The Game (review)

Shy, quiet Hayley always knew there was incredible magic in the world, but she was forbidden to engage with it by her strict grandmother and the patriarch of the family, her uncle Jolyon. After magic finds Hayley and she is kicked out of her grandparents' house, she discovers that two important secrets have been kept from her. First, she learns about the world of the mythosphere, a mystical layer of stories, myths, and legends that converge into path-like strands on which one can travel; she also learns that her parents, presumed dead, are actually alive and trapped in the mythosphere, and that she is actually the child destined to overpower Jolyon. Between the family drama, the rich Irish and magical settings, and the revelation that all of the characters are based on Greek and Roman myths, there is a lot of plot here for a self-proclaimed novella, but Jones manages admirably by frequently returning the focus to Hayley's coming-of-age struggles. Trapped into her role of obedient, dutiful granddaughter for an unknown number of years (extremely long lives run in the family), Hayley is learning to be independent and strong at the same time that she is trying to save her parents, explore this heretofore unknown magical world, and harness her own mystical powers. Although the author's note may have been more useful at the beginning of the novel to help provide the mythical context for the characters, even readers who have no knowledge that, for example, the aunts represent the Pleiades will find this a compelling, taut fantasy. Those in the know will revel in seeing how each of the mythical beings is modernized and made human and in spotting where Jones diverges from the original characters.