The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy

by Corey Ann Haydu

Critically acclaimed author Corey Ann Haydu crafts a spellbinding tale following the modern-day descendants of ancient Greek gods--and how two young girls struggling against the weight of the family history end up becoming their own epic myth with large consequences. If you could choose to be a god forever, would you do it? Every winter solstice, today's Earthly descendants of Greek gods, nymphs, and muses must visit Mount Olympus to preserve their near-godly status. Until Dorothy's mother refuses to go, sealing her fate and dying a human death shortly after. In retaliation, the gods release an return to the heavens as gods or live as humans on Earth. Everyone must now make a choice. Dorothy is already at the bottom of the godly chain as the descendant of the infamous Pandora. Without her mother, the rest of Dorothy's world becomes quieter, stiller--and her grief threatens to consume her. Apple , on the other hand, is the beloved descendant of Zeus and Hera. She is the most popular girl in school, and knows she must maintain a perfect facade, or risk ruining the family name. The two girls couldn't be more different, but their mothers were best friends, and now they finally grow closer, too. Yet as the solstice nears, Apple's fear of losing Dorothy causes her to make a choice for herself and Dorothy that changes everything--and the consequences are great. Will the Apple and Dorothy be able to fix their friendship? Will they even choose the same path? Olympus or Earth?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology, Retellings, Fiction, Greek Mythology, Young Adult

1 pages, Audio CD

First published September 19, 2023

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is based on an ARC received from HarperCollins, Katherine Tegen Books, and NetGalley. Being a big fan of the Percy Jackson books, I decided to read this book after seeing that it was a middle grade story featuring Greek gods and myths. This book is not Percy Jackson; if anything, it's more the anti-Percy Jackson. I don't think that's a bad thing for either book. Percy Jackson is the story of a boy on the edge between being a child and teenager and has a journey where he reacts to the world in a very hyperactive and external way. Apple and Dorothy is the story of two girls who are also at the edge of being children and teenagers, but instead of being external, their journey is more internal and contemplative. Dorothy has just lost her mother and Apple has lost her friend/neighbor and the two of them are trying to understand what to do with their grief. Much of the book concerns the two of them trying to understand their feelings, to understand other people's feelings, and the misunderstandings that can result from trying to decide other people's feelings and desires, and how to build and keep a friendship among those misunderstandings. It's a lovely story.

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being descendants of gods isn’t always easy depending on your heritage, and now Apple (Hera) and Dorothy (Pandora) must learn what it truly means to be half-way divine and partly human. This was a precious and wholesome middle grade story about two young near-god girls figuring out friendship and navigating grief. “The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy” is poignant and reflective, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I received an arc of TWUMOAD from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. It comes out September 19th!

[Lydia H. Deetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this.

[Dede Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I’d could give it 3.5 stars. It’s poignant and reminds me how much I like Greek mythology but I felt all the characters could have been fleshed out more.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a world where descendants of Greek gods live on a hill between "regular" towns and Olympus, and are expected to climb up to Olympus every winter solstice to pay tribute and maintain their immortal, near-god status, everything is turned upside down when Dorothy's mom, Penny, decides not to make the trip. No longer immortal, she tragically dies soon after in a car accident, and the whole community is devastated and confused, never having dealt with grief before. Dorothy was always a bit overlooked, being descended from a "lesser" god, but now her family is even more looked askance at - until Apple, daughter of Penny's best friend Heather and descendent of Zeus and Hera (aka most popular girl in school) takes her under her wing and tries to help her navigate grief and their new world order. I absolutely loved the premise and the way the author set up this semi-fantasy world that uses mythology but also extends it, the way she invited readers to reframe some characters from Greek mythology (grownup lovers of books like Circe and Ariadne will enjoy that too!), and the way the story demonstrated so well how we can hold multiple, seemingly conflicting feelings at once - very good life lesson for the middle-grader age group, not to mention all of us - but overall it just ended up not being the book I hoped it would be based on how it started. That's somewhat an expectation gap, but somewhat an execution thing. It started out so strong, and the characters of Dorothy and Apple felt like they'd be so interesting, but then I just did not like the direction their "friendship" story took. It was incredibly lopsided, used as a way to make a point/drive the story, but honestly if it were an adult novel I think we'd label that relationship as toxic and the character with some kind of personality disorder. Even though it came together in the end, the feeling of reading many of the chapters was that Dorothy had little agency and that Apple was manipulative and steamrolling all of Dorothy's personality and desires, with sort of good intentions but seeming really selfish. Still, spellbinding writing and also a solid middle grade look at friendship, making your voice heard, living your truth vs. what's expected of you/your family, looking to history for guidance but also forging your own path, how to live life well in spite of knowing that it has an end/has grief. And great for kids who enjoy mythology of course.
3.5⭐️

