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Vaelandrian Goddesses #1
Divine Touched
Harper, Sword Maiden for the illustrious Goddess of the Open Sea, has returned to the fabled city of Griffon's Rock at the end of the Last Road to rest for the winter months after a disappointing year treasure hunting. Her rest is cut short by a mysterious storm of divine origin, an attempted horse theft of her beloved mount, and the sudden appearance of a beautiful southerner who seems determined to capture Harper's heart. As the snows begin to fall, intrigue and romance heats up. The object of Harper's desire, the mysterious rogue Calista, appears destined to get everyone into fresh trouble with a mystical stew-brewing ogre, a greedy guild of Dwarven thieves, and finally an exalted march out of the snowy north bent on divine retribution. Harper must decide if her growing love for Calista is real or a product of the lies she's been told. Before the spring thaw, Harper will choose between the woman she loves and the Goddess that is the source of her magic.
388 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2012
15 people are currently reading
601 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Duffy
14 books84 followersCassandra Duffy spent most of her childhood being precocious, which stopped being entertaining or impressive when she grew into an adult, at which point she had to start being precious. After being an outcast child prodigy it was no surprise when she graduated from one of the many fine University of California schools a year early to follow her girlfriend in a cross country move.
She writes a free-lance sex advice column found in various lesbian magazines and dating websites. Her short story collections and novels can be found on her website.
Two of her greatest prides are being a true California girl and author of some truly naughty things. She is a dutiful partially-Asian daughter who is beloved by her fairly traditional Korean father who thinks having a gay daughter is just fine as long as she keeps playing coed flag football. She is a stereotypical younger sister, and an adoring aunt of a hilarious little boy. Being a modern techno-freak, gamer-girl, she spent most of her childhood dreaming of being a video game designer, but changed her mind and brought her dreams of world building and story-weaving to writing unique romance novels.
Cassandra is a gleefully monogamous girlfriend to an earthbound goddess who was once her high school bully, but has done a magnificent job of making up for all the school girl nastiness ever since. When she isn't being an avid fang girl (vampire fan girl) or tormenting people in online gaming, she lives and writes in Winter Park, Florida with her partner and soul mate Nichole and their two cats: Dragon and Josephine.
She writes a free-lance sex advice column found in various lesbian magazines and dating websites. Her short story collections and novels can be found on her website.
Two of her greatest prides are being a true California girl and author of some truly naughty things. She is a dutiful partially-Asian daughter who is beloved by her fairly traditional Korean father who thinks having a gay daughter is just fine as long as she keeps playing coed flag football. She is a stereotypical younger sister, and an adoring aunt of a hilarious little boy. Being a modern techno-freak, gamer-girl, she spent most of her childhood dreaming of being a video game designer, but changed her mind and brought her dreams of world building and story-weaving to writing unique romance novels.
Cassandra is a gleefully monogamous girlfriend to an earthbound goddess who was once her high school bully, but has done a magnificent job of making up for all the school girl nastiness ever since. When she isn't being an avid fang girl (vampire fan girl) or tormenting people in online gaming, she lives and writes in Winter Park, Florida with her partner and soul mate Nichole and their two cats: Dragon and Josephine.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 6, 2014
I had previously given up on two highly-rated lesfic fantasy books after just a few chapters in so I'm a bit wary of this genre. In both cases, there were too many characters for me to keep track of and too little going on to hold my interest. Fortunately, this isn't the third one. The author wisely focuses the story and action on the two main characters first. Once we're hooked, she slowly widens the circle until, by the end of the book, you get the usual smorgasbord of characters that is typical of epic-length fantasy.
The cast of characters is amazingly drawn: Forthright and true Harper, wily Calista, catty Brandine, snarky Ezra, roughly hewn Athol and Sven, stinky sweet Ogre, etc, even all the bit characters have their place and moment in the tale. There is a lot of humor--some dark, some droll, and some downright funny, but isn't forced or overdone. All the usual elements we normally expect from fantasy are there--spells, prophecies, great battles and of course, dragons. The author eschews the usual quest and good-vs-evil plot in favor of a unique and very unpredictable storyline, where the objective is unclear, where most characters' motives are suspect, and you just never know who's gonna end up getting offed next.
Romance readers will love the development of Harper's and Calista's relationship. Calista's seduction of the virginal Harper is deliciously sexy. But how they get from lust to trust, with all the lies, secrets and a tenacious rival between them--is what makes for a great, lesfic-quality love story.
