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5 American Gods–Inspired YA Reads
Of all the amazing trailers to debut at Comic-Con last weekend, there was one in particular that made the book-loving literati throw their hands up and hit their hallelujahs: After months of waiting, Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is finally becoming a spectacular (and super-violent, from the looks of it) series on the Starz channel.
That’s the good news. The bad news is, we’ll have to wait a while yet for its big premiere. Which is why, to pass the time, we’re rounding up five great reads in the same mythology-inspired vein as American Gods. From Norse deities to Korean folkloric heroes to the pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses, you’ll encounter many a figure in these pages who’ll make you say, “Oh, my god.”
The Lost Sun, by Tessa Gratton
If you thought “going berserk” was just a funny euphemism for flipping out, think again: the phrase has its roots in ancient warfare, thanks to a class of Nordic warriors known as berserkers. And in Gratton’s novel, it’s an inherited condition with problematic implications. Seventeen-year-old Soren Bearskin, son of a famed beserker warrior, knows it’s only a matter of time before the fighting impulse built into his DNA expresses itself, possibly with deadly results. So when Balfur, son of Odin and god of light, goes mysteriously missing, Soren leaps at the opportunity to finally shed the curse of his heritage—if he doesn’t die in the process.
Promise of Shadows, by Justina Ireland
You might want to take a refresher course on Greek mythology before you crack open this book about a teenage harpy trapped in literal Hell—or Tartarus, in the parlance of Ireland’s world. Condemned to push mud around in the underworld as punishment for killing a god, heroine Zephyr is already perturbed by her ability to wield such awesome power (especially when, as harpies go, she’s always been a bit of an underachiever). Things only get worse (not to mention much more exciting and romantic) when she ends up on the run from the vengeful gods in the company of a long-lost childhood friend.
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Prophecy, by Ellen Oh
Dragon Kings and Demon Lords abound in this gripping fantasy based on Korean mythology. Kira is a yellow-eyed young warrior woman who is as loathed for her abilities as she is valued for them; only her place as the righthand bodyguard to her royal cousin, the crown prince, keeps her in the good graces of the court (and out of the marriage bed of a particularly icky suitor.) But when the prince is betrayed, Kira must take him on the run with her, keeping him safe and ensuring he survives to ascend the throne—despite the presence of enemies everywhere, and only an ancient and obscure prophecy to guide her.
Wildefire, by Karsten Knight
It’s gods galore in this novel, which brings together figures from Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Zulu, and Polynesian mythology for a rousing adventure (not to mention a lot of drinking and hooking up). Ash, our heroine, is prone to violent outbursts when provoked—and Eve, her sister, is like Ash on steroids. After a lightning-strike incident fries the unfortunate bimbo who macked on Ash’s boyfriend, Ash is sent cross-country to boarding school, where she discovers her powers have an unexpected source…and that she’s not alone in her abilities, or her heritage.
Abandon, by Meg Cabot
Mythological figures Hades and Persephone are reimagined as tormented teens in this supernatural romance that loosely follows the myth while injecting plenty of contemporary flirting into the mix. (Sorry, Edward Cullen, but you don’t hold a candle as a bad-boy suitor to the literal prince of darkness.) Pierce, the protagonist, is trying for a fresh start after coming back from the dead, revived after a drowning accident in her family swimming pool. But she made the acquaintance of a certain special someone while she was on the other side, and he’s not quite ready to give her up to the land of the living—nor, for that matter, is she sure she wants to live without him. You don’t have to be familiar with the source material to enjoy the steamy intrigue that ensues, but it doesn’t hurt, either.