Book Review: Go the Distance
Original review written 7/28/22
Title: Go the Distance
Edited by: Jen Calonita
Adopt your physical copy here!
Adopt your audiobook here!
What if Meg had to become a Greek god?
What's it about?
Hercules's proven himself and is now ready to join his parents on Mount Olympus. But there's a catch. Meg can't come with him and Zeus refuses to entertain the idea of his son choosing to be human in order to stay with a girl who, if we're being honest, Zeus doesn't really approve of to begin with. And you know Zeus. He's not exactly known for his calm, diplomatic listening skills.
Hercules is lost in confusion and frustration and Meg is heart broken (though she refuses to admit it) but then Hera offers her an opportunity to fix everything! Hera gives her the opportunity to go on a quest to prove herself worthy enough to become a god herself, which, of course, means she'll be able to stay with Hercules! But to succeed this seemingly impossible quest, she'll have to let go of the past and over come some of her biggest shortcomings. It really does seem impossible!
Favorites:
Favorite Character: There are so many to choose from! But I might go with Pegasus (Peg) here. Some of that, I admit, is becuase I've always loved Peg, since we first saw him as this little baby Pegasus and I've believed for a while that we need more of him!
Least Favorite Character: Obviously it's Hades. But that's not because he's the god of the underworld! If it were just that, I think I'd be more inclined to say Zeus was worse then Hades this time. But Hades was just so manipulative with all of the most sacred things and I can't just forgive that. I mean, I get it. I really do. He had to in order to achieve what he wanted to, especially and be the big bad mean god of the underworld...but that doesn't mean I don't hold it against him.
Favorite Part: The end because it's not what I expected but it was so poetic and right all at the same time.
Least Favorite Part: Probably the trip down the river. It wasn't horrible and there were some cool parts in there but, over all, it just didn't hold me and entrap me like most of the rest of it did.
Other Thoughts?
One of my favorite things about this book (well, other then it's a Twisted Tale book) was getting to know Meg so much better. I felt like we go from seeing a superficial, strong, sassy independent, untrusting woman, but in this book, we get to see a whole other side of her where she is vulnerable, hurt, betrayed and even cries (again). We get a much deeper understanding of how she became the Meg we were introduced to in the movie and I really appreciated that. I felt like it added strength to her as a person.
On the other hand, I felt like Hercules lost something. I'm not entirely sure what that something is, but he just didn't feel quite the same. Maybe it's because he's really a very small aspect of the actual story, outside from the ideal of him. He just didn't feel like the same strong, determine guy from the movie.
I did really like the point of view switch, though. This time, the focus wasn't about the same people that were the main focus of the movie, and most of those from the movie who were the main focus weren't a huge focus in the book. It allowed for a really cool different perspective and I loved it.
In the end, this book did not disappoint to the high expectations I hold for any Twisted Tales books. I loved seeing characters I watched a million times as a kid (though I did miss the muses in the book) and it was fun getting to revisit the story in a different way.
What do I rate it?
I give this book
7
out of
10 flutes
But that's just me! I'm a sucker for a good strong woman story. What did you think about it? Did you love it? Did you miss Hercules? Let us know what you think below.
