What an interesting start to the Villains of Lore series, I'm obsessed and I need book 2 immediately!

Absolutely love Achilles, Patro, Kharon and Augustus and I find the dynamic between them all interesting, although book 2 definitely needs to delve into this deeper.

There is a lot of inner monologue from the FMC, which I think some people will not enjoy. She has a self-deprecating, sarcastic, slightly immature inner voice which at times I did find annoying, but for the most part I found hilarious. The narration was 11/10, particularly the female narrator who managed to get the inner monologue down perfectly!

It wasn't a perfect 5 stars for me as this book needed some editing to tighten it up. The pace was a bit all over the place and we sat in certain situations for too long.

I received an advanced listening copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What can I say this was amazing. I couldn’t stop listening. I was gripped for the first chapter. I really enjoyed learning more and more about the characters connections. It got quite spicy in parts but it didn’t take away from the story.

3.5 ⭐️

First off I had sky high hopes for this given all the hype.

I had a great time listening to the audio
But I have several issues…

Meg does a great job of bringing Alexis to life and I loved the inner monologue and humour.. although the tiktok lingo was a bit much for 32yo me at times…

There were times I couldn’t hear Meg’s dialogue for Kharon though as her voice was so low and quiet in comparison to the rest so I’d turn the volume up to hear only to be defeated when it was Kharon speaking. (Petition for all multi-narrator audio books to be proper duets 🥹 Augustus’ voice was perfect!)

I don’t quite get how Alexis is described as asexual and then has decidedly non-asexual thoughts/actions… I did enjoy the disability and queer rep though.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between the love interests for the vast majority of the book and found most of them largely unlikable… and not in a dark romance kinda hot way.

I didn’t understand why conveniently there are 2 pairs of bisexual (and much older) males drooling over her? Like obviously we are setting up for some poly/mfm content (which I’m all for) but… I dunno it just felt a bit of lazy writing to me.

I found the audio (and therefore probably the writing) didn’t convey the big events well enough and they felt glossed over, I wanted a bit more drama when she is being attacked or feels like she’s about to die.

I found the plot predictable. I didn’t guess who was threatening Alexis but I sussed a certain someone out pretty quickly and knew what the outcome would be in that regard.

The ending left me a bit uncomfortable to be honest… it felt a bit non consensual.

I did have a good time and I am invested in the story and where we go from here I just hope we get some female rage and that she chooses none of the MMCs because they’re all trash, or in need of a significant redemption ARC. I do have a soft spot for Augustus, because Poco.

Also a side note… we didn’t necessarily need a spoiler in the title/blurb and could have had another plot twist? The reader (and all the other characters) aren’t actually told she’s Hercules until near the end…. Seemed a bit weird to me I was waiting for them to suss her out much sooner!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of the audio. 🖤

Unfortunately I was not getting on with this book and DNFd at 15% in. I think that's more of my reading preferences than it being bad per say.

3.5 STARS. I love anything greek/roman gods related and this aspect of this story did not disappoint. There were aspects that I felt I didn't really enjoy - such as some of the quips that the main character made which I didn't find funny but I think that was reflective of her mental state. I wish the spice had started earlier than it did as it was a long wait but I am excited to see how it plays out in the next book. I think overall I was left with a lot of answers.

Fantastic, the audio really brought this book the life.
I couldn't stop listening.

It was witty, and I loved the banter.
It was a very chaotic story, which I loved, and I'm excited for the next book.

.Multiple enemies to lovers
.Forced proximity
.Academic setting
.Found family
.“Who did this to you”
.Reverse harem
.Greek mythology
.Multiple POVs

This book was so much fun! What an incredible story. I can’t believe it flew under my radar until it was nominated for the Goodreads awards. It’s such an injustice, it deserves ALL the praise. I really didn’t want it to end.

Alexis is exactly the kind of FMC I love reading about. She’s strong and resilient but also has this delightfully dark humor that clicked with my own. Her constant ramblings about dying and her self-deprecating were hilarious, and the fourth wall breaking commentary on certain situations made it even funnier. I’ve never encountered a character with a death wish quite like hers 😂

There are so many interesting male characters orbiting around Alexis. I can’t wait to see more of Parto and Achilles. I already love their tender relationship, and I hope we get more of it in future books. Augustus and Kharon are HOT (yes, capital letters), though I wasn’t happy with how they handled some things. I enjoy a possessive MMC, but their behavior crossed into “too much” territory for me.

Charlie is such a mystery. I’m convinced he’s immortal too, and I’m betting he’ll be Helen’s love interest later on. But if I had to pick one standout, the award definitely goes to Nyx. She’s unhinged, psychopathic, and absolutely amazing. I love her.

There is one spicy scene toward the end that, while undeniably hot, felt unnecessary. I wanted their relationship to mature more before they went there (I’m surprised too. I can’t believe I’m saying this either). It felt like it was thrown in just to add some smut before the book wrapped up.

