Oppression (Children of the Gods) [Kindle Edition]

Jessica Therrien (Author)

Book Description

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 been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning - and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.

Product Details

• File Size: 540 KB
• Print Length: 348 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0984035044
• Publisher: ZOVA Books (February 22, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007CE18D0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,508 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Omg this is freaking awesome... sleepy but that's not going to happen. MUST READ MORE... February 23, 2012

By Katrina @ Kindred Dreamheart

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Thanks so, so much to the author for this ARC copy for an honest review!

This book was the ending to my read-a-thon President's Day holiday weekend. It gave me such a warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside and like my binky, when I was a toddler, I couldn't let it go. Putting this book down was punishment and I couldn't rest my weary eyes until I've glimpsed every last word.

There were prophesies, destinies, oracles, a chosen one, oppressed people, villains (who weren't afraid to literally "hit" a girl), and Greek mythology with a new spin. This is about the descendents of the Greek gods. Each descendent had a special power based on their ancestors' bloodline. #FreakingAwesome-sauce The only thing I longed for was that kick butt heroine; but Elyse was another kind of creature. She was like Mahatma Gundi or Mother Teresa, who took non-violent approaches. On top of that there was a life or death situation, no scratch that. That implies thrilling suspense. There was a dying situation; and it was slow, drawn out, and completely heart breaking. There was a difficult dilemma. One I don't think I would ever be able to make a decision on; and this forever endeared me to Elyse. Now I want so much to highlight William, but I can't without feeling like I'm coveting Ellie's man. (lol) For hours I sat with Nook propped on my knees, bug eyed eating ju-ju beads...and when the book ended I could have died!

Please, please......I want some more!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting New Take on Greek Mythology March 6, 2012

By Aeicha @ Word Spelunking

Format:Kindle Edition

Jessica Therrien's Oppression, the first volume in the Children of the Gods series, offers readers a refreshing and exciting new take on Greek mythology.

Elyse, may look eighteen but she's really in her eighties. Elyse ages 5 times slower than humans and her blood has the ability to heal. After her parents' death, who also aged slow and had abilities, Elyse thinks she's the only of her kind left...until she meets William and finds out that there are others like her and they are all descendants of what people call Greek gods. Elyse is soon immersed in the world of the Descendants and learns that she's the subject of a prophecy. A prophecy that claims she'll bring her people out from under the oppression The Council has put upon them. Elyse soon finds herself having to make impossible decisions and fighting to protect the ones she loves.

I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology and books that explore this topic, so I was super excited to delve into Oppression, and what I found was an exciting, original and enjoyable read. The Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan are some of my absolute favorite books that explore Greek mythology and Oppression reminds me of a more grown up version of these books. Therrien has crafted a captivating story, engaging characters and an enticing romance, but this book certainly isn't without its faults.

While I was instantly intrigued by the story being laid out from page one, I must admit that I found the first few chapters a bit confusing and disorienting. There's quite a bit of history and backstory introduced in the first chapter alone, as well has a handful of characters, and these things/people aren't really explained right away.... But, they are explained and developed more as the story progresses, and as I stated above, even with the confusion in the first few chapters, I was completely intrigued and had to keep reading. And by chapter three, the story really finds its flow and moves at a nice pace.

The mythological/fantasy elements are really awesome. The idea of children of Greek gods having abilities is not a new one, but the author takes this idea to new and thrilling places. Therrien has created a wonderfully imaginative and dimensional mythological world within the realm of the "real" world, and she balances the fantastical with real life situations really well. The different abilities (healing, time freezing, intuition, thought reading, light manipulation, etc) are really fun and surprisingly educational to read about. Therrien's knowledge and understanding of Greek mythology is quite impressive.

Therrien's characters are well developed and layered. Elyse is compelling, likable and relatable; I really liked "seeing" the story unfold from her perspective. William adds a lot of much needed humor and he's easy to crush on. But I think I was most intrigued by Kara, who was once William's best friend and who has been forced to work for The Council. Kara has done terrible things, but there's such a thought-provoking depth to her character and I look forward to learning more about her.

The relationship between Elyse and William is very significant and I don't want to give away too much about why, but I will say that I found their relationship frustratingly addictive. I'm not a fan of insta-love and I would definitely classify the Elyse/William relationship as insta-love and I would have liked to have seen a natural progression of their love. However, I really did enjoy the interaction between the two and their spark is undeniable. And I definitely could have done without all of Elyse's swooning and all of her thoughts about how glorious/perfect/good-looking William is.

The book ends a bit abruptly, but left me eager for more.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Jessica Therrien's Oppression is a refreshing and exciting edition to the world of Mythological Fiction and an ejoyable first volume in what is sure to be a great series. I really enjoyed delving into the world of the Descendants and can't wait to read more. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Even so I have faith in the author. I do! May 19, 2012

By M. Rodriguez

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was really excited about reading this book because I really am a lover of Greek Mythology. It's a breath of fresh air anytime I get to read something that's not vampire/werewolf related. :-) So when this came up on my Goodreads feed for new books being released in February I rushed to buy it...well, that and the awesome .99 Kindle deal.

There were good things going on with this story but in the end, as a whole, it fell short for me.

What I liked:

*You are immediately thrown into Elyse's world. Author didn't hold back in letting you know what the deal was.
*The characters were likable enough. Well, "the good guys".
*The back story on how the main characters are related to the Greek gods and how they correlate to their abilities.
*The X-Men feel of the school everyone attended to learn about their abilities, Greek Mythology and history.
*Uncle Mac and the great ending.

