Book Review: Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters by Emily Roberson

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Ariadne’s whole life is curated and shared with the world. Her royal family’s entertainment empire is beloved by the tabloids, all over social media, and the hottest thing on television. The biggest moneymaker? The Labyrinth Contest, a TV extravaganza in which Ariadne leads fourteen teens into a maze to kill a monster. To win means endless glory; to lose means death. In ten seasons, no one has ever won.
When the gorgeous, mysterious Theseus arrives at the competition and asks Ariadne to help him to victory, she doesn’t expect to fall for him. He might be acting interested in her just to boost ratings. Their chemistry is undeniable, though, and she can help him survive. If he wins, the contest would end for good. But if she helps him, she doesn’t just endanger her family’s empire―the monster would have to die. And for Ariadne, his life might be the only one worth saving.
Ariadne’s every move is watched by the public and predestined by the gods, so how can she find a way to forge her own destiny and save the people she loves? (Goodreads)

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This post contains affiliate links. You can read more on my disclosures page. 

Review

Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters was a much more clever title than I realized before I read this book.  It’s a play on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and it makes perfect sense for this book. This book is a re-telling of Theseus and the Minotaur myth, with a modern Kardashian-esque twist.  It is definitely a comment on our society and reality television especially. It did make me think about these people who are constantly in front of the camera and that everything may not be as it seemed.  

As I mentioned this was based on Theseus and the Minotaur myth.  I happen to love Greek Mythology and know a fair amount about it.  I don’t think you really need to have any background to enjoy the book, but having the background did enhance my enjoyment.  Though there were a few things that we swept under the rug a bit that had I not know the myth seemed like potentially important plot points.  

This was one situation where the side characters may have been a little more interesting than the main characters, not that Theseus and Ariadne were boring, but they both seemed less three dimensional than say Ariadne’s sisters. My only other tiny complaint was I would have liked a bit more at the end, perhaps an epilogue.  The book leaves off basically where the myth ends and it would have been nice to see what happened after the myth.  

If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson Series this book is perfect for you. 

Overall: 4/5

Buy it here

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