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok well I LOVED this. Such a quiet and beautifully written book about friendships and how some friendships aren't perfect but they're still there even when they are messy and confusing. It's also about grief and how overwhelming it can be when it's something you've never had to feel or even THINK about before but how humans somehow find the hope to keep going even when everything is awful. I especially liked how the book demonstrates all of the ugly parts of grief, getting angry at your parent because they died or turning into the worst version of yourself because your best friend is gone.

I went through a lot of the reviews because I didn't really understand why the rating was below a 4. I think that a lot of people went into this thinking it was going to be like Percy Jackson or something and honestly...not everything has to be action based and there are 5 hundred million middle grade mythology books that are action and not philosophical so like...idk go read one of those. Also so many reviews were like "there was too much grieving in this" like yeah babes it's a book about grief...

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice change to get a character driven Greek mythology middle grade novel, and I say that as someone who generally prefers my plots to be action driven. Themes of grief and friendship.
Thank you very much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC!

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of grief and change, of complicated friendships and holding a little too hard onto the way things "should be".

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did a really good job of depicting the stages of grief and how they aren't linear. Apple sometimes annoyed me, but she was coming from a place of grief too. The writing was really lovely.

[Meg Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But that’s the most human thing of all, I guess. The not knowing how it’s all going to be.”

Incredible writing. Another Haydu classic! I copied so many quotes from this into my notes! As always, this book has fantastic world building in the simple details, and that wonderful middle ground between fantastical and the everyday. It’s about grief, humanness, legacy, and friendship changes. The Greek gods serve as a metaphor for things like family history and legacy and high expectations, as well as stigmas we carry and can’t seem to escape. Like Haydu’s other books, there is a celebration of the magic in humanness, the magic in the everyday, and how necessary it is for us to have loss and pain because from it comes hope and beautiful things.

I still think Apple still gets off easy for what she did—she apologizes to Dorothy but Dorothy takes everything that happens a little too well. I think part of me hoped for Apple to have to stay human, and to be called out more directly on just how selfish her behavior is.

I don’t think this book went the way I expected but I really enjoyed it.

[Kathreadsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a unique middle grade fantasy, taking lesser known myths and bringing them to life.

I enjoyed Dorothy's journey as she dealt with the loss of her mother and facing the reality of her life. This got a bit slow in the middle, but overall a good fantasy.