What I didn't like:

*Immediately I felt as though this should be an adult book because it read as if Elyse was an adult. That was...
*Until she started sounding like a kid or even worse like an adult that sounds like a kid that should sound like an adult.
*The insta-love. Holy crapage! It hits you like BAM and never really gives you time to get used to it let alone recover from the initial blow.
*There were parts that felt rushed, not cohesive and loaded with inconsistencies.
*One minute she meets William, runs away from William and next day he's sleeping on her couch a few hours later is sharing her bed. ??
*One minute she knows she ages slowly, next minute she finds out she is a descendant of gods, next day she enrolls in a school and fits right in... no adjusting period she just does....
*Secrets are kept from Elyse that at the height of the story when she finds out who she really is should just be revealed to her because why the heck not?!

This story/plot has so much potential. There really are good ideas here. I just don't think they were executed in the best possible way. I think the fact that all these "teens" still act like teens but are nearly 90 years old is not believable. They might look 18 but they have lived enough years to have matured by now and they haven't. If the author still wants this book to remain a YA then I think she needs to explain why they are emotionally and mentally still immature although they have been alive for nearly 90 years. The alternative would be to make this an adult book and have adults who look like teens but are really adults. I'm sure this isn't possible but this is a dilemma for me.

Something else that has been nagging me is the villain in the book, Ryder. Ryder has this awful hate towards Elyse. He really really hates her and beats on her ugly for no reason. I understand that there has to be a villain but why he despises her so really falls short with me. If anybody wants to clarify this please do.

Back to the insta-love. The feelings Elyse has for William and vice versa, the way they are with one another, would be easier to accept had the author given the reader time to grow in love with them. I mean the book was over 300 pages. There was definitely time to have their love grow into something believable.

The ending was literally a few pages in length when we meet William's uncle and let me tell you he felt the most real to me.

All of the things that bugged me about the book could easily have been remedied and fleshed out I feel. All in all this book is receiving really great reviews so maybe its just not what I expected because I expected something different or too much? I don't know. What I do know is that the last few pages definitely made me want to read the next installment to find out what happens. I really hope it gets better because I am willing to give it a try.

Until then...On to the next. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-crafted tale with mythological elements February 22, 2012

By Alexa (Alexa Loves Books)

Format:Paperback

I absolutely adored Oppression (as I made clear to many of my Twitter followers). From the moment I started it, I found I could not put it down until I found out what would happen (which resulted in me finishing it in one night!). It was just SO good - it combined a hint of mystery, a touch of mythology, some good old romance and wonderful characters into a neat little package.

Characters

Elyse was a heroine that I found quite relatable, especially in her longing to fit in and belong. As she is introduced into a community where that's actually possible, I could feel for her as she tried to adjust to the "new normal". I also felt for her as she struggled to deal with her new discoveries about herself and her abilities, especially since everyone seemed to have an opinion about who she was and what her purpose was. Though I enjoyed seeing her stand up for herself and be strong and fight, it was actually the teenager bits (hanging out with friends, falling in love, going to school) that I really liked for some reason. Headstrong, stubborn and independent - I definitely ended up really liking her.

I absolutely adored William. William was smart, headstrong and kickass, though he also fit into the mold of the boy-next-door type. I loved his genuine concern for Elyse, as well as his demonstration of his feelings for her. He was actually such a good guy, which makes a change from the whole "falling for the bad boy" plot. I've repeatedly said this on Twitter (and Jessica knows this as well) - I'm definitely Team William.

Apart from these two, there's a whole slew of interesting characters. Since they're all descended from the gods, there's a variety of abilities that are made known. This was fascinating to me, and also helped me remember who did what....

The Story

One thing I'm immediately drawn to in any book is the presence of mythology. Just about any work that integrates mythology will peak my interest. I enjoyed reading about the history of this particular group of people, as well as learning more about the present state of their community. Jessica Theirren does a wonderful job weaving mythology into a modern storyline, in a manner that's easy to accept.

I absolutely loved how the romance didn't feel in any way like insta-love to me, when it absolutely could have been (and you'll probably understand better why I said that if you read it). I loved how there was an evolution in their relationship, moving at a pace that made sense. There was a definite attraction, but it took time for them to build up their relationship. (Oh, and once again, TEAM WILLIAM!)

Though I did enjoy the romance, I think it's cool that the story did NOT revolve around the romance in general. The main focus was on Elyse's discovery of this world and figuring out what her role is in it. Because she's headstrong and intelligent, I like how she's weighing her choices, trying to figure out what she feels is the right move for her to make. I'm anticipating discovering more about things in the next book!

Personally, I say you should...

... definitely pick up Oppression if you're a fan of stories with a mythological twist. This one is pretty interesting, with a well-crafted story and awesome characters, and I'm definitely excited to find out what happens next!

(This was originally posted on Alexa Loves Books.) Read more ›

More About the Author

Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult paranormal fiction series Children of the Gods. Book one in the series, Oppression, was published by ZOVA Books in February of 2012 and became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release. The second book in the series, Uprising, will be available in May of 2013.

Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica's work can also be found in a published collection of flash fiction stories called Campaigner Challenges 2011. Out of over 350 submissions her story, The Soulless, won first place for people's choice and fourth place in the judging round of Rachael Harrie's Writing Campaign Challenge. Her story, Saved, is also available as part of the anthology.

Jessica spent most of her life in the small town of Chilcoot, California, high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this town of nearly 100 residents, with no street lights or grocery stores, there was little to do but find ways to be creative. Her mother, the local English teacher, inspired her to do all things artistic, and ultimately instilled in her a love for language.

In 2003, Jessica attended California State University Long Beach where her passion for language found her studying Chinese, and in 2005 she moved to Taiwan to study abroad. From 2005 to 2006 Jessica was fully immersed in the Chinese language as she attended National Taiwan University, and in 2008 she graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude.

Jessica currently lives in Chula Vista with her husband and is working on book three in her Children of the Gods series.