SUMMARY
War is raging on Mount Olympus. The Nirads, four-armed, fairly indestructible monsters, have invaded, destroying everything. The Roman gods and goddesses have no choice but to abandon hope. They have fallen. Even the great Pegasus has plummeted to earth. What they do not know is that he has landed on the roof of 13-year-old Emily's apartment building in New York City. With the help of her neighbor, Joel, she heals the wounded winged horse. Meanwhile, Paelen, an Olympian thief, is not faring so well. Struck by lightning while trying to steal Pegasus's golden bridle, he wakes in a hospital. After discovering Paelen's marked differences, the hospital staff summons CRU, a government agency that focuses primarily on aliens and extraterrestrial information. While trapped in the hospital, Paelen comes up with a new plan: capture Pegasus instead of his bridle. The Nirads, however, rival him for control of the winged Olympian, for they are hunting him. Pegasus, Emily, and Joel are suddenly on the run, both from the Nirads and CRU. If they are caught by either group, both Olympus and Earth will fall-- forever.
REVIEW
Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus is a book that I found in the teen section of my library. And, for the life of me, I have absolutely NO idea why it was there. The language is very simple, the wording and descriptions are lacking and awkward, and the first half of the plot is somewhat predictable. The second half of the book is better, but is still not a young adult novel by far. There are a couple of plot holes in this story. In the battle between the gods and the Nirads in the prologue, several of the 'immortal' gods die. Yes, *spoiler alert* they come back in the end of the book, but why do they die in the first place if they are immortal? Also, when the characters discover Pegasus, they unrealistically believe in the existence of Roman Olympians right away. The dialogue is not a teen level and is a little awkward in its form. Other than a mild torture scene in which a villain pushes down on a wound, there are some scenes with the CRU that are very sinister and fun to read. Another good thing about this book was the beautiful human-and-animal relationship between Emily and Pegasus. It is obvious to see where O'Hearn's views lie from this relationship and from a scene in the book where Diana, a goddess, is angered by the treatment of carriage horses. The scene of her outburst is somewhat unnecessary in my opinion. In spite of all of this, the use of Roman mythology is very clever. For example, the Olympians, who regularly get their strength from Olympian ambrosia and nectar, only eat foods with huge amounts of sugar (sugary cereal, candy, ice cream, chocolate, etc.). Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus is not a book that I would recommend to most high-school level teens, but middle schoolers may enjoy it.
Negative: awkward wording and dialogue, some unnecessary scenes, some plot holes, mild violence
Positive: Interesting use of Roman mythology, touching human-and-animal relationship, second half of book is better than first
5 out of 10 stars
War is raging on Mount Olympus. The Nirads, four-armed, fairly indestructible monsters, have invaded, destroying everything. The Roman gods and goddesses have no choice but to abandon hope. They have fallen. Even the great Pegasus has plummeted to earth. What they do not know is that he has landed on the roof of 13-year-old Emily's apartment building in New York City. With the help of her neighbor, Joel, she heals the wounded winged horse. Meanwhile, Paelen, an Olympian thief, is not faring so well. Struck by lightning while trying to steal Pegasus's golden bridle, he wakes in a hospital. After discovering Paelen's marked differences, the hospital staff summons CRU, a government agency that focuses primarily on aliens and extraterrestrial information. While trapped in the hospital, Paelen comes up with a new plan: capture Pegasus instead of his bridle. The Nirads, however, rival him for control of the winged Olympian, for they are hunting him. Pegasus, Emily, and Joel are suddenly on the run, both from the Nirads and CRU. If they are caught by either group, both Olympus and Earth will fall-- forever.
REVIEW
Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus is a book that I found in the teen section of my library. And, for the life of me, I have absolutely NO idea why it was there. The language is very simple, the wording and descriptions are lacking and awkward, and the first half of the plot is somewhat predictable. The second half of the book is better, but is still not a young adult novel by far. There are a couple of plot holes in this story. In the battle between the gods and the Nirads in the prologue, several of the 'immortal' gods die. Yes, *spoiler alert* they come back in the end of the book, but why do they die in the first place if they are immortal? Also, when the characters discover Pegasus, they unrealistically believe in the existence of Roman Olympians right away. The dialogue is not a teen level and is a little awkward in its form. Other than a mild torture scene in which a villain pushes down on a wound, there are some scenes with the CRU that are very sinister and fun to read. Another good thing about this book was the beautiful human-and-animal relationship between Emily and Pegasus. It is obvious to see where O'Hearn's views lie from this relationship and from a scene in the book where Diana, a goddess, is angered by the treatment of carriage horses. The scene of her outburst is somewhat unnecessary in my opinion. In spite of all of this, the use of Roman mythology is very clever. For example, the Olympians, who regularly get their strength from Olympian ambrosia and nectar, only eat foods with huge amounts of sugar (sugary cereal, candy, ice cream, chocolate, etc.). Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus is not a book that I would recommend to most high-school level teens, but middle schoolers may enjoy it.
Negative: awkward wording and dialogue, some unnecessary scenes, some plot holes, mild violence
Positive: Interesting use of Roman mythology, touching human-and-animal relationship, second half of book is better than first
5 out of 10 stars