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Our Divine Mischief
A YA fantasy inspired by Scottish history and folklore, Our Divine Mischief takes readers on a journey told in three voices: a determined heroine, an outcast young man, and a wish-granting canine.
The Goddess Trial is designed to push young people to their edge and mark their coming of age, but Áila LacInis is ready for whatever it brings. She sets sail from her small fishing village to the island of the goddess Yslet, fully expecting a divine encounter, but what she finds is … nothing at all. The goddess is completely absent, and the only thing on the island is a dirty, mangy dog. Suddenly, everything Áila has ever known and believed is upended and her future becomes shrouded in uncertainty.
Hew already completed the Goddess Trial and received the designation of Unblessed. He is an outcast in the village, until he is tasked with assisting Áila through a series of Ordeals the town elders designed to compensate for her failed Trial. For the first time, he has hope he can make something of his life.
Orail isn’t quite sure who or what she is. She remembers little before Áila’s arrival on the island, and now all she knows is that she’ll never leave Áila’s side. But as she begins to realize and remember, she discovers powers—and an identity—she never could have imagined.
The Goddess Trial is designed to push young people to their edge and mark their coming of age, but Áila LacInis is ready for whatever it brings. She sets sail from her small fishing village to the island of the goddess Yslet, fully expecting a divine encounter, but what she finds is … nothing at all. The goddess is completely absent, and the only thing on the island is a dirty, mangy dog. Suddenly, everything Áila has ever known and believed is upended and her future becomes shrouded in uncertainty.
Hew already completed the Goddess Trial and received the designation of Unblessed. He is an outcast in the village, until he is tasked with assisting Áila through a series of Ordeals the town elders designed to compensate for her failed Trial. For the first time, he has hope he can make something of his life.
Orail isn’t quite sure who or what she is. She remembers little before Áila’s arrival on the island, and now all she knows is that she’ll never leave Áila’s side. But as she begins to realize and remember, she discovers powers—and an identity—she never could have imagined.
373 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2023
About the author
Hanna Howard
10 books148 followersHanna C. Howard lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the love of her life, where she divides her time between writing, tea-drinking, caring for her three young hobbit children, and puttering in her rambling cottage garden. Her favorite books are fantasies with a classic, fairy tale sheen, and while she loves a quirky or dramatic tale, she also requires a happy ending-- so you can be sure all her books will have one.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
April 9, 2026
4.5⭐️
[4/26 reread: Held up on reread. Lovely story.💜]
This book was so refreshing! It’s original, magical, fun, lyrical, and atmospheric. It has a tightly written plot that manages to get a lot done in less than 400 pages. I enjoyed the characters and felt that they were developed well given the stand-alone nature of the book. (Another 50-75 pages would have allowed for a more thorough character arc, but it's not truly lacking--it just could have been more.) Good world-building, too. Dog-lovers--this is a book for you!💜 (Not that you have to be a dog-lover to enjoy it!)
Highly recommended if you do not mind reading a story that is set in a polytheistic world where the gods are real and interact with humans. There is no mention of the One True and Living God.
Favorite Quotes
p. 24: "...I have felt the gods to be both loving and gentle in the years since I had my Trial. It's not like me to disobey rules of any kind, but in the case of prayer, I simply cannot stop; it leaks out of me like water from a cracked cup whenever I try and keep it sealed away."
p. 60: "I never swear. There are so many other words to use, and the foul ones are an insult to them and a degradation of one's self-control."
p. 85: "The look reminds me of Vira when she was a lass: always getting into some mischief or other, and always caught between sorrow for her crimes and determination to keep committing them."
p. 151: 🚨🤭
p. 174: "It's my opinion the things that come from the gods that look like curses are just blessings we haven't yet understood."
p. 231: "It makes me want to run and never stop, to climb a mountain or scale a wall or fight a warrior... I have never wanted to do any of those things before."
p. 342: 🚨
[4/26 reread: Held up on reread. Lovely story.💜]
This book was so refreshing! It’s original, magical, fun, lyrical, and atmospheric. It has a tightly written plot that manages to get a lot done in less than 400 pages. I enjoyed the characters and felt that they were developed well given the stand-alone nature of the book. (Another 50-75 pages would have allowed for a more thorough character arc, but it's not truly lacking--it just could have been more.) Good world-building, too. Dog-lovers--this is a book for you!💜 (Not that you have to be a dog-lover to enjoy it!)
Highly recommended if you do not mind reading a story that is set in a polytheistic world where the gods are real and interact with humans. There is no mention of the One True and Living God.
Favorite Quotes
p. 24: "...I have felt the gods to be both loving and gentle in the years since I had my Trial. It's not like me to disobey rules of any kind, but in the case of prayer, I simply cannot stop; it leaks out of me like water from a cracked cup whenever I try and keep it sealed away."
p. 60: "I never swear. There are so many other words to use, and the foul ones are an insult to them and a degradation of one's self-control."
p. 85: "The look reminds me of Vira when she was a lass: always getting into some mischief or other, and always caught between sorrow for her crimes and determination to keep committing them."
p. 151: 🚨🤭
p. 174: "It's my opinion the things that come from the gods that look like curses are just blessings we haven't yet understood."
p. 231: "It makes me want to run and never stop, to climb a mountain or scale a wall or fight a warrior... I have never wanted to do any of those things before."
p. 342: 🚨
February 2, 2023
This book is a quirky, rollicking romp through an imaginary version of 18th century Scotland--as well as a love song to anyone who has ever loved a mad, impossible, infuriating, wonderful dog. It was my Covid project, which I wrote shortly after losing my dog-bestie of twelve years, and it has a huge chunk of my heart. It was an absolute delight to work on, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Thank you for stopping by!
October 24, 2023
With lush & evocative beauty, this tale wove its way deep into my heart.
I walked in blind, having never read anything from the author. All I knew was a friend of mine loved it, and that was enough for me to snag an ARC copy. I’m so glad I did!
This Scottish/Celtic inspired masterpiece spins a story of belonging & identity, how home isn’t always a pace but instead a person, and how love is given not earned.
And the characters. My, what a cast! The villain did not surprise me because… well, I won’t spoil how I guessed, haha. While I’m not an animal person, Orail the wish-granting dog stole my heart. And then there’s Áila and Hew. These precious beans reminded me of two other YA couples I adore: Sean & Kate (The Scorpio Races) and Salama & Kenan (As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow). Needless to say, I loved them so much. 🥹
Everything about this story was sheer beauty, and I ordered a hard copy before I even finished my ARC. 😍 It’s a perfect story for those who love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing (particularly The Scorpio Races).
Content: mild language (d*mn; s***; p*ss)
*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
I walked in blind, having never read anything from the author. All I knew was a friend of mine loved it, and that was enough for me to snag an ARC copy. I’m so glad I did!
This Scottish/Celtic inspired masterpiece spins a story of belonging & identity, how home isn’t always a pace but instead a person, and how love is given not earned.
And the characters. My, what a cast! The villain did not surprise me because… well, I won’t spoil how I guessed, haha. While I’m not an animal person, Orail the wish-granting dog stole my heart. And then there’s Áila and Hew. These precious beans reminded me of two other YA couples I adore: Sean & Kate (The Scorpio Races) and Salama & Kenan (As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow). Needless to say, I loved them so much. 🥹
Everything about this story was sheer beauty, and I ordered a hard copy before I even finished my ARC. 😍 It’s a perfect story for those who love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing (particularly The Scorpio Races).
Content: mild language (d*mn; s***; p*ss)
*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
September 5, 2023
This book was incredible. The plot was fresh and riveting. I loved the fantasy aspect with the gods and Orail combined with the overall adventure aspect. The romance was subtle and perfect. Not overpowering, but a wonderful compliment to the main plot.
As far as characters go, they were all my best friends by the end (except for the villains). I loved how each character had such an individual personality. Even the “side characters” were interesting and well-developed.
The world-building was magnificent. I felt transported, without being stressed out by too many made up names and places.
Orail’s poetic style was one of the best parts of the book. Who doesn’t love a dog that thinks in poetry??
The plot twists towards the end kept me up way past an healthy hour, but it was all worth it.
Thanks to Hanna Howard for an ARC of Our Divine Mischief!
As far as characters go, they were all my best friends by the end (except for the villains). I loved how each character had such an individual personality. Even the “side characters” were interesting and well-developed.
The world-building was magnificent. I felt transported, without being stressed out by too many made up names and places.
Orail’s poetic style was one of the best parts of the book. Who doesn’t love a dog that thinks in poetry??
The plot twists towards the end kept me up way past an healthy hour, but it was all worth it.
Thanks to Hanna Howard for an ARC of Our Divine Mischief!
