Nymph: The Love Oracles Book 1 (Tonya Alexandra, Walker Books)

When star nymph Merope is banished from Olympus for spurning the advances of her would-be suitor Orion, she can’t imagine ever fitting into this strange place where ‘hot’ means attractive rather than overheated, where girls wear pants and where fragile, delicate humans live a lifespan of less than a hundred years. And then she meets Lukas. But love between an immortal woman and a mortal man is strictly forbidden, and with persistent Orion and the wrath of Zeus himself to contend with, being with Lukas could mean risking his life. While some teen readers will delight in this sweeping forbidden romance, it seems that the heart of the story has been somewhat missed. Merope’s more complicated relationships, such as that with her flighty, unpredictable mother, her shallow but loving sisters and her newfound human girlfriends, had so much potential. Instead, the focus is placed upon the rather unremarkable forbidden love between Merope and Lukas (with a potential love triangle in the shape of a narcissistic earth-bound Heracles). Despite this, Nymph is a fun romantic romp that fans of authors like Amanda Hocking and Anna Banks are sure to enjoy.

Meg Whelan is the children’s buyer at the Hill of Content bookshop in Melbourne

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews