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Demitria Lunetta , Marley Lynn , Kate Karyus Quinn

Dream Team: Underworld Reformatory (Mythverse, 7)

YEAR: 2020

COUNTRY: United States of America

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Title of the work

Dream Team: Underworld Reformatory (Mythverse, 7)

Country of the First Edition

Country/countries of popularity

Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States of America

Original Language

English

First Edition Date

2020

First Edition Details

Kate Karyus Quinn, Demitria Lenetta, Marley Lynn, Mythverse: Dream Team: Underworld Reformatory. Little Fish Publishing, 2020, 232 pp.

Also published as: Defy & Defend.

ISBN

9798662683242 (paperback)

Genre

Fantasy fiction

Target Audience

Young adults

Cover

Missing cover

We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.


Author of the Entry:

Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com

Peer-reviewer of the Entry:

Lisa Maurice, Bar-Ilan University, lisa.maurice@biu.ac.il 

Susan Deacy, University of Roehampton, s.deacy@roehampton.ac.uk

Female portrait

Demitria Lunetta (Author)

Demitria Lunetta is the author of Young Adult books, such as Fade, Bad Blood and more. She is also an editor and contributing author for two anthologies: Among the Shadows and Betty Bites Back. she holds a BA in Human Ecology.


Source:

Official website (accessed: August 19, 2020).



Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com


Female portrait

Marley Lynn (Author)

Marley Lynn is an American author. She is the co-author of the Mythverse and Down and Dirty series.


Source:

Official website (accessed: August 19, 2020).



Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com


Female portrait

Kate Karyus Quinn (Author)

Kate Karyus Quinn is an American author. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre and Masters of Fine Arts in film and television production from Chapman University. She is the author of Young Adult novels, among them: Another Little Piece, (Don’t You) Forget About Me, Down with the Shine and Not Hungry. She is also the author (with Demitria Lunetta) of Anti/Hero graphic novel.


Sources:

Official website (accessed: August 19, 2020).

In an interview from 2019, Kate Karyus Quinn explains the benefit of co-writing the Mythverse series and expand on the writing process (yabookscentral.com, accessed: August 19, 2020).



Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com


Summary

This is the final instalment in the Mythverse series (for now). The narrator of this book is Mavis Evans and the narrative continues the events of the previous book, Squad Goals. Mavis understands that her sister Edie and Edie's vampire boyfriend Val are still trapped in Tartarus. Meanwhile, she and her team of prisoners (Griff the bear shifter, Shauna, a pixie-vampire and Mac the incubus and also Kit, Shauna's vampire brother) are punished for their escape and receive the death penalty. Yet, after their public execution, the group recovers at a wooden cabin, (which they have used as their headquarter in the previous book) together with Cassie the seer and Tina the vampire. It turns out that their execution was faked in order to appease the humans, who are currently in a rage over the paranormals. Therefore the trio of gods (Brandee, Alaric and Zahara) decided to appease the human sentiments while in truth saving the lives of the group and allowing it to complete its rescue mission.

The group must retrieve Pandora's box hence they ask the werewolf, Nico, for it.  He tells them that he gave the box to Oberon, the faerie king. The group then goes to the faerie world, with the help of Shauna the pixie. They visit her home and then visit Oberon's dance. Even though the faeries are known to be tricksters, Mavis must negotiate with Oberon for a portal to Tartarus. The group and Oberon's negotiations are suddenly interrupted with the arrival of Pandora, who is extremely Suddenly mad about the mentioning of the box. 

Oberon imposes three conditions for Mavis before he grants her wish: the first is to stop the magical disappearance of Pandora. She vanishes from the faerie world whenever her name is uttered on earth. Apparently, there is a new and popular music app named Pandora which causes these summonings. Mavis manages to solve this problem by providing Pandora with headphones, so she cannot hear her name being called out. 

The second task is clearing Pandora's reputation in the human world, as the one responsible for the spread of evils. Mavis manages this task by changing Pandora's entry on Wikipedia, making her appear as a benevolent person. The last task is to empty all the cells in the underworld reformatory. This is the most difficult task. In order to complete it, Mavis decides to go back in time to when only Hades was a prisoner there and free him. 

The group returns to the past and Mavis happens to meet Edie. While she cannot tell her the truth, she advises her to research a bit on Tartarus and then escapes. Meanwhile, since the timelines have been altered, there have been some changes within the group. Griif and Mavis are officially a couple, and Shauna has married the vampire Tina.

