Elegy by Jane Abbott

Random House, 2016. ISBN 9780143781592
(Age: 14+) Set in Kincasey, a small, outback Victorian town, the reincarnations of Prometheus and Persephone meet once again, but this time as Michael and Cait. Step-siblings, they are constantly at each other's throats, much to the exasperation of Cait's brother Gabe. But everything changes when Jenny, a city girl, catches Michael's eye at a party. Michael has always been unusually gifted. Some think he's a magician. Others would just call him a weirdo. He's always been harmless - until Todd Casey tries to lay a claim on Jenny. Michael is galvanised into an action he barely understands and, without laying a hand on Casey, Casey's arm is broken. Michael falls into a coma, unlocking a strange new power and only Cait knows what to do - because she's done so countless times before. As history starts to repeat itself - the eternal punishment of the pair - Gabe and Jenny are both too close and too far away driving them closer together.
Although Abbot has a great concept, I found the book was difficult to read and didn't really enjoy it. Being familiar with a variety of mythology allowed me as a reader to catch onto the story quite quickly, but it also had the added disadvantage of leaving me completely bewildered by the confounding array of stories claimed by the reincarnated main characters.
Aimed at a young adult audience of fourteen and up, this novel deals with issues of fitting in, bullying, sex, and alcohol.
Kayla Gaskell, 20.