Rise of the Seven

by Diana Tor.

800 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2026

About the author

Hello! I'm Diana Tor. I am the writer behind all this chaos. I don't have a specific genre for writing books or series and my stories are usually too long! I write everything I can imagine; from spies, thieves, criminals, twisted street children to magic and historical fantasies too clear to be only a mere imaginary picture and the bonds that hold people together—or demons and supernatural beings—even when love collides with danger and claws.
I'm usually writing on my dark corner and when I'm not, well, that's when you should be worried because either I'm doing something dangerous to find out how to write it properly or I'm planning the next twists in different universes of mine.
Let's say I'm a crazy goddess who loves to create universes of chaos, pain and broken loves. Happy ending? I don't know.
Read the books and find out! ;)))

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who absolutely loves Greek mythology, Rise of the Seven was everything I hoped it would be and more!

Diana Tor has a remarkable gift for world-building. From the very first pages, she creates a universe that feels both familiar and entirely original, weaving together Greek mythology with fresh ideas in a way that kept me completely immersed! Rather than simply retelling ancient myths, she reimagines them, creating a story that feels expansive and wonderfully unpredictable.

🌶️ Spice Level: 2.5-3.5
•Explicitness: Open-door, descriptive, but not so frequent that it overshadows the fantasy plot.

•Frequency: Moderate. The romance builds over time, and the story remains primarily focused on the mythology, mystery, world-building, and overarching plot rather than constant sexual content.

•Quality: 4/5. The scenes feel emotionally driven and connected to the characters rather than included purely for shock value. They complement the romance instead of replacing character development.

So if you’re someone who enjoys fantasy romance with meaningful plot and mythology first, but still appreciates well-written romance, you’ll likely find the balance satisfying. It’s not what I’d categorize as “smut with a plot,” but rather a mythology-driven fantasy that includes several explicit romantic scenes.

The pacing kept me turning pages, balancing moments of humor, emotional depth, danger, and romance. There were several moments that genuinely surprised me, and I found myself constantly wanting to know what would happen next.

Overall, I’d describe Rise of the Seven as:
📚 Fantasy/Mythology: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🏛️ World-building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
❤️ Romance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️ Spice: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, found family, immortal characters, rich fantasy worlds, and stories filled with mystery, romance, and high stakes, I highly recommend picking this one up. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next!

[Summer Seeds · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Now he understands why Icarus was such a fool—why he flew higher and higher just to embrace the sun, even if it meant turning to ash. Longing is a far more unbearable pain.”

Diana Tor has written a love letter to Greek and Asian mythologies while creating a mythos all her own. She expertly blends aspects from the tales we know with ideas all her own, making the story and setting somehow feel both unique and familiar. As a kid who grew up obsessed with Greek Mythology, I really enjoyed this book.

I think the thing I loved most about Rise of the Seven is that Tor drops lore that isn’t necessarily common knowledge. Ares is a war god, but he is also the only god with no surviving myths that involve violence against women. Aphrodite may be the goddess of love, but people forget that she has a war-like aspect. The seven godlings drink blood as a way to sustain their life force, but this is also very in line with the beliefs and practices of the cult of Dionysus. Am I reading too much into things, or is this honestly one of the best deep cuts I have ever seen? You decide, but I’m impressed.

I think like this first novel really sets the stage for what’s to come. Things happen, yes, but I feel most of the book is getting a feel for the characters and their dynamic. The main characters may be the grandchildren of gods, but they are also just a bunch of kids. Infinite power but not a lot of experience. They are still learning and coming into their own, which makes them more relatable and sympathetic to the reader. Sometimes they make questionable decisions, and sometimes I want to reach into the book and smack someone upside the head, but I’m also deeply invested in seeing how things turn out for them all. The bond they share is absolutely everything. I love how deeply each one of them care for their brothers.

Overall, I think the book is a lot of fun. (I’m sorry, but Zagreus calling Ares, God of War a “boomer” is never not going to be hilarious to me.) Thank you to the author for the eARC. I look forward to the next book! All thoughts are my own.

