Book: Troy High by Shana Norris

Homer’s Iliad, the classic tale of love and revenge, is shrewdly retold for teens in Troy High.

Narrated by Cassie, a shy outsider who fears that an epic high school rivalry is about to go up in flames, the story follows the Trojans and Spartans as they declare war on the football field. After the beautiful Elena—who used to be the captain of the Spartan cheerleaders—transfers to Troy High and falls madly in love with Cassie’s brother Perry, the Spartans vow that the annual homecoming game will never be forgotten.

The Trojans and Spartans pull wicked pranks on each other as homecoming approaches. And the Spartans’ wildcard football star, Ackley, promises to take down the Trojans’ offensive line. But the stakes are raised when Cassie is forced to choose between the boy she loves (a Spartan) and loyalty to her family and school. Troy High will seduce readers with its incendiary cast of mythic proportions.

Troy High is a modern day retelling of the Trojan War. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Obviously it was a bit predictable if you know anything about the Trojan War but other than that it was a cute story. There was romance, betrayals, battles, and friendships. A little bit of everything. =]

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Kait Rose

Troy High by Shana Norris

November 21, 2009 • 4 stars, contemporary, mythology, review, standalone • 1 Comment

Book: Troy High by Shana Norris

Rating: 4 Stars

Release date: August 1, 2009 from Amulet Books

From: Trade

Summary:

Homer’s Iliad, the classic tale of love and revenge, is shrewdly retold for teens in Troy High.

Narrated by Cassie, a shy outsider who fears that an epic high school rivalry is about to go up in flames, the story follows the Trojans and Spartans as they declare war on the football field. After the beautiful Elena—who used to be the captain of the Spartan cheerleaders—transfers to Troy High and falls madly in love with Cassie’s brother Perry, the Spartans vow that the annual homecoming game will never be forgotten.

The Trojans and Spartans pull wicked pranks on each other as homecoming approaches. And the Spartans’ wildcard football star, Ackley, promises to take down the Trojans’ offensive line. But the stakes are raised when Cassie is forced to choose between the boy she loves (a Spartan) and loyalty to her family and school. Troy High will seduce readers with its incendiary cast of mythic proportions.

*****

Troy High is a modern day retelling of the Trojan War. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Obviously it was a bit predictable if you know anything about the Trojan War but other than that it was a cute story. There was romance, betrayals, battles, and friendships. A little bit of everything. =]

The story is told from Cassie Prince’s point of view and you really see everything that goes on. She’s friends with a Spartan and for that she gets a lot of grief. Things don’t get really bad until her friends’ brother gets dumped by his girlfriend, for Cassie’s brother. Then everything goes crazy and the war begins.

All the characters were pretty likable but they all had some bad qualities mixed in. It was a bit annoying but I guess it just made them human. I have to say that Elena got on my nerves the most. She was the one who caused the whole war and she wouldn’t even admit it. It bugged me a lot that Cassie was the one stuck in the middle and she had to choose between her best friend and her family, when Elena should have stepped in.

Okay and obviously there wasn’t a real war between two high schools but they did pull a lot of mean pranks and battled things out on the football field. It was actually a really good comparison between wars of history and high school rivalries. =P

Overall, I really thought Troy High was cute but it had its flaws. If you’re looking for a not-so-typical romance story, this is the one for you!

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