March 2, 2025
This book overflows with love—the love between people, between us and our pets, and between us and the divine. Like a song you continue to hum long after the tune ends, OUR DIVINE MISCHIEF will stick with you. Perfect for those who love a Cottagecore, historic inspired, magical book like THE HEDGEWITCH OF FOXHALL or A RUSH OF WINGS.
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December 27, 2024Well this was delightful! If you enjoy Joanna Ruth Meyer's or Anna Bright's cosy, cottagecore YA fantasy then you absolutely must try this one.
This book was like a stack of my favourite things in a trenchcoat. I love a fantasy book about religion. I love a girl-and-her-dog book. And I love a book that's inspired by history. This book was all three. I loved, for instance, that this book is very clearly inspired by the Jacobite uprisings in eighteenth century Scotland, and even more that the villain is strongly Bonnie Prince Charlie coded (yeah, sorry, I just don't like the Stuarts - but if you do let me assure you this book is not intended to poke at you). I loved Orail, our mischievous magical dog all of whose POV chapters are written in verse - and the way that this verse develops over the course of the book is something that made me screech with delight at the halfway point.
And then there's the book's treatment of religion, which I thoroughly appreciated - the ways the divine can sometimes feel distant or even hostile, the ways the church can bruise and scar us, the way we cannot help believing anyway. Most of all the theme of the book has to do with love. It is love that makes us belong and gives our lives meaning, not work and not striving. But Howard explores an additional facet of this theme, which surprised and delighted me, with regard to the order/chaos dichotomy so beloved of classical paganism. Orail's chaos must be regulated by love if it is not to hurt others - but so must Hew's order. Imagine me bellowing THANK YOU, FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT.
This was my first Hanna C Howard book, but it won't be the last!
This book was like a stack of my favourite things in a trenchcoat. I love a fantasy book about religion. I love a girl-and-her-dog book. And I love a book that's inspired by history. This book was all three. I loved, for instance, that this book is very clearly inspired by the Jacobite uprisings in eighteenth century Scotland, and even more that the villain is strongly Bonnie Prince Charlie coded (yeah, sorry, I just don't like the Stuarts - but if you do let me assure you this book is not intended to poke at you). I loved Orail, our mischievous magical dog all of whose POV chapters are written in verse - and the way that this verse develops over the course of the book is something that made me screech with delight at the halfway point.
And then there's the book's treatment of religion, which I thoroughly appreciated - the ways the divine can sometimes feel distant or even hostile, the ways the church can bruise and scar us, the way we cannot help believing anyway. Most of all the theme of the book has to do with love. It is love that makes us belong and gives our lives meaning, not work and not striving. But Howard explores an additional facet of this theme, which surprised and delighted me, with regard to the order/chaos dichotomy so beloved of classical paganism. Orail's chaos must be regulated by love if it is not to hurt others - but so must Hew's order. Imagine me bellowing THANK YOU, FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT.
This was my first Hanna C Howard book, but it won't be the last!
April 5, 2026
4.5 stars 😍 I loved so much about this book. The characters were likable and I was rooting for them the entire time. The world building was fun and I loved the explanation about the medallions!
The romance was sweet with a bit of a love triangle thrown in there but very minimal.
Orial, our dog POV, loved her!
Definitely recommend this one.
“Careful, I agree with Hew. I don’t trust them.
You don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like dogs. That doesn’t mean they’re bad.
Doesn’t it?”
“I rasp out a laugh, thinking that perhaps my heart is already lost, and lead my lady down the steps, toward the carriage, toward our hope, toward our doom.”
“Morgen, a man who has toiled and striven and worked to the point of domination for a place to call his own.
But of course you can’t strive to belong. Because belonging doesn’t come on the back of hard work; it comes as a result of being loved .”
The romance was sweet with a bit of a love triangle thrown in there but very minimal.
Orial, our dog POV, loved her!
Definitely recommend this one.
“Careful, I agree with Hew. I don’t trust them.
You don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like dogs. That doesn’t mean they’re bad.
Doesn’t it?”
“I rasp out a laugh, thinking that perhaps my heart is already lost, and lead my lady down the steps, toward the carriage, toward our hope, toward our doom.”
“Morgen, a man who has toiled and striven and worked to the point of domination for a place to call his own.
But of course you can’t strive to belong. Because belonging doesn’t come on the back of hard work; it comes as a result of being loved .”
June 21, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Our Divine Mischief.
The Scottish vibes in the worldbuilding definitely came across, which I enjoyed. I also wouldn't be surprised if Howard writes more novels set in this world in the future. The worldbuilding was deep enough that it felt like there are a lot more stories that would be told. The mythology lore did confuse me a tad at times, but I probably just missed something.
The characters were fun. Hew was probably my favorite. Orail was also really fun, and the bond between her and Aila was sweet.
The main plot of the novel takes a little to unfold--but not in that the pacing is slow. Rather, there are a few twists that have to happen first before the reader realizes the true stakes. And then things move rather quickly, though not rushed. I did see a part of the twist coming, but not all of it. I liked being surprised by what happened.
Our Divine Mischief was a charming read.
Cautions: light/moderate romance; two kisses; brief, non-graphic violence; two instances of swearing
The Scottish vibes in the worldbuilding definitely came across, which I enjoyed. I also wouldn't be surprised if Howard writes more novels set in this world in the future. The worldbuilding was deep enough that it felt like there are a lot more stories that would be told. The mythology lore did confuse me a tad at times, but I probably just missed something.
The characters were fun. Hew was probably my favorite. Orail was also really fun, and the bond between her and Aila was sweet.
The main plot of the novel takes a little to unfold--but not in that the pacing is slow. Rather, there are a few twists that have to happen first before the reader realizes the true stakes. And then things move rather quickly, though not rushed. I did see a part of the twist coming, but not all of it. I liked being surprised by what happened.
Our Divine Mischief was a charming read.
Cautions: light/moderate romance; two kisses; brief, non-graphic violence; two instances of swearing
May 5, 2026
This was such a beautiful book steeped with Scottish folklore and embedded even within it a Christian moral system despite the world being polytheistic, with how Lir and Yselt behaved. And Hew, my goodness, he was so relatable and that one scene with Lir ... oh my heart. Áila was also relatable, and her relationship with Orail ahhh it makes me want to have a dog haha. And those plot twists! They make a whole lot of sense, though I only sniffed some of them out (and even then, only partially). I wish the ending hadn't felt quite as rushed, maybe a bit longer, more time to see them living in the truth, but it was still such a good read!
Content Considerations: Polytheistic religion, physical and emotional abuse, ostracization, mild profanity, some sexual innuendo and suggestive touching between a married couple, animal cruelty and murder, seduction, manipulation, violence, injuries (some fatal) inflicted in battle, past death of family, grief, drunkenness, and magic.
Content Considerations: Polytheistic religion, physical and emotional abuse, ostracization, mild profanity, some sexual innuendo and suggestive touching between a married couple, animal cruelty and murder, seduction, manipulation, violence, injuries (some fatal) inflicted in battle, past death of family, grief, drunkenness, and magic.
November 13, 2025
Omg this book was so good. The characters were amazing, and it had so much beautiful imagery.
October 13, 2025
Delightful! Wonderful! Pacing felt a bit weird in places, but we can overlook that for how tremendously sweet and movie script perfect that ending was, ohhh. Better rtc in a bit, I hope, but this truly was a strange treat of folklore and magic and faith and somehow we began on a deserted island in a storm and ended up on a field of battle, and it was just fun to get there.
Of course we win the world with a song.
Of course we win the world with a song.
January 5, 2024
Spoilers ahead!
This book really had me up until about 60%. The characters were interesting, the world-building was engaging, and everyone loves a dog POV. The story kind of makes Aila’s decisions for her for the first half, but it feels like a natural progression of the plot. Little did I know the plot had just been holding her back from some of the dumbest decisions I have ever seen rendered in print.
She can have a mulligan on losing the dog - she trusted Morgen, he was pretty, I get it. Would I trust someone with my pet if my pet didn’t like them? No. If my pet could speak and they were begging me not to leave them with this person? Even more no. But we all make mistakes, right? And she’s going to make up for it by making a great plan to get the dog back, right?
Reader, I could not have been more wrong. Her next plan is to go to a banquet hosted by the evil prince. Ok, off to a good start. Will she use her magic dog that grants wishes from her thoughts to save the day? No, her plan is to just physically run up to this guy and ATTACK HIM WITH A DINNER KNIFE IN FRONT OF HIS GUESTS. And when Hew tries to stop her from enacting this absolutely genius plan, he is apparently wrong and bad for holding her back! The fact that she gets Orail killed and then has the AUDACITY to try and blame Hew just had me rooting for her to fail for the rest of the story. It’s never really addressed either just how stupid her actions at the banquet were. The narrative seems way more concerned with Hew holding her back than her owning up to her own mistakes.
