THE GODDESS INHERITANCE

This ill-begotten series conclusion offers ample proof (evidently some is needed) that genocide and category romance don’t mix.

Imprisoned by Calliope (Hera), Cronus’ partner in pantheonic crime, pregnant Kate gives birth while Cronus looks on lustfully. Calliope, besotted with Kate’s husband, Henry (Hades), is intent on eliminating their newborn son, Milo, so Kate offers herself to Cronus in exchange for his protection. (Olympian incest—Cronus is Kate’s grandfather and Henry, her uncle—is unsettlingly clear but not discussed.) When Kate’s rescued and forced to leave Milo behind, the bargain collapses. Cronus expresses his disappointment by eliminating Athens. Millions die. (Vague descriptions of the collateral damage mainly serve to show Kate’s compassion.) Soon Cronus will be free to pursue his long-term goal: wiping out humanity and his Olympian children. Walter (Zeus) convenes the council, who lament how dire things are, while Kate demonstrates spunk and her commitment to Henry, repeatedly in need of rescuing, by taking action. In numbing detail, the immortals obsess over one another’s passions. The humorless navel-gazing and endless meetings in Olympus’ floating boardroom grow drearily claustrophobic (maladroit writing doesn’t help). Comfortably distant from the mayhem below, endowed with eternal youth, beauty and superhero powers, these immortals lack a vital attribute: the human interest that makes readers care.

Strictly for dedicated category-romance fans.