I listened to the audiobook, which was fantastic. Augustus’s voice was melting, and the female narrator was perfect. Still, I wish I had a physical copy too so I could slow down and soak it all in. I’m already planning to reread it closer to the next book’s release because I can’t wait!

Ah! This audiobook was the perfect listen for anyone who has been a fan of fourth wing. Kharon and Augustus, the terrifying professors sound so hot - I mean so mysterious - they are clearly up to something but I cannot wait to see how this progresses. This book was really tame in the "spice" market but I can tell you the next in the series will be spot on! Alexis is hilariously sarcastic and has survived more than anyone else and I truly loved the connection between her and her animals.

I cannot wait to continue this series! Thank you netgalley for letting me listen to this book and write a review. I needed this.

🏛️BLOOD OF HERCULES🏛️

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blood of Hercules is a Greek mythology inspired dark romantasy set in a war academy. There are villainous love interests (yes INTERESTS, you heard me right), gods, gladiators, warriors, animal companions, and it’s packed with everyone’s favourite tropes 👀🥵

If you’re a fan of feral FMCs (F E R A L‼️), I think you’ll love this one! This girl genuinely needs help 💀

I actually found this book quite hard to rate because I am pretty conflicted with this one! I read the entire thing in pretty much one sitting so I can’t deny that it was addictive and kept me hooked. I don’t think I was prepared for just how feral (and highkey odd??) the FMC would be and some of the scenes made me severely cringe but also I couldn’t stop reading. But also, if I had the option to read book 2 RIGHT NOW, I absolutely would. SO IT’S HARD but for sheer addictiveness and the fact that it’s living rent-free in my head, I went for 4 stars! I think this is one of those junk food books that are great for pulling you out of a reading slump, and this one did exactly that for me!

I was also approved for the audiobook recently (after I already finished the book sadly) but I listened to a few of my favourite scenes and I really enjoyed the narration so I’d recommend that if you’re a fan of audiobooks!

I had such high expectations after seeing everyone singing its praises online. This was my first Jasmine Mas read and honestly I’m not sure I’d read another. I really struggled to be interested by the characters, they were all very one dimensional and the men were totally insufferable. It’s such a shame because I think I could’ve liked the premise had things been different. I also struggled with the voices used in the audiobook but it might just have been the content? I’m not really sure, just not my thing. I can totally see how some people might enjoy it and find it bingeable though.

Regardless, thank you so much for allowing me to listen to the audiobook on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an okay book. It's not bad but it's not revolutionary either.
I cringed one too many times at what the MMCs sometimes tried to say "attractive things". There is also a big chuck of lack of informed consent happening in this book on a variety of topics that should be looked at a bit closer.
Overall the story is intresting but gets lost and diminished by these overbearing MMCs that while they are supposed to be attractive they end up being off-putting. Thank God for the racoon.

2.5 ⭐️

It pains me to say that I just could not get into this book. Gosh, I had such high expectations and I wanted to pre-order every beautiful special edition…but I’m thankful I haven’t.

Let’s start with the female protagonist, Alexis. I’m all for feminism and empowerment of women but she was such a dislikable character throughout. I found her extremely difficult to connect with, really childish and very frustrating. I’m struggling to understand how she was supposedly 19. The forced humour(?) was a hard read. I found myself continuously rolling my eyes but perhaps it’s because I’m British and it’s more American humour? It just didn’t flow; if anything, it made the book really disjointed and hard to enjoy.

I absolutely love most things to do with Greek Mythology as there are so many family trees and complex individuals but I struggled a bit to remember who was who. That being said, maybe in the physical copies of the book there’s more information readily available.

I found the MMCs very unlikeable too but I suppose the silver lining was that they were portrayed exactly as Greek mythology describes them. As an fyi, the male narrating in the audiobook is not the one.

The actual story was very hard to listen to. I found there to be massive jumps and gaps that didn’t really make any sense. A lot of the chapters were filled with inner monologues that brought childish and teenage elements into a supposed adult novel.

I enjoyed the description of powers and bonding animals but would’ve liked more information on them. I feel like the book lacked in many areas where things needed to be explored more.

Charlie was continuously mentioned but also never deemed important enough to try and see up until the end and seemed rather random to add to the story. Nyx was very much involved throughout but we never received a true explanation as to why she ended up with Alexis and how she is bonded to someone but, we are never given anymore information than that. Again, this adds to the disjointed aspects of the novel.

I don’t know if perhaps the author wanted to really push to make this a modern day Hercules and perhaps that’s why 1. She’s female? 2. The constant use of “tiktok” / “modern day” slang was used? I.e “C***, absolute c*** served” and “pu*** power, f*** the patriarchy!” “You need to get d***** down”.

I’m thankful I was able to listen to an advanced audiobook of this novel through NetGalley even though my opinion is not what I had hoped unfortunately.