The icing on the idiot cake is that her next plan is to sneak into the evil prince’s stronghold and steal his battle plans, even though they already KNOW exactly when and where he’s going to attack next! Is she good at spying? Absolutely not. How do I know this? She is almost IMMEDIATELY captured once she gets there. I was actually almost laughing at this point just due to how dumb this girl is.
Then she saves the day by singing a folk song to the soldiers because they don’t really want to be fighting their countrymen even though they got all dressed up for battle and got into formation and everything. I’ve seen this type of story element work in the right context but, whatever this was, it certainly wasn’t that. I can only assume the traitor lords told their soldiers “hey, this usurper guy is gonna make us lords super rich, so could you go attack the town next door for us?” And they were like “ok, but only as long as no one sings any old folk songs the entire time. If one rando sings ‘golden thistle’ on the battlefield, I am OUT”. It’s the only thing that really makes sense.
I wasn’t even that mad that she seemingly rejected Hew on the way back, I was actively hoping he would leave and find someone less dumb, and she would just get the note later and realize that she was dumb finally. Poetic justice!
Anyway, really good beginning, I loved all the Irish folklore and religious context, loved the dog, but this book just couldn’t stick the landing at all for me. I like it when characters at least try to make good decisions instead of dying on the hills of their bad ones.
This book really had me up until about 60%. The characters were interesting, the world-building was engaging, and everyone loves a dog POV. The story kind of makes Aila’s decisions for her for the first half, but it feels like a natural progression of the plot. Little did I know the plot had just been holding her back from some of the dumbest decisions I have ever seen rendered in print.
She can have a mulligan on losing the dog - she trusted Morgen, he was pretty, I get it. Would I trust someone with my pet if my pet didn’t like them? No. If my pet could speak and they were begging me not to leave them with this person? Even more no. But we all make mistakes, right? And she’s going to make up for it by making a great plan to get the dog back, right?
Reader, I could not have been more wrong. Her next plan is to go to a banquet hosted by the evil prince. Ok, off to a good start. Will she use her magic dog that grants wishes from her thoughts to save the day? No, her plan is to just physically run up to this guy and ATTACK HIM WITH A DINNER KNIFE IN FRONT OF HIS GUESTS. And when Hew tries to stop her from enacting this absolutely genius plan, he is apparently wrong and bad for holding her back! The fact that she gets Orail killed and then has the AUDACITY to try and blame Hew just had me rooting for her to fail for the rest of the story. It’s never really addressed either just how stupid her actions at the banquet were. The narrative seems way more concerned with Hew holding her back than her owning up to her own mistakes.
The icing on the idiot cake is that her next plan is to sneak into the evil prince’s stronghold and steal his battle plans, even though they already KNOW exactly when and where he’s going to attack next! Is she good at spying? Absolutely not. How do I know this? She is almost IMMEDIATELY captured once she gets there. I was actually almost laughing at this point just due to how dumb this girl is.
Then she saves the day by singing a folk song to the soldiers because they don’t really want to be fighting their countrymen even though they got all dressed up for battle and got into formation and everything. I’ve seen this type of story element work in the right context but, whatever this was, it certainly wasn’t that. I can only assume the traitor lords told their soldiers “hey, this usurper guy is gonna make us lords super rich, so could you go attack the town next door for us?” And they were like “ok, but only as long as no one sings any old folk songs the entire time. If one rando sings ‘golden thistle’ on the battlefield, I am OUT”. It’s the only thing that really makes sense.
I wasn’t even that mad that she seemingly rejected Hew on the way back, I was actively hoping he would leave and find someone less dumb, and she would just get the note later and realize that she was dumb finally. Poetic justice!
Anyway, really good beginning, I loved all the Irish folklore and religious context, loved the dog, but this book just couldn’t stick the landing at all for me. I like it when characters at least try to make good decisions instead of dying on the hills of their bad ones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2023
Our Divine Mischief is a sweet story about a young adult named Aila who has her heart intent on being sent to meet up with Yselt, a goddess who will determine what her blessing in life will be.
On the verge of being nearly too old to qualify she is finally given permission to make the trip to the island. Upon arriving she quickly realizes Yself is not any where to be seen, disappointed Aila returns home but not empty handed.
Back on land the leaders decide to give her the option of becoming outcasted or she can endure a different set of trials for one last chance of meeting Yselt. Naturally she chooses the later option.
With help from unexpected people Aila uncovers hidden villains and endures her trials.
In this story we are given three points of views, special bond with animals, Scottish vibes, and gaelic lore / mythology .
My favorite characters are Orail and Hew. The conversation Hew has with Lyr is probably my favorite part of the story, it was touching, so many of us needed to hear that.
Readers are in for a treat with Orail, it was not hard to fall in love with her.
The mischief in this book was so cute and funny.
I highly recommend reading Our Divine Mischief if you are a fan of Adriene Young's story telling.
Make sure you follow the website/ Qr code at the end of the book because the author has added some extras such as a quiz, music, ect.
I hope the author has plans for another story, I would love to read it !
On the verge of being nearly too old to qualify she is finally given permission to make the trip to the island. Upon arriving she quickly realizes Yself is not any where to be seen, disappointed Aila returns home but not empty handed.
Back on land the leaders decide to give her the option of becoming outcasted or she can endure a different set of trials for one last chance of meeting Yselt. Naturally she chooses the later option.
With help from unexpected people Aila uncovers hidden villains and endures her trials.
In this story we are given three points of views, special bond with animals, Scottish vibes, and gaelic lore / mythology .
My favorite characters are Orail and Hew. The conversation Hew has with Lyr is probably my favorite part of the story, it was touching, so many of us needed to hear that.
Readers are in for a treat with Orail, it was not hard to fall in love with her.
The mischief in this book was so cute and funny.
I highly recommend reading Our Divine Mischief if you are a fan of Adriene Young's story telling.
Make sure you follow the website/ Qr code at the end of the book because the author has added some extras such as a quiz, music, ect.
I hope the author has plans for another story, I would love to read it !
June 15, 2023
I really didn’t know much about this book when I applied for it other than it had a pretty cover and featured mythology.
To start, one thing I struggled with was the names and the world building. The history is not explained super clearly and some of the titles and names were a bit confusing for about the first 30-35% of the story.
Other than that, I really liked the POVs, the mysterious element of the gods, and the romance in this story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To start, one thing I struggled with was the names and the world building. The history is not explained super clearly and some of the titles and names were a bit confusing for about the first 30-35% of the story.
Other than that, I really liked the POVs, the mysterious element of the gods, and the romance in this story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 23, 2023
Beautiful. ODM is a book that reminds me of why I love reading and the power of story. Probably one of my favorite stories of 2023- saved the best for the end 💜
December 23, 2023
I am so in love with this book. The characters, the myths, the magic. It is like coming home. I wanted to restart as soon as I turned the last page.
October 17, 2023
Alright...Hannah Howard...I see you. You gave me a wish-granting dog... you get all the stars from ya girl. 4.5 stars!!
I absolutely adored this YA fantasy. "Our Divine Mischief" is a Dani book. It's cozy. It has a mystical world. It has a delightful magical dog. It has a pair unlikley friends. It has mystery. It has Scotish mythology.
Seriously, I could write endless paragraphs swooning about how much I am in love with this book! I don't know if I am bias because of Orail or this otherwordly story truly transported me into whimsical bliss.
To give you a quick synopsis of this story, it is time for Aila's goddess trial. What is a goddess trail? Every teen on the town of Carrighlas meets with the goddess Yslet to secure her blessing. When they are blessed they are given a medallion that shows them their destined path in life whether that is to become a fisherman or shepard or worse...an unblessed being. When Aila finally reaches the island across to meet her beloved Goddess, luck has failed her. She spends the night scouring the island when suddenly she trips over a mysterious furry creature. No medaillion, no blessing and a puppy? Her life has turned for the worst. She returns home to greet the town to share her fate to discover that she must compete to prove her love for the Gods and live freely in Carrighlas. On her journey Aila will learn about herself but more important the secrets that have been hiding in the world around her.
My favorite thing about this story is Hew. I really love when the "underdog" proves himself to the world and shows all the haters that he was always worthy. His storyline was my favorite. I appreciated that Aila saw past the blasphemy the town struck down on Hew and became friends with him. I loved how committed he was to helping Aila and Orail make it through the five Ordeals. I loved his character development. He is one of my new favorite literary characters.