The friendship between Dorothy and Apple was a joy to read!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Dorothy lives with her mother and father on The Hill, where Earthbound gods, descendents of the Olympian gods, live. Once a year, they must climb a ladder into the heavens and eat a bite of apple in order to stay immortal. Once year, Dorothy's mother Penny decides not to make the climb, and within the year, she has passed away. She was a descendant of Pandora, so there is already some prejudice against her. On the anniversary of her birth, Dorothy and her Dad aren't quite sure what to do, since the gods don't have much experience with death. Heather, Penny's best friend and the single mother of young Apple, comes over to celebrate with homemade bread and other things that Penny liked, which helps a bit. The relief from grieving is short lived when a screed from the gods arrive: the residents of The Hill need to decide within a short amount of time whether they will choose to live on Olympus and remain immortal, or stay on The Hill and live out a mortal life. The Hill is an interesting place, where the Earthbound gods are able to choose their favorite age to be, and live a largely human life in order to understand the creatures over whom they have some sway. They wear blue clothing to honor the heavens, and have some magical powers, which not all of them choose to use. Since they are descended from a variety of mythical beings, the families retain some of the characteristics. After the birthday, Apple has taken a keen interest in Dorothy, and wants to shield her from the unkind comments of classmates, and the two end up spending a lot of time together. Apple is vey invested in Dorothy's life, and Dorothy is so subsumed with grief over her mother that she doesn't object to this extra attention. When the gods' pronouncement it made, however, the two girls see things differently. Apple and her mother plan to go to Olympus, and Heather is very enthusiastic about the changes this will bring to their lifestyle. Dorothy and her father have different views, and Dorothy in particular finds it hard to go about her daily life, so she plans to stay on The Hill, where her grief will at least be over within the span of a human life. Apple becomes incensed that her new best friend won't be with her, and asks her friends if there is a way she can impel Dorothy to go to Olympus. They hatch a plan where Dorothy's shadow will be attached to Apple, but this does not work out the way that either girl envisions. Not only does Apple lose most of what is important to the friendship, but Dorothy's grief does not abate, and there are larger ramifications for the entire community. Will the two be able to figure out a way to reverse their disastrous decision, and, if they do, what new decision will they make?
Strengths: While there have been adventure books with mythological elements, like Yolen's Young Heroes series, Cook's Oh, My Gods, VanEekhout's Fenris and Mott, or Rick Riordan's many books of his own and those published by his imprint for multicultural, mythology based fantasy novels, I can't think of any that put traditional mythological characters in a modern setting and put them through their paces of dealing with the intricacies of navigating the world as gods. This was definitely philosophical, and reminded me of the writing assignment so prevalent in middle school: take elements of myths and construct your own. Apple and Dorothy have many characteristics of demigods, and it's interesting to see how they navigate their world and its changes. Readers might be encouraged to pick up D'Aulaire's Greek Myths or Donna Jo Napoli's 2011 Treasury of Greek Mythology to refresh the various characters in their minds.
Weaknesses: Dorothy and Apple's friendship didn't always ring true. Dorothy's feelings of disconnectedness seemed on target, but Apple's obsession with staying with Dorothy, whom she had previously largely ignored, was odd. Also, Haydu and I have a very different views about grief. Hers are more on trend with current philosophy, so we'll just leave it at that.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like Haydu's work like Eventown and One Jar of Magic, or books that combine magic with serious emotional topics like Redman's Quintessence or Staniszewski's The Wonder of Wildflowers.

[Emily Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorothy and Apple have always lived on their hill on Earth, descendants of Gods but not quite Gods themselves. Every year on the winter solstice, their town would climb the ladder up to Olympus and eat the apples of immortality. But history has a funny way of repeating itself, and Dorothy's mom -- descended from Pandora -- decides one day she wants to be human and pays the price, unleashing the wrath of the Gods and inflicting an impossible decision on her fellow half-Gods. Can Dorothy and her sort-of-friend Apple, perfect descendent of Zeus and Hera, fix what has been broken?

What tropes, vibes, and themes does this book include?
For tropes we have Black Sheep, You Can't Fight Fate, and Cool Kid and Loser Friendship. Vibes are very emotional, and it is technically a Greek Mythology retelling (of Pandora). Themes of grief/dealing with loss, death/mortality, what it means to be human, family, love, and friendship.

Who should read this, and what ages are appropriate?
Anyone interested in Greek mythology may be interested in reading this. It isn't exactly a direct retelling of any specific myth or tale, but it is clearly inspired by them. The age range for this book would technically be 11 or older, but due to the lack of action and more emotionally driven plot, I would suggest 13 and up; I just personally can't see anyone younger retaining interest.

Trigger Warnings: Thoughts/ideas of death and death of a parent.

Overall:★★★☆☆
Writing:★★★★☆
Plot:★★★☆☆
Characters:★★★★☆
World Building:★★★★☆

Review:
I have thoughts about this book. Not bad, not really good either. So let's just get into it.

The writing was fine for a middle grade novel, despite there being just an excessive use of "blank and blank and blank." I've seen this technique overdone with other authors, since it is often used for emphasis and creative "style," and have been guilty using often myself, but it just popped up every few sentences in this book and became a little tedious. But this is perhaps just a personal opinion!

Where this book fell flat was with its plot. Normally, I would enjoy a book heavily character driven with little to no action., but I draw the line when it comes to middle grade. Of course, this isn't the case with all kids, but in this day-and-age most kids lack any real focus with the short-form media they are constantly consuming. If you want kids to remain interested in your story, it needs to be quicker paced and have far more action than this book provided. The main character lacked any kind of agency in the first half of the book and had no real goals, and then when she finally gained some agency after the midpoint, it was promptly snatched from her. The plot just felt like jelly, honestly.

