy and Greek Mythology devouring this like I did.

I also think I'm officially seeing the appeal for toxic men because Augustus and Kharon have me simping hard

I have so so so so so many thoughts about the ending and am so excited to see where this story goes next. (view spoiler)

What to expect?

x Animal Companions
x Greek Mythology Inspired
x Powers
x Hinted rh
x Hidden Powers
x Toxic Men
x Trials and competitions
x 'Mentors' & a Professor

I listened to the audio of this book alongside reading the Kindle version and the narrators did a superb job at bringing the characters and world to life.

Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book fell completely flat to me. I cannot believe I read the entire thing.

1) The brutality and gore was next level. Some of it was unnecessary. The FMC spends probably about 80% off the book starved and barely conscious.
2) The “humour” is very much slang and/or comments about death/su!cide. Or just nonsensical phrasing.
3) It’s a slow burn but add dark romance obsession / possessive males (yes there’s more than one), but make them really awful. Which may work for some but it honestly went from these men saying a woman shouldn’t take part in a competition to being silently obsessed and stalking her. To her face they were awful. Near the end they trick her and then the spice is boarder line SA because she never agrees to anything and one of them uses his magic on her. The character displays asexual tendencies the entire time so this is part of the problem I had with it because she vehemently doesn’t want people touching her, and yet they do not wait for her to consent to anything.
4) What worldbuilding? There are Greek gods but yet she still mentions “God”, “Father John” (ie a priest), and “the devil/satan”. It was confusing and felt like I was in a fever dream.
5) There were zero likeable characters and all the males seemed to have the same personality.
6) Everything I’ve seen about this book pegs it as a Romantasy, there is no mention of RH. It would be helpful to know this in advance because some readers are not RH readers and will feel let down.

On the other side, the voice actors for the audiobook were superb and really immersed the reader in the action.

Honestly wish I felt differently. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance listener copy of this book! I’m sorry it was not for me.

For fans of Greek myths set in modern day, RH and your FMC unhinged and wild. Has the same vibes as Jaymin Eve and Curse of the Gods.

I loved this book so much fun and had me laughing out loud. Yes sometimes the language is a bit silly but that was part of the appeal for me a good fun book. There are dark themes to it of abuse but it’s handled well. I need a Nix in my life to bite my enemies.

The audio narrators were great especially the female one she conveyed the emotions so well.

This book was such a wild ride!

From the brutal Spartan War Academy to the dark, villainous love interests, it had everything!! Gods, gladiators, prophecies, and even a sassy animal companion.

Alexis Hert is a survivor through and through, and her journey to claim immortality was packed with action, twists, and just the right amount of romance.

The narrators were fantastic (Teddy Hamilton; Tristan Morris; Aiden Snow; Meg Sylvan) seriously, they brought every character to life and made the story even more addictive.

If you love Greek mythology, dark romance, and a strong FMC, this one is definitely for you!

Thank you to Harper Colins, Jasmine Maas for an ALC in exchange for an honest review

This book consumed me! I was completely drawn in by Alexis as a character, with the dry humour and apathy in her internal monologue which kept me thoroughly amused throughout, as well as being able to experience this new world (or new to her) through her eyes, and be introduced to different beings and characters, as well as all the horrors, dangers, and traditions of the Gods. I couldn't get enough of her! She's young, naive and a lot out of her depth and finds herself immersed in the orbit of some pretty dark male characters. The male characters whose POV is in the book was definitely jarring against Alexis's narrative and personality, as they're incredibly intense (and dirty) so those weren't my favourite bits but in terms of the story it was interesting to see what they were thinking behind the brooding masks that Alexis sees. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator for Alexis was perfect, she really brought to live her character and the witty lines in the story. The male narrators gave off the masculine air you'd expect from those characters, but didn't feature enough for me to have a strong opinion.

All in all this was a solid read though it is slow going, but I was enjoying it anyway because of the writing which kept me amused and intrigued.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

4.5 ⭐️
Really enjoyed this audiobook. Narrator very smooth and easy to listen to.
Story developed at a good pace and didn’t find it dragging at any point.
Will definitely be reading other books by this author.
Always a fan of anything greek mythology based.
Thought it had been done to death but this was a fresh take.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced reader copy.
All opinions are my own.

