Paternus: Wrath of Gods by Dyrk Ashton (The Paternus Trilogy #2)

9/10

I listened to the audiobook of the first book in the trilogy, Paternus: Rise of Gods, and absolutely loved it, so I was super excited for book two. I read this one as an ebook and absolutely loved it too. Hurrah!

The action picks up immediately after the close of book one and we are reintroduced to the teenagers Fi and Zeke, and their companions. These companions happen to be gods. Basically, think of all the legends, myths and figures of ancient lore and fairy tales from across the world and spanning every age, religion and culture. Well, in Paternus, those guys are real. 

They are known as the Firstborn and have incredible powers, all fathered by one rather promiscuous guy who has been at it for millennia. Since the beginning of time, his offspring have included Asterion the bull from Greek mythology, Merlin from Arthurian legend and Mokosh, a Slavic goddess. Plus PLENTY more, including Lucifer. There are also second and thirdborn and so on. 

Anyhow, the firstborn are divided. There are the good guys, the Deva, and the bad guys, the Asura. And there’s been some pretty horrific battles over the ages. At the close of book one, we learn that the next battle is looming and in book two, Peter (the father) needs to gather together his Deva firstborn, who are scattered across the world, to fight. 

However, that’s not as easy as it sounds, as they are not only scattered across the globe. Oh no, for there are alternate worlds where some of these guys frequent, and there’s also the matter of the Asura enemy who is making things difficult. Plus there’s something pretty nasty coming on Fi’s eighteenth birthday that they also have to contend with. 

I really enjoyed all the characters in this novel. There are loads, but they all have a distinctive personality that makes them stand out vividly against one another and feel very real. There is humour, action and blossoming romance. There’s also a snarky teenager, Fi, who is discovering some pretty major stuff about herself, as well as quiet, sweet Zeke who isn’t quite all he seems either. There’s also friendship, forgiveness and, devastatingly, death. (That ending, though. Sob.)

The pace is fast and relentless with a few quieter moments. The writing propels you along swiftly, and suddenly it’s the end of the book. It is written in third-person present tense and within one chapter you switch regularly between different characters’ points of views. At no point did I feel lost or confused though, so it was done with some skill. 

I’d recommend Paternus: Wrath of Gods for those who love mythology and for those who love a great action story, one which is building up to have a spectacularly EPIC finale. Can’t wait for book three. 

This review and more are originally posted on www.rosalynkelly.co.uk/blog

* I received a free review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.