Storm of the Gods (An Areios Brothers Novel)
by Amy Braun
Publication date: August 27th, 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
The first in a brand new urban fantasy series where gods roam and mortals fight, STORM OF THE GODS follows two brothers who are caught in a conspiracy revolving around ancient artifacts, and find themselves siding with their supposed enemies rather than the Olympian who demands their loyalty…
Thirty years ago, the gods of Greek legend returned to the world. Their return restored their powers, which had been spent in a cataclysmic battle with the Titans. With the ancient deities imprisoned in Tartarus, the Olympians now reside in Néo Vasíleio, formerly known as California.
Twenty-four-year-old Derek Aerios is a war scion, a descendent of Ares, the God of War. He and his brother, eighteen-year-old Liam, capture mythological creatures and rogue scions as part of Ares’s elite military force. As he struggles to cope with his violent powers and the scars of a traumatic childhood, Derek tries to keep the two vows he has made: protect his brother, and never kill a human again.
But when Ares forces him to hunt and kill four rogue scions under Athena’s control — by threatening Liam’s life — Derek chooses to go after the scions in order to save his brother and keep his promise to himself.
Yet the closer Derek gets to the scions, the more he realizes that his orders are part of a deeper conspiracy that put him at odds with his mission and his conscience. Athena may not be the enemy, a traitor could be in their midst, and the Titans could be closer to freedom than ever before.
1) What
gave you the inspiration for the storyline?
I’ve always had a deep love and fascination with Greek
mythology and history, and one of my favorite genres to read is urban fantasy,
so it was inevitable that those two loves would cross paths. The actual story
line and world have changed since the idea cropped up, but Dere, Liam, and
Selena (the main characters) have been staples since the beginning.
2) Are
there any hidden themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?
Loyalty, trust, and consequence are the largest
themes. Throughout the story, Derek and Liam butt heads about Derek’s reckless
behavior, and Liam’s seeming resentment towards it, out of fear that such
actions will get him killed. There is a lot of drama in Storm of the Gods, and I hope that readers enjoy the tumult as much
as I did writing it.
3) Are
any of the characters based on real people you know?
Nope! They’re all complete fictions. Derek, the main
character, is very loosely based on Captain America (mostly in physical
appearance), but unfortunately I haven’t met any thickly muscled monster
slayers. Yet.
4) Who
has influenced you most as a writer?
It’s a tough call, because I have so many favorite
authors, but I would have to go with Michael J. Sullivan. His writing style is
stunning, his stories are compelling, his worlds are rich with lore, his
characters are unforgettable and fun, and at least two of his books have made
me cry. More than that, he actually helped me promote one of my books,
completely out of the blue, and offered me advice and support that I needed to
hear. He’s also proof that you don’t need to be an NYT bestseller to be a massive international success (though
how he hasn’t gotten to that list yet completely confounds me!).
5) If
you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night,
who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
Rhysand from A
Court of Thorns and Roses, because he’s smoking hot and always out for a
good time, Atticus from The Iron Druid
Chronicles because he’d have hundreds of stories and would likely bring his
adorable wolfhound Oberon along, and Gin Blanco from the Elemental Assassin series because if things went sideways, she’d be
able to sort out the bad guys. We’d likely play Tales of the Arabian Nights,
one of my favorite board games, because it would be hilarious to watch all
these strong, badass characters get their lives turned upside down once they’re
cursed or––gods help us all––grief-stricken. I would leave the cooking up to
Gin, who would make up some mouth-watering Southern comfort food. Sounds like
fun to me!
6) Do you feel that you can ever have too many books?
There is no such thing as too many books! I read about
two hundred a year, and my only concern is how I will fit them all on my
bookshelves.
Author Bio:Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action.
When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction, and diving headfirst into danger in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
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