Oh Maya Gods!

Vesper is Elliot Hooper's daughter and together they live on the farm where her father grew up.  However, the farm isn't doing well and they struggle for money.  Vesper helps out as much as she can but things can be tricky.

Vesper loves her Aunty Virgo but isn't fond of her son, Aster, so when they come to stay, the pair agree to fake their friendship to keep their parents happy. When they head for a walk, they agree to go their separate ways with Vesper heading to Stonehenge where she feels she can relax; however, the strange voice she can hear seems to be luring her in, and when she touches one of the stones and heads down the stairway that appears, her actions could change the world forever.  The question is, can things be sorted out before it's too late?  (ie before next Wednesday!)

There is only one thing better than discovering that Maz Evans is writing a spin off of the Who Let The Gods Out? series, and that's discovering a copy of the first book, Oh Maya Gods!, waiting for you when you get home from work!  I could tell you that I took off my coat and calmly opened the parcel once I'd got myself sorted, but I'd be lying!  The truth is that I squealed and tore the envelope in an excited frenzy before hugging the book and promoting it immediately to the top of my reading pile (the gods had clearly conspired as I'd finished a book the previous evening and had yet to start a new one!)

The book opens with Vesper playing football and you immediately discover that she is a feisty, determined character with a serious stubborn streak (not unlike Elliott at that age but rather removed from the father she knows).  She clearly carries the weight of being adopted as well as the financial struggles of her father and the farm.  However, she seems to have absolutely no knowledge of what Elliott and her Aunt Virgo got up to as children... not for long though!  In contrast to Elliott who has remained on the farm and is forging a steady life, Virgo has travelled the world, bouncing from job to job and her son, Aster, has never been to school.  The polar opposite to Vesper, Aster loves books and to read; Vesper feels he is snooty and doesn't play by the rules, and she would happily never see him again but she adores her Aunty Virgo so she prepares to put up with Aster during their visit.  However, as things take a rather dramatic turn, the pair discover they need to learn how to get on with each other - after all, the entire world depends on it!

Oh Maya Gods! this is a fast-paced, exciting story that is utterly unputdownable.  It is full of humour that will have you laughing out loud (did my laughing get me caught having a sneaky read in my office whilst eating lunch last Friday?  Absolutely it did!) but also comes with depth and some deeper messages woven into the plot (Maz is always very good at doing this).  You'll be pleased to see some familiar faces appear in the book ('Double bosh and an extra portion of boom!') as well as a host of new gods to get to know.  There's a trip to the Maya underworld, a star-studded performance and an ending that left me with my mouth hanging open - I loved every single minute and was torn between gobbling it up a superspeed and not wanting the book to end! 

My meagre human words are really not doing this book the justice it deserves so I'll simply say that this is Maz at her god given best.  Oh Maya Gods! is super optimal and mega bosh with a huge helping of celestial sass thrown in for good measure.  Publishing on the 28th September, this is an epic book that is demanding to be pre-ordered and I can't wait for the next one!