The character arcs were beautifully done but really overshadowed everything else. Again, the MC needed far more agency. Even a depressed person should gain some agency at some point in a story, hence character growth. And as for the other MC, I just didn't like her. Their friendship dynamic felt extremely toxic and took too long for either of them to notice.

And, lastly, there is the world building. I will admit, a very unique setting was constructed here. A kind of half-world, if you will, with its own customs and fashions and culture. Well done on that aspect.

All together, it wasn't a bad read. I didn't love it, and it was nothing to write home about. Unless you're a Greek super-fan, I suggest skipping over this one.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This is a middle grade fantasy story about a community of near-gods. These descendants of the Greek gods are not really gods, but they're also not human. They live in a community called Our Hill, and every year they ascend a tall, silver ladder up to Mt. Olympus, where they eat the golden apples that allow them to remain immortal. But one year Dorothy's mother, Penny, refuses to climb the ladder; she's more interested in the human world than she is in Mt. Olympus, and not too long after that, she's killed in an accident. (These aren't spoilers, this all happens in the prologue.)

The story is about 12-year-old Dorothy and the way she deals - or doesn't deal - with her grief over losing her mother; her friendship with Apple, the daughter of her mother's best friend; and how things change in Our Hill as a consequence of Penny's actions.

The author makes a lot of insightful and poignant statements about grief and friendship. I highlighted about a dozen passages. However, despite that, I found this book to be slow. Things happen at the very beginning and at the end, but the middle is mostly the author telling us about Dorothy and Apple's feelings.

I'm also not sure what to make of the characters' relationships. Penny and Heather are opposites, but we're supposed to see them as complementing and balancing each other out. But I'm not quite sure I believe that. And then Dorothy and Apple's relationship is super problematic.

I liked the themes and idea of this story, but I found the execution to be flawed. Also, I originally started this as an audiobook, but it sounded very middle grade (which, to be fair, it is), so I switched over to a digital copy.

It is mythological. Which is another way of saying impossibly difficult, overly complicated, destined to hurt. (1)

"We have to go, Dorothy," Dad says again, his voice a straight line, an arrow through all the things I'm feeling and wondering and worrying over. (6)

Simple things are made awkward and heartbreaking when essential things change. (7)

Now we live in this house that is absolutely crammed with unfinished conversations, things that were supposed to be said someday but were never said because someday doesn't exist anymore. (30)

No matter how small my sad was, Mama always nodded seriously, like it mattered a great deal to her. It didn't take away the sadness of the day, exactly, but it changed its shape and texture into something softer, smaller, less pointy. (70)

"You know, constellations are for remembering, but stars are for wishing." (130)

I wonder if the gods up there ever wonder, the way I am wondering right now, why it is that we all have this power and all this magic and all these wishes that come true but still never feel quite right. (257)

Love is knowing the strange and wonderful and absurd things people do. It's the delicacy of noticing, and Mama was an expert noticer. (268)

The rest of them can keep hating humans, thinking them small and scared and silly. But the humans lose what they love and find a way to keep going. The humans hold on to hope even when it hurts, even when it is barely possible. The humans make their mistakes and have to stay here on earth, forever, figuring out how to make the world right again. It is not the worst thing to be, part human. It is a little bit beautiful, actually. (312)

I didn't know that friendship was the best kind of love - a big kind with enough room for two people to be whoever they need to be. (317)

