Publication Date: February 3rd, 2026
Hardcover. 448 pages.
What’s your myth?
Penelope Weaver has spent her whole life preparing to attend Anaximander’s Academy, where students learn how to bring to life the stories of Greek mythology as well as discover the Greek god whose principles they most embody. Penelope knows she’s an Athena—all smart, practical, and rule-following girls who take part in stories that matter are Athenas.
But when Penelope and her twin brother Paris arrive at Anaximander’s, it appears fate has other plans. Penelope isn’t placed with Athena but with students who are anything but practical and who prefer parties to rules. And that’s just the beginning. She’s given the world’s worst muse, her assigned tasks feel impossible, and the magic of Anaximander’s is overwhelming. Not to mention, there are two very different boys making her new life even more confusing.
But as things go from bad to dangerously worse, one thing becomes clear: in a world where everything is fated to happen a certain way, some stories need to be rewritten. As the world around her shifts and cracks, Penelope is asked to forget everything she thought she knew to help create a better story…even if that changes every plan and breaks every rule."
The Aftermyth was such a blast! In this story, we follow Penelope Weaver as she embarks on a new adventure: attending Anaximander's Academy, something she's been anticipated her entire life. Things seem to go a little off track the moment Penelope arrives at Anaximander's and, well, that's where our story begins!
I really loved how Tracy Wolff incorporated so many elements of Greek mythology and Ancient Greek life into this story, from the setup of the school to including elements and names like the Stoa, the student houses, and even using Anaximander as the school name (and if you’ve never heard of/read anything from the actual Anaximander, I recommend it!). Some of the references were things I expected to see, such as having the Greek gods be prominent figures, but what really stood out to me was more how Wolff used them. Rather than sticking closely to traditional interpretations and methods of incorporating Greek myth into stories, she took all of these mythological ideas and Ancient Greek concepts in new directions that felt genuinely innovative and fun.
I’ll admit that in the past I used to be much more concerned with things feeling ‘authentic’ or ‘respectful’ when it comes to Greek mythology/etc., but these days I mostly just appreciate seeing stories that incorporate them in ways that creative and interesting, but most of all fit the story they are trying to tell (while also keeping in mind their origins and not going too far off course, of course). The Aftermyth absolutely worked for me in this way, and it’s clear to me that Wolff knows the ‘source material’ (“source material” used loosely since there’s not really any hard source material for this) and is not afraid to remix it.
I really enjoyed learning about all of the different houses as well. The interpretation of Aphrodite’s house in particular as colorful, open, and loving in a friendship/human way (rather than just romantic love) was a delight and I thought really gives Aphrodite some real depth beyond her surface level portrayal as the love goddess stereotype, and I loved the warmth and personality it gave her. The Athena House being full of bookish sticklers and strategists also made me chuckle and felt very fitting. It’s clear to me that Wolff had a lot of fun with her inspiration, and that sense of joy is readily apparent.
Another thing that I really appreciated is how big this world feels. It’s immediately accessible as we dive into this new school setting with our protagonist, but there are definitely hints and signs here and there that there’s much more happening beneath the surface. There’s so much more to explore, and I'm very excited about that.
That being said, the only negative I’d say about the world is that it also felt a bit confusing and left me unclear how exactly it is oriented in the world at large--are the gods universally accepted and known in the larger world? Is this more like a religion or just a known fantasy world? Are these characters at the school part of a specific subset of people or just representative of the rest of the world? Are there other schools like this? Unless I missed any of the answers to these questions, I found myself feeling slightly unsure and I’m hoping future books dive into these questions a bit. Although, just to contradict myself a bit, I did enjoy this book and the world as it is as if it were in a vacuum, so maybe it would keep working--who knows.
Lastly, I wanted to touch on the pacing and plotting of this book. The pacing is pretty wild. It’s a decently hefty book, and it felt like we spent a lot of time on the very first day and subsequently settling into the beginning of the school year before rushing through more time later in the book. I didn’t necessarily mind this, as in the moment it was quite enjoyable either way, but looking back, it feels a bit off. Somehow, though, I think part of what made this book fun and work is that it almost felt as if it didn’t care as much about traditional plot progression or “perfect” pacing, and I know that sounds like a backhanded compliment, but it’s really not. The storytelling does what feels right for characters and the story in the moment, rather than sticking rigidly to a formula. Somehow, that looseness and flexibility worked really well.
Overall, The Aftermyth is creative, full of energy, and clearly written with a genuine joy of its inspirations. If you enjoy Greek mythology, magical schools, or fantasy worlds that aren’t afraid to get a little funky with their source material, then this one is absolutely worth checking out.