Outside of being obsessed with Hew...and forever wishing I had a wish-granting pup. I thought this was so creatively written. It was brilliant composing Orail's point of view as poetry. Not only did we get beautiful prose but the way Howard showed how the Irish Wolfhond aged through the type of poem was S O G O O D. In the beginning when Aila discovers her as a wiggly pup on the island we get a chaotic jumble of worlds but as the book progresses and Orail story expands we get full poems with beautiful lines of words.
Immediately finishing this book my brain could not stop thinking of this as a cozy Disney Pixar film. It would be absolute perfection! I can already imagine Aila, Hew and Orail with those icon animated features.
Now, who wants to share the number for the Disney executives so I can leave them a five hour long message convincing them to giving Howard film rights?
If you loved, then you need this in your life:
- A River Enchanted and the Outlander series
- A story with a fur babies POV
- Scotish mythology
- Multiple POV
- Unlikely friendships
- Mysterious medallions and challenges sent by the Gods
- Poetry
- An underdog story
Thank you Blink YA Books for the gifted copy of "Our Divine Mischief." Go to your local bookstore right meow and buy this book. Bonus points if you follow Hanna Howard on all the social platforms and support her until the end of time because I need more of her fantasy worlds in my life!
[Here are some quotes that I loved from this story & need to be shared with the world: "I think life comes with curses but I don't think the gods give them to us. It's my opinion the things that come from the gods that look like curses are just blessings we haven't yet understood."
"Know yourself, once you do, nothing will be beyond your reach."
"You can never be good enough to deserve the love of a god. But you have it, and there is nothing you can do to lose it."
"Because belonging doesn't come on the back of hard work; it comes as a result of being loved."
"That loving is winningm however wild, or painful, glorious, aching or grand."]
I absolutely adored this YA fantasy. "Our Divine Mischief" is a Dani book. It's cozy. It has a mystical world. It has a delightful magical dog. It has a pair unlikley friends. It has mystery. It has Scotish mythology.
Seriously, I could write endless paragraphs swooning about how much I am in love with this book! I don't know if I am bias because of Orail or this otherwordly story truly transported me into whimsical bliss.
To give you a quick synopsis of this story, it is time for Aila's goddess trial. What is a goddess trail? Every teen on the town of Carrighlas meets with the goddess Yslet to secure her blessing. When they are blessed they are given a medallion that shows them their destined path in life whether that is to become a fisherman or shepard or worse...an unblessed being. When Aila finally reaches the island across to meet her beloved Goddess, luck has failed her. She spends the night scouring the island when suddenly she trips over a mysterious furry creature. No medaillion, no blessing and a puppy? Her life has turned for the worst. She returns home to greet the town to share her fate to discover that she must compete to prove her love for the Gods and live freely in Carrighlas. On her journey Aila will learn about herself but more important the secrets that have been hiding in the world around her.
My favorite thing about this story is Hew. I really love when the "underdog" proves himself to the world and shows all the haters that he was always worthy. His storyline was my favorite. I appreciated that Aila saw past the blasphemy the town struck down on Hew and became friends with him. I loved how committed he was to helping Aila and Orail make it through the five Ordeals. I loved his character development. He is one of my new favorite literary characters.
Outside of being obsessed with Hew...and forever wishing I had a wish-granting pup. I thought this was so creatively written. It was brilliant composing Orail's point of view as poetry. Not only did we get beautiful prose but the way Howard showed how the Irish Wolfhond aged through the type of poem was S O G O O D. In the beginning when Aila discovers her as a wiggly pup on the island we get a chaotic jumble of worlds but as the book progresses and Orail story expands we get full poems with beautiful lines of words.
Immediately finishing this book my brain could not stop thinking of this as a cozy Disney Pixar film. It would be absolute perfection! I can already imagine Aila, Hew and Orail with those icon animated features.
Now, who wants to share the number for the Disney executives so I can leave them a five hour long message convincing them to giving Howard film rights?
If you loved, then you need this in your life:
- A River Enchanted and the Outlander series
- A story with a fur babies POV
- Scotish mythology
- Multiple POV
- Unlikely friendships
- Mysterious medallions and challenges sent by the Gods
- Poetry
- An underdog story
Thank you Blink YA Books for the gifted copy of "Our Divine Mischief." Go to your local bookstore right meow and buy this book. Bonus points if you follow Hanna Howard on all the social platforms and support her until the end of time because I need more of her fantasy worlds in my life!
[Here are some quotes that I loved from this story & need to be shared with the world: "I think life comes with curses but I don't think the gods give them to us. It's my opinion the things that come from the gods that look like curses are just blessings we haven't yet understood."
"Know yourself, once you do, nothing will be beyond your reach."
"You can never be good enough to deserve the love of a god. But you have it, and there is nothing you can do to lose it."
"Because belonging doesn't come on the back of hard work; it comes as a result of being loved."
"That loving is winningm however wild, or painful, glorious, aching or grand."]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2025
I did want to read Our Divine Mischief because I wanted the story of a girl and her dog that grants wishes. Overall, I did enjoy the book and I did rate it 4 stars because I was left with a good feeling at the end. Puppies will do that for a girl. But I'm still chasing the high that I got from Maggie Stiefvater's Bravely and Our Divine Mischief did not quite cut the mustard in that regard.
The things I liked in no particular order:
1. Orail
2. The use of a quest for coming of age (it's so old skool)
3. Orail
4. Hew figuring out that unblessed is not a curse without having to have Yslet tell him directly like she did Aila.
5. Orail
6. The big reveal behind Orail's origins. I admit I'm not up on my lore and I didn't guess it at all.
7. Orail using the cows to keep Aila warm. It was definitely 13 year old boy humor.
8. And lastly Orail.
Things I wasn't as keen on.
1. The romance -- those who know me are probably shocked. I search for romances in characters that will never ever get together. But in Our Divine Mischief, I just wasn't as interested. I didn't really feel any chemistry between Hew and Aila. These two will not stay together.
2. The Usurper Prince plotline. It just didn't go very well with Aila's ordeal plotlines.
3. Some of the world building didn't hang together for me. But then again, I read an ebook and didn't look at the map so maybe that's just my problem.
Overall it's cute and I probably will never revisit it.
The things I liked in no particular order:
1. Orail
2. The use of a quest for coming of age (it's so old skool)
3. Orail
4. Hew figuring out that unblessed is not a curse without having to have Yslet tell him directly like she did Aila.
5. Orail
6. The big reveal behind Orail's origins. I admit I'm not up on my lore and I didn't guess it at all.
7. Orail using the cows to keep Aila warm. It was definitely 13 year old boy humor.
8. And lastly Orail.
Things I wasn't as keen on.
1. The romance -- those who know me are probably shocked. I search for romances in characters that will never ever get together. But in Our Divine Mischief, I just wasn't as interested. I didn't really feel any chemistry between Hew and Aila. These two will not stay together.
2. The Usurper Prince plotline. It just didn't go very well with Aila's ordeal plotlines.
3. Some of the world building didn't hang together for me. But then again, I read an ebook and didn't look at the map so maybe that's just my problem.
Overall it's cute and I probably will never revisit it.
April 21, 2025
4.25/5 stars! The cover of this book was cute and the premise was intriguing, so I was looking forward to reading this book. The elements of Scottish folklore really lended itself to the strength of the storyline in this YA fantasy. There was an honesty in the way that the religious elements were handled that I really appreciated. Will be checking out more books by this author.
December 5, 2025
It’s a very fun book
I loved the premise And the characters
The best part was that it was a clean no spice romantasy.
I loved the premise And the characters
The best part was that it was a clean no spice romantasy.
November 14, 2023
I picked up Our Divine Mischief by Hanna C. Howard on a whim, the gorgeous cover catching my eye and leading me to a synopsis that intrigued me further. I am so glad it did as this book is one of my favourite reads of the year! I adored it so much I had to share as much on GoodReads in the form of a temporary review, which is most unlike me!
A unique combination of mythology, history and fantasy, Our Divine Mischief offers a story of adventure, romance and, of course, mischief. The Gods are not only real they play an active role in the people’s lives. On Fuiscea the Goddess Yslet shapes lives through the Goddess Trial that villagers take during their youth. Alone they row out to Yslet’s Isle to meet the Goddess, and return with one of her medallions. The medallion tells them what apprenticeship they have an aptitude for; sea glass for fishers, polished hoof for shepherds, and so on. Then there’s the plain gold medallion given to the unblessed, a gift from Yslet for them to buy passage to find their true path elsewhere.
Aila has finally persuaded her mother to let her take her Goddess Trial, and she’s excited to meet the Goddess. She has dreamed of meeting the Goddess on her Isle and being handed a medallion, of starting an apprenticeship at last. But when she gets to the Isle it’s dark and empty, no Goddess awaits her. There’s no medallion not even the dreaded gold one. Instead, she finds a golden eyed puppy who follows her back to her boat.