[Peti Capko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Diana for choosing me as an ARC reader and for being an absolute gem and resending me the epub again when I found out the file was glitching for me!

I love Greek mythology and I will read literally anything that has any aspect of it. It's usually a hit and miss. Most of the time I simply expect a bit more. With this book though, I got everything I wanted and much more. Not only it introduces the Asian mythology with the Greek one, the story focuses on "new-gen" of gods, which is honestly so refreshing. Yes, if you love your Ares, Thanatos or Medusa, they play a part in the story, but it's not about them. We get to meet seven new gods who are so beautifully written that by the time the book ended, I didn't even care about old Olympians. Everything about this story pulls you in and you can't do anything but slowly fall in love with the world that Diana created.

I'm not going to lie, dark, brooding and morally gray MMCs are not doing it for me anymore, because they're everywhere. Ampelos is a bit like that too, but he is also a little more? Maybe it's his divine madness, maybe the way his emotions rule him, maybe how thoughtful and tender he can be, I loved him (the fact that his hair isn't black like every other romantasy hero helps too). Yes, I wanted to slap him when he was throwing his temper tantrums, but I still loved him fiercely. Honestly though, I would ride to war for any of the seven guys... and I guess Freddy and Uncle Jason too.

The last thing I want to say is ohmygod what an ending this book has. I was screaming, giggling and kicking my feet in the air. It was so good, I can't wait for the next book. This is all just getting started and I pray too all the gods that we'll get that second book ASAP.

[Angela Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sent me on an epic mythological adventure that spanned time and place. There were so many themes weaved into the story about the power of love and family, and the inability to escape destiny. Diana melded together both Greek and Eastern god mythology while simultaneously creating her own new lore that I'm so excited to see continued and more developed in the second book. I have always been a fan of Greek mythology and I learned so much about the Greek gods, their histories, and how misunderstood a lot of them were. I love how Diana portrayed the gods as utterly flawed just as humans are (and of course stubborn and prideful as well). The representation of different bodies, sexualities, and relationship dynamics was so refreshing. The past and present POVs created a lingering suspense throughout the storyline, even when the chapter was joyful and happy, there was an overarching feeling of dread of what was potentially to come. Excited for the second book to see where we go next!

[Gabi Kielkucki · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw the sign up for this book, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy. I’ve been infatuated by Greek mythology since I was a kid, and when you tell me that your fantasy novel is INSPIRED by it?!? Consider me sold.

Not only was I sold by the blurb, but Diana certainly delivered on this story. Prophecies and meddling gods just happen to be my kryptonite, and when you throw in a mortal x immortal relationship, yep I’m invested.

This is such an amazing book, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series. Thank you so much to Diana for gifting me an ARC to read and review.

[Alexandra Robitaille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book! It gripped me from the start and I loved the take on the Gods in this story, it was new and different. I loved that the chapters included future Yeorem If you want to learn about the Gods you knou and some you don't and the next generation this book is amazing and I highly recommend it. I also cannot wait for the next book, and remember to long live the King.

[Chelsea Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read by a kind author that let me dig into Rise of the Seven the last few weeks. If you’re into immersive world building with a sweet blend of Greek mythology, mystery, and romance, give it a read when it releases tomorrow.

[Leila Olmeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This absolutely hit it out of the park. I am completely blown away by how good this was. Absolutely a remarkable interpretation on a tragic story and it all works so well and has a beautifully modern take on a tale.

[Jamie Lynn Snider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give Rise of the seven 4.5⭐️the world and story is not like any other I have read. The characters are wonderful and I cant wait to finish the series.

