This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 I will admit that when I went into this book I was a tad apprehensive. Despite the fact that I love stories about the Greek gods, I'm never sure about retellings/reimagings. Something about the original stories seems to get lost a good portion of the time. But I knew from reading Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares that Kendare Blake was a skilled writer, so I decided to give Antigoddess a fair chance. 
 And I am so glad I did because this book is amazing. 
 The narrative of this story rotates between two characters - Athena and the reincarnation of the prophet Cassandra. I really enjoyed both of these characters. I liked that Athena simultaneously felt both God and human. She was still determined and had a "don't mess with me attitude" but the impact of her looming death (being smothered internally by feathers) had humanized her a bit. Blake managed to balance her character between someone I can relate to and someone I want to be like. But I also really like Cassandra. There's a Marion Zimmer Bradley novel that I adore called The Firebrand. It's also about Cassandra and it was the first time I really thought someone had done her character justice. Antigoddess is now in that exclusive club as well. Cassandra is not just some poor soul to be pitied. She is a survivor and she fights hard against her current situation - whatever it may be. 
 Seeing as how I've already mentioned Athena and Cassandra, you may have guessed this book draws heavily from the Iliad. It's not a retelling though. It operates under the knowledge that the Trojan War was a real event and that many (if not all) of the players in this story were either a part of that war or are reincarnations of people who fought in that war. Think of it as The Trojan War II. It blends together myth and reality and is an interesting approach. I really enjoyed it but if you aren't familiar with the story of the Iliad some of the connections might not be as interesting/exciting to you. 
 Now in a book about gods literally fighting to the death you wouldn't think I would get wrapped up in the more personal/romantic relationships. I mean, there are gods FIGHTING TO THE DEATH. But the romances (and potential romances) actually gave this novel an edge. It had everything I wanted in a myth retelling. Action and daring adventure and sticky personal situations that always seemed to get the gods in the most amount of trouble. I can't go into too many details without giving away some of the surprises, but you will definitely find yourself rooting for not one but two couples to come through the other side. 
 In conclusion this book was incredibly dark and dangerous and addictive. I got so wrapped up in the story I didn't want it to end. It's going to be torture waiting for Aristeia! Antigoddess is my favourite Kendare Blake book to date.