There is a lot of moral ambiguity if you go by our modern day standards. Calista is an assasin, a thief, a spin artist and big-time trouble-magnet. The tempest she stirs up and the resulting dust-up can rival any of the major LOTR sieges in terms of body count. But no epic fantasy worth its salt will be complete without this epic final battle. In the book, it stretches over the final third of the book, in all its bloody and gory detail. Fantasy fans will love it. Personally, I found it rather exhausting.
I was planning to give this a 4.4 which is 4 stars but I loved the ending so much, I'm gonna bump this up a bit.
Again, thanks to all the GR peeps who took time to review the book and helped me discover this wonderful world. Now on to Book 2.
4.5 stars
The cast of characters is amazingly drawn: Forthright and true Harper, wily Calista, catty Brandine, snarky Ezra, roughly hewn Athol and Sven, stinky sweet Ogre, etc, even all the bit characters have their place and moment in the tale. There is a lot of humor--some dark, some droll, and some downright funny, but isn't forced or overdone. All the usual elements we normally expect from fantasy are there--spells, prophecies, great battles and of course, dragons. The author eschews the usual quest and good-vs-evil plot in favor of a unique and very unpredictable storyline, where the objective is unclear, where most characters' motives are suspect, and you just never know who's gonna end up getting offed next.
Romance readers will love the development of Harper's and Calista's relationship. Calista's seduction of the virginal Harper is deliciously sexy. But how they get from lust to trust, with all the lies, secrets and a tenacious rival between them--is what makes for a great, lesfic-quality love story.
There is a lot of moral ambiguity if you go by our modern day standards. Calista is an assasin, a thief, a spin artist and big-time trouble-magnet. The tempest she stirs up and the resulting dust-up can rival any of the major LOTR sieges in terms of body count. But no epic fantasy worth its salt will be complete without this epic final battle. In the book, it stretches over the final third of the book, in all its bloody and gory detail. Fantasy fans will love it. Personally, I found it rather exhausting.
I was planning to give this a 4.4 which is 4 stars but I loved the ending so much, I'm gonna bump this up a bit.
Again, thanks to all the GR peeps who took time to review the book and helped me discover this wonderful world. Now on to Book 2.
4.5 stars
September 27, 2021
Harper, Sword Maiden of the Ocean, foils the attempted theft of her beloved horse the day after her god smashes a ship in Griffon's Rock harbour. The would-be thief Calista is on the run; lying her way through what she can't fight, and seducing herself some allies along the way. What follows is a tale of two woman as they find themselves battling the local thieves guild, a massive invasion out of the north, and the desires of the gods themselves.
I very much enjoyed this book; it was a ripping good yarn, filled with danger and excitement. The personalities were very much different from one another (even down to the most minor of bit-characters) and each got their own character arc which contained trial, tribulation, and growth. The plot itself was fast-paced and contained plenty of action; nothing dragged or fell short there. Plot threads were wrapped up neatly at the end, albeit thing are left radically different for the next book in the series.
What lost the star for me was the writing. The editing - especially in the middle of the book - was sub-par. Words were often randomly missing or sentences were run together. The prose itself felt stiff in places; it never eased into a flowing rhythm that gently moves the reader along. The conversations were sometimes stiff and blocky (albeit this is lampshaded at one point in comedic fashion). Although the excellence of the world dragged me past these flaws handily, it would be remiss of me to not point them out.
Overall this is a superb yarn though, and I enjoyed it tremendously. Four stars.
I very much enjoyed this book; it was a ripping good yarn, filled with danger and excitement. The personalities were very much different from one another (even down to the most minor of bit-characters) and each got their own character arc which contained trial, tribulation, and growth. The plot itself was fast-paced and contained plenty of action; nothing dragged or fell short there. Plot threads were wrapped up neatly at the end, albeit thing are left radically different for the next book in the series.
What lost the star for me was the writing. The editing - especially in the middle of the book - was sub-par. Words were often randomly missing or sentences were run together. The prose itself felt stiff in places; it never eased into a flowing rhythm that gently moves the reader along. The conversations were sometimes stiff and blocky (albeit this is lampshaded at one point in comedic fashion). Although the excellence of the world dragged me past these flaws handily, it would be remiss of me to not point them out.
Overall this is a superb yarn though, and I enjoyed it tremendously. Four stars.
