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Empty Altars
Librarian Note: Alternate/new cover edition for ASIN# B007EW75Y6.
When the runes of the goddess, Diana, summon her to duty, she finds herself in a Norse meadow, battling hellhounds that are surprised to find her there. But the hellhounds aren’t the only Norse unhappy to see her. The gods, Tyr and Donar, tell her to return home. Her runes beg to differ, and the 24 bones are always right. She’s pretty sure, Norse gods can be far too stubborn and belligerent for their own good.
When Diana joins forces with Freya—goddess of love, beauty, and seidr magic—and Gudrun—the village seer, she discovers that her runes are more devious than she’d ever imagined. They have a path in store for her, too, one she dislikes even more than Tyr and Donar abhor her meddling. She has to find a traitor in the gods’ meadow and battle the evil witch, Heid. That, she’s willing to try. But she’s also to join with Tyr to defend sacred portals. Working with the Norse sky god will be the bigger challenge, for she’s never been so tempted by a male in the centuries of her maiden life.
Can they win in the face of evil? And just how much can Diana resist?
When the runes of the goddess, Diana, summon her to duty, she finds herself in a Norse meadow, battling hellhounds that are surprised to find her there. But the hellhounds aren’t the only Norse unhappy to see her. The gods, Tyr and Donar, tell her to return home. Her runes beg to differ, and the 24 bones are always right. She’s pretty sure, Norse gods can be far too stubborn and belligerent for their own good.
When Diana joins forces with Freya—goddess of love, beauty, and seidr magic—and Gudrun—the village seer, she discovers that her runes are more devious than she’d ever imagined. They have a path in store for her, too, one she dislikes even more than Tyr and Donar abhor her meddling. She has to find a traitor in the gods’ meadow and battle the evil witch, Heid. That, she’s willing to try. But she’s also to join with Tyr to defend sacred portals. Working with the Norse sky god will be the bigger challenge, for she’s never been so tempted by a male in the centuries of her maiden life.
Can they win in the face of evil? And just how much can Diana resist?
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2012
1 person is currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Judith Post
57 books104 followersUSA Today best-selling author for The Body in the Attic, as Judi Lynn. I first published writing urban fantasy as Judith Post, but when I switched to writing romances and mysteries, I used the pen name Judi Lynn. I live in Indiana, and the Midwest is often the setting for my books. I love it here! When we got married, my husband and I bought a 1920 small bungalow, and we've never moved. It needed lots of work. We're still working on it. That's where I got the idea for a fixer-upper mystery series. I love to cook, so food sneaks into most of my stories. I include two or three recipes at the end of my Jazzi mysteries.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 21, 2012
I was surprised by this book; in a good way. At first I was slightly confused and had already decided that this was going to be an OK read, but as the story progressed I found myself enjoying the story with its magic, deceit and intrigue. As a lover of mythology I instantly appreciated how the author weaved together Norse mythology with Greek and Roman and produced an original and enjoyable tale. Not knowing much about Norse mythology myself, I wish that there had been a little more information at the beginning to introduce me to the ins and outs of the myths but the story has definitely piqued my interest in the subject. The story lacked a solid plot in my opinion, anticipation and the shock factor despite its originality but more than made up for this with its well crafted world and setting and strong characterisation.
The author does an excellent job of depicting Diana, the Roman goddess of nature, childbirth, the hunt and the moon who was also known as Hecate and Artemis in Greek mythology, in this book despite my dislike of her at the beginning. A witch of great power, her runes transports her to a Norse meadow, where she soon learns that she is not wanted. She soon comes to learn that she is to play a vital plot in trying to save the Norse and the whole world from the black-hearted, evil witch Heid. She frustrated me with her cocky attitude, impulsiveness and quick temper but redeemed herself with her caring side and her eagerness to assist those in need of her help. She is in no way a damsel in distress and I admired her strong, independent and feisty attitude but she also irritated me with her arrogance and sometimes superior attitude. Her cold attitude towards Tyr at the beginning of the book perplexed me, as he is undoubtedly kind and respectful towards her, offering assistance if needed. Diana seems distant at first, irritated by his offers of help. Her independence and stubbornness seems to blind her from seeing honest offers of help. Post’s interpretation of the goddess was original and I enjoyed how she modernised her tale by introducing Diana lounging in her New York apartment, her use of modern phrases and her longing for modern technology such as a camera. Her use of modern phrases also added a light comic relief to the story as it utterly perplexed the other characters and made for some scenes of amusement and confusion which helped lighten the serious mood of the tale.
I really enjoyed the character of Tyr, the sky god of Norse mythology. Despite having a thunderous temper he is an honourable and loyal individual who fights for and fiercely protects those he cares about. He is a caring individual, drawn to Diana despite her vexing attitude. I also thought he had a cheeky side and his humorous teasing of the goddess brought a sense of fun and light heartedness to the story. The fiery exchanges between Diana and Tyr were full of sexual innuendos that underlined the intense sexual tension between the two. It was entertaining at first but slowly it started to frustrate me that nothing was happening between the two and when it something finally happened it seemed rushed, too quick and of no great importance, devoid of warmth and passion. I wish that their relationship had been dealt with in a more romantic way instead of a thing that they had to get out of their system before trying to save the world.
Inga’s transformation from a fragile and scared young girl weakened by shame and banishment, to a capable young woman was a great and vital part of the story. Her exile shows the corruption of the seemingly peaceful society and is a prime example of an innocent young girl tricked by a dishonest man misusing his power in degrading ways. Inga’s storyline was full of emotion and I enjoyed seeing her alter before my eyes and fulfil her destiny. Freya, the goddess of love and beauty is a fierce individual in this story, liberal with her sexuality, sensuous and beautiful and eager to unite couples especially Diana and Tyr. I really liked the character of Freya. She just doesn’t take things too seriously, lives a passionate life filled with pleasure and beauty, Freya was another character that helped lighten the mood of the story. Eager for Diana and Tyr to get together she urges Diana to free herself from her chaste life and the dialogue between the two goddess’ was fun to read, as if they were two friends sharing secrets.
Heid was portrayed as a plausible villain despite the fact that I felt that she posed no real danger towards Diana, a great and powerful witch. A witch consumed by a hunger for power and domination, Heid is depicted as a mad and uncontrollable being who would stop at nothing to destroy everything before her, take control and wreak havoc upon the world. A good villain but I just felt that she was doomed from the moment Diana stepped foot in the norse meadow and battled her hellhounds.
The plot was full of treachery, deception and magic all woven together to create an exciting tale. As a reader I was constantly kept on my toes as there was always something occurring on each page and the story unravelled at a steady pace. The story was laced with twists at every corner, and the surprising revelation of a traitor helped add to the tale. Despite the tale being an exciting one, I felt that the characterisation and the blossoming relationships were more central to the story and therefore the plot seemed almost fractured, less solid. There were numerous action scenes within the story that were a little anticlimactic as we were made aware from the beginning that Diana was an almighty goddess with unmatchable powers.
The magic within the story really interested me and it was probably the most entertaining aspect of the story in my opinion, secondary to the characterisation and relationships. The runes were especially interesting, as they’re aptitude for foretelling the future helped create an intense feeling of foreboding throughout the story. There were also numerous different creatures