View source for Pegasus and The Origins of Olympus by Kate O'Hearn

{{infobox1
|title=Pegasus and The Origins of Olympus
|author=Kate O'Hearn
|reviewer=Anne Thompson
|genre=Confident Readers
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9781444910940
|pages=384
|publisher=Hodder Children's Books
|date=October 2012
|website=http://www.kateohearn.com/
|summary=A clever blend of modern adventure, fantasy and mythology in a fast paced story, this book, the fourth in the series about Emily and Pegasus, should appeal to lovers of fantasy and stories of exciting quests.
|cover=1444910949
|aznuk=1444910949
|aznus=B008PGKBK0
}}
As Emily watches her beloved Pegasus fade away due to a mysterious deadly plague she knows that she must do everything she can to save her old friend. This decision sends her on a thrilling and dangerous journey back in time to Ancient Greece and the origins of mythology.  She discovers new allies from both ancient times and the modern day but also terrifying enemies who test her powers and courage. In addition Emily also has to struggle with her long running conflict with the secret government agency, the sinister C.R.U. Together with her friend Joel, Emily finds herself facing a colossal battle that she must win in order to save the Olympians in this fantasy adventure. 

The fourth in the series about Emily and the winged-stallion Pegasus by Kate O’Hearn will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy both fantasy and mythology.  The author weaves storylines from the past and present together with fast paced action and battle scenes and a touch of romance thrown in for good measure. Emily is a strong and spirited heroine and her relationship with Pegasus may appeal to horse loving girls. However this is definitely a book with a wide audience appeal and I think young readers both girls and boys, and possibly early teens too, would enjoy this adventure. The friendship between Joel and Emily is well written and the number of characters that are included in the plot ensure that there will be at least one that the reader will empathise with and be cheering on through the adventure. There are sufficient plot twists to keep the reader's attention and I think the inclusion of mythological gods will whet the reader's appetite to discover the Greek and Roman myths themselves. The battle scenes are described in detail and are perhaps a little too lengthy for my taste but this may well add appeal to young readers. There are many themes touched on in this book including friendship, bravery, loyalty and perseverance and these give added weight to the excitement of Emily’s quest. 

Although the story does stand alone in its own right there are frequent references to characters and events from the earlier books in the series. As this was the first book about Emily and Pegasus that I had read I did find the earlier parts of the story a little confusing and for this reason I think it would be preferable for children to have read the first book, Pegasus and the Flame, beforehand. 

My thanks to Hodder Children’s Books for sending this copy to the Bookbag. 

Rick Riordan has written the popular Percy Jackson series set in Ancient Greece for the same age group. If reading this book encourages children to read the myths themselves we would recommend [[The Beasts in the Jar (Greek Beasts and Heroes) by Lucy Coats and Anthony Lewis]]. Kate O’Hearn has also written another fantasy series the first of which is [[Kira (Shadow of the Dragon) by Kate O'Hearn|Kira (Shadow of the Dragon)]] 

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