After completing their final mission, Oberon opens the portal to Tartarus and Mavis enters alone. In Tartarus, she meets Hermes, who is barely surviving in the harsh world. She also encounters a group of unicorns, which happen to swear a lot. They take her to Edie, who is considered by them to be a terrifying dragon. Edie tells Mavis she cannot leave since there are wraiths that attack the human village in Tartarus at night and she must protect the people. Mavis decides to help. Together with Val and with the help of Hermes and the unicorns they defeat the wraiths. During the fight, Hermes saves Mavis and is badly hit by a wraith and dies. Before he dies, he transfers his remaining powers to Mavis, as an atonement for being a bad father to her. Mavis then manages to get the group back to the faerie world.

In the book's epilogue, eight years have passed. Mavis and Griff are married and have triplets; they live in Washington DC. Mavis is head of a paranormal unit at the FBI. They are visited by their family and friends, when suddenly the earth shakes and Tina the vampire and Mac the incubus vanish. Thus, the story ends with a cliffhanger, as the group sets out to find their missing friends.

Analysis

The story focuses on redemption and forgiveness, as Mavis accepts Hermes as her father. Although she did not feel any closeness to him, she still mourns his death. Hermes, unlike the selfish and cruel Zeus, is given a chance to redeem himself in the end. He acknowledges his mistakes and his having behaved as a wicked father towards his only living offspring and tries his best to at least help her in the end. Accepting Hermes gives Mavis the ability to grow as a person and move on from her past traumas. She is also changed physically, being given a pair of little wings on her heels to symbolize her new powers. Mavis has conflicting feelings regarding Hermes. She hates him yet pities him. When he tells her that he will be remembered through her, she is angry that he branded her as his own, although he never truly acted as her father. Yet, upon his dying breath, she forgives him, and his final words are: "'I was a horrible god,' he manages to get out...and then dies in my arms." (p. 182).

Hermes reflects on his existence as a god. Being a bad god does not necessarily mean being a bad father, yet Hermes abused his divine power to chase after mortal women (like Mavis' mother). Furthermore, being a god was the most important thing for Hermes, Zeus and the other gods. They thought they were above everyone else, that they could do whatever they wished. Hermes, on his deathbed, acknowledges this abuse of power and conduct, as if he deserves to die because of it. 

With the dying of Hermes and Hades being sent to a human nursing home (after being freed from the underworld), the power and rule of the male gods in the series have ended. We can assume that only Artemis, Athena and the trio of new gods remained. When Hermes says he will be remembered, even though Mavis is upset, he may be hinting at a deeper meaning. The gods can exist (even if only in memory), if they are remembered. When they are forgotten they are truly dead. See for example a similar idea in Tanya Landman's The World's Bellybutton: The Greek Gods Need a New Hero (London, 2007), or Mordicai Gerstein’s I am Pan! (New York, 2016).

Regarding Pandora, her myth is played out for laughs, yet also hints at a new feminist reading of the myth. First, the use of the name Pandora for a music app is an example of how the modern world utilizes, sometimes unknowingly, ancient myths. Did the creators of the app know who Pandora was? In our story, she is repeatedly summoned to the human world. Hence, there is a connection between modern technology and ancient myth (and magic). As Pandora herself angrily says regarding her box, "It's a jar! It's always been a jar! Stupid translators can't get anything right" [p. 106]. There is a gap between the mythological "reality" and its aftermath as this metaliterary descriptions shows. This story, in a way, tries to settle this gap.

Another gap refers to Pandora's reputation. She resents being blamed for all evil. While she does not explain her connection to the evils, she states it is untrue. Mavis' use of Wikipedia is another tongue-in-cheek reference, highlighting Wikipedia as the ultimate example of the power of the internet. Whatever is written there has to be the truth. Changing Pandora's entry is like changing her personality or her story. While Mavis is aware that the editors of Wiki might check the sudden change in the entry, it is enough to complete her task. The questions hence remain, who decides what is true and what is not? Similarly, Natalie Haynes, in her book Pandora’s Jar: Women in Greek Myths (London, 2020) also tries to exonerate Pandora's reputation, yet in a more scholarly way.

Finally, Mavis' three Herculean tasks are meant to grant her wish and in a way, atone for her past mistake. By completing them all and saving her sister, she also becomes a true demi-god.

In the end, this series is about family, friendship and acceptance, common tropes of YA novels. The mythological background is used as a setting but also to raise moral questions regarding the nature of gods, humans, male and female and more. In the end, the family can be whom we choose as part of it and how we overcome challenges and obstacles determine the course of our life. The gods have failed, yet their offspring show that there is a chance of making the world a better place. The world needs this unique cooperation of the divine, paranormals and humans in order to exist. In the end, the series discusses how uniqueness and diversity should be encouraged and celebrated, not feared from and isolated.