February 20, 2013
Caution: Gushing Review Ahead.
I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a very long time. From the moment Maraline, Goddess of the sea, makes her very impressive entrance, smashing a blockading armada of sea-going warships to splintery bits, I knew I was in the capable hands of a very talented writer. I was ready to be taken for a ride. And what a ride!
Cassandra Duffy deftly avoids all the traps and pitfalls that so many modern Fantasy writers fall into. She doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, doesn't try to make us believe that this is the first and only book to feature smelly ogres, dwarves and giant spiders. Instead, she very smartly plays off of already well established concepts familiar to fans of Fantasy and mythologies, while still throwing in lots of twists to keep things fresh - and us readers on our toes.
Nor does Ms. Duffy attempt to write a 'sprawling epic' featuring forty-two different plot lines, with a cast so vast it requires its own appendix (I think thirty-eight plot lines and nineteen protagonists is actually par for the course in Fantasy these days). Instead, she keeps the focus squarely on the shoulders of her two wonderful main characters; Harper, Sword Maiden and servant to the Ocean Goddess, and Calista, the dark and mysterious thief from the south.
There are so many things that impressed me about this book. Cassandra Duffy demonstrates a HUGE amount of talent as a writer as she balances adventure, action, romance, and yes, humour. This is a very funny book with a wonderful sense of whimsy - even biting sarcasm, at times. That's not an easy thing to pull off - especially in Fantasy. The humour is never silly, never slapstick or deprecating to the genre, and never detracts from the more adventurous or romantic elements. Far from it. Everything feels natural to the narrative and never contrived. If anything, it makes everything more real.
Speaking of difficult subjects to handle; the more romantic elements are handled quite masterfully, too. The romance that blooms between Harper and Calista is touching and sweet, and Ms. Duffy knows when to add just a little spice when things become a bit more steamy.
Final Note:
I'm almost befuddled by how much I enjoyed this book. When I come across a new book, let alone a new author, who, well, blows my mind like this, it kind of staggers me.
Well, I've been staggered.
Okay, Not So Final Note:
Geek admission: Fans of Fantasy Role-Playing games will love this book, too. I just happened to be playing through Dragon's Dogma, of all things, when I stumbled across this book. They made for wonderful companion pieces.
I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a very long time. From the moment Maraline, Goddess of the sea, makes her very impressive entrance, smashing a blockading armada of sea-going warships to splintery bits, I knew I was in the capable hands of a very talented writer. I was ready to be taken for a ride. And what a ride!
Cassandra Duffy deftly avoids all the traps and pitfalls that so many modern Fantasy writers fall into. She doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, doesn't try to make us believe that this is the first and only book to feature smelly ogres, dwarves and giant spiders. Instead, she very smartly plays off of already well established concepts familiar to fans of Fantasy and mythologies, while still throwing in lots of twists to keep things fresh - and us readers on our toes.
Nor does Ms. Duffy attempt to write a 'sprawling epic' featuring forty-two different plot lines, with a cast so vast it requires its own appendix (I think thirty-eight plot lines and nineteen protagonists is actually par for the course in Fantasy these days). Instead, she keeps the focus squarely on the shoulders of her two wonderful main characters; Harper, Sword Maiden and servant to the Ocean Goddess, and Calista, the dark and mysterious thief from the south.
There are so many things that impressed me about this book. Cassandra Duffy demonstrates a HUGE amount of talent as a writer as she balances adventure, action, romance, and yes, humour. This is a very funny book with a wonderful sense of whimsy - even biting sarcasm, at times. That's not an easy thing to pull off - especially in Fantasy. The humour is never silly, never slapstick or deprecating to the genre, and never detracts from the more adventurous or romantic elements. Far from it. Everything feels natural to the narrative and never contrived. If anything, it makes everything more real.
Speaking of difficult subjects to handle; the more romantic elements are handled quite masterfully, too. The romance that blooms between Harper and Calista is touching and sweet, and Ms. Duffy knows when to add just a little spice when things become a bit more steamy.
Final Note:
I'm almost befuddled by how much I enjoyed this book. When I come across a new book, let alone a new author, who, well, blows my mind like this, it kind of staggers me.
Well, I've been staggered.
Okay, Not So Final Note:
Geek admission: Fans of Fantasy Role-Playing games will love this book, too. I just happened to be playing through Dragon's Dogma, of all things, when I stumbled across this book. They made for wonderful companion pieces.