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a while to read, but it was so very well worth it in the end. I had been reading a couple pages every once in a while, but I never actually sat down to read it for a while. I ended up finishing it over the weekend. “The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy” by Corey Ann Haydu is based on Greek mythology. The last time I remember reading something similar to this was the series, Goddess Girls, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, which became very repetitive after 25 books- mostly each about a different Goddess, but also a lot of repetitions. “The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy” is about near-gods, people who are descendants of major Gods and Muses, such as Zeus and Pandora, who have come to live on earth, on a hill they affectionately refer to as “Our Hill”. Apple is a descendent of Zeus and Hera, and Dorothy is a descendent of Pandora, a muse that is frowned upon for her curiosity. Apple’s mother, Heather, and Dorothy’s mother, Penny, are best friends. Each year, the near gods must climb the ladder to Olympus on the Winter Solstice to renew their immortality. This specific year, Penny, Dorothy’s mother, chooses not to climb the ladder, in order to become human. This is frowned upon by many of the other gods and near-gods, and blamed on the fact that Penny is a descendent of Pandora, and bound to try to change things that were perfectly good before. Meanwhile, Dorothy and her father, as well as Apple and her mother, climb the ladder regardless. Not a few months after the day Penny decided to become human, she faces a tragic death, leaving Dorothy’s family and Penny’s best friend, Heather and her daughter, Apple, to learn how to grieve, as nobody has died on Our Hill (their hill they live on); they’re all immortal. Many months later, a demand from the gods is sent to earth; the next Winter Solstice, all near-gods must make a choice: to be a god forever, or to stay human, and die human deaths in the end. Of course, since Heather and Apple have descended from the gods Hera and Zeus, everyone turns to them for help. Heather is always telling Apple to behave a certain way, say certain things, “do what is expected”. But Apple doesn’t want or know how to. After the day Penny became human, she told Apple to always look after Dorothy. Apple and Dorothy were never particularly close, despite their mothers being best friends. Dorothy, following her mother, doesn’t feel the need to become a god, but rather, finds something beautiful in being human. Apple, misinterpreting Penny’s instructions, decides that Dorothy must become a god, and that is the best way to protect her.

This book deals with a lot of topics that interest me, such as life and death, the value of being immortal, and most importantly love in all its forms, whether familial, friendship, or just a love of being alive. "The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy" is one of my favourite books, and it should be yours, too!

[Katelyn Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modern retellings of Greek myths are trendy in the book world, but The Widely Unknown Myth of Dorothy and Apple by Corey Ann Haydu takes it a step further and creates a Greek myth set in the modern world.

A group of descendants of Greek gods live on a hill in the human world. They observe humans and try to live similarly to them, but they are immortal. Every winter solstice they climb a ladder into the clouds and visit Olympus to keep their near-god status.

The story of Dorothy and Apple starts when Dorothy's mom decides one year not to make the climb. That means she will become fully human. She thinks she will live a long, human life - but tragedy strikes shortly after her decision and death comes to the near-god community for the first time.

The gods give the near-gods an ultimatum to either become fully gods or fully humans. Dorothy and Apple have to make this decision while being influenced by their friendship, their parents and their loss.

The old myths inform the present decisions and the girls are taken on an emotional journey. They explore grief, depression, peer pressure, and generational trauma; as well as found family, friendship and hope.

For the characters being 12-years-old, the book is kind of strange. There are some pretty deep thoughts being explored and I feel it would have made more sense if Dorothy and Apple were nearing adulthood. However, this is billed as juvenile ficction. So I guess it's written to maybe help kids digest big life changes?

Some of the back-and-forth starts to feel repetitive about three-quarters in.

This would also be a heavy read for some people who are dealing with their own loss of a close family member. It sort of reads like you've lost someone to suicide are are deciding how to deal with your own depression and whether or not to move forward in your own life. So, major trigger warning.

Ultimately, it was a lovely little story of how to overcome when you feel like a shadow of yourself and how the people around you become part of that journey. I liked it as an adult, so hopefully it would be a fun modern myth for a younger audience.

Stars: 3/5

Busy Girls Rating: 4/5

Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the advance copy. The book is available on September 19, 2023.

[Paper Privateer · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a small, special town, the descendants of the Greek gods and mythological figures get to live forever in exchange for a once-a-year visit to Olympus to visit and thank the gods. When Dorothy's mother refuses to go, she dies in an accident soon after. Dorothy and her best friend Apple now have a lot of questions about what it means to be part human, part god, and all grieving. Before the next visit to Olympus, the gods declare that everyone has to decide if they want to return to Olympus to live there or if they want to live human lives. Dorothy never felt like she fit in well as the decedent of Pandora, and without her mother, it's hard to make sense of anything. Her best friend Apple is the decedent of Zeus and Hera and is terrified that maybe Dorothy might make the wrong choice when the time comes.

A major theme of this book is grief. Most of the story involves Dorothy and Apple dealing with grief and change, but as a result, not a lot happens for most of the book. It felt like a strange contrast to the interesting premise about being descendants of gods and mythic heroes. For most of the book, there aren't real goals or actions. When they do happen, the book is almost over, so the action of the book takes place almost all in the last third of the book. I understand that things need to be set up, but it's an odd choice to spend so much time establishing character and grief without action in a middle grade book.