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Leaf pattern
Leaf pattern

Title of the work

Dream Team: Underworld Reformatory (Mythverse, 7)

Country of the First Edition

Country/countries of popularity

Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States of America

Original Language

English

First Edition Date

2020

First Edition Details

Kate Karyus Quinn, Demitria Lenetta, Marley Lynn, Mythverse: Dream Team: Underworld Reformatory. Little Fish Publishing, 2020, 232 pp.

Also published as: Defy & Defend.

ISBN

9798662683242 (paperback)

Genre

Fantasy fiction

Target Audience

Young adults

Cover

Missing cover

We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.


Author of the Entry:

Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com

Peer-reviewer of the Entry:

Lisa Maurice, Bar-Ilan University, lisa.maurice@biu.ac.il 

Susan Deacy, University of Roehampton, s.deacy@roehampton.ac.uk

Female portrait

Demitria Lunetta (Author)

Demitria Lunetta is the author of Young Adult books, such as Fade, Bad Blood and more. She is also an editor and contributing author for two anthologies: Among the Shadows and Betty Bites Back. she holds a BA in Human Ecology.


Source:

Official website (accessed: August 19, 2020).



Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com


Female portrait

Marley Lynn (Author)

Marley Lynn is an American author. She is the co-author of the Mythverse and Down and Dirty series.


Source:

Official website (accessed: August 19, 2020).



Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com


Female portrait

Kate Karyus Quinn (Author)

Kate Karyus Quinn is an American author. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre and Masters of Fine Arts in film and television production from Chapman University. She is the author of Young Adult novels, among them: Another Little Piece, (Don’t You) Forget About Me, Down with the Shine and Not Hungry. She is also the author (with Demitria Lunetta) of Anti/Hero graphic novel.


Sources:

Official website (accessed: August 19, 2020).

In an interview from 2019, Kate Karyus Quinn explains the benefit of co-writing the Mythverse series and expand on the writing process (yabookscentral.com, accessed: August 19, 2020).



Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com


Summary

This is the final instalment in the Mythverse series (for now). The narrator of this book is Mavis Evans and the narrative continues the events of the previous book, Squad Goals. Mavis understands that her sister Edie and Edie's vampire boyfriend Val are still trapped in Tartarus. Meanwhile, she and her team of prisoners (Griff the bear shifter, Shauna, a pixie-vampire and Mac the incubus and also Kit, Shauna's vampire brother) are punished for their escape and receive the death penalty. Yet, after their public execution, the group recovers at a wooden cabin, (which they have used as their headquarter in the previous book) together with Cassie the seer and Tina the vampire. It turns out that their execution was faked in order to appease the humans, who are currently in a rage over the paranormals. Therefore the trio of gods (Brandee, Alaric and Zahara) decided to appease the human sentiments while in truth saving the lives of the group and allowing it to complete its rescue mission.

The group must retrieve Pandora's box hence they ask the werewolf, Nico, for it.  He tells them that he gave the box to Oberon, the faerie king. The group then goes to the faerie world, with the help of Shauna the pixie. They visit her home and then visit Oberon's dance. Even though the faeries are known to be tricksters, Mavis must negotiate with Oberon for a portal to Tartarus. The group and Oberon's negotiations are suddenly interrupted with the arrival of Pandora, who is extremely Suddenly mad about the mentioning of the box. 

Oberon imposes three conditions for Mavis before he grants her wish: the first is to stop the magical disappearance of Pandora. She vanishes from the faerie world whenever her name is uttered on earth. Apparently, there is a new and popular music app named Pandora which causes these summonings. Mavis manages to solve this problem by providing Pandora with headphones, so she cannot hear her name being called out. 

The second task is clearing Pandora's reputation in the human world, as the one responsible for the spread of evils. Mavis manages this task by changing Pandora's entry on Wikipedia, making her appear as a benevolent person. The last task is to empty all the cells in the underworld reformatory. This is the most difficult task. In order to complete it, Mavis decides to go back in time to when only Hades was a prisoner there and free him. 

The group returns to the past and Mavis happens to meet Edie. While she cannot tell her the truth, she advises her to research a bit on Tartarus and then escapes. Meanwhile, since the timelines have been altered, there have been some changes within the group. Griif and Mavis are officially a couple, and Shauna has married the vampire Tina.

