Coils Kindle Edition

I truly enjoyed this book. I went into it being neither knowledgeable about mythology nor particularly interested in the romance genre, but neither of those slowed me down a bit.I quickly came to care about the characters and was immersed in their complexity. Wright conjured a rich and vibrant land of the dead which I very nearly described as "living and breathing," but there is the obvious contradiction.It's a fast read that never gets boring. Highly recommended to anyone who likes the fantasy genre in the least.

This is a fresh, interesting take on Greek mythology. It was a fast paced and fun, and it was nice to see Medusa in a good light for a change!

One heck of a fine fantasy. Mythology, that is so clearly and imaginatively written I was fully immersed almost from the very start. Dealing with one of my favorite 'what if' questions. Did the gods create mankind through will and word, or did mankind create the gods through belief?The only lack to me was June, for being so pivotal, she felt as more a prop than a fully fleshed character.

I really like this author and have purchased all of her novels. This one novel, I had to force myself to finish. Still, the bulk of her writing is awesome.

Great read, really witty feminist revisioning of the Underworld. If you ever thought, "I bet that hero's a total jerk," or thought that Medusa was really a badass, this book's for you. Felt like reading a grown-up version of Percy Jackson, with a flirty, snarky edge. Fun!

As the title says, an excellent read! The author really knows her mythology well and weaves a fabulous myth arc!

Greek legends come to life in the modern world. This story plays with legend and lies and what happens to create stories that loom larger than life.

Lesfic fantasy fans can just skip the review and go get the book. This is the most entertaining (and easily one of the best-written ones) in lesfic. Possible extra-mild spoilers for plot-sensitive readers towards the middle and end of the review. Otherwise, its safe to read. ;)Coils is a fun and exciting romp through the Underworld, where all the fallen characters from Greek mythology dwell for eternity. What makes this book feel like such a fresh take on the myriad variations of Greek myths around is the humor and wit and the modern vibe that the author imbues her characters and her settings with.Cressida, a graduate student of classical literature, finds a cryptic email left by a missing aunt June, and goes in search of her. The search takes her on an adventure of a lifetime, as she dives headlong into hell and beyond. Cressida has such an engaging voice. As a student, she can be completely starstruck at the legendary figures she encounters, much like an avid fan, which she is. But as a 21st century woman trapped in a world bound by rigid, ancient and to her, totally arbitrary rules, she looks at things with a modern eye and sardonic wit. The author's treatment of the other characters run the gamut from pathos to serious to camp, and most of her characterizations are spot-on but jazzed-up with the occasional imaginative twist.This book has a big cast of characters but I had no trouble telling them apart even though my ancient Greek myth chops were earned strictly from Hollywood/pop culture references and remnants of whatever high school history lessons still floating around in my brain. I mean who doesn't know Adonis or Medusa. (Which reminds me, two of the best scenes in the book that had me LOLing involved Cressida meeting these two for the first time. The former, because Adonis had been specifically sent to enchant Cressida with his beauty and of course, every lesfic reader just knows how bad he's gonna fail, but Adonis doesn't and can't figure out why, lol. And the second, when Cressida meets the grossly-dressed, mud-covered Medusa for the first time, and she just goes....this is one of my favorite first-meetup scenes of all time.) Even the more obscure characters are easily recognizable to the reader once the author has Cressida recall what evil misdeeds they were supposed to have committed.I love the somewhat tongue-in-cheek world-building. The author makes the Underworld out to be like a distorted mirror of our present day world, in a manner that just might be plausible. :) Our fashions, trends and historical events filter down to them, apparently. Even 'Clash of the Titans'. They have their own problems (obscure denizens losing form and becoming ghosts), their own ways of getting around (massive elevators, Charon's cable car), their own cellular network which conveniently also doubles as a spying/gossipping and eavesdropping network.The plot starts simple enough. Finding June in the Underworld. But it slowly and gradually expands to epic scope and proportions as quest after quest reveal territorial battles, power struggles, intrigues, betrayals and double crosses, leading to the ultimate plot twist that may just completely upend the entire Underworld. I love the plot progression: how things start out so clear cut and then goes off-tangent and then just when you think its almost done and settled, things just go competely belly up. 5 stars for this shocker alone. I did think the theory behind the resolution was a bit too convenient though. But its hard to ponder seriously about it when the author covered up that flimsy bit with one of the most fun and frenetic final battles in lesfic fantasy.I love the romance. From their very first meeting, these two ladies sizzle and pop. But, like all good adventure tales, the romance was sidelined in favor of the plot and the action. No worries though. There's an epilogue just for us romantics. :)No adventure tale would be complete without a quest. There's a whole bunch of them here. The most fun one being Cressida leading the Suicide Squad from Hell to retrieve some magical artifacts. I love the characters in this gang and their interactions. I can totally see a couple of them in their own spin-off books. Did I say couple? ;)Bottom line: This is one hell of an entertaining read. A rollicking adventure tale with a nice, angsty romance on the side. Even if your mythology knowledge is limited to Xena and Clash of the Titans, it's enough to enjoy the book.