The Gatekeeper's Challenge by Eva Pohler

By: Anonymous on Saturday, May 04, 2013

Title: The Gatekeeper's Challenge

Author:  Eva Pohler

Series:  Gatekeeper's Trillogy #2

Published: December 1st 2012 by Green Press

Page Count:  228

Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Ten agonizing months have gone by since Therese faced off against her parents’ murderer at Mount Olympus, and she suspects Thanatos’s absence is meant to send her a message: go on with your life. She tries to return Pete’s affections even though her heart aches for the god of death, but when Than shows up to take her hamster’s soul, she becomes infuriated when he says he’s “been busy.” In cahoots with her new friend, who's gotten in with the Demon Druggies at school, Therese takes a drug that simulates a near-death experience, planning to tell Than off so she can have closure and move on, but things go very, very wrong.

Eventually she learns Than has been busy searching for a way to make her a god, and he’s found it, but it requires her to complete a set of impossible challenges designed by Hades, who hopes to see her fail.

Ten agonizing months have gone by since Therese faced off against her parents’ murderer at Mount Olympus, and she suspects Thanatos’s absence is meant to send her a message: go on with your life. She tries to return Pete’s affections even though her heart aches for the god of death, but when Than shows up to take her hamster’s soul, she becomes infuriated when he says he’s “been busy.” In cahoots with her new friend, who's gotten in with the Demon Druggies at school, Therese takes a drug that simulates a near-death experience, planning to tell Than off so she can have closure and move on, but things go very, very wrong.

Eventually she learns Than has been busy searching for a way to make her a god, and he’s found it, but it requires her to complete a set of impossible challenges designed by Hades, who hopes to see her fail.

My Review:

This novel is phenomenally well written. A great deal of time was put into formatting and editing. The descriptions are spot on, while remaining quite enthralling and entertaining. I love that this novel is mythologically, historically and scientifically accurate. It adds an entirely new level to the story, making it even more complex and enjoyable. Pohler manages to seamlessly blend mythology with reality to create an awesome world for readers to get lost in.

The characters in this novel were also awesome. Although most of them were quite well developed in the first novel of the series, development continues with leaps and bounds in this novel. They grow and mature the way that normal high school students do, even if some of them have challenges or fears that most of us will never face.

I appreciate that Pohler attacked some very difficult topics in this novel. Not only does she entertain us throughout, but loss, drugs, sex, and abuse are brought up in ways that make them approachable and open them up for conversation. These can be very difficult subjects to even think about, but Pohler tackles them and winds them into her phenomenal tale.

As a whole, I am thoroughly in love with this novel and this series. The mythology is sound, as is the writing. I cannot wait for the next installment.