Returning to the village with the puppy and no medallion, the leaders have no idea what to make of the results of Aila’s Goddess Trial. After consulting records, they find that Yslet has been absent before but never has a dog been found in her place. In those situations the person was tested further to see if they are blessed by the Gods or not. Aila is set five Ordeals, if she passes she will be allowed to take the Goddess Trial for a second time. If she fails, then it will be taken as a sign that she is unblessed. Offered the chance to take the Ordeals or leave her village, Aila chooses to take the Ordeals rather than leave the only home she has ever known.
Until her status has been confirmed, it’s decided that Aila must live alone on the outskirts of the village. She must be chaperoned if she wishes to visit with any friends and family, and a young unblessed man Hew is given the task of acting as chaperone and seeing to Aila’s needs. As an unblessed he is an outcast, ignored and dismissed, considered only good enough to shovel peat. His new assignment provides him with the chance to prove that he can do more.
Aila has been kind to Hew from the start, and as her only confidante, the two grow closer. They both begin to notice when strange things start to happen around Orail, the puppy Aila brought back from the Island. It is just the beginning of a series of secrets that will lead the threesome into mystery and danger that reaches further than they could ever imagine.
I love animal companions in books, so there was a fairly good chance that I would fall in love with Our Divine Mischief and Orail. Then Hanna C. Howard had the marvellous idea of making the animal companion a narrator! Orail’s narration is written in poetic verse and this works very well for an animal’s voice. I’m not a huge poetry fan, so if that’s not your jam either don’t worry; Howard has judged just the right length for these chapters. They’re whimsical and interesting without being too much poetry for those of us who are not interested in that form.
Our Divine Mischief would be a wonderful book if it just focused on the relationship between the three narrators, and mythology. With Scottish history woven into the story it becomes an incredible book. Telling an alternative tale of history with fantastical and mythological elements, Howard’s writing jumped off the page and captured my heart. I was captivated from start to finish by the lives of Aila, Hew and Orail and while I’m sad to leave these characters behind, the story wrapped up in a satisfactory fashion.
This is a rich tale with so many layers, and clearly written by an animal lover which gives it an added depth. If you loved Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, especially the scenes with Oberon, then this is a book for you.
A unique combination of mythology, history and fantasy, Our Divine Mischief offers a story of adventure, romance and, of course, mischief. The Gods are not only real they play an active role in the people’s lives. On Fuiscea the Goddess Yslet shapes lives through the Goddess Trial that villagers take during their youth. Alone they row out to Yslet’s Isle to meet the Goddess, and return with one of her medallions. The medallion tells them what apprenticeship they have an aptitude for; sea glass for fishers, polished hoof for shepherds, and so on. Then there’s the plain gold medallion given to the unblessed, a gift from Yslet for them to buy passage to find their true path elsewhere.
Aila has finally persuaded her mother to let her take her Goddess Trial, and she’s excited to meet the Goddess. She has dreamed of meeting the Goddess on her Isle and being handed a medallion, of starting an apprenticeship at last. But when she gets to the Isle it’s dark and empty, no Goddess awaits her. There’s no medallion not even the dreaded gold one. Instead, she finds a golden eyed puppy who follows her back to her boat.
Returning to the village with the puppy and no medallion, the leaders have no idea what to make of the results of Aila’s Goddess Trial. After consulting records, they find that Yslet has been absent before but never has a dog been found in her place. In those situations the person was tested further to see if they are blessed by the Gods or not. Aila is set five Ordeals, if she passes she will be allowed to take the Goddess Trial for a second time. If she fails, then it will be taken as a sign that she is unblessed. Offered the chance to take the Ordeals or leave her village, Aila chooses to take the Ordeals rather than leave the only home she has ever known.
Until her status has been confirmed, it’s decided that Aila must live alone on the outskirts of the village. She must be chaperoned if she wishes to visit with any friends and family, and a young unblessed man Hew is given the task of acting as chaperone and seeing to Aila’s needs. As an unblessed he is an outcast, ignored and dismissed, considered only good enough to shovel peat. His new assignment provides him with the chance to prove that he can do more.
Aila has been kind to Hew from the start, and as her only confidante, the two grow closer. They both begin to notice when strange things start to happen around Orail, the puppy Aila brought back from the Island. It is just the beginning of a series of secrets that will lead the threesome into mystery and danger that reaches further than they could ever imagine.
I love animal companions in books, so there was a fairly good chance that I would fall in love with Our Divine Mischief and Orail. Then Hanna C. Howard had the marvellous idea of making the animal companion a narrator! Orail’s narration is written in poetic verse and this works very well for an animal’s voice. I’m not a huge poetry fan, so if that’s not your jam either don’t worry; Howard has judged just the right length for these chapters. They’re whimsical and interesting without being too much poetry for those of us who are not interested in that form.
Our Divine Mischief would be a wonderful book if it just focused on the relationship between the three narrators, and mythology. With Scottish history woven into the story it becomes an incredible book. Telling an alternative tale of history with fantastical and mythological elements, Howard’s writing jumped off the page and captured my heart. I was captivated from start to finish by the lives of Aila, Hew and Orail and while I’m sad to leave these characters behind, the story wrapped up in a satisfactory fashion.
This is a rich tale with so many layers, and clearly written by an animal lover which gives it an added depth. If you loved Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, especially the scenes with Oberon, then this is a book for you.
October 17, 2023
"'I can sense what you want," she says slowly. "For a while I could only smell it, but now I can hear it in your thoughts, too. When you want something, I want to give it to you. And I can.'
Straightforward, really. And how like a dog - how simple and painfully beautiful - to want to grant all your desires."
On the island of Fuiscea, there is a tradition. When a person comes of age, they can take a "goddess trial" and row to an island where the goddess Yslet will meet them and give them a medallion telling them what they're meant to do with the rest of their lives. Different medallion materials mean different trades or callings. If a person ends up with a gold medallion, they are considered Unblessed and shunned by the rest of the village. When Aila goes to the island for her goddess trial, the goddess doesn't show up at all. Instead, she ends up with a strange puppy that seems to grow overnight and can grant all her wishes. Aila calls the puppy Orail, and although a dog was the last thing she wanted or was looking for, she finds herself forging a bond with the strange misfit hound. In order to determine if she is worthy of a second goddess trial, Aila must prove her worth through a series of "ordeals," but with the aid of Orail and an Unblessed boy named Hew, she might just achieve everything she's dreamed of. Along the way, many trials and heartaches befall Aila, leaving her questioning just what it means to belong somewhere, who she belongs with, and what she will do to safeguard the bonds she has with those she loves.
This book has a very interesting premise. I liked the setting although the pseudo-Scottish dialect and terms made things a bit hard at times, and I could have used a pronunciation guide along with the definitions and guide to deities in the back. My muddling the words aside, I did enjoy the island and the characters inhabiting it. I don't think anyone will be able to help picturing a setting and heroine quite similar to that of the Disney/Pixar film "Brave" - except with a wonderful dog as an additional character. Orail is hands down the best part of this book. Anyone who's ever had a beloved dog will recognize something of them in Orail. Her train of thought and her actions are all so believable and easy to picture, as well as her simple, unselfish love for her human. Aila and Hew are good enough human protagonists. Aila isn't flawless and has to learn and grow. She makes mistakes and has to pay prices for them. Hew is a bit of a tight fussbudget, very much governed by his faith, but he has his own flaws. The problem is that neither of them outshines or is as interesting as the dog. There are other human characters in the novel (the local laird, some priests, members of Aila's family), but none of them are really developed that much and with the exception of the novel's big bad, it's not really clear if we're supposed to like or dislike them.
This brings me to the only real issue I had with the novel. To me, this novel feels like it should have been a duology. Without giving too much away, there's an abrupt location change between the first and second half of the books, as well as an abrupt plot twist and change in the type of story being told. As a result, the second half of the novel tends to feel a bit rushed and some of the solutions to certain issues feel a bit unsatisfying. If this novel had been two books, I think there could have been a lot more character development, lore building, and just general establishment of time and place. It could have ended with the plot twist cliffhanger, and then novel two would pick up in the new location and establish things and build characters there. Other than this feeling of a rushed second half and ending, I can say that I did genuinely enjoy the book, and especially Orail. I just wish I had more adventures to look forward to with such a good girl. 3.75 rounded up to four stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Hanna Howard for the free advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions expressed are my own.
Straightforward, really. And how like a dog - how simple and painfully beautiful - to want to grant all your desires."
