25 Dec Book Review Minotaur’s Lair Luciana Cavallaro #historicalfantasy #greekmythology @ClucianaLuciana

BOOK REVIEW: MINOTAUR’S LAIR

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I’m pleased to provide my 5-star review of Luciana Cavallaro’s historical fantasy, Minotaur’s Lair (Servant of the Gods – Book 3). I’ve read each book in her thought-provoking trilogy with an underlying theme of how patriarchal religions have influenced human societies. Although this book can be read as a standalone, I suggest you read the entire trilogy to get the full impact of the story and theme.

Minotaur’s Lair (Servant of the Gods, #3)
by Luciana Cavallaro 

The quote by Herodotos, “The gods love to punish whatever is greater than the rest,” sums up the third book, Minotaur’s Lair, in the Servant of the Gods series by Luciana Cavallaro. The epic saga follows an unlikely hero — a 21st Century Australian architect (Ethan) whisked back in time by his father, Zeus, to ancient Greece. The Greek god has mandated that Evan collect three sacred relics to change the course of history so the worship of the old gods will not be replaced with the Messiah. In the first two books, Ethan has successfully retrieved the first two relics, but his quest to retrieve the third object has stalled. An Amazon queen has saved him and his crew from a shipwreck, but she has imprisoned and tricked them into procreating offspring with women on the island so the matriarchal society will survive.

Minotaur’s Lair begins ominously when Kronos, the fallen Titan father of Zeus, gleefully schemes his next acts of vengeance—sire the Messiah with the High Priestess and destroy the Olympian gods and their followers. But first, the Titan must venture into the minotaur’s lair, “the decay of thousands of victims steeped within its cavernous walls.” Only the twelve-year-old Sicilian boy from Evan’s crew, who hasn’t succumbed to the drug’s effects, holds the key to their rescue. The ensuing odyssey of Evan’s escape from the queen’s grips and his search for the third relic is full of twists until the climactic ending. Not only must Evan face formidable enemies and monsters, but he also struggles with doubts about the gods and their fate for him.

Author Luciana Cavallero has masterfully woven Greek mythology into the backdrop of ancient Greece. You are swept into the ancient world with her rich, vivid descriptions of landscape and architecture. It is a unique, mythic tale reminiscent of Homer’s poem about Odysseus, who wanders for ten years trying to get home after the Trojan War. For Evan to return to the 21st century, he must do Zeus’s bidding and defeat the minotaur that guards the third relic.

Nonetheless, Evan questions his role in assuring the polytheistic religion isn’t replaced by the monotheistic Christian religion. Though Kronos promises, “The Messiah will be a different god, who can provide hope and is a teacher of the virtuous,” Evan realizes people who don’t follow Christ’s teachings have been persecuted throughout history. “And if Kronos wins and brings forth the birth of Jesus centuries earlier, as Zeus claims were the Titan’s intention, does that mean the timeline of the world will be brought forward? Was Kronos the same god of the Judaic, Christian, and Islamic faiths?”

Minotaur’s Lair is a provocative book that will make you consider how patriarchal religions have impacted human societies and whether there is an alternative. How will the Olympian gods deal with Evan, who dares to question their motives and moral code? I highly recommend this epic saga about how one man defies the gods and brings forth the promise of a new world order.

BLURB: MINOTAUR’S LAIR

The Minotaur stirs. Evan is drugged to forget the gods’ quest.

Evan and his companions are entrapped by the Amazon Queen Antioche and her warriors. Memories and allegiances are tested. The Dark Master’s victorious revenge over the gods is almost complete. The plight of the High Priestess is precarious, her health ailing, and unable to rescue her brother and fellow Atlanteans.

The last sacred relic, secreted in the lair of the Minotaur, must be recovered or the Dark Master’s succession plans of a new god are complete. The mystical lands of Krete, the final stage of Evan’s journey, are within his grasp. He must succeed so his father, Zeus, fulfills his promise. Then there is Queen Antioche, and the precious gifts she presents him.

Will Evan return home, and what will become of his future?

Minotaur’s Lair is the third and final book in the action-packed Servant of the Gods historical fiction series. If you enjoy well-researched landscapes, historic characters, excitement, mythical creatures and unique settings, then you’ll love Luciana Cavallaro’s heroic odyssey.

Buy Links:

Universal Link  •  Amazon UK  •  Amazon US  •  Amazon CA   •  Amazon AU  •  Smashwords  •  Author website

AUTHOR BIO: LUCIANA CAVALLARO

• Award-winning author of The Labyrinthine Journey
• Nominated for book awards in the Action/Adventure and Historical Fiction genres
• Drove her first car at the age of three

Luciana Cavallaro’s alter ego is a high school teacher where she plugs away educating teenagers the merits of reading and ancient history. She often looks for a brick wall to bang her head when faced with disinterested looks from her students. She’s also a historical fantasy and thriller/suspense author, who creates fast-paced, action-packed series for her readers.

Born and raised in Western Australia, residing in Perth, Luciana loves to travel and since getting her passport at the ripe old age of twenty-four has toured parts of Europe, a legacy of her Italian heritage. She enjoys being active, going out with friends, reading and tries to grow her own vegetables. She dreams of travelling again and visiting the ancient sites that inspired her stories, that is when she’s not spending time being an unofficial stunt person and knocking herself out in the process.

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