Review--Go the Distance by Jen Calonita

 

What if Meg had to become a Greek god?

After Hercules proves he's a true hero and regains his godhood, all seems right in the world. That is, until Zeus tells Megara that she can't be with Hercules because she's, well, mortal. Luckily, Hera has a solution, offering Meg a chance to prove herself worthy of a spot on Mt. Olympus--as a god. All Meg has to do is complete a mysterious quest.

Thequestn? Oh, just to rescue her ex-boyfriend's wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend she saved by selling her soul to Hades. The ex-boyfriend who immediately moved on to someone else while she was stuck in the Underworld. Can Meg put her past behind her and use her quick wit to defeat monsters and gods alike, including the nefarious Hades? Will she finally figure out where she belongs and what she has to offer? Or will her fear of commitment have her running away from an eternity of godhood with Herc?

 

 

Go the Distance by Jen Calonita takes an interesting twist on the Disney movie Hercules. What if Zeus wasn't so open to the idea of his son shunning a life on Mt. Olympus to stay a mortal and be with Meg? What if he expressly forbid them to be together because Meg was mortal? What if then Hera was a sweet and caring goddess who offered Meg an opportunity to prove herself worthy of godhood? Well, we're about to find out.

When Meg and Hercules ascend to Mt. Olympus after Hercules risked his life to save Meg's soul, they are greeted merrily by the gods and when Hercules expressed his desire to stay on earth to be with Meg, Zeus forbade him. Apparently even the Disney version of Zeus doesn't believe in true love. But then Hera offers Meg a chance to prove her worth of being turned into a god. If she were to complete the tasks she sets forth in 10 days, Meg can become a goddess and stay on Mt. Olympus with Hercules. Meg agrees because she does love the guy.

Meg's first task is to find and retrieve Athena's missing flute. With some help from Pegasus they manage to track it down, but that's only her first part of the quest. She then learns she has to save her ex-boyfriend's wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend she traded her soul to save, who left her while she was in the Underworld fulfilling her end of the bargain for Hades. Naturally, Meg has mixed feelings about this task and cannot understand why Hera would ask this of her.

This book explores Meg's history, as we didn't really get to know Meg all that well beyond how she came to work for Hades. There's more to her story than meets the eye, the struggles she endure and how she became the young woman she was when Hercules meets her.

What I really enjoyed about this book was seeing some of the same characters again, true, Hercules isn't really there since he's being kept on Mt. Olympus to learn how to be a "proper god" and such. But Meg works with Pegasus and Phil again in order to complete her quest. Then when she travels to the Underworld, we naturally see Hades again, and even Pain and Panic!

Hercules was always one of those Disney movies I enjoyed, yet abhorred due to the gross inaccuracies of the gods' portrayals. I mean Zeus as a devoted husband and loving father? Come on! But I mean, Baby Pegasus!! So cute! Lol.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this story was how Calonita brings in some of the Greek mythology lore and introduces Persephone! I mean, these days we have quite the abundance of Hades and Persephone retellings, so we know that they have a true romance going on. If I recall, their getting together in the myths wasn't quite ideal nor as romantic as modern fiction leads us to believe. But let's ignore that factor and just bask in the fact that Persephone lives in the Disney Hercules in some way! I did always wonder where she was, because even when I was younger I knew of some of my myths and that they were married. 

The ending to the story was quite satisfying. Things were wrapped up nicely and if you read the B&N edition, you get a bonus scene of how Persephone and Hades met. It was rather cute too. The Twisted Tales series is one that continues to delight me. I love seeing these Disney stories get told in a different way if one thing were to change. They are quite entertaining and perfect for the Disney fan of any age!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars