Three Things I Loved About Oppression
1. Greek mythology. Guys, it's inspired by Greek mythology. That should be enough. Greek mythology is like ancient soap opera on steroids. All the scheming, the heartbreak, the killing -- it's campy good. I guess if it isn't your thing (HOW CAN IT BE NOT YOUR THING), this wouldn't appeal to you as much. But if it's your thing, if you're like me who filled notebooks and notebooks of family trees and stories and everything when you were a kid (yes, I was obsessed with Greek mythology when I was a kid), then this is for you.
2. Story world. In the Children of the Gods series, Descendants live with humans. They are the descendants of what the Greeks once considered gods. They have powers according to their lineage - light manipulation, persuasion, turning any liquid to wine, healing, conducting electricity, copying any power and a whole lot more. Oppression showed a beacon of light to all these terrific powers and I can't wait to read Uprising as I feel that more powers will be known in the second book. The Descendants also age slower than humans and can live up to 500 years, whilst looking like a normal 80-year old. There are several secret communities hiding in plain sight and they're governed by The Council, a bunch of corrupt leaders who descended from the original "gods". Cool? YEAH. Especially the powers. I also love how Jessica Therrien took Greek mythology and melded it into her own story. She used it for inspiration but she made it her own.
3. Cover. Isn't that GORGEOUS? The cover, that font, the model, the pose, her make-up, everything just looks good. I can't count how many times I petted my copy. My copy even came with these cloth leaf garland and they're just so Greek-looking and so pretty. Granted, I somehow don't get the relation of the cover to the story. Maybe the model's eyes are closed because they are oppressed? Or she's not yet aware of all the horror that's happening? That she needs to wake up and act? That sounds about right.
Three Things That Didn't Really Work For Me About Oppression
1. Insta-trust and insta-love. Right after they met, Elyse just joins William, trusts this COMPLETE STRANGER and goes with him to wherever. And then they're already in love. Sigh. I truly don't like insta-love guys. I sometimes love insta-love when I don't realize it. Maybe it's disguised or not so instant. But in here, BOOM. First few chapters and they're in love. Fine, Elyse lived her life thinking she's alone, a freak. But does that mean you'll jump into a relationship right away? Maybe it didn't help that I'm not a big fan of the characters as well, which is point number 2.
2. Characters. Sadly, I was not invested in Elyse and William and pretty much everyone. My favorite character was Kara because she's one conflicting character with depth. The characters did not grate on my nerves but I didn't love them as well. I was indifferent and I was more into knowing all about the Descendants themselves.
3. Loopholes. So the Descendants age slower. So while Elyse looks like an eighteen year-old, she's secretly eighty plus years old. But why does she acts like a teenager? Why is everyone acting like a teenager when they're not? I don't get it and it took me away from fully enjoying this read. It just nagged me while I was reading it though I did my best to put it at the back of my mind.
So that's about it! I feel bad that I didn't enjoy Oppression as much as I wanted to, knowing that I love anything Greek and the premise. Plus, Jessica Therrien is such a darling. However, I read tons of reviews of Oppression and they seemed to enjoy it so much. Even those who hate instalove found the romance sizzling and some also found Elyse a strong and relatable character. I guess this is a case of it's not the book, it's me but I truly think most readers will enjoy this novel. Oppression successfully established the world of the Children of the Gods series and it has done a wonderful job at it. I'll be reading the sequel for sure entitled Uprising. I'm excited to see all the scheming and fighting and I definitely want to know more about the Descendants.
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