On the island of Fuiscea, there is a tradition. When a person comes of age, they can take a "goddess trial" and row to an island where the goddess Yslet will meet them and give them a medallion telling them what they're meant to do with the rest of their lives. Different medallion materials mean different trades or callings. If a person ends up with a gold medallion, they are considered Unblessed and shunned by the rest of the village. When Aila goes to the island for her goddess trial, the goddess doesn't show up at all. Instead, she ends up with a strange puppy that seems to grow overnight and can grant all her wishes. Aila calls the puppy Orail, and although a dog was the last thing she wanted or was looking for, she finds herself forging a bond with the strange misfit hound. In order to determine if she is worthy of a second goddess trial, Aila must prove her worth through a series of "ordeals," but with the aid of Orail and an Unblessed boy named Hew, she might just achieve everything she's dreamed of. Along the way, many trials and heartaches befall Aila, leaving her questioning just what it means to belong somewhere, who she belongs with, and what she will do to safeguard the bonds she has with those she loves.
This book has a very interesting premise. I liked the setting although the pseudo-Scottish dialect and terms made things a bit hard at times, and I could have used a pronunciation guide along with the definitions and guide to deities in the back. My muddling the words aside, I did enjoy the island and the characters inhabiting it. I don't think anyone will be able to help picturing a setting and heroine quite similar to that of the Disney/Pixar film "Brave" - except with a wonderful dog as an additional character. Orail is hands down the best part of this book. Anyone who's ever had a beloved dog will recognize something of them in Orail. Her train of thought and her actions are all so believable and easy to picture, as well as her simple, unselfish love for her human. Aila and Hew are good enough human protagonists. Aila isn't flawless and has to learn and grow. She makes mistakes and has to pay prices for them. Hew is a bit of a tight fussbudget, very much governed by his faith, but he has his own flaws. The problem is that neither of them outshines or is as interesting as the dog. There are other human characters in the novel (the local laird, some priests, members of Aila's family), but none of them are really developed that much and with the exception of the novel's big bad, it's not really clear if we're supposed to like or dislike them.
This brings me to the only real issue I had with the novel. To me, this novel feels like it should have been a duology. Without giving too much away, there's an abrupt location change between the first and second half of the books, as well as an abrupt plot twist and change in the type of story being told. As a result, the second half of the novel tends to feel a bit rushed and some of the solutions to certain issues feel a bit unsatisfying. If this novel had been two books, I think there could have been a lot more character development, lore building, and just general establishment of time and place. It could have ended with the plot twist cliffhanger, and then novel two would pick up in the new location and establish things and build characters there. Other than this feeling of a rushed second half and ending, I can say that I did genuinely enjoy the book, and especially Orail. I just wish I had more adventures to look forward to with such a good girl. 3.75 rounded up to four stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Hanna Howard for the free advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions expressed are my own.
March 20, 2024
A.) I hate rating books
B.) I enjoyed this book. The last ten pages were like a nice little cherry and whipped cream combo on top of a sundae.
C.) the cover is what totally attracted me to this book—so beautiful and spooky!
D.) cute!
B.) I enjoyed this book. The last ten pages were like a nice little cherry and whipped cream combo on top of a sundae.
C.) the cover is what totally attracted me to this book—so beautiful and spooky!
D.) cute!
October 13, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!! This YA fantasy takes you on a journey based on Scottish history and folklore with multiple POVs. Alia a young girl who lives in a fishing village is setting out for her time in the Goddess Trials, a trial which determines if you are blessed or unblessed. She teams up with a dog named Orail and a young boy who has been told he is unblessed. However, it is found out that Orail is not your normal dog and she is but another magical being. There is action, adventure, love and betrayal in this coming of age book about finding out who you are and what you are capable of.
May 26, 2024
3 because the writing is good but I’m feeling more like it’s 2.5
2 for the plot—I think this was a fun idea, but the narrative focus was on the wrong character (for me personally) Aila was kinda boring and selfish. Hew was sympathetic but not much else. Orail was interesting and I wish the book had been more about her entire story.
I also think the book should have focused more on Orail and Aila’s friendship. The love plot triangle bogged things down. I felt nothing for the romance plot.
I’ll be honest I skimmed to the end once Orail was just handed over to Morgan. Aila was too annoying to read. Blaming everyone for her bad plans. She really does nothing to help anyone. In the end it’s really a story about Orail. This could have been so good. Ella Enchanted type good. Instead it fell flat for me.
2 for the plot—I think this was a fun idea, but the narrative focus was on the wrong character (for me personally) Aila was kinda boring and selfish. Hew was sympathetic but not much else. Orail was interesting and I wish the book had been more about her entire story.
I also think the book should have focused more on Orail and Aila’s friendship. The love plot triangle bogged things down. I felt nothing for the romance plot.
I’ll be honest I skimmed to the end once Orail was just handed over to Morgan. Aila was too annoying to read. Blaming everyone for her bad plans. She really does nothing to help anyone. In the end it’s really a story about Orail. This could have been so good. Ella Enchanted type good. Instead it fell flat for me.
June 25, 2024
the beginning was good and then she kept making huge mistakes and blaming everyone else and then the conflict was ended dumb and the romance was only added i feel bc readers always want romance
September 19, 2024
I enjoyed the beginning of this book more than the end. I always enjoy a book with drama and humor. The writing was good.
February 10, 2025
The author had a giveaway for this book in late 2023 and I won. :) I actually waited a little bit (like, a solid year and four months) to read it, not because I wasn’t excited for the story, but because I lost a dog in late 2022 and won the giveaway not that long after the first anniversary of his passing. I simply wasn’t ready to read a book that revolved around a dog yet. But my heart has healed more since then and I felt like I was ready to pick this book up now.
This story was tons of fun and very sweet. The setting is heavily inspired by ancient Scotland, but with fantasy twists, like gods (see the Spiritual section of the content advisory for details) and a dog who can magically grant wishes. Our main characters are Aila, a girl with aspirations of taking her “trial” that will let her take an apprenticeship sailing on her father’s ship, and Hew, a young man who is kind and good, but much of the village rejects him because he is considered, “unblessed.”
The “trial” that Aila wants to take marks the coming of age for young people of her village, and during it, they row out to a little island to meet the goddess Yslet and be granted the blessing of a medallion that tells them what apprenticeship would be best for them to dedicate their lives to. Typically, this matches up with the person’s natural talents. But occasionally, some people like Hew, receive a blank medallion. Despite the fact that Yslet hands this over with the usual statement that she loves and cares about the individual, the leaders of the village have decided that a blank medallion means you are without blessing and without skill, therefore, you will be rejected by the village.
However, when Aila goes to the island and not only fails to find Yslet at all, but returns with a very enthusiastic and loving puppy who only has eyes for her, the leaders are at a loss for its meaning. So, they assign Aila a series of “ordeals” that she must pass, with only the dog as a companion, to try to figure out if the gods are in her favor or not.
“Our Divine Mischief” was the perfect title for this story since, as the puppy, named Orail, grows really really fast, (like, within a matter of days), Aila discovers that Orail can not only speak through her mind, Orail can also grant wishes. And those granted wishes tend to have a certain mischief to them, such as when Aila had a physical ordeal of having to stand in the water with her arms outstretched all night long and wished that the people on the shore, monitoring her, wouldn’t be able to see her rest her arms… So Orail granted the wish by making all of those people’s hair grow to epic lengths so it would cover their eyes. There were other amusing incidents, but you’ll just have to read the story to learn about them. 🙂
The combination of humor and heart was my favorite thing about this story. It isn’t a comedy, but there were several very amusing things that happened that made me love Orail as much as Aila did, even as I guessed at her true identity and the reason why she was given to Aila in the first place.
I also must praise the author for letting Aila have a healthy and caring family. Even if their role in the story wasn’t huge, this is one of the rare YA books that lets the main character’s family be alive, healthy, and supportive!
Oh, and the writing here was quite clever all by itself! Along with chapters from Aila and Hew's perspectives, we also get short chapters from Orail (because she can speak with her mind, at least). I absolutely loved the way the author handled these because they're written in poetic verse where the style of poetry changes and becomes more complex as Orail herself grows and matures. So, the first couple of chapters from her perspective are very simple, short verse, freeform poetry, but then it matures into haiku, then rhyming verse. Finally, when Orail finds her "real voice" we end up with bard-like poetry that lets her express herself more thoroughly but still has a rhythm to it. That was just so unique and clever and worked so well to show that she's far more than a normal dog, but even she doesn't initially remember who she used to be and has to find her true voice again. (And when I tell you that the truth of her identity is worth waiting for, I mean it!)
As for the heart, I’m so glad that the author put a note at the start of the book that, no matter what happens, she hates stories like “Where the Red Fern Grows” (aka, stories where the dog dies and the ending is terribly sad.) it helped a lot because, while there are some difficult and emotional moments in this story, I held on to the author’s promise that things would be okay by the end. She made good on that promise so well, and I admit to shedding some tears (happy ones) and hugging my own dog.