May 10, 2013
Yes! Bring on the next one! If there was any room for doubt about Cassandra Duffy being one of my new favorite authors, Divine Touched removed it. This was loads of fun! A deep fantasy world brought to life with humor, well written and tense action and beautifully steamy scenes of passion. This was everything I look for in a romance/adventure book. I really enjoyed the first and third books in the Raven Ladies series and now I want more of this one!
I love how Duffy doesn't rush through things. She lets things move at a good pace, but she gives things the time they need to develop. This makes her worlds richer and more rewarding. It also shows confidence in her ability to create such full worlds. This genre (like everything I guess) has it's share of good and bad books. At their worst for me, they are just rushed and poorly written stories who's only point is to create a little drama before resolving it quickly and getting to the sex. But this genre can be so much more. It can have fun, well written stories and interesting concepts AND good sex and fulfilling relationships. Duffy gets that and pulls it off with style.
She created several excellent characters in this one and many of them could hold the potential for books of their own. I'm getting the feeling that Sofea of the Valkyries may be the star of her own soon and that has me very excited. Harper and Calista were wonderful leads and their passion for each other was believable and grew slowly and beautifully with time. They both were awesome in all facets. Totally bad-ass fantasy heroines who tore up the battle field. I'm a big fan of RPG games and the archetypes they represented are time honored, but still fun. And it adds to it when you have played characters like them before.
I highly recommend this one and I think I'm looking forward to the next in this series more than Raven Ladies at the moment.
I love how Duffy doesn't rush through things. She lets things move at a good pace, but she gives things the time they need to develop. This makes her worlds richer and more rewarding. It also shows confidence in her ability to create such full worlds. This genre (like everything I guess) has it's share of good and bad books. At their worst for me, they are just rushed and poorly written stories who's only point is to create a little drama before resolving it quickly and getting to the sex. But this genre can be so much more. It can have fun, well written stories and interesting concepts AND good sex and fulfilling relationships. Duffy gets that and pulls it off with style.
She created several excellent characters in this one and many of them could hold the potential for books of their own. I'm getting the feeling that Sofea of the Valkyries may be the star of her own soon and that has me very excited. Harper and Calista were wonderful leads and their passion for each other was believable and grew slowly and beautifully with time. They both were awesome in all facets. Totally bad-ass fantasy heroines who tore up the battle field. I'm a big fan of RPG games and the archetypes they represented are time honored, but still fun. And it adds to it when you have played characters like them before.
I highly recommend this one and I think I'm looking forward to the next in this series more than Raven Ladies at the moment.
June 12, 2016
You just don't often see this type of genre in a lesfic romance. It's like an action pack, slash adventure, slash mystery, slash fantasy elements combined together with intriguing characters. Usually, when someone is a villain, they'll always remain a villain. It is not the case for this book. Villains can simply switch side, one moment you hate them, another moment, you love them. Apparently the opposite is true as well. If there is one word I have to describe this book, it is unpredictable.
Harper is one of the main character, and she is also the first point of view of the story. Despite being introduced first, I didn't find her to be that interesting. She got enthralled by Calista too fast, a bit naive, and chivalrous at times. However, she is not a dislikable character.
Then we got Calista. Calista is the main focus of mystery, and to me, she is the one that keeps the whole thing engaging. Calista's characteristic is not something you would often find in a main character. She is a liar, a killer, and a little bit villainous. She is the complete opposite as Harper. Yet, as her character began to develop throughout the book, her backstory and her point of view is what kept me on my toes during the entire adventure.
The author's great imagination had successfully created a completely unique world where deities and magic reside. Her style of writing fits the setting very well. The dialogues are ancient and non-modern, a great fit for this whole historical era vibe.
Harper is one of the main character, and she is also the first point of view of the story. Despite being introduced first, I didn't find her to be that interesting. She got enthralled by Calista too fast, a bit naive, and chivalrous at times. However, she is not a dislikable character.
Then we got Calista. Calista is the main focus of mystery, and to me, she is the one that keeps the whole thing engaging. Calista's characteristic is not something you would often find in a main character. She is a liar, a killer, and a little bit villainous. She is the complete opposite as Harper. Yet, as her character began to develop throughout the book, her backstory and her point of view is what kept me on my toes during the entire adventure.
The author's great imagination had successfully created a completely unique world where deities and magic reside. Her style of writing fits the setting very well. The dialogues are ancient and non-modern, a great fit for this whole historical era vibe.
