The Begotten and Blessed

Revival of the Fall #1

by Stella Hope, Nicola Hodgson (editor), Eleanor Boyall (editor)

Slinging drinks, breaking up bar fights with smelly conjured trolls, spying—it’s all in a day’s work for Esme Turner.

But finding out that the bloodthirsty creatures of legend were returning wasn’t what Esme anticipated during her interrogation of a fiery-tempered leprechaun.

In over her head against the burgeoning threat, Esme faces buried secrets, a leprechaun with too many tricks, and an alluring doctor who just might be a thousand-year-old Welsh demigod.

When a man-eating pishacha captures her friends, Esme is pushed to her breaking point, awakening infernal powers and a new source of fear equal to the malevolent herself.

Failure is not an option. If she can’t learn to control her inner demon, those she loves will be the next casualties amidst the surge of monsters.

For fans of mythology retold, magical societies, found family, humor, and a sprinkling of spice.

445 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2024

About the author

Urban Fantasy author Stella Hope blends myth, romance, and non-stop action in each of her novels. Her favorite stories feature strong female protagonists, their loyal companions, and a generous sprinkle of humor.

Before embracing her passion for writing, Stella embarked on a wandering academic journey that led her to work as a scientist for a few years. Stella’s love for books eventually led her out of the forest and into the world of libraries, where she had the pleasure of running public school libraries.

She lives in the PNW with her family, where she occasionally has to leave her writing cave to thwart the neighborhood bear’s attempts at pilfering food from her bird feeder. When she’s not writing, she’s doing her best to stay away from bears, bobcats, deer, and sometimes coyotes during her trail runs and hikes. Her efforts at this are frequently less successful than one might suppose.

Reviews

[Erica Woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC Review*

This book is FUN. From the beginning, it had me hooked. There were so many interesting/cool characters and magic galore. My favorite think was the FMC is 31...it's about time we have some 30 year old's in these fantasy series!

There is light and dark in all of us, but it's what we decide to do with those pieces of ourselves that tell our story. Something that feels very relevant in the current landscape of being a human. I flew through this and I'm very much looking forward to the next book/the entire series.

Also, while it's not ghost pepper spicy, there is romance in it and I'm a sucker for a good love story.

Congrats to Stella on a very cool, unique first book!

[Tara Bouchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided this book as an ARC and am freely giving my opinion in regards to the story. I loved this book. While the initial world building and character introductions took a little getting used to as there was a lot of back and forth in space and time, you are drawn in to their world and the combination of our modern life and that of ancient magical times. As the story builds and each character starts to come into their own abilities it is easy to get lost in their struggles and their successes. I would consider this book more of a fantasy story with minor closed door romance elements. I very much look forward to seeing what happens next.

[Lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting beginning to a series.

I was intrigued by the blurb to try this new author - and, to be honest, by her pen name, as I'm a big fan of hope in all its forms.

All people have good and bad in them, and it's their prevailing intentions and a pure heart which make them choose sides in the life and death battle of good versus evil. This is the story of perfectly flawed characters risking everything to save the world from certain pain and suffering, and becoming a strong team in the process. The start is a bit slow, as any first book in a series is until the scene is set, the circumstances are described and each new facet is revealed without overwhelming with too many insignificant details.

I liked the book, it has a good plot and is well written, it has humor and surprising developments, well-built characters and a lot of action, which made me read it in just 2 days. Now I'm so invested in it that I hope the sequel doesn't take too long to arrive.

I received an advance review copy for free via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ralph Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This eARC was provided by Booksirens.com and I am giving an unbiased review.

This is the first book of a series called" Revival of the Fall" by this author. Set in a modern day Seattle, we find our main character as a bartender in a society that does have magic. She is able to conjure trolls and animate them. Some of her friends are attacked, and she finds herself working for a secret society that is trying to keep Malevolents (bad creatures of myth) from killing innocents. She pairs up with a leprechaun who has Ifrit fire magic, and a one handed doctor, who may be 100 years old. Let's throw in, one of the bad guys that they meet is possibly his son... and oh boy...

I wasn't really into the story as much as I wanted to be. Our alpha female just seemed a bit ditzy and needy to me, compared to many other alpha female stories. I do like the story line, and the soft romance going on. The magic rules in this story world are pretty cool, and some mixtures of myth and stories of lore was interesting. Rated 3.5 stars overall.

[Char ღ Denae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel. There’s a lot going on but Ms. Hope manages to keep us exactly where we need to be. Very well written with a variety of otherworldly characters, this action packed adventure is way more than just a paranormal adventure with elements of mythology.

The first book in The Revival of the Fall series has a bit of a slow start. World and character building are the main focus but it moves right along and, before you know it, you’re smack dab in the middle of the excitement. Suspense, danger, humor, unusual characters, even some romance with a bit of spice, this book will keep you absorbed and yearning for the next one in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[FionaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esme is more than a bartender – she is also a fixer for the Assembly. Mostly minor jobs, until now. Now, something is eating people and she has been asked to find out what. Along the way, she gathers friends and allies, and learns some secrets about her past – and her powers.

I enjoyed this book, which I picked up as I was interested in the “Welsh Folklore” angle. The main character Esme is a bit insipid at the start, but becomes more interesting as the story progresses. Miles is quite intriguing, and Finn the leprechaun is just brilliant. Gwyn was by far the most interesting character to me, awakening after 1000 years in prison for a crime he can’t remember and looking for answers.

Although the story dragged a bit at the start, and quite a bit of the middle story/relationship development is told rather than shown, the book really pulled it together for a strong finish. By the end, all of the main and supporting characters had become three-dimensional and their relationships felt more realistic. The end of the book raised my rating to 4 stars, and left me looking forward to seeing how the story continues.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tracy Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. What can I say I loved this book. It has everything you can ask for. Mythology, strong female characters, a slow burn romance; not to mention the world building reads as if this is a third or fourth book in a series. I could not put it down. I really liked Esme and Abby right off the bat. They are both strong but supportive of each other. The story grabs you right away. I cannot think of one negative. It was that good. I cannot wait for the next installment. This is a not miss book.

[Carinkla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say, this book simply took hold of me and did not let me go until the end ( not literally of course) Its very hard to describe why it simply worked out.

The pace is perfect, the story is varied and written in a way you kind of journey along side the characters and discover secrets and battle dark creatures.

The characters are varied and because they are far from perfect they are very relatable.

I am really looking forward to the next part of the series so I can join the main character on her next journey

[Miza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book started slow with the character building together with frienship & romanceship. But as the story delve deeper the plot thicken and getting very interesting.

It ends with lots of question & I wonder what is going to happen in the next book.

I received an e-advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alex (HEABookNerd)]

DNF @ 10%

The writing style feels very different from the prequel novella and it's not really working for me here. This is also giving off slightly sillier paranormal vibes and I tend to like my PNR a little more gritty and real.

[Smutty Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was a really fun book! A nicely developed MC, in the 30s instead of those 17 year olds, was already a big plus for me! Hope magic elements, I'm really curious for more!

[Jasmine Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was great, and the characters were very well thought out! It was a bit difficult to get into at first, but once you get past the first 50-60 pages, it becomes pretty good! The romance is definitely a minor part of the book, so if you are looking for a more fantasy heavy book, I would recommend this!

I also loved the pronunciation guide!