Book Review: The Myth of the Medallion

Reviewed by Joelene Pynnonen

An enthralling world of ghosts, gods, lore, and magic

Thalia Eichel wakes up in a forest with only scattered memories of her past. Worse, no one in the nearby marketplace will acknowledge her. When she comes across Alistair, the God of Protection, he tells her that she’s dead. And she’s furious. 

She may not remember much, but she does know that she hated the Gods, and clearly, she was right to. What good was the God of Protection to her when she was dying?

Surprisingly, Alistair offers her his aid. Despite her deep-seated mistrust of the gods, Thalia knows that the only way to make sure that her twin brother Demetrius and her best friend Torin are safe is to accept his help. Plus, she’s dead, so what has she got to lose? 

Thus begins the snarkiest partnership the land of Namoir has seen. One that may collapse their carefully constructed worlds, or perhaps unite them.

The Myth of the Medallion is the first book in the Ghosts and Gods duology. It’s an action-packed fantasy adventure set in a world of magic, warfare, and tyranny. It follows multiple perspectives, but the main focus is Thalia and her quest to reunite with the people she loves.

The scope of Myth of the Medallion is vast. It encompasses hundreds of years of history, great forgotten wars, a tyrannical king who may be infinitely more than he seems, a slew of gods who seem to despise the very thing that powers them, and much more. Despite how much is built into the bones of this story, the surface of it never strays from being about a girl trying to accomplish in death what she aimed for in life: protecting her family. 

The lore in The Myth of the Medallion is lush with depth and history. The legend of the gods of this world has some nods to Greek and Norse mythologies while maintaining its own unique flavor. Each god has their own calling. They also have their own personalities, insecurities, and jealousies. This very human feeling to the gods makes it understandable that Thalia doesn’t trust them. There is too much opportunity for cruelty in them rather than kindness. 

The dynamics of the characters work wonderfully in this novel. They have their own strengths and weaknesses, which is important, but further than that, they have their own lives. Despite being one of the most powerful gods, Alistair has limitations that cut into his ability to help others. He has a storyline outside of Thalia that affects the entire novel. Similarly, the paths that Torin and Demetrius take alters the choices Thalia must make.

While the novel has a great deal of action, a good amount of worldbuilding, and some fascinating characters, it lacks some of the focus or structure required to bring the story together. So many viewpoints is part of that problem. Rather than shedding light on the whole of the narrative, it waters down the strongest elements and adds some weaker storylines.

Still, there are a lot of fascinating threads tying Myth of the Medallion together. The worldbuilding, lore, characters, and magical systems being just a few. By the final page, enough threads are loose that it leaves ample space for the second book to pick up.

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