The book does spend a lot of time with character arcs, which are interesting and well developed. Unfortunately, one of the main characters is so much in grief that she doesn't have a lot of agency or spirit. That's understandable for a character who lost a parent, but it doesn't make for a very interesting read in this case. The end gives a nice message about what both girls and the reader are supposed to learn, and the message is very sweet, but it takes forever to get to that sweetness. It's hard to appreciate it with how slow and not very sweet the first half of the book is.

I think the premise of the book is fascinating, but the execution and focus on grief makes it a difficult book to recommend to most middle grade readers. It's not anything like Percy Jackson except for the similar Greek mythological figures, and its slow build with a lot of grief will be hard for a lot of kids to get into. The writing can be really beautiful, and the concepts are interesting.

Overall, I think this is a book that will speak to some people in a special way and for others will fall flat. For me, it fell somewhat flat.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

The only way I can think to describe this book is hot and cold. When I first started it, I was really drawn in by the concept of modern day descendants of the gods of old who maintain their immortality by an annual pilgrimage to Olympus. However, the longer the story went on, the more I lost interest. The main protagonists, Dorothy a descendant of Pandora, and Apple a descendant of Hera (and maybe Zeus?), are both pretty one dimensional with Dorothy lacking a backbone and Apple having narcissistic tendencies. Their opposing personalities make their friendship feel unrealistic outside the frame of Apple's manipulations, albeit coming from a place of love but is very flat in terms of motivations. Additionally, these girls are supposed to be 12 years old, and yet I could never fully believe this age given the writing. Not to say that 12 year olds don't have complex emotions and reactions to trauma particularly in the character of Dorothy, but they read as a bit older.

Overall, its a decent read with an interesting concept, but the characters leave me wanting more.

The rest of this review is me sharing my thoughts on the "descendants of gods" system that just permeated my mind throughout the entire story. We are told that these near-gods decided to leave Olympus about 100 years ago and many identify as a descendant of a single god/muse/nymph such as Hera, Erebos, and Clio. However, the only known case of a near-god being born from a single parent is Apple, and even she refers primarily as being a descendent of Hera but also Zeus. Dorothy's parents are descendants of Orpheus and Pandora, but almost never references her Orphetic origins. Does this mean these descendants end up ultimately personifying one of their mythological ancestors? Also... Pandora was a human, so while she is important to myth, she is not a god.

[P.P. Rahayu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy
by Corey Ann Haydu
3.5 out of 5 stars

This marks the first audiobook I jumped into in 2024. The unique premise intrigued me, exploring the life of near-Gods and emphasizing how a single mistake can ripple through a community.

"The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy" unfolds the tales of two girls, both near-Gods. Apple, a descendant of Hera, possesses everything in life—popularity, bravery, intelligence, and more. Constantly ranking as the top student, she leads a seemingly perfect life. On the other hand, Dorothy, a descendant of Pandora, carries an air of mystery surrounding her myth, hinting at a pivotal mistake that could alter the world.

The story began with Perry's decision to not climb the ladder in the winter solstice day. Without climbing that ladder, the near god will definitely transform into human and no one can undo it. Her decision of course made Dorothy, George (Dorothy's father), and also Apple and Heather (Dorothy's mother) shocked.

Dorothy struggles to comprehend her mother's actions, and shortly after, a tragic accident happened and Perry passed away, leaving Dorothy shattered. Bereft of motivation, she faces the challenges too keep living.

In my view, the book maintains simplicity without inundating readers with complex buzzwords. The concept of near-Gods is interesting, although I questioned the purpose of their existence on Earth. I don't think they explained why the near-god should live in the world, not in the mighty sky.

Initially, I disliked Apple's self-centered demeanor and her apparent disregard for Dorothy's desires. The skepticism extended to her mother as well. I totally despise her. But, in some degree, Apple has changed her character a lot and become more mature.

