*Review* From Gods by Mary Ting

Release Date:  October 6, 2013
Length:  305 pages
Review Copy:  Mobi., Provided by Author for honest review

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  Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day? It’s not from Mother Nature. It is most likely from Mason Grand, swoon-worthy demigod, one of Zeus’s descendants. 

  Skylar Rome is supposed to be having the best summer ever before she heads off to college. Little did she know, her whole life was about to change while visiting her cousin. Nearly drowning at the beach due to unknown forces, one of the Grand brothers she’d just met, Mason, saves her life. Cool, collected, mysterious, and dangerously good-looking, Skylar is drawn to him from the start. Though she knows he is the type of guy good girls stayed away from, it seems he is always saving her life, and the attraction was inevitable. 

  Upon meeting the brothers, strange things begin to happen. When she accidentally kills one of the brothers, it throws her life into turmoil, as they search to find the answers. Implausibly, she gets caught up in a world of the decedents of ancient gods, all who have super powers. Not only is her discovery difficult to accept, evil beings are after her. Running out of time and running for her life, she must unravel a mystery. What do they want from her? Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will she find the answers, or will she die trying?

  This is my first Mary Ting book, as the other one I read was under her M. Clarke name.  I know technically it is her but it's a different name... Do you see where I am going with this.  Regardless this book made it clear that I was missing out on some seriously great reading by not having picked up her books sooner!  Ting's writing is amazing and there is wonderful character development that surprised me because this is the first in a series.  Everything was probably helped along by the fact that when it comes to mythology, I am a sucker.

  The funny thing about the story is that the prologue gives you a glimpse of something but you have to wait to see exactly what it means to the book.  From there there is a bit of a foundation made for Skylar and the family she stays with, as well as a bit here and there on her mother.  Though this may sound like it would be slow, I never felt like the book was dragging, only that everything was leading to a greater reasoning.  Basically this tells me as I reflect that Mary Ting did a wonderful job with the pacing and dealing with the distribution of information.  There was no a single information dump that I can recall.  Even how Skylar discovers what and who the people her cousin and her have been hanging around are builds up.  Some things take a bit of reading to find the explanation but there was always one somewhere and the ride to get there was seriously wonderful.

  To be honest with you all I wasn't sure if I was going to like Skylar at first.  Shocking right?  However, my mind quickly changed after I got to know her a little better.  She seemed overly optimistic to start and I find that they make for irritating characters but Skylar was more than that.  This girl was optimistic but she was also smart enough to know when to be cautious and not rush into something.  It's not like she predicted danger but she did know when a situation was too much for her.  However she was also willing to stand up and hold her ground if need be.  When it comes down to it she was a strong female lead that could be kick ass but it's not like she was all I can do anything without anyone's help all the time. Skylar ended up being a breath of fresh air in the current market of strong females.  I am not saying that I don't like kick ass chicks but every now and again it's nice to have a girl that can stand her ground but also knows her limits.

  Romance was definitely present in this read but it did not dominate the bigger story.  He was not ruled completely by emotions but at times he did let his heart and thoughts rule.  Without this little quirk Skylar would have been screwed because lets face it, even if the girl didn't know it she is dangerous.  Mason and Sklar make a cute couple and I was happy that he was sweet enough to stand up for her, and her good heart because it seems most people were more willing to jump into the fact that she could be the end to them all and end her.  I would like to see how they work out because of some of the possible arising problems and I would like to see them able to really cause some chemistry to talk about.

  From Gods fed the mythology lover in me and the reader in me devoured the story.  Mary Ting has masterfully crafted a take on the Demi Gods that will have everyone begging for more.  I honestly need the next book because there is a lot of things that I would like figured out and things that I want to see go forward.  This is for sure not to be missed if you are a mythology lover like myself and if you have ever read anything by Mary Ting you know that you are in for a treat!

It wasn't like she was interested in hanging out with Mason anyway, and it didn't matter what she thought about Remus or what Remus thought about her.  But she didn't like the way he continued to glare at her, as if he was expecting her to do something horrible or magically turn into an alien or something.  She couldn't begin to guess what his problem was.

  Why was this situation so complicated?  Meet a cute guy.  He likes you and you like him back.  Fall in love and go on dates.  Why?  Why couldn't that happen, instead of meet a cute guy and monsters chase after you.  And you have no idea why all the craziness is happening, making you feel like you're insane.

Anger was boiling to the surface, but Skylar kept it at bay.  After all, he was right.  Her human speed and strength were not comparable to theirs.  But his hot and cold attitude made her feel infuriated.  

Being told she was evil tore at her heart, and her chest tightened, feeling like air was being sucked out of her.  Turning pale, she fought for breath frantically.