Review by Alex- Goddess Boot Camp

Goddess Boot Camp by Tara Lynn Childs
*spoilers for Oh. My. Gods. most likely in abundance.*
Phoebe, who recently discovered she’s a descendant of Nike (the goddess, not the shoe), is finding that supernatural powers come with a crazy learning curve. Her stepfather, headmaster of the Academy for descendants of the Greek gods, has enrolled her at Dynamotheos Development Camp—aka Goddess Boot Camp—with a bunch of ten-year-olds for the summer. Embarrassing as that is, hopefully it’ll help her gain control over her powers in time to pass the test of the gods, continue training hard enough to qualify for the Pythian Games, and enjoy her godly boyfriend, Griffin, all while avoiding the ultimate mistake of accidentally misusing powers.

It’s another fast-paced myth-inspired heroine’s quest that’s sure to bring out the goddess in anyone.

First Impressions: Having just finished Oh. My. Gods. I was happy to start up Goddess Boot Camp. I expected it to be the same sort of light greek mythology tale, and it doesn't disappoint.

Following the trails of Oh. My. Gods., Goddess Boot Camp returns to Phoebe and her path to control her powers. Sadly, Phoebe isn't getting far along that path. Her stepfather's solution: Boot camp. For 2 weeks, Phoebe's stuck with annoyingly young girls and her stepsister and enemy as counsellors.

The actual powers of the different descendants of gods are more delved into in the sequel, luckily. At the beginning of each chapter, we have a little info box stating a power of each of the gods. For example, descendants of Poseidon have the ability to move liquids. Each power has a special name that's long and of which I forget. But it's fun to learn about.

Another plus- the characters get more background. Adara, Griffin's ex-girlfriend and Phoebe's enemy, reveals a bit of herself, and turns out -gasp- maybe not to be some souless, conniving, pancake of a character. Phoebe's stepsister, Stella, also gets more time in the novel and the relationship between her and Phoebe evolves.

While Goddess Boot Camp has many good qualities, I found it slightly lacking compared to Oh. My. Gods. Perhaps the novelty of greek gods wore off on me. I just found the plot to be a little less enticing. It has a little more seriousness than Oh. My. Gods., that while good, was slightly off putting to me. A tad less humourous parts, a lot less Griffin, except when Phoebe trains.

Final Impressions: Although falling just a little short of Oh. My. Gods., Goddess Boot Camp is a wonderful addition to my woefully lacking reading of greek mythology. And most likely, it'll please many who love mythology and humour.

Add to Shelf: Same with Oh. My. Gods. Maybe, but still on the fence.

Note This! A lot of the plot involves around the mystery that is Phoebe's dad. In the last novel, Phoebe learns that her dad was smoted for flaunting his powers in the nothos (human) world. But now Phoebe has the chance to figure out exactly what happened to him, and how he chose it so. And some mysterious figure is taunting her with that info...