Review: Teenaged Zeus and Time Traveling Zoe- Lots of fun
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2011
I received a copy of this from the author for free.  This in no way influenced my review of the novel.As I read Dig, I kept smiling through it and thought, what other book had me smiling like this as I read it.  I realized it was Stephanie Perkins Anna and the French Kiss.  There is a lot of light romance and does he or doesn't he.  And it's light and fluffy and was fun to read.  I don't know if the author intended it that way, but I never really felt a sense of doom and gloom in the book.Zoe's parents are dead and she lives with her aunt and uncle who are archaeologists.  Zoe attends boarding school during the year and spends her summers with her aunt and uncle at whatever archaeological site they are working on at the time.She's a bit of recluse, a social outcast by desire, and a bookworm.  She's awkward with people unless it's on a dig site.In this novel, she is getting ready to leave for summer to an archaeological dig in Greece.  When her aunt and uncle pick her up they are excited because the site is a previously undiscovered Temple.  Zoe breaks the rules and wanders in it before it's been explored by the archaeologists and time travels back to 1000BC.  I won't tell you how, but it's a bit unorthodox.The book blurb pretty much tells the whole story so I'll tell you my impressions.  I enjoyed the book.  It was a nice break from some of the other things I've been reading lately and from writing.  I loved reading about the gods and goddess of Ancient Greece as teenagers.  They acted a little like teenagers but they are much older.  They've been teens for 500 years.Hera of course is supposed to be with Zeus so she is understandably threatened when he pays attention to Zoe.  She is a first class b****.  She knows how to make a dig sound like a compliment and Zoe in her unconventional clothes and awkwardness is a perfect target.  The other gods and goddesses are no better following Hera, they snub her.Zeus is not the Zeus we are used to reading about and Zoe is aware of that.  She keeps picturing the older Zeus with his anger and his lightning bolt.  She conveniently forgets his dalliances with other women, but Hera alludes to the fact that she's not the first girl he's toyed with.Yes, you have to throw out all your old preconceived notions of the gods and goddesses.  There are a few surprises.  And the ending definitely makes me wonder how it will affect the world of Ancient Greece and the mythology we've grown up with.I can see a lot of problems in store for Zoe and Zeus with the next novel.Overall, it was an enjoyable break from more intense novels I've been reading.  The writing was easy to read, not loaded down with descriptions and every time Zoe started to feel sorry for herself, she stopped, so she was likable as a character.  Zeus, not so much to me.  I can't forget who he is in the mythology that I've grown up with so he's got all that against him.  And his back and forth with Zoe was heartless considering she was friendless.  I hated the other gods and goddesses.  But there was a cute nymph, Creusa that I liked and could prove to be helpful in the future.  I guess the ending was a little predictable in that I knew whatever happened the main characters survived.  This is a trilogy.I think YA lovers that don't mind a totally different view of the gods and goddesses would enjoy this novel.  And anyone looking for a light read, this would be good.  Yeah, there's insta love, but come on, he's a Greek god!Heather