After completing their final mission, Oberon opens the portal to Tartarus and Mavis enters alone. In Tartarus, she meets Hermes, who is barely surviving in the harsh world. She also encounters a group of unicorns, which happen to swear a lot. They take her to Edie, who is considered by them to be a terrifying dragon. Edie tells Mavis she cannot leave since there are wraiths that attack the human village in Tartarus at night and she must protect the people. Mavis decides to help. Together with Val and with the help of Hermes and the unicorns they defeat the wraiths. During the fight, Hermes saves Mavis and is badly hit by a wraith and dies. Before he dies, he transfers his remaining powers to Mavis, as an atonement for being a bad father to her. Mavis then manages to get the group back to the faerie world.

In the book's epilogue, eight years have passed. Mavis and Griff are married and have triplets; they live in Washington DC. Mavis is head of a paranormal unit at the FBI. They are visited by their family and friends, when suddenly the earth shakes and Tina the vampire and Mac the incubus vanish. Thus, the story ends with a cliffhanger, as the group sets out to find their missing friends.

Analysis

The story focuses on redemption and forgiveness, as Mavis accepts Hermes as her father. Although she did not feel any closeness to him, she still mourns his death. Hermes, unlike the selfish and cruel Zeus, is given a chance to redeem himself in the end. He acknowledges his mistakes and his having behaved as a wicked father towards his only living offspring and tries his best to at least help her in the end. Accepting Hermes gives Mavis the ability to grow as a person and move on from her past traumas. She is also changed physically, being given a pair of little wings on her heels to symbolize her new powers. Mavis has conflicting feelings regarding Hermes. She hates him yet pities him. When he tells her that he will be remembered through her, she is angry that he branded her as his own, although he never truly acted as her father. Yet, upon his dying breath, she forgives him, and his final words are: "'I was a horrible god,' he manages to get out...and then dies in my arms." (p. 182).

Hermes reflects on his existence as a god. Being a bad god does not necessarily mean being a bad father, yet Hermes abused his divine power to chase after mortal women (like Mavis' mother). Furthermore, being a god was the most important thing for Hermes, Zeus and the other gods. They thought they were above everyone else, that they could do whatever they wished. Hermes, on his deathbed, acknowledges this abuse of power and conduct, as if he deserves to die because of it. 

With the dying of Hermes and Hades being sent to a human nursing home (after being freed from the underworld), the power and rule of the male gods in the series have ended. We can assume that only Artemis, Athena and the trio of new gods remained. When Hermes says he will be remembered, even though Mavis is upset, he may be hinting at a deeper meaning. The gods can exist (even if only in memory), if they are remembered. When they are forgotten they are truly dead. See for example a similar idea in Tanya Landman's The World's Bellybutton: The Greek Gods Need a New Hero (London, 2007), or Mordicai Gerstein’s I am Pan! (New York, 2016).

Regarding Pandora, her myth is played out for laughs, yet also hints at a new feminist reading of the myth. First, the use of the name Pandora for a music app is an example of how the modern world utilizes, sometimes unknowingly, ancient myths. Did the creators of the app know who Pandora was? In our story, she is repeatedly summoned to the human world. Hence, there is a connection between modern technology and ancient myth (and magic). As Pandora herself angrily says regarding her box, "It's a jar! It's always been a jar! Stupid translators can't get anything right" [p. 106]. There is a gap between the mythological "reality" and its aftermath as this metaliterary descriptions shows. This story, in a way, tries to settle this gap.

Another gap refers to Pandora's reputation. She resents being blamed for all evil. While she does not explain her connection to the evils, she states it is untrue. Mavis' use of Wikipedia is another tongue-in-cheek reference, highlighting Wikipedia as the ultimate example of the power of the internet. Whatever is written there has to be the truth. Changing Pandora's entry is like changing her personality or her story. While Mavis is aware that the editors of Wiki might check the sudden change in the entry, it is enough to complete her task. The questions hence remain, who decides what is true and what is not? Similarly, Natalie Haynes, in her book Pandora’s Jar: Women in Greek Myths (London, 2020) also tries to exonerate Pandora's reputation, yet in a more scholarly way.

Finally, Mavis' three Herculean tasks are meant to grant her wish and in a way, atone for her past mistake. By completing them all and saving her sister, she also becomes a true demi-god.

In the end, this series is about family, friendship and acceptance, common tropes of YA novels. The mythological background is used as a setting but also to raise moral questions regarding the nature of gods, humans, male and female and more. In the end, the family can be whom we choose as part of it and how we overcome challenges and obstacles determine the course of our life. The gods have failed, yet their offspring show that there is a chance of making the world a better place. The world needs this unique cooperation of the divine, paranormals and humans in order to exist. In the end, the series discusses how uniqueness and diversity should be encouraged and celebrated, not feared from and isolated.


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