The Immortals Review

By: Rae

“We have to ask ourselves, what are the myths that shape our own lives, our own society?”

– Jordanna Brodsky, The Immortals

When myth and legend collide, fiction is bound to get interesting. Every day we create myths. These myths can be told over and over again, shaping and reshaping into legends. In The Immortals, Jordanna Brodsky weaves a tale that speaks to the historian and dreamer in all of us.

Selene DiSilva has had a long life. She has watched the rise and fall of empires over the millennia and walked with the greats. Selene herself is a myth. Known in her time as Artemis, contemporary life has taken a powerful goddess and reduced her to a human with immortality, and even that is fading. Feeling forgotten, Selene wants a quiet existence to remember and watch her city. As the city sleeps she protects it through vigilante work compelled by old responsibilities and commitments. Everything changes when a female professor is murdered in a ritual forgotten by time. Invoking the old rites, Selene is forced to make a decision and to choose who she wants to be. Old and new players enter the game as mystery, history, and loyalty is tested. When love is thrown into the mix, both old and new, everything begins to unravel.

I found it incredibly interesting to see how the Greek gods and goddesses have transformed. Some have gone mad. Some have faded from existence. Some thrive on the new “gods” of the world like alcohol and money. The characterization of Selene enables the old stories to be challenged through new perspectives. Selene was an undeniably rich and complex character where her past, present, and future selves blended together to create a web of intrigue. I loved unraveling the history I knew and being faced with new ideas and thoughts that I never saw coming. Being a history nerd only added to my surprise and delight of the book. I fell in love with the language as well. Hippo, Selene’s faithful man-disliking oversized dog, was my favorite character because of her lack of complexity and ability to make the situation grounded at times.

The only real issue I have was the transitioning of two relationships. I still haven’t decided if I accepted how Selene and Theo came to be about of if I was missing something I didn’t know I wanted. The same predicament occurs with Selene and her twin Paul. I liked Paul, in fact I want a whole story for Paul, but the backstory for the twins is so complex and I wanted more of an emotional resolution. While mentioning Paul I must mention briefly the other humans, gods, and goddesses of the book. They were crazy and fun and just like family. I cannot wait to see if the others have more major roles in the next book.

The Immortals did not disappoint and I am anxiously waiting for book two this fall.

Until then… I will create my own myths.

To find out more about Jordanna and her books, click here!