Well, this book could be an option for a YA book that's unique and not that much serious.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this inventive re-take on Greek/Roman mythology, the near-gods (with human and god heritage) live on Our Hill below Mount Olympus and must annually, on the winter solstice, climb a rickety golden ladder into the sky to eat the apple of immortality. When death is first experienced by this community after Dorothy's mother chooses not to climb the ladder, there is a ripple-effect of grief, anger, and ultimately a final choice to be made by the entire community. The mothers of popular girl Apple (descendent of Hera) and quirky loner Dorothy (descendent of Pandora) had once been best friends. Now, Apple tries to hold on to what-was by re-making Dorothy into her "best friend"/mirror image and Dorothy struggles to hold on to herself and sort through her complicated emotions. Dealing with middle-school friendship drama, handling grief and change, and more philosophical issues such as death and immortality, this book is full of feels and ideas to chew on. Though multiple myths are made reference to throughout the story, the over-arching one is of Pandora. Having studied Roman history, I found the use of the word "toga" to encompass dresses and tunics of all sorts annoying but that is a small quibble.

Book Pairings:
For those who love Greek/Roman mythology and are looking for more adventure, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.
For a similar contemplative, all-the-feels, life-after-death story, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.
For a realistic setting exploration of grief at a mother's death and finding a new home, The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems every work author Corey Ann Haydu creates is a win.

I am so in love with this book. The concept is amazing of these characters being descendants of the ancient gods but not quite gods yet, they have to choose their path and the author treats grief and the loss of a mother, a wife, and a friend through more than the pain of a single character. Always keeping the same quality and balance of writing the author delivers what other famous books and authors seem to do on roller coasters of plot twists. I felt an emptiness, a silence, a sense of being half awake, it is a cozy read for that but also very intimate. It's definitely a book to be experienced before discussing it with others who also have read it.

I loved the dual POV, how different Apple and Dorothy were, but both in pain, and how the author showed that grief and loss stay with us forever, not just in the first chapters. It shows us how to grieve someone in different ways also not making the experience just centered in the daughter.

It was filled with magical realism, surrealism sometimes, magic, so much mythology, ancient god's lore, allegory, and metaphors. It perfectly described emptiness and depression. As a whole, it was a tale of friendship and of not forcing others to be who they are not. A tale of growing with pain and knowing to let go.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this eARC.

[Katie O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book.
Such a juicy premise and some very solid treatment of character arcs related to friendship, life choices, grief, and autonomy - all centered on teen girls, but involving their adults, too. If bibliotherapy is needed for any of these themes, this is your book because it presents the situations and reactions without overwrought intensity. However, while the narration is distinct across characters and some of it quite on-point for narrative voice, Dorothy's tone and pacing are not engaging (I'm sure in an attempt to convey her flat affect). Also, while the near-god and god (dis)connections were germane to the whole thing, elements about this seem disjointed at times. Again, the choice to stay or go, is the crux of the plot, but the tension around it is tepid and indistinct a bit too often. Clever connections between the O.G. gods and goddesses and their current counterparts in terms of family legacy, naming patterns, and other trait distinctions that do and don't matter.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks netgalley and haper collins for giving me an ARC of this book!

On a hidden hill live the near-gods-those desecended from a myriad of the gods messy trysts on earth. They live free from death and hardship on their hill for generations, until one among them makes a decision that brings the gods to issue an ultimatum- choose a human life on earth, or live as a god on olympus. Apple and dorothy, best friends descended from hera and pandora respectively, must make the hard choice- leave all they know, including one another, or live the sweet but short life of a human?

I am a ding dong who read the synopsis and saw the gorgeous cover but didnt really realize i made a middle grade books request- but no regerts because this was a great little book that i will be buying and giving out to kids for the foreseeable future. Theres so much it says about love and grief and humanity in a truly lovely and simple way.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW - This really surprised me! You don't have to be a mythology lover to enjoy this story. Apple and Dorothy are descendants of ancient Greek Gods and have been living as Earthbound Gods among humans for their entire lives, Each year they, along with all of their community climb the ladder to renew their bond to Olympus and their immortality by taking a bite of an apple. They then return to earth - but this last year Dorothy's mother does not climb the ladder and becomes mortal. Dorothy is a descendent of Pandora and with her mother's decision comes judgement and division. And then her mother dies in a terrible accident and is gone forever and the weight of those actions and Dorothy's grief for her mother is heavy. Apple and Dorothy are polar opposites - Apple hails from Hera and Zeus and is the most popular girl is school. Everyone follows her lead - and Dorothy is the girl they all avoid. But their mothers were best friends and Apple promised to take care of Dorothy and she is a girl of honor. The twist in their little community comes when a decree is sent from the Gods that everyone on The Hill must make a choice - stay on the earth and become mortal or climb the ladder for the final time and live among the gods forever. Can Dorothy leave the place where she holds her mother so dear and can Apple show her how important it is that she become immortal. Or will Dorothy follow her mother's lead and choose to stay on earth. What should she do?
This book is an excellent read-aloud for great conversations and engagement. There are several themes - true friendship, kindness, family and traditions, individuality and of course mortality. This is not like any other fantasy/sci fi I have read in the middle grade genre. Rather than just follow an adventure as a reader, I was analyzing and developing my own opinion - it was active reading!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the advanced copy for my review. This book will publish in September so get it on your list for this Fall!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Corey Ann Haydu so I had to preorder this one, but I really didn't know what I was getting myself into with this story. Some of the lines in this story just shook me - they were so perfectly said. I would have written down entire pages at a time if I could keep up with my audiobook!