August 28, 2017
I have mixed feelings on this book. I really wanted to like it more than I did. That said, it's not badly written at all and there's a lot of good to it. The world building, plot, characters are all in place and decent...but, for me it was missing depth with the two leads.
There were a lot of events and action occurring in the book but in a way I didn't care because I wasn't invested enough in the main characters. I think it would've benefited if there were more scenes of Calista and Harper sharing emotional intimacy in the beginning or middle of the story...
There's a good portion of the book where Calista is pretending so the little intimacy her and Harper share is based on a certain amount of deception. And, as the reader, we're aware of the deception but we also often aren't privy to all of the truth, either, so it kept me at a distance. Once the deception falls to the wayside, Calista and Harper still don't have many scenes of interacting in a meaningful way (other than physical) so, though they care for each other and that's evident, it still feels more shallow than it should.
I did really enjoy Calista, Brandinne, and Ezra's characters and I thought there was a good amount of subtle humor delivered well throughout the book...and, again, there's a solid foundation, overall. I just felt something was missing.
3.85 stars.
Updated: I loved the 2nd book in the series. Excellent improvement and definitely worth reading through the series to get there.
There were a lot of events and action occurring in the book but in a way I didn't care because I wasn't invested enough in the main characters. I think it would've benefited if there were more scenes of Calista and Harper sharing emotional intimacy in the beginning or middle of the story...
There's a good portion of the book where Calista is pretending so the little intimacy her and Harper share is based on a certain amount of deception. And, as the reader, we're aware of the deception but we also often aren't privy to all of the truth, either, so it kept me at a distance. Once the deception falls to the wayside, Calista and Harper still don't have many scenes of interacting in a meaningful way (other than physical) so, though they care for each other and that's evident, it still feels more shallow than it should.
I did really enjoy Calista, Brandinne, and Ezra's characters and I thought there was a good amount of subtle humor delivered well throughout the book...and, again, there's a solid foundation, overall. I just felt something was missing.
3.85 stars.
Updated: I loved the 2nd book in the series. Excellent improvement and definitely worth reading through the series to get there.
October 27, 2014
This is such an epic tale. The worldbuilding is very good, everything you read seems to be a culmination of thousands of years of tradition, customs, mannerisms and everything else you need to display a world you can instantly believe in.
That world is filled with very leshed out characters. We are treated to everything: an innocent virgin, a scheming pantheon, two rogues trying to outwit each other, magic, mercenaries and a sweet romance.
And lets not forget the epic battle that follows.
Truely an awesome fantasy novel
That world is filled with very leshed out characters. We are treated to everything: an innocent virgin, a scheming pantheon, two rogues trying to outwit each other, magic, mercenaries and a sweet romance.
And lets not forget the epic battle that follows.
Truely an awesome fantasy novel
February 10, 2019
3.5* rounded to 4 for this epic (read: looooong) fantasy story.
There is lots of action, magic, battles, plots and sex. But I didn’t find this a very exciting read. What was missing from this was - somehow - the divine spark that would give the characters soul and make you truly care about what happens to them and their relationships.
Still, there seems to be a second book in the series a s I will probably give that a whirl.
There is lots of action, magic, battles, plots and sex. But I didn’t find this a very exciting read. What was missing from this was - somehow - the divine spark that would give the characters soul and make you truly care about what happens to them and their relationships.
Still, there seems to be a second book in the series a s I will probably give that a whirl.
January 30, 2019
I found this a hard read -- the story dragged a little for me. there were also too many of things I found annoying as I read that took me out of the story: the idea that sex between women wouldn't count as losing your virginity, having a child together immediately even though you never thought you wanted one, a bunch of little annoying things -- there was a strong Xena/Callista vibe going on that made it seem like fan fiction a little. The final annoyance for me was really the way Harper gave up her goddess, whom she served her whole life so easily and only at the end was there any indication that she was unhappy with her goddess when she met another one. She was the priestess of her religion and just gave it up without any kind of agony or seeming discomfort. She was still able to be a glorious warrior and win the day even though losing the spark was supposed to be the harshest punishment her goddess could give her. The whole story bugged me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2015
This book is a nice, sound fantasy book.
The author created an elaborate universe with a pantheon of hidden deities who intertwine will and destinies with human persons.