Rated 3.5/5 stars

A fast paced romantasy featuring characters from Greek myth, Blood of Hercules is a unique and wildly fun story as we watch Alexis compete in a trial she never signed up for. Don’t go into this expecting it to feel like a Greek myth retelling though - the inspiration is reserved for names alone, though fun little nods to those who know the myths are scattered throughout. Otherwise, this is a whirlwind of a story, emphasised by Alexis’ sheer confusion and she bounces from one situation to another. And who to trust? Well, that’s the question.

This is very much a story of the modern day, and it’s easy to see the author has access to the internet with the colloquial inner monologuing and witticisms straight from meme-culture. Usually I’d struggle with this, but the audiobook is an incredible performance that made it easier on the ears - I definitely would’ve read the tone wrong at times, expecting it to be grittier than it is.

All in all, this is a romantasy that unintentionally answers the question of what someone from this generation may do if landing in this story. While I expected something darker in tone, its lighthearted writing makes for an easy read and the array of characters leaves plenty to be entertained by.

This book had me in a chokehold.. The storyline of an abandoned child fostered by humans thrown into the mad world of the Spartans... Alexis strength was astounding and the way she was written was beautiful. Nix, Nix had me in absolute stitches at some parts with her bland dry sense of humour.. I literally devoured this audiobook.. The title tells you everything you need to know but until you've finished the book you think it's about something else!! The narrators were spot on...The love triangle that has manifested which may turn into a why choose has me dying for the next one.. Can't wait to find out what's next.

This book was all over my feed, so I had to read it.
Or in this case listen to it, because I was lucky to get the audiobook. It really adds to the fun. The male narrator is very good and convincing, but I also enjoyed Meg Sylvan a lot. She gives Alexis the kind of sass she needs, and sometimes she really sounds like Buffy, which is a big plus for me.

But on to the story: it's an AU Greek mythology take, mixed with orphaned kids and chosen one trope. Oh, there's an academy and loads of the morally grey.
It's the kind of book where I thought 'it's not thaaaat good', but then I devoured it in one sitting.

It's addictive, it's fun.
Though when I say fun, I have to add that you definitely need to read trigger warnings, because it's also going dark places.

The ending is such a great game changer and I'll definitely gonna pick up the next book.

4/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins @harperaudio for the eARC!

#BloodOfHercules #Netgalley #Bookstagram

From "what the fuck is happening?" to "why I can't stop reading this book?".

Listen, I love this style of books and especially reverse harems.I like them delulu in a most high up level.


This blow my mind how fun and addictive it was.
The characters were so compelling.
Most time everything didn't make sense but kinda did?
I am a Greek person and know mythology, but it was a very weird but compelling approach of all this and didn't bother me.
I don't know how I can describe the feeling of the book.
It was like a drug.

Funny,sexy, nerve stretching, but all together everything I wanted in a
I love it till the end..
It is a very addictive read.

The audiobook was so good.
Everyone did a good job, and I loved Teddy Hamilton .
He is always my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook!

Where do I even begin with The Blood of Hercules? Imagine Greek mythology colliding with a post-apocalyptic world, immortal Spartan with god-like powers, and a planet crawling with Titans. At the heart of our story is Alexis, a shy, abused foster kid whose life is upended when she learns she has Spartan blood. Forced to enrol in the brutal Spartan War Academy (as the only girl), she faces grueling trials to prove her worth.

The concept? Super fun and intriguing. The execution? A mixed bag. Mas’s writing is addictive, fast-paced, and reads like fanfiction in the best and worst ways. But while the blend of Greek mythology and a modern world sounded promising, it often took me out of the story. The male narrator of the audiobook was great!

Did I love this book? I’m not sure. But did I devour it? Absolutely.

The premise…
Set in a dystopian future where immortal Spartans are the elite, Alexis finds herself thrust into the Spartan War Academy after a blood test reveals she’s not as human as she believed.
Surrounded by violent, brooding Spartans-her mentors Patro and Achilles and professors Augustus and Kharon-Alexis must survive the academy to claim her immortality.