I am completely and utterly obsessed with this book. Extremely morally grey men, war academy, so much storyline and well crafted plot. The world building is so subtle and easy to get into whilst being incredibly vibrant. Greek gods, power dynamics, this book had it all.

Well I absolutely loved this!

I've been mood reading my way through the month and saw this book....sounds fab I thought. And I was so right!

Alexis is a homeless orphan who is very academic. But, when a test reveals she has Spartan blood, she is whisked off to a version of actual hell! Her mentors are Patro and Achilles, Augustus is her professor and Kharon (aka Karen!!) has been given the job of basically tormenting the students in the crucible!

This book was funny. I mean laugh out loud funny. Alexis's inner monologue was exquisite!

I won't really say anything about the plot, the love interest or the psychotic tendencies of some of the characters in this book but you need to read this.....

~ Dark fantasy
~ Greek gods returned
~ Set in the future
~ Godly politics
~ War academy
~ Very morally grey love interests
~ Who did this to you vibes
~ An amazing animal sidekick (hssssss!)
~ A sneaky reveal, well 2, that made my jaw drop!

I could not get past the first few chapters
Narration was just awful, I know it’s multiple narrators but the first one just made want to give up so i did

5 ⭐️
3 🌶️
1st person multiples POVs
RH

Loved the world building, it’s not your typical traditional fantasy book, especially by the writing, but I enjoyed it

The FMC Alexis is completely unhinged, and very likeable. I laughed and gasped so many times, there’s such dark humour, I loved her for it.

Can’t wait for the next book! Countdown is on, October 2025!

The audio was great, the different voice actors for each role is a favourite of mine.

Thank you netgalley and Harpercollins for the audio arc.

The magical world was mesmerizing from the beginning till the end of the book. I absolutely loved each chapter of this book as it amazingly focused on the development of our protagonist along with the background build up. All the characters were mesmerizing starting from the protagonist to her nanny, a magical creature that I can't even imagine in that role.
I had a great time reading this book.

DNF at 14%
Honestly, I wanted to DNF earlier, but I wanted to give this a chance.
The prologue is...preetty much a standard prologue. But then we get this whole infodump that reads like an author's outline of how the story needs to start, and it reads very much like this. Then this happened. Then this happened.
By the time we get to chapter 1, the MC is 10, living with foster parents, sleeping in a cardboard box, and a stammer that echibits itself around humans, but not invisible poisonous snakes? Ok.

But when she hits high school, of course, at 19, she is studying Riemann's Hypothesis (one of the famous Unsolved Problems of Mathematics) and believes that in a couple of months she could have solved it - a genuine thought running through her head as she is placed in the first of what will be many (I am sure) moments where she might die. She is also, in a world where sexuality seems pretty liberated, an adherent of "agggessive celibacy".

The content warnings at the beginning of the book include bullying, but also listed the authors website to check out a full list. Which I did.
This list included sarcasm as a trigger warning.

I am sure that some people will enjoy this book. I am a passionate lover of Greek mythology and some of the retellings are PHENOMENAL. I picked this up thinking it would be a greek mythology x hunger games style book. But lo and behold, when she gets to the Spartan Academy and she is the only girl among 50 boys, I had to stop.

This was my first book with Jasmin Mas and It. This story was dark, witty, and had a strong female main characters. There were all so interesting plot twists and hidden messages throughout the books. There was excellent writing and dark humor was great. I would definitely recommend this. And the narration was excellent!
Thank you HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for providing me an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ **| 5 Stars**

**Warning: This book is a DARK romantasy. Make sure to read the trigger warnings first!**

Okay, this book had me hooked! I listened to it in under 30 hours, which is alarming, considering the 15-hour runtime.

Alexis, our FMC, is one of the funniest characters I’ve encountered in a long time. Her inner monologue made me chuckle more than once. Jasmine Mas very impressively managed to build a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world while also including Greek gods and demi-gods (Spartans), morally very questionable 6’ 5’’ tattooed men (yes, plural—there’s a sort of reverse harem vibe!) who have that classic “who did this to you” energy and prefer shooting before asking questions. All this is done with slight nods to Gen-Z pop culture and language, which made it relatable. It wasn’t cringe for me, but I could imagine others might feel differently.

Nyx is hands down the best side character I have ever had the pleasure of reading about, and I feel like she is every reader’s voice included in the books.

Is this high literature for the distinguished mind? No. Did I eat it up? Absolutely! This was my first ever dark romance/romantasy, and I’m not sure I can go back now. Although it is kind of in the spirit of “I’m not like other girls” while all the men want her, I can forgive that as it is done in an excellent way. The writing style and general word choices are way above average for a book of this genre, making it delightful to read or listen to!

I highly recommend the audiobook, which Meg Sylvan primarily narrates. Her impressive voice acting beautifully brings out Alexis’s emotions. Teddy Hamilton, Tristan Morris, and Aiden Snow narrate the male POV chapters. They all do justice to their characters with their deep, raspy voices.