The two main characters, Harper and Calista are very different. Harper is noble and unexperienced, while Calista is the mischievous, adventurous prototype of the thief-assassin with the addition of supernatural powers.
At first I found Harper quite boring while Calista was fun. But Harper is a growing character and I really liked her at the end.
Flirt between the two is really nice. Sex is quite moderate.
Minor characters are richly delineate and the plot is well studied. I'd say I sometimes even forgot about reading a lesbian fiction, more engrossed by the fantasy side of the story.
I enjoyed the reading.
The author created an elaborate universe with a pantheon of hidden deities who intertwine will and destinies with human persons.
The two main characters, Harper and Calista are very different. Harper is noble and unexperienced, while Calista is the mischievous, adventurous prototype of the thief-assassin with the addition of supernatural powers.
At first I found Harper quite boring while Calista was fun. But Harper is a growing character and I really liked her at the end.
Flirt between the two is really nice. Sex is quite moderate.
Minor characters are richly delineate and the plot is well studied. I'd say I sometimes even forgot about reading a lesbian fiction, more engrossed by the fantasy side of the story.
I enjoyed the reading.
July 31, 2013
This book is full of strong characters, blissfully intense romance and battle. I was absolutely giddy with every page enthralling me. Drawing me in closer and harder with every word. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into as I am not a huge fan of reading too many reviews in a book for fear of anything jumping out.
I am normally a f/f scifi kinda girl, but this book was a simple delight and very rewarding. The second in the series looks to be coming soon and when it finally comes out I'll be bumping off what ever book is in queue to let the The Vaelandrian Goddesses series continue to light it's way in my heart.
I am normally a f/f scifi kinda girl, but this book was a simple delight and very rewarding. The second in the series looks to be coming soon and when it finally comes out I'll be bumping off what ever book is in queue to let the The Vaelandrian Goddesses series continue to light it's way in my heart.
January 28, 2013
enjoyed this more than the other book I've read by the same author...fun pairing of virtuous lady knight and not so virtuous lady thief/assassin/soul eater....light and fun!
October 20, 2023
Divine Touched had some interesting ideas and a sweet romance, but I find it difficult to recommend.
It's poorly written. A great many words are used to say very little. The punctuation is haphazard at best, and sometimes causes confusion. The main character's name was misspelled once. Incorrect homophones abound: "a hale of arrows" was used on multiple occasions, and there are dozens of others I've forgotten.
Much of this could be fixed with a simple edit, and I'm happy to turn a blind eye to it. But the verbose nature of the writing was a real problem: This book is far longer than it needs to be, simply because each scene is too long, simply because each sentence is too long. There are so many meaningless words. This is not a story you can read for the beauty of the language.
As for the story itself, I have only one complaint, but it's a frustrating one. Calista is the best character—fierce and flirtatious, clever and merciless. She's an assassin, a killer. She thrives on death, and she's shrouded in mystery, surrounded in questions that the reader desperately wants solved. She is not a good person. She's a beautiful enigma.
Sadly, her cutthroat nature is never really addressed. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like her gray morality and predatory abilities were never given a chance to shine. The story could have been so much more interesting if her darkness was properly addressed. Instead, all her mystery and immoral tendencies are simply shed to no fanfare. It does her a great disservice.
Anyway, enough complaining! Despite all my criticism, I still enjoyed the book. I never quite knew where it was going, which made for an especially fun journey. The romance between Calista and Harper was cute, steamy as fuck, and often hilarious: Harper's nascent attempts at flirting were fabulously frank and awkward. Their relationship really carried the book.
I don't plan to read more of Duffy's work, but I certainly don't regret the time I spent on this one.
It's poorly written. A great many words are used to say very little. The punctuation is haphazard at best, and sometimes causes confusion. The main character's name was misspelled once. Incorrect homophones abound: "a hale of arrows" was used on multiple occasions, and there are dozens of others I've forgotten.
Much of this could be fixed with a simple edit, and I'm happy to turn a blind eye to it. But the verbose nature of the writing was a real problem: This book is far longer than it needs to be, simply because each scene is too long, simply because each sentence is too long. There are so many meaningless words. This is not a story you can read for the beauty of the language.
As for the story itself, I have only one complaint, but it's a frustrating one. Calista is the best character—fierce and flirtatious, clever and merciless. She's an assassin, a killer. She thrives on death, and she's shrouded in mystery, surrounded in questions that the reader desperately wants solved. She is not a good person. She's a beautiful enigma.