Ultimately, this story is about love. Not the romantic kind, though there is a little of that, too, but the love of two souls that becomes so deep they would sacrifice themselves for the wellbeing of the other. It’s also about learning how to heal from pain and rejection, discern truth from lies, and find hope where there seems to be none.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end and I hope this author has a long and healthy career putting out more books like this to be enjoyed by readers like me. Highly recommended to dog lovers, those who enjoy sweet, slow-burn romance, and those who love when a story goes deeper than expected.
Content Advisory:
Language:
The chapters from Orail’s perspective are written in different forms of poetry. One, in which Orail sends cows to help Aila with a physical test where she must stand in ice cold water all night, rhymes “hiss” with “p***” as the cows urinate in the water to warm Aila up. Later, there is a second use of this word in the context of an enemy guard telling someone to p*** off.
Two uses of d*** in a moment of great anguish.
S***e once.
Violence:
There are legends recited where individuals died, including someone getting killed by wolves but any violence that is referenced is never described outright.
Orail defends Aila from some wolves and kills them. The fight is emotionally intense, but not graphic. After the wolves are dead, there’s mention of blood on the sand and Orail’s face, but no description of the bodies.
It’s implied that an evil man beats Orail multiple times for not granting him wishes, but this is reported by Orail after the fact rather than described outright. Aila witnesses the man strike Orail on the muzzle once and sees markings on Orail’s body that are evidence of the beatings she’s received.
Aila gets pushed around a little at one point, but is unharmed.
Hew wrestles with and punches a couple of people on his way to help a captured Aila. He takes a few hits as well and there are some mentions of bleeding cuts and pain. There is mention of a crunch sound when he punches someone in the face, and pain in his hand.
Someone evil gets impaled to death on a sword. There is brief mention of blood on the ground, but nothing more.
There are mentions of soldiers turning on their captains and killing some of them, but none of this is described.
The following is a MASSIVE SPOILER and I only suggest you read it if you, or the person for whom you are buying the book, may be bothered by violence against dogs, or dog-related grief: Someone Orail. This isn’t described graphically or drawn out for more than a paragraph, but there is mention of blood on the floor and pain. Orail however, she is later
Sexual/Romance:
There are some romantic feelings between teens, including descriptions of blushy, tingly feelings, but this isn’t constant or overdone. There is a little hand holding, hugging, and two kisses on the lips, which are described, but more in emotional terms than physical.
There is a moral about not trusting someone too easily just because they’re handsome and act attracted to you.
At one point, Aila and Hew pretend to be husband and wife to infiltrate the ranks of a usurper’s followers. This results in them being forced to rent a single suit at an inn, but they quickly decide to sleep in separate rooms.
Aila and Hew speak to a married couple who are drunk, and end up quickly leaving them at the pub when the couple starts giving each other overly lovey-dovey looks.
Spiritual/Magic:
The author is a Christian who writes for the general market. There are no Christian elements or themes in this book, and it certainly is not an allegory, HOWEVER, it did bring up some thoughts about the interaction between the mortal and the divine that the author may have intended to mirror in a small way some aspects of the One True God and His love for His creation.
Overall, though, this story and its spiritual elements are most comparable in my mind to Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen's Thief series in that this fictional book world with ancient Scotland vibes has multiple (completely fictional) gods who exist and interact directly with the characters. Like I said above, and like in the Queen’s Thief series, this story uses this element to investigate themes of faith and the nature of the relationship between mortal man and the divine. This includes contrasting the true belief of a commoner with the secret unbelief of the leadership of the town who sometimes act surprised when the gods they claim to believe in actually do intervene out of love and concern for an individual. Speaking of love, it also shows how if a divine being went to the trouble of creating the world and the people in it, then naturally, it would love that creation. But love isn’t real unless it is given out of free will, so they don’t force people to love them or follow their guidance.
The humans here have no magical powers, though, twice, Aila is accused of practicing it when something strange happens. (She wasn’t.) Magic in this world is limited to the power of the gods, including them being able to change the appearance of certain individuals (we learn that some people who do bad things get taught a lesson by being turned into a Pucca, aka an animal that has the ability to grant wishes and must do something good to earn redemption) and Orail herself has this ability for reasons I won’t spoil. The wish magic has the limits of not being able to create anything. It can only move things from one place to another, or change what already exists.
This story was tons of fun and very sweet. The setting is heavily inspired by ancient Scotland, but with fantasy twists, like gods (see the Spiritual section of the content advisory for details) and a dog who can magically grant wishes. Our main characters are Aila, a girl with aspirations of taking her “trial” that will let her take an apprenticeship sailing on her father’s ship, and Hew, a young man who is kind and good, but much of the village rejects him because he is considered, “unblessed.”
The “trial” that Aila wants to take marks the coming of age for young people of her village, and during it, they row out to a little island to meet the goddess Yslet and be granted the blessing of a medallion that tells them what apprenticeship would be best for them to dedicate their lives to. Typically, this matches up with the person’s natural talents. But occasionally, some people like Hew, receive a blank medallion. Despite the fact that Yslet hands this over with the usual statement that she loves and cares about the individual, the leaders of the village have decided that a blank medallion means you are without blessing and without skill, therefore, you will be rejected by the village.
However, when Aila goes to the island and not only fails to find Yslet at all, but returns with a very enthusiastic and loving puppy who only has eyes for her, the leaders are at a loss for its meaning. So, they assign Aila a series of “ordeals” that she must pass, with only the dog as a companion, to try to figure out if the gods are in her favor or not.
“Our Divine Mischief” was the perfect title for this story since, as the puppy, named Orail, grows really really fast, (like, within a matter of days), Aila discovers that Orail can not only speak through her mind, Orail can also grant wishes. And those granted wishes tend to have a certain mischief to them, such as when Aila had a physical ordeal of having to stand in the water with her arms outstretched all night long and wished that the people on the shore, monitoring her, wouldn’t be able to see her rest her arms… So Orail granted the wish by making all of those people’s hair grow to epic lengths so it would cover their eyes. There were other amusing incidents, but you’ll just have to read the story to learn about them. 🙂
The combination of humor and heart was my favorite thing about this story. It isn’t a comedy, but there were several very amusing things that happened that made me love Orail as much as Aila did, even as I guessed at her true identity and the reason why she was given to Aila in the first place.
I also must praise the author for letting Aila have a healthy and caring family. Even if their role in the story wasn’t huge, this is one of the rare YA books that lets the main character’s family be alive, healthy, and supportive!
Oh, and the writing here was quite clever all by itself! Along with chapters from Aila and Hew's perspectives, we also get short chapters from Orail (because she can speak with her mind, at least). I absolutely loved the way the author handled these because they're written in poetic verse where the style of poetry changes and becomes more complex as Orail herself grows and matures. So, the first couple of chapters from her perspective are very simple, short verse, freeform poetry, but then it matures into haiku, then rhyming verse. Finally, when Orail finds her "real voice" we end up with bard-like poetry that lets her express herself more thoroughly but still has a rhythm to it. That was just so unique and clever and worked so well to show that she's far more than a normal dog, but even she doesn't initially remember who she used to be and has to find her true voice again. (And when I tell you that the truth of her identity is worth waiting for, I mean it!)
As for the heart, I’m so glad that the author put a note at the start of the book that, no matter what happens, she hates stories like “Where the Red Fern Grows” (aka, stories where the dog dies and the ending is terribly sad.) it helped a lot because, while there are some difficult and emotional moments in this story, I held on to the author’s promise that things would be okay by the end. She made good on that promise so well, and I admit to shedding some tears (happy ones) and hugging my own dog.
Ultimately, this story is about love. Not the romantic kind, though there is a little of that, too, but the love of two souls that becomes so deep they would sacrifice themselves for the wellbeing of the other. It’s also about learning how to heal from pain and rejection, discern truth from lies, and find hope where there seems to be none.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end and I hope this author has a long and healthy career putting out more books like this to be enjoyed by readers like me. Highly recommended to dog lovers, those who enjoy sweet, slow-burn romance, and those who love when a story goes deeper than expected.
Content Advisory:
Language:
The chapters from Orail’s perspective are written in different forms of poetry. One, in which Orail sends cows to help Aila with a physical test where she must stand in ice cold water all night, rhymes “hiss” with “p***” as the cows urinate in the water to warm Aila up. Later, there is a second use of this word in the context of an enemy guard telling someone to p*** off.
Two uses of d*** in a moment of great anguish.
S***e once.
Violence:
There are legends recited where individuals died, including someone getting killed by wolves but any violence that is referenced is never described outright.
Orail defends Aila from some wolves and kills them. The fight is emotionally intense, but not graphic. After the wolves are dead, there’s mention of blood on the sand and Orail’s face, but no description of the bodies.