My thoughts…
I’ll start by admitting I could not put this book down! I was entertained… but also utterly bewildered and unsure if I was actually enjoying it…
My biggest gripe was the lack of character depth or believable character arcs. Alexis is static up until the last handful of chapters where her development all feels a bit sudden and unfounded. That said, Alexis is a wonderfully voice-y FMC and whilst some of the humour veered into the cringe for me, I did laugh out loud more than once!

The audio...
I thought the female narrator was brilliant and I suspect that she's a large part of the reason I found this book as entertaining as I did!

Oh this was such an exciting concept - which makes it so much more disappointing that it didn't pay off. I listened to the audiobook and I think that is what saved it for me and made it possible to actually finish- the narration was fantastic and made really difficult writing <i>almost</i> understandable.

The book starts with a confusing info-dump about earth from 2040-2090. It's a post-apocalyptic world where Titans have returned to wreak havoc on humanity. But not Titans as we know them in Greek mythology - think Titans ala "Attack on Titan". Which, ok, fine, but we rarely get to see them or understand <i>why</i> they are so terrible. When they did appear they were so poorly described I still don't have clear picture.

As a result of the Titans, the gods of Olympus and the underworld have revealed themselves to humanity and offered their protection - and in exchange they control the world and everyone in it. But even with all the info dumping at the start, and continuously throughout the book, I STILL don't know the difference between Chthonic and Olympean spartans (apart from Alexis' take of Chthonic = evil, olympean = good).

Alexis, our FMC, is an orphan with a mysterious past and nasty foster parents. Young Alexis was actually quite an enjoyable POV to read from - it was a believable 10 year old narration, sweet and funny and sad. She meets Nix, a murderous, violent, invisible snake that she can speak to. I liked the continuation of her stutter throughout the book, and her aversion to touch. I wanted more time with Charlie, I feel like we should have had more time with them in their childhood.

Nix was my favourite part of the whole book, even when the rest of it went downhill for me, Nix continued to be hilarious - mostly due to to the skills of the audiobook narrator.

The first of many inexplicable time jumps takes us to Alexis at 19 and surprise surprise she has Spartan blood. Alexis is whisked away to Olympus to compete in some kind of war game to earn immortality amongst the current gods.

And from here on out I honestly don't have a clue what was going on until the end of the book - the action was confusing and difficult to follow, the characters blended together into a blur of "handsome" grumpy gods that I could only distinguish by their animal friends, the infamously dangerous and challenging trials were...school? And climbing a mountain lots? Scenes would cut suddenly with the author actually writing "time jump".

I'm outraged at what was done to Achilles and Patroclus - they were unrecognizable as the mythological heroes they are. And totally pointless as mentors ? Literally no mentoring was done, I'm still confused, they didn't even talk to her, how can they care about her?

Kharon and Augustus had marginally more characterisation but there wasn't enough time spent on building the romance/ tension for the last part of the book to feel satisfying. I'm all for Dark Romance, but this...didn't work. There has to be more tension, more build up - make me feel conflicted about liking the dark characters! Kharon and Augustus are barely any "darker" than any of the other gods, mostly they were boring. The attempts that were made to make them dark were too ambiguous and confusing to be impactful - the "reveals" at the end weren't shocking, they were frustrating, because it should have made me think back to parts of the story and go "oh my god I can't believe I missed that". I was too confused about what was going on because of the poor world building to catch any foreshadowing. There was also no explanation or character development for Alexis being suddenly OK with being touched at the end.

The language was jarring and pulled me out of the story a lot. The odd joke with modern references is fine, but the <i>same</i> jokes were repeated constantly and it was infuriating.

It's such a shame because I loved the concept, I just don't think the vision was executed well.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Blood of Hercules. I got so invested in Alexis’ journey and all she went through. There were definitely some difficult scenes but there were also lots of moments that made me laugh. I look forward to the sequel.
The narrators definitely elevated the reading/listening experience and really hooked me into the story. I would definitely listen to this again and recommend this book and audiobook to others.