[Madison McAfee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need book 2 already. Amazing book. Loved it

[Autumn ۶ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE - 5 🌟

this was so so good. the depth, the questions that arise, the romance, the CREATIVITY! let this be your sign to support indie authors much more often! sometimes they'll truly be one of the best reads of the year. she took tales that have been redone for thousands of years and completely reimagined them in such a positive way. i don't usually finish greek mythology books too often due to them feeling very copy and paste, but this one definitely took the cake for me personally. i cannot wait to see what the author has in store next!

mid-read review ✨ 4.5 🌟 rounded up

unfortunately, i will not be able to finish before publication due to life being so busy so i am writing a mid-read review. i will be continuing the series and will come back to add more to my review when i am finished 😊

so far, i am eating this book up. i absolutely love the characters i have met so far. diana definitely did her thing when creating these characters. the depth they all have is so good for there being so many the book focuses on.

the book follows the lives of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the greek gods and goddesses that we all know and love. diana put so much thought into the dynamic between the characters. they are all so different but somehow they just work together. side note, ampelos...need i say more? we love you and all that you are grape boy!!

the world building and the magic system are both so fun! i haven't read many books that have me in awe of how the world is simply developing, so it is definitely a breath of fresh air. you can tell she put so much hard work and LOVE into reimagining but also representing popular greek and eastern mythology tales.

things i loved:
- greek / eastern mythology inspired
- plus size representation
- mortal x immortal
- pure divinity ✨
- unique magic system
- immersive world building
- found family
- plot driven
- divine drama
- spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️


overall, if you love greek mythology with a contemporary setting with spice but is plot driven, definitely read this! this book hooks you from the start and does not let go. huge props to the author for her hard work when creating this fascinating story. thank you so much to diana for the opportunity to arc read for you in exchange for an honest review!

[De Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beyond absolutely amazing. I’m an addict for mythology in general and this fed right into that obsession. From the first line to the last I was so absorbed into this epic tale. The author did a wonderful job building the world the story takes place in and in creating characters we can connect with so easily. There’s an underlying sense of familiarity but the story is entirely unique. Something I didn’t think was possible when involving mythology. It’s a perfect melding of Greek and Asian, of ancient and modern, and of known and unknown. I really appreciated that the MCs are shown to make mistakes and bad decisions (they are kids after all). The connection and deep bond they share is so endearing and really drives the story. It makes the actions they take mean more in my opinion. And the way the book ended has me feral for the next one in the series. I NEED to know what happens next and where things go for these characters. Also I have to give this author a major shout out. The representation that Diana gives us is on point and done in such a respectful way too. We have different body types and sexualities and relationships all portrayed in this book. And not one of them feels like a plot device or pandering. It’s genuine representation and I loved it.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story really hooks you from the start. The FMC reaction to seeing the guys is so real. I love the sibling banter between the main characters. The dialogue is well-written. I had so many theories as I was reading. I love the way Greek mythology is incorporated. Throughout the story, there are tiny signs where someone is devolving. I ended up talking to Diana about some of the theories because it was just so good!!

[Allison Demeule · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received an ARC copy from the author**

Diana has written such a cast of compelling, diverse characters that you will fall in love with. Every turn the story makes will rip your heart open, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you swoon. A character you are built up to hate became one of my favorites and a true tragic hero. I look forward to the next books in this series, because I am excited to see how the Divine Boys make it through what is ahead.

[B 🦋 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Greek Mythology and found family, this is the book for you!

Seven immortal men. One sarcastic girl. An ancient prophecy. And one poor guy who gets burned every time he touches her. The banter had me laughing, the mythology kept me hooked, and somehow Ampelos went from "sir, please shut up" to "I would die for this idiot."

[Sanjanaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mid-read review; ARC from author

As someone who loves mythology, this one is so good! I love the fresh perspective, and having a plus size Asian FMC. The world building is amazing too. I am really able to envision what Diana is describing. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, and thank you to the author for the ebook arc!

[Scott S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rise of the Seven is the first I’ve read from this author, and Diana weaves a truly entertaining tale here.
It’s a wonderful blend of mythology and thrills, fun characters and dialog with some spice; all making for a thoroughly enjoyable story. I definitely look forward to what comes next!

[Jaci Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had such a good story line! Life just got hectic and I was not able to fully focus on the book, but you should read this once it comes out because if you’re a fan of Greek Mythology, you are gonna love this series!!!

[Samantha Fiducci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for all Greek mythology adjacent books and I’m so glad this one exists. As someone who has a read everything from actual lore to retellings with a slight twist to a complete change of the stories of the lore with just familiar characters, this is the sweet spot.