It’s implied that an evil man beats Orail multiple times for not granting him wishes, but this is reported by Orail after the fact rather than described outright. Aila witnesses the man strike Orail on the muzzle once and sees markings on Orail’s body that are evidence of the beatings she’s received.
Aila gets pushed around a little at one point, but is unharmed.
Hew wrestles with and punches a couple of people on his way to help a captured Aila. He takes a few hits as well and there are some mentions of bleeding cuts and pain. There is mention of a crunch sound when he punches someone in the face, and pain in his hand.
Someone evil gets impaled to death on a sword. There is brief mention of blood on the ground, but nothing more.
There are mentions of soldiers turning on their captains and killing some of them, but none of this is described.
The following is a MASSIVE SPOILER and I only suggest you read it if you, or the person for whom you are buying the book, may be bothered by violence against dogs, or dog-related grief: Someone Orail. This isn’t described graphically or drawn out for more than a paragraph, but there is mention of blood on the floor and pain. Orail however, she is later
Sexual/Romance:
There are some romantic feelings between teens, including descriptions of blushy, tingly feelings, but this isn’t constant or overdone. There is a little hand holding, hugging, and two kisses on the lips, which are described, but more in emotional terms than physical.
There is a moral about not trusting someone too easily just because they’re handsome and act attracted to you.
At one point, Aila and Hew pretend to be husband and wife to infiltrate the ranks of a usurper’s followers. This results in them being forced to rent a single suit at an inn, but they quickly decide to sleep in separate rooms.
Aila and Hew speak to a married couple who are drunk, and end up quickly leaving them at the pub when the couple starts giving each other overly lovey-dovey looks.
Spiritual/Magic:
The author is a Christian who writes for the general market. There are no Christian elements or themes in this book, and it certainly is not an allegory, HOWEVER, it did bring up some thoughts about the interaction between the mortal and the divine that the author may have intended to mirror in a small way some aspects of the One True God and His love for His creation.
Overall, though, this story and its spiritual elements are most comparable in my mind to Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen's Thief series in that this fictional book world with ancient Scotland vibes has multiple (completely fictional) gods who exist and interact directly with the characters. Like I said above, and like in the Queen’s Thief series, this story uses this element to investigate themes of faith and the nature of the relationship between mortal man and the divine. This includes contrasting the true belief of a commoner with the secret unbelief of the leadership of the town who sometimes act surprised when the gods they claim to believe in actually do intervene out of love and concern for an individual. Speaking of love, it also shows how if a divine being went to the trouble of creating the world and the people in it, then naturally, it would love that creation. But love isn’t real unless it is given out of free will, so they don’t force people to love them or follow their guidance.
The humans here have no magical powers, though, twice, Aila is accused of practicing it when something strange happens. (She wasn’t.) Magic in this world is limited to the power of the gods, including them being able to change the appearance of certain individuals (we learn that some people who do bad things get taught a lesson by being turned into a Pucca, aka an animal that has the ability to grant wishes and must do something good to earn redemption) and Orail herself has this ability for reasons I won’t spoil. The wish magic has the limits of not being able to create anything. It can only move things from one place to another, or change what already exists.
October 15, 2023
Thank you so much Blink Teens & YA Publishing, Netgalley, and TBR and Beyond Tours for sending me an ARC to read and share an honest review of!
"But of course you can't strive to belong. Because belonging doesn't come on the back of hard work; it comes as a result of being loved."
*4.25 stars*
This book was a very good, solid YA book in my opinion! It had decent worldbuilding, loveable characters, a good message, and a good plot.
First off, let's talk about the characters. I absolutely loved Hew, Orail, and Aila; they felt so real and relatable to me. Though, at times, Aila went out of character a little (like very naive in one scene and cunning in the next). I didn't hate Hew's and Aila's relationship, BUT I do wish it had been a little more developed near the end. Aila had shown no signs of being in love with him, then just decided she would tell him she loved him when she found out . The side characters were interesting as well, though a little flat, and there were a LOT of characters' names which at times made for a confusing read.
In regards to the plot, it kept my attention the entire time, and I didn't want to put this book down because of it! It took a little while to get into the story, as there were twists that had to happen near the beginning to reveal the true, high stakes. I also think the ending went by a little fast (like the conflict was resolved a little too quickly, considering how long it took to get there). There was also a little too much telling, and not showing.
I think my favorite parts of this book though were the themes it explored and some parts of the worldbuilding. Overall, the worldbuilding was a tad confusing (and lacking in regards to the "impending war"), but I loved the fantasy version of the Scottish Highlands and Howard's take on Celtic mythology. There were many themes this book explored, but the most significant ones were: belonging, family, home, and self-worth. It was one of the most relatable stories I've read in a while in this regard.
Overall, a very good YA read that I'd definitely recommend!
"But of course you can't strive to belong. Because belonging doesn't come on the back of hard work; it comes as a result of being loved."
*4.25 stars*
This book was a very good, solid YA book in my opinion! It had decent worldbuilding, loveable characters, a good message, and a good plot.
First off, let's talk about the characters. I absolutely loved Hew, Orail, and Aila; they felt so real and relatable to me. Though, at times, Aila went out of character a little (like very naive in one scene and cunning in the next). I didn't hate Hew's and Aila's relationship, BUT I do wish it had been a little more developed near the end. Aila had shown no signs of being in love with him, then just decided she would tell him she loved him when she found out . The side characters were interesting as well, though a little flat, and there were a LOT of characters' names which at times made for a confusing read.
In regards to the plot, it kept my attention the entire time, and I didn't want to put this book down because of it! It took a little while to get into the story, as there were twists that had to happen near the beginning to reveal the true, high stakes. I also think the ending went by a little fast (like the conflict was resolved a little too quickly, considering how long it took to get there). There was also a little too much telling, and not showing.
I think my favorite parts of this book though were the themes it explored and some parts of the worldbuilding. Overall, the worldbuilding was a tad confusing (and lacking in regards to the "impending war"), but I loved the fantasy version of the Scottish Highlands and Howard's take on Celtic mythology. There were many themes this book explored, but the most significant ones were: belonging, family, home, and self-worth. It was one of the most relatable stories I've read in a while in this regard.
Overall, a very good YA read that I'd definitely recommend!
April 17, 2024
Picked up a free listening copy of this (just one of the perks of being a bookseller) from our audiobook partner Libro.fm. I snagged this one because I know my friend Cheyenne Van Langvelde really liked it, and while she and I don't always share the same tastes in reading, this book intrigued me enough that I wanted to give it a shot.
At first, I thought I wasn't going to enjoy this book much; at the beginning it seemed a little formulaic, and I didn't really like Aila, the female main character. However, as I continued listening, the story blossomed out into something much more than formulaic, and all three of the main characters, including the magical dog Orail, really grew on me. By the end of the story, I was reluctant to leave them behind. I am not the biggest dog person, but if you love dogs you will definitely enjoy that aspect of this book even more than I did, and I enjoyed it quite a lot! A magical dog who's point of view is written in verse is definitely a unique choice for a narrator.
I would love to see more YA like this in the world; the main characters actually feel and act like older teenagers, rather than brooding 30-somethings, and their adventures are both delightfully whimsical and serious enough to avoid feeling "too young" for a teenage reader. I am growing extremely tired of the grimdark, foul-mouthed, racy, and frankly boring "YA" books that have come to dominate the market. Hanna Howard's writing is such a bright spot in all that mess, and I hope more people will write YA like this in the future!
Also, I definitely recommend the audiobook; all three narrators are splendid and have great accents to compliment the Celtic-inspired worldbuilding!
At first, I thought I wasn't going to enjoy this book much; at the beginning it seemed a little formulaic, and I didn't really like Aila, the female main character. However, as I continued listening, the story blossomed out into something much more than formulaic, and all three of the main characters, including the magical dog Orail, really grew on me. By the end of the story, I was reluctant to leave them behind. I am not the biggest dog person, but if you love dogs you will definitely enjoy that aspect of this book even more than I did, and I enjoyed it quite a lot! A magical dog who's point of view is written in verse is definitely a unique choice for a narrator.
I would love to see more YA like this in the world; the main characters actually feel and act like older teenagers, rather than brooding 30-somethings, and their adventures are both delightfully whimsical and serious enough to avoid feeling "too young" for a teenage reader. I am growing extremely tired of the grimdark, foul-mouthed, racy, and frankly boring "YA" books that have come to dominate the market. Hanna Howard's writing is such a bright spot in all that mess, and I hope more people will write YA like this in the future!
Also, I definitely recommend the audiobook; all three narrators are splendid and have great accents to compliment the Celtic-inspired worldbuilding!
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