Diana and the Underworld Odyssey

Princess Diana has finally proved her worth to her mother and is approved to start Amazon warrior training. As the Chará festival winds down, Diana is sad to say goodbye to her best friend, Sakina, but excited to begin preparing for the real world. Then, a mysterious alien intruder kidnaps Sakina. As Diana tries to rally the Amazons to save Sakina, their impossible-to-find island is attacked by extra-terrestrial enemies hell-bent on capturing Diana too.  

The Amazons eventually force the alien ship to flee from the island, but Diana’s mom, Queen Hippolyta, is worried for her daughter’s safety, so she sends Diana to the island of the gods with Diana’s protector, the goddess Artemis, and Diana’s new friend, the dragon Liara. Yet, as Diana begs the gods for help, they ignore her insights and version of events, trusting Hades even though he is clearly working with the aliens and their boss, Zumius. Frustrated, Diana leaves the room and meets Imani, another superpowered kid being hunted by these aliens. When Imani is soon kidnapped, Diana decides that only she can save her friends.  

Undaunted and determined, Diana is a powerful, curious protagonist who fights to save her loved ones, no matter the challenge. With the help of the goddess, Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, Diana obtains the tools that allow her to reach the Underworld and escape intact. The journey is treacherous, full of untrustworthy beings and monsters attempting to lure her off her path, but pure-hearted Diana is unwavering. On the way, she also makes new friends and allies who strongly oppose kidnapping children and thus choose to go against their king, Hades, and follow Diana’s leadership. Diana knows that the gods won’t choose Diana over Hades. She knows she’s the only hope the kids have of escaping the Underworld, so she faces every monster with a brave face and a need to expose the truth of Hades’s misdeeds.  

While Diana’s character growth is well-developed, several other elements of this book fell a little short. Namely, Hades is an obvious and flat villain—he doesn’t have a motive or any substantial explanation of his actions. Diana identifies him as the one behind the kidnappings right away, and it doesn’t feel plausible that no one would listen to her or guess that it could have been him. That said, the magical landscapes are wonderfully described, and the problems Diana faces challenge her to think outside the box and adapt to her surroundings—a skill that every kid needs to learn sooner or later. Overall, the novel is worth reading, especially considering the strength of Diana’s character.  

Readers who enjoy powerful female superheroes, Greek mythology, and cleverly independent kids will love the fun battles, magical relics, and beautiful landscapes of Diana and the Underworld Odyssey. Diana encounters all sorts of magical creatures on her journey into the Underworld, from sirens to skeletons to three-headed dogs, all making for creative entertainment. Diana is a fierce and kind character who grows when challenged, leads by example, and stands by her own moral principles. Overall, Diana and the Underworld Odyssey is a sweet story with an inspiring message: stand up for what you believe in, even if no one hears you. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• When Diana’s best friend, Sakina, is kidnapped, Diana spots the kidnapper escaping out the window. Diana attacks the intruder. “Diana angled her sword and attacked square at its midsection. But then her stomach dropped. Though the sword had speared straight through the fabric cloak, it was as if she’d sliced thin air.” She eventually lassos the intruder with her Lasso of Truth, but they escape, and Diana is unharmed. The scene is approximately five pages.  
• As Zumius’s minions try to kidnap Diana again, the Amazons attack the ship. Their assaults fails so Diana shoots a cannon at Zumius’s airship. “Diana pushed down on the lever. Instantly the cannon deployed. The force of the recoil sent Diana tumbling to the ground. The metal ball shot into the air, glinting in the sunlight. Diana watched nervously as the cannonball struck the underbelly of the airship with a clang before falling into the sea. Diana’s heart skipped a beat. There was an enormous dent in the airship. The vessel was swaying in midair!” They fired multiple times, and eventually the ship left.  
• While Diana is on the gods’s island, she makes a new friend, Imani. Imani is being hunted, like Diana, and during a walk in the woods, the two friends are attacked by the same kidnapper who took Sakina. Diana fights the person off with a makeshift vine lasso. “But before she could take a step, the [kidnapper] had kicked off the vine. Wielding it like a whip, [their opponent] lashed out at Imani and struck her in the stomach. Imani wheezed and lurched forward. The attacker dashed toward her and grabbed her elbow. Hoisting her over its shoulder, it fled with astonishing speed toward the boat.” Diana is uninjured. The scene is approximately six pages.  
• During her voyage into the Underworld, Diana encounters a Hydra that attacks her. “With a flick of its tail, the Hydra hurtled the boat hundreds of feet into the sky. Diana spun through the air and began to fall. She hit the surface of the water hard and plunged into the ocean. Her body stung from the force of impact; her face burned as salt water filled her mouth and nose.” She is uninjured. 
• During the Underworld voyage, Diana also meets a Siren who tries to kidnap her. Diana’s dragon friend, Liara, fights the Siren. “Before Diana could do anything, Liara bit the Siren’s hand. The woman’s smug smile faded instantly. ‘Get off me!’ [the Siren] screamed. She waved her hand feverishly to shake Liara off, but the dragon had clamped down with all her might.” Diana escapes unharmed. 
• When Diana finds Sakina and Imani, she rescues them from their cage, but the guards interrupt them. The guards attack and try to force all three of them into the cage. “One of them raised a hand and swiped its sword in Diana’s direction. Diana ducked as a burst of cold wind shot at her. It hit the stalagmites next to her and froze them into icicles. The three girls instantly fell to the ground, thick shards of ice missing them by mere inches. Diana shakily stood as another attack launched. Before she could leap out of the way, it hit her square in the chest.” The three friends escape unharmed. The whole scene is approximately ten pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• On her journey into the Underworld, Diana encounters a Hydra. “As [the Hydra’s] enormous heads grew near, practically surrounding Diana, she held her breath. One whiff of its poisonous fumes would kill her.” She escapes the Hydra before it can drug her.

