Mythological Mondays is a feature I created to spotlight books brimming with--you guessed it--mythology! I adore this sub-genre and can't wait to share my love with all of my fellow bookworms! This feature isn't just focused on novel reviews; it may also include interviews, looks at original mythological tales, etc. Please feel free to do this with me! If you guys ever do a mythological feature and want to join this and snag my lovely mermaid, I would LOVE to see the feature. Leave a comment for us all to see! It doesn’t have to be Greek mythology, or even mythology per say. It can be mermaids, unicorns, or heck, even fairy tales (because I’m too lazy to do a separate fairy tale feature…). It doesn’t even have to be every Monday. I’m sure there will be Mondays when I skip, too!
I always love when mythology reaches me when I least expect it, as was the case with Katie McGarry's upcoming novel PUSHING THE LIMITS, out July 30th. At first, I wondered why McGarry chose to name her main character Echo, but when I saw that the name had Greek roots, I was thrilled!
In Greek mythology, Echo is a nymph who is cursed by Hera. She loses her voices and is forced to forever echo the words of other people and never her own. Echo also shows up in other tales such as the infamous story of Narcissus. Echo's mother was a huge fan of mythology and named both her children after mythological characters. Echo's brother is named Aires. I'm not sure if this is a creative spelling of Aries or someone minor in mythology that I'm not familiar with. At one point, Aires is used in conjunction with the tale of Andromeda and Perseus, so I'm really unsure! Either way, it's super cool that both children are named after mythological figures.
Another main character, Noah, often refers to Echo as a "nymph" or a "siren." While this does get a little tedious after a while because it feels like being slammed with the term, the first time I came across it and saw Noah's explanation, everything clicked into place and made sense. Of COURSE Noah would see Echo in this way and come up with this nickname. Plus, Noah's really smart beneath the surface, so it's nice to see he knows his mythology. A little out of place, but really fun!
I loved seeing all of the mythology that crept into PUSHING THE LIMITS!
~*~
In Greek mythology, Echo is a nymph who is cursed by Hera. She loses her voices and is forced to forever echo the words of other people and never her own. Echo also shows up in other tales such as the infamous story of Narcissus. Echo's mother was a huge fan of mythology and named both her children after mythological characters. Echo's brother is named Aires. I'm not sure if this is a creative spelling of Aries or someone minor in mythology that I'm not familiar with. At one point, Aires is used in conjunction with the tale of Andromeda and Perseus, so I'm really unsure! Either way, it's super cool that both children are named after mythological figures.
Another main character, Noah, often refers to Echo as a "nymph" or a "siren." While this does get a little tedious after a while because it feels like being slammed with the term, the first time I came across it and saw Noah's explanation, everything clicked into place and made sense. Of COURSE Noah would see Echo in this way and come up with this nickname. Plus, Noah's really smart beneath the surface, so it's nice to see he knows his mythology. A little out of place, but really fun!
I loved seeing all of the mythology that crept into PUSHING THE LIMITS!
**Check back this week for a review of PUSHING THE LIMITS and a book GIVEAWAY!!!**
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: PUSHING THE LIMITS
Authors: Katie McGarry
Authors: Katie McGarry
Release Date: Out July 30, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Received: Received for Review
SUMMARY:
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
Hmm very strange. I never would have expected anything mythological in this story. I would have totally missed that reference.
ReplyDelete