Review - A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey

It’s Apollo’s fate to become the sun god, but he keeps putting off ascending. He doesn’t want to become a god, like his father Zeus, who demands offerings of sacrifice and food from humans who are starving, then wipes out entire villages on a whim. Zeus is becoming increasingly impatient with his half-human son. He gives Apollo an ultimatum: either he ascends now, or spends a year with the human Prince Hyacinth learning how a “good” son behaves. Apollo thinks the prince is like everything he hates about the gods. Hyacinth wears fancy robes and keeps a distance between himself and his people. It takes a while for the demi god to see that the prince, just like Apollo, wears a “veil” to hide his true self.

Although heavily inspired by Greek mythology, “A Veil of Gods and Kings” imagines a world that is far different from the realities of ancient Greece. Aside from the gods, the people and places are all made up. The world-building allows you to get into the story and enjoy the fantasy.

It takes a while for the significance of the title to become fully apparent. Apollo, as a god-to-be, must put on a magical “veil” when he goes out among humans to mask his identity. Without the veil, everyone would know he is a god. Apollo eventually realizes that the public persona Hyacinth puts on is no different from the veil he uses. The real young man is far different from the crown prince Apollo first met, and hated, many years ago. At its core, this is a story about the masks we all end up wearing to meet the expectations of our family and culture.

In addition to Apollo and Hyacinth, there’s a third significant character, Hyacinth’s sister Epiphany. The narration switches between these three from one chapter to the next. It’s not clear what role Epiphany plays in the larger story, but like Apollo and Hyacinth, she is just as trapped in a public role she doesn’t want to play. This is the first of a four part series, so things will probably become clearer now that all the main players have been introduced.

“A Veil of Gods and Kings” is available from Smashwords or see BookBub for other online sources for your copy.