
Lovely War by Julie Berry, book cover.
This is one that caught my eye in Barnes and Noble about 2 months ago. I read the description, thought “Huh this looks interesting,” but didn’t do anything about it until I found it in the library. I just now got around to reading it, and it’s amazing. I have always been drawn to historical fiction, specifically fiction set in the great wars, and this was an amazing read. Set in WWII, the story begins in Manhattan with Aphrodite and Ares. They are put on a mock trial by Hephaestus and, in order to go free, Aphrodite tells the story of two different couples during WWI. I think the way Julie Berry combines Greek mythology with Historical fiction is just absolutely stunning and I will now be looking into her other books. I think my only problem with it was that it was slightly confusing in the beginning because it took me a little bit to match up who was speaking in each chapter. It switches between the perspectives of the different gods, so you should definitely make sure you read the chapter titles to make sure you don’t mix up who is speaking at the moment. Overall, I give this one a 5/5. It was amazing, heartbreaking, poignant, and one I will definitely be reading again, and recommending to everyone I can.