Oppression (Children of the Gods) (Paperback)
OR try AbeBooks who may have this title (opens in new window).
Short Description for Oppression Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's bee...
Full description- Publisher: Zova Books
- Published: 28 February 2012
- Format: Paperback 339 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Fantasy | Traditional | Romance
- ISBN 13: 9780984035045 ISBN 10: 0984035044
- Sales rank: 444,757
Other books
Reviews for Oppression
- Top review
4.5 outta 5!
I first stumbled upon Oppression on Goodreads and I thought hallelujah! More Greek mythology on the YA scene! I've had an infatuation with it since I was a kid. I bought all the books (well ok, borrowed from the library) on the Gods and Goddesses that I could find. Remember those kids books? The ones with the big, pretty pictures and blurbs of text? I loved learning about the different Gods and Goddesses and what they did. Artemis and Nyx were my favorites. I knew I had to get my hands on this book.
Immediately, I connected with Elyse. Sometimes I had to go girl, are you me? I've always felt a like a loner, an outsider, and yeah I had my first kiss pretty late down the line too. Elyse led a sheltered life, she only had one friend growing up but she's a feisty one. She has ***** coming out of her pores. She stands up for what she believes in. She's my kind of girl. Then there's William. W o w. The boy is adorable, first of all. We all need a guy like William. He's kind and he's caring. He's the guy every girl deserves to have. He loves Elyse so much all he wants to do is protect her. While Elyse fell for William rather fast, and things became serious fast too, I think it fit. I'm a believer in love at first sight and William knew who she was long ago. He was waiting for her and I think Elyse connected with that. Their relationship took off from there. It was fate. Literally! He's a good guy with a good heart. Dang it I want my own William!
And what a great supporting cast! I felt like I was hanging out with people I knew while I was reading their shenanigans. They bickered and they fought but they made up only to bicker again. They're a very endearing bunch. Then there's Anna, who I was rooting for the whole way through. My heart broken when we found out... something (no spoilers!) so I'm glad of the outcome.
Then there's the rich mythology Therrien created. The world of Oppression is phenomenal. There's the slow aging, the fact that the Gods and Goddesses weren't really Gods or Goddesses at all, but "Descendants". Each has powers that they get from their bloodlines. For example, if someone is the descendant of Aphrodite, they have the power of persuasion; to make someone do anything they want. Jump off a bridge, fall in love with them, shoot someone in the face. I wish there had been more powers and bloodlines to learn about but I'm sure they're coming in book two. Honestly, I wish I was a Descendant. How cool it would be, right?
Oppression is the perfect blend of action, romance, fate, and general awesomeness. Everyone should pick up a copy! by Rebecca Heaslip Something unique for paranormal readers
Elyse had enough drama in her life to last a lifetime or in her case - hundreds of years. Aside from aging slower than normal humans, Elyse had the ability to heal people. She had accepted long ago that she was different from other people and that she couldn't live a normal life. She needed to move from one place to another every once in a while and blend in with the crowd. She needed to be safe. But when she moved to San Francisco, she discovered two things: there were stalker-like persons who knew things about her and the guy working at the coffee shop down her apartment was gorgeous and strange.
The Descendants were the Children of the 'gods.' They had long lives and special abilities according to their bloodline. This was one of the things I liked the most about Oppression. I knew that the story was Greek-myth-related but it wasn't the 'typical' Greek-myth-related novel. It was different. It had an X-Men-meets-the-Survivors (by Amanda Havard)-vibe going on. The author did an interesting twist on the Greek mythology that will appeal to and intrigue readers. I craved for answers and explanations and I got them. But of course, not all the secrets were spilled in this first installment. I'm particularly curious about the origin of it all: the Greek gods.
William was the guy working at the coffee shop down Elyse's apartment. He was gorgeous, magnetic, mysterious, protective but slightly stalker-like and crazy in the beginning of the novel. He was the kind of guy that girls dream about every night. He wasn't the controlling boyfriend type although I'm sure he could control everything if he wanted to. He was always there for Elyse as she discovered who she really was and as she entered the world of the Descendants.
William's relationship with Elyse was what other bloggers might describe as instalove but wait (don't close this window yet) there's more to it. You see, Elyse and William were fated to be together. Although William knew it long before Elyse did. Elyse had been living on her own for years. Although she had her stepmother, Betsy, it was still difficult thinking that she was the only one of her kind - the only one with the slow aging condition. She had never dated before. She never had a boyfriend before. Until she met gorgeous and magnetic William. For me, it made sense that they would be attracted to one another since one has been alone for too long, wanting connection and the other has been waiting for her his whole life.
Love, action and danger mix together in this story of destiny. Elyse was fated to do big, great things that could possibly change her world forever. With a storyline like that, two sides were bound to oppose one another. There were characters you'd fall in love with and characters you'd hate so much you wanted to reach in the book and slap them. The story world that Therrien created reminded me of the story world of The Survivors by Amanda Havard. But aside from the mystery and ages-old secrets, Oppression had a youthful vibe that I found refreshing. There was cruelty and blood in Oppression that also balanced the happy side. Oppression is intriguing and enjoyable. I recommend this to Greek-myth-readers and paranormal romance readers. by PreciousImpressive
Oppression had my full attention before I even started on the first page! The cover is stunning and the description made it sound like exactly my kind of thing. I've been reading quite a few of these Greek Myth YA books that are popping up lately and I'm really enjoying all of them; oppression was no exception! I think the premise is brilliant and unique and I couldn't wait to dive into it.
Thankfully, it did not disappoint! Elyse was a wonderful character and I loved following her on her journey. She ages five times slower than regular people so while she looks like every other teenager on the street, she's actually an elderly woman! I found this concept very interesting and thought Elyse's character was portrayed well. Elyse has always known she's different though she hasn't quite known the full extent of it. It was so intriguing watching Elyse find out her past and I loved discovering more about the powerful world she belonged to.
I think a lot of people will be in two minds about the relationship between Elyse and William. On one hand, it moves mighty fast. But on the hand, there are definitely reasons for this and it was still handled very well. It was definitely believable and one to root for! Elyse is a genuinely nice person who just wants to use her powers for good. She is a very strong and loyal friend and it's hard not to like her.
Overall, Oppression is a well-paced, fantastic novel that I'm sure many people will enjoy. It offers something different to a lot of YA novels out there at the moment and I'd certainly recommend it. by Nicola O'Sullivan
share
tweet
