Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Adrenaline junkie, thief, liar, cheat, lawyer's apprentice. You name it, Lex Trent can either be described as it or avoid being called it.

A fascination to the gods and goddesses of his world, Lex will be forced to join one of their games. These games frequently result in deaths, particularly for its losers, and the gods never play fair. The winner, however, receives boundless rewards.

Lex is fine with the games and even the outcome - until his estranged, goodie-goodie brother gets pulled into the games by a rival god. Will Lex find a way to outwit the gods, save his brother, and still win the games?

An action-packed adventure that would appeal to PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS fans. Although Lex is not exactly a beloved character, the author keeps true to his personality and occupation all the way through the book. The plot is well-written, and the story is unique.

Readers who like mythology, adventure, action, and fantasy will enjoy reading LEX TRENT VERSUS THE GODS. ( )

I was super exited about the this book but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I never felt there was a climax to the story and I felt I wanted more of the world building(I felt it only scratched the surface). The scenes that were supposed to be getting me a bit closer to the edge of my seat never managed to do just that and the problems were to easily solved to my liking. I thought the characters were cleverly written but I never could connect to the story. Still things that happened in the last chapters of the book remained unsolved, but there wasn't any cliffhanger ending, so I think I need to check out the sequel, due in 2011.My full review can be read over at Escape In A Book:http://escapeinabook.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-review-lex-trent-versus-gods-by.html ( )

http://www.bookgeeks.co.uk/2010/02/05/jennies-review-lex-trent-versus-the-gods-b... ( )

Lex Trent versus the Gods, Alex Bell’s first YA novel, introduces us to Lex Trent, a thief, swindler, and all-round rogue. He has taken one chance too many and finds himself caught up in the Games, playing as a representative of Lady Luck. We follow his various trials and tribulations over the course of the Game.

Lex Trent versus the Gods takes a little while to really get started — setting the scene and allowing us to get to know Lex — but by the time you reach page 64, you simply cannot put the book down and find yourself gripped by all of Lex’s adventures. Even though Lex is insufferably smug and selfish beyond belief, you just can’t help rooting for him. The book is chockfull of other memorable characters, too. One of my favourites is the representation of Lady Luck as a rather ditzy blonde!

By far the best part of Lex Trent versus the Gods is the sheer imagination on display. Bell takes fairy tales, myths and exotic concepts, and weaves them into the story so that you are not surprised by wicked witches and fairy godmothers sharing the same woodland, or by griffins guarding the ladders that link Lands Above and Lands Beneath. I enjoyed the way that Bell gave us this nice mix of typical fantasy tropes, but combined them with rather more mundane settings. Even if the plot hadn’t been particularly good, Lex Trent versus the Gods would still be worth reading for this aspect alone.

Luckily, though, the plot is good. It races past breathlessly (once it has been set alight by the introduction of the Games) — maybe a little too quickly at times. It doesn’t feel as though we have much downtime before the next exhilarating event or daring swindle is taking place. I was a little disappointed with the way Lex’s story is resolved, but that might be to personal taste.

Alex Bell writes with a fluid style that invites the reader to turn the pages quickly. There are plenty of humorous quirks that had me smiling, and a couple of times I found it laugh-out-loud funny (the whole chapter “Muggets and Whiskerfish” was a particular highlight).

My one real complaint is this: I can see why Bell has hung the first part of the story around a legal firm (she was a law student — write about what you know and all that); in fact, Lex Trent’s boredom with the legal profession lends it a ring of authenticity — but when set in a world so magical and unusual, the legal profession sticks out like a sore thumb. I’m sure this was the point (purposely ridiculous), but I found it distracting. Every time I had to move from enchanters and gods to a legal firm, I had a real jarring moment.

But this is a very minor issue when balanced against the fun to be had reading Lex Trent versus the Gods. I would recommend it for fans of Garth Nix and Terry Pratchett's YA Discworld books.

This review has also been published on www.fantasyliterature.com - click to read reviews of hundreds of fantasy books! ( )