Language  

• None 

Supernatural  

• Every page of this novel exhibits some kind of supernatural content. However, the magic is primarily wielded by Greek gods without spoken spells, just the wave of a hand. Magic is also present in the landscape, such as the magical island of Themyscira, which is hidden from the eyes of men. The monsters encountered include talking skeletons, Sirens, Hydras, mer-people, dragons, sentient stone creatures, and the gods.  
• Diana is a superhero, complete with superpowers and magical relics, like the Lasso of Truth. She fights monsters and gods.  
• Magical landscapes appear many times, including the Underworld, Themyscira, and the island of the gods. An example is when Diana is in the Underworld, and she watches as a cage magically transports everything inside of it to Hades himself. “The cage began glimmering and shaking. It vibrated faster and faster. Diana flinched as something shook in her satchel. The bar fragments were trembling and glowing. The cage shook for a full minute and then fell silent.” 
• While Diana is fighting her kidnapper, they throw some kind of magical powder at her. “Instantly, the figure shot a hand up as a whirring sound bellowed from deep within its cloaked body. Before Diana could react, a burst of metallic-gold powder sprang from one of its sleeves. The powder coated the book [Diana had thrown at her attacker], which froze in midair and then burst into flames. Within seconds it fell to the floor, transformed into ashes.” 
• Hades is helping an alien kidnap superpowered kids to create an army. When Diana meets Artemis, the goddess explains that many kids have already been taken. “Aristaeus can wield the wind with his hands and control bees. Lumierna can break metal as easily as they can snap a twig. They’re not as strong as their father yet, but quite capable for a child. Only two children have managed to outmaneuver the [aliens]: Diana and a child named Imani.” 

Spiritual Content  

• Princess Diana grew up among the Amazons, a community of warrior women who worship the Greek gods. She meets, fights, and even collaborates with many of them. The Greek gods or references to them appear on nearly every page. For example, Diana describes how “the sun shone brightly upon the beaches of Themyscira, the golden glow shimmering as though Zeus himself had struck the island with a lightning bolt.” 
• An example of Diana’s interactions with the gods is when Diana meets the council of the gods while trying to find a sanctuary from her kidnapper. “When Diana turned in her seat, she shuddered. The figure standing in the doorway was broad-shouldered and tall, practically as tall as Zeus himself. He wore a green toga. A monocle sat on his left eye, his right hand grasped an iron staff, and his face was twisted into a scowl. It was Hades, god of the Underworld.” 

by Kate Schuyler