Sadly, her cutthroat nature is never really addressed. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like her gray morality and predatory abilities were never given a chance to shine. The story could have been so much more interesting if her darkness was properly addressed. Instead, all her mystery and immoral tendencies are simply shed to no fanfare. It does her a great disservice.
Anyway, enough complaining! Despite all my criticism, I still enjoyed the book. I never quite knew where it was going, which made for an especially fun journey. The romance between Calista and Harper was cute, steamy as fuck, and often hilarious: Harper's nascent attempts at flirting were fabulously frank and awkward. Their relationship really carried the book.
I don't plan to read more of Duffy's work, but I certainly don't regret the time I spent on this one.
September 6, 2019
4.5 stars
I enjoy the book, I really like the character. My only complain is it was missing the depth of the main character, their relationship is rushed and I've felt there's something missing. But overall this is a good reads and I really enjoy it
I enjoy the book, I really like the character. My only complain is it was missing the depth of the main character, their relationship is rushed and I've felt there's something missing. But overall this is a good reads and I really enjoy it
August 8, 2021
Interesting world, nice characters (Calista being my favourite) and very good battle scenes. I wasn't expecting so many battles, in fact, but they were really well-written, entertaining and thrilling. All in all, a good book that left me curious enough to want to read the sequel.
October 2, 2019
what can I possibly say? where do I even start?
ignoring the few unnecessary sex scenes, this book is has literally everything I ever wanted in a book.
engaging, well-written, strong, lovable characters, well constructed and epic world building.
I especially enjoyed it since I'm a huge fan of fantasy Role-playing video games *cough*Dragon Age*cough* and Divine Touched surrounded me with the exact needed atmosphere.
Whatever words I might say, words just can't do this book justice.
Bring me the next one! I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a while, so this book is going straight to my favorites shelf.
ignoring the few unnecessary sex scenes, this book is has literally everything I ever wanted in a book.
engaging, well-written, strong, lovable characters, well constructed and epic world building.
I especially enjoyed it since I'm a huge fan of fantasy Role-playing video games *cough*Dragon Age*cough* and Divine Touched surrounded me with the exact needed atmosphere.
Whatever words I might say, words just can't do this book justice.
Bring me the next one! I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a while, so this book is going straight to my favorites shelf.
October 22, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to read, had a good plot nice world building and was generally all around a good book.There were also several moments in the story or between the characters I really liked. I also liked the war horse Ariel.
I liked the characters but I didn't feel particularly attached to any of them. When something happened I wasn't particularly invested in it.
Overall it was a good adventure story and I liked it but, because of the low level attachment to these characters made it rather easy to put down and so only 3 stars.
I liked the characters but I didn't feel particularly attached to any of them. When something happened I wasn't particularly invested in it.
Overall it was a good adventure story and I liked it but, because of the low level attachment to these characters made it rather easy to put down and so only 3 stars.
January 20, 2014
This book read like playing a fantasy video game, full of adventuring, mystery, and intrigue, taking you into the lives of some truly endearing characters and their stories. The final battle scene reminded me so much of the famous Helm's Deep scene. Epic. At the core, Divine Touched is a love story and steps one takes to nurture and protect the ones you love, whatever the cost. I look forward to the sequel!
June 15, 2014
Probably more 3.5. Mostly predictable as fantasy goes but I still wanted to know what was going to happen next. I really liked the assassin character. The secondary characters were mostly fun too. I can't say I felt the connection between the two leading ladies as much as I wanted to. But I do want to read the second in the series just to see where the author will take this. It was a fun read.
June 18, 2015
Where do I start
So, very much was confused at the beginning as to how and where this story was going. Normally I'm fairly good at figuring out the books direction, so not the case in this book! It basically begged me to keep reading, and I love that! Ill be reading more books by this author!
So, very much was confused at the beginning as to how and where this story was going. Normally I'm fairly good at figuring out the books direction, so not the case in this book! It basically begged me to keep reading, and I love that! Ill be reading more books by this author!
August 24, 2016
If you've ever listened to someone regaling you with a play-by-play of their latest D&D campaign and you thought to yourself, "This would be fine if it were way, way gayer," this is the book for you.
March 22, 2014
This was fantastic read, loved the dialogue and characters including the secondary ones. I'll be picking up the sequel tonight.
September 21, 2014
Had a fun time reading this. Caught myself laughing several times.
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