Publisher:  Strange Chemistry
Publish Date: September 3rd, 2013
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 – A great standalone, but my favorite element was absolutely the worldbuilding.

About the book: The more things change…

Five years ago, the gods of ancient mythology awoke all around the world.

The more things stay the same…

This morning, Kyra Locke is late for school because of an argument with her father.

Seventeen-year-old Kyra lives in a transformed Washington, D.C., dominated by the embassies of divine pantheons and watched over by the mysterious Society of the Sun that governs mankind’s relations with the gods. But when rebellious Kyra encounters two trickster gods on her way home, one offering a threat and the other a warning, it turns out her life isn’t what it seems. She escapes with the aid of Osborne “Oz” Spencer, a young Society field operative, only to discover that her scholar father has disappeared with a dangerous Egyptian relic. The Society needs the item back, and they aren’t interested in her protests that she knows nothing about it or her father’s secrets.

Now Kyra must depend on her wits and the suspect help of scary Sumerian gods, her estranged oracle mother, and, of course, Oz–whose first allegiance is to the Society. She has no choice if she’s going to recover the missing relic and save her father. And if she doesn’t? Well, that may just mean the end of the world as she knows it. From the author of Blackwood comes a fresh, thrilling urban fantasy that will appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman, Cassandra Clare, and Rick Riordan. -Goodreads

Thoughts: I love Strange Chemistry books so much. Seriously, I just want to collect them all and build myself a fort of storytelling excellence.

Anyways, on to The Woken Gods, a what-if story set in a version of our world where all of the ancient gods have reawoken, creating a fantastical fantasy world with intriguing political elements. Kyra Locke doesn’t realize that she’s right in the middle of all this insanity, and it’s so much fun to explore this world with her.

While I definitely loved both Kyra and Oz (name swoon), what really stood out for me in terms of characterization was the secondary characters–specifically the friendship that Kyra has with her best friends. Way more genuine and true to life than most YA friendships. All of these characters also had active relationship with their parents that while far from perfect, were present, which was a nice change as well.

There were a few points where the action seemed to drag a bit, but the worldbuilding managed to keep me interested until things started to pick up again. There are thousands and thousands of gods in this version of our world, and even the characters dont try and keep track of them. The gods that are featured definitely aren’t the ones we see so much of in these kinds of stories (namely the Greek pantheon) and I did kind of miss their presence, but mostly it was just interesting to get to see a broader view of world mythology.

The Woken Gods is a must read for any YA mythology buffs out there.

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