Omega by Lizzy Ford

I know, I know. Everyone is tired of the flood of books on the YA market that revolve around a dystopian future with a young woman protagonist who’s destined to overthrow the current, corrupt governing entities because she’s different, with an inevitable connection to a young man who’s part of her cause. Not going to lie, I went into this book fully intending to stop reading it if it was terrible. It had one thing going for it, though, that caught my interest and made me give it a chance.

I have a weakness for mythology. Mythology and folklore, from just about everywhere in the world. This one happens to be Greek. I also didn’t stop reading it.

Our heroine is Alessandra, raised in isolation from the outside world by a group of priests, a former Olympian, and along with beautiful girls her age she refers to as ‘nymphs.’ She’s been kept in ignorance of what she is, and what the world outside of their little forest sanctuary is like, being taught to survive all of her life. Woodscraft, tracking, hunting, fighting – these are the things that have taken up all of her time until she’s supposed to be graduating from the school the priests are in charge of.

What she finds is that she’s the Oracle of Delphi, destined to replace the current one, who keeps the portal between the world of the gods and the mortal realm open, giving the gods access to her power as well as influence on her world. Those gods have been at war for five years now, and the world is being torn apart by their battles for power. There is a human triumvirate that’s supposed to keep them in check, but each of those three have ambitions and aspirations of their own – when she’s forced from her sanctuary, she finds out secrets even those she thought she could trust have kept from her, leaving her unsure if there is anyone she can trust.

She’s dumped into a world of violence, politics, and power plays. Along with the world being an entirely different place than the one she thought existed, she’s also supposed to complete three Trials that will give her access to her full powers, instead of the limited (at least comparably) ones she discovers she has once outside of the god-blessed barrier the priests had hidden her behind.

Lyssa is much more down to earth and practical than anyone expects, and begins to learn the machinations of those surrounding her once she’s discovered.

There’s also (of course) the handsome young man she’s unsure of trusting. He turns into a grotesque at night with plushy wings, though, so he’s got that going for him. Oh, and a history of being a mass-murderer and torturer. The conflict she has with herself between knowing that side of him, and a side of him that’s quite different is far more stark than the usual ‘he plays for the other side, maybe’ conflict I’ve seen in many books in this category.

She has to wrestle with some real, serious questions about morality, whether the ends justify the means, and the part she has to play. Some of the violence she knows occurs happens very matter-of-factly, which makes it all the harder, because you can understand the motivations behind it happening. This book has refreshingly more shades of gray than the usual black and white / good and evil situations that usually take place. The living koala bear toy that acts as occasional guide adds some needed lightness when things feel like they’ve been dark for a while.

I’m actually really looking forward to reading the sequel, Theta, when it comes out. In the meantime, I’m surprising myself with recommending this book despite the flooded genre.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given a digital advanced copy of this book from publishers registered with NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.