Beautiful and sad and lovely. All the things. <3

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“Memories aren’t frozen things.”

“That's the most human thing of all, I guess. The not knowing how it’s all going to be.”

“Memories are funny. They live in your heart, but they’re sleepy sometimes.”

“Some people are here to make things beautiful. Some people make it hard. Some people want to make it theirs… they want to make it make sense. The world; life; the things that are nonsensical.”

“Our job is to make it matter.”

“Maybe we are meant to be memories to each other.”

[MBenzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...

While the premise of this story sounded very interesting and fun, it ended up falling a little flat for me. Apple and Dorothy's friendship was extremely toxic and uncomfortable. I hated reading about Apple constantly steamrolling Dorothy, who is clearly suffering a deep depression over the death of her mother, into doing whatever Apple wanted to make HERSELF feel better about the death of her friend's mother. It was all rather icky.

At the same time, though, I didn't hate it. I read to the end to see what would happen and was happy with the resolution. It was very predictable, but it made all the things that preceded it a little less yuck.

Overall, this was a decent but forgettable read for me. I think the Middle-Grade set will lose interest quickly with this book as the plot gets very thin and slow in places.

[Bookology · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a spectacular story of friendship. Of finding your own voice, your own path, and yet letting it intertwine with others in a way that can be messy, and yet matters. Apple and Dorothy are near-gods, living in a little utopia on earth. Until they are forced, along with their whole community, to choose: either remain on earth as as a full human, or go up to Olympus and be a full god.

Apple and Dorothy discover that true friendship and love means loving our friends as they are, not as we want them to be.

If you enjoy Greek mythology, you will love the many references to Pandora, Zeus and Hera, and the other residents of Olympus!

I received a free ARC from #netgalley, but all enthusiastic opinions are my own!

[ivyyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

sooo i read this for school, and i wish i could give it 3.5 stars ugh
im too lazy to do a full review but here are some main thoughts:
it was a gorgeous read but the middle was a little tedious, it got better in the last part
i really liked how they explored the topic of immorality and morality / life and death / grief, i resonate with both dorothy and apple (though they were infuriating at times)
as a massive percy jackson fan, this book reminded me of the quote ‘remember what it’s like to be human’ from trials of apollo A LOT and i adore this theme with my whole heart
and i was also wondering how is Heather a descendant of both zeus and hera? wouldn’t she be a god then? it was a pretty confusing plot point
overall a pretty solid read though :D

[Molly Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

I found this book to be such a creative and poignant read. It didn't take long to read, since it's a middle grade book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it does an excellent job of tackling the hard subjects of grief and belonging, while also remaining interesting by setting it in a Greek mythological world. Middle school is so hard, and Haydu does a lovely job of expressing the struggle to find who you are amidst your peers and your family, and the battle of working through grief after the loss of a loved one.

Dorothy and Apple's friendship develops in a beautiful way throughout the book, and I didn't find the split narrative to be distracting reading it.

I recommend this read both for yourself and your young reader. I would have loved this book as a young teen, and it's always refreshing to read a book actually geared to middle grade readers.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Sara Mcfadden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Book for the opportunity to read rage and review this arc which is available Sept 19,2023.

Get this book for your middle grade daughters! Oh this book was the perfect read. It deals with Greek gods and fantasy but what really got me was dealing with grief. This is a Greek mythology book for kids/girls. No hyperactive boys trying to be heroes. It also has feminine friendships, the horrors of school life and popularity.

Loved it. Wish I had a book like this when I was a kid.