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[katara]

What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge

Series:
N/A

Genre:
Sleeping Beauty Retellings, Fairy tale, Fairytale retelling, Romance, High Fantasy, Fantasy, Ghosts, Young Adult, Netgalley, Magic Realism, Paranormal, Standalone, Fiction, First Person Points of View

Publication Date:
March 5, 2024

Pages Numbers:
275 (?)

Read Date:
August 16th, 2023

Date Finished:
August 16th, 2023

Rating:
4.75/5

Blurb:

Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep - and silencing the kingdom's gods.

Born with a miraculous gift, Lia's destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god - or die.

To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her.

As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew - and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival.

As the two work together, Lia learns that they're more alike than she expected. And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right - and between the prince she is bound to by duty...and the boy she killed.

Review:

When I first picked up the novel, I was intrigued by the premise. This was to be a darker retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth.

A darker, forbidding castle hidden where time has completely stopped. A place where others have tried and failed to infiltrate.

A country once the home of the sitting Gods where saints were blessed and made. Now a place where the Gods have abandoned and forsaken. A plague rages through the country and no hope is in sight. A dark, forbidden castle hidden by the briars. A place where many have died to reach the castle doors.

Inside, a heretic sorcerer awaits within the walls aware of time's halt, waiting for the one who would manage to break through the briars. In this, he finds Lia, who so reverently wishes to be one of Nin-Anna's saints. When she kills him and awakens the castle occupants, Lia finds herself not only engaged to the newly awakened prince but Ruven's ghost now attached to her.

As Lia navigates through court politics and hopes to become one of Nin-Anna's saints, one word changes everything and Lia finds herself forsaken by her Goddess and made to be another's. Lia now has to find a way to change her fate and Ruven's.

The plot was full of twists and turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel. The author expertly weaved elements of fantasy, suspense, and romance together to create a wholly unique and engaging story.

The only downside was Lia. I did not care too much for her character and found her annoying at times. Though I do understand her devotion to the Goddess, Nin-Anna, I did not see her looking at the bigger picture outside of her little box. That is until she has no choice but to seek help with Ruven. I just could not find any connection to her character.

Final Thought:

Although a unique take on the Sleeping Beauty myth, the Gods easily abandoned those who were devoted to them. Even when they set out to meet them, they still abandoned them. And though I do understand that Nin-Anna seemed to abhor killings, she did nothing but mark Lia with death. Never once asking why she would do a thing. I get it - death is not what Nin-Anna is, but at the same time she seems to be a bit of a hypocrite as she seemed to let people die of a plague.

Similar Books:

Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire
The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry



*Disclaimer: Thank you to the author, her publishers, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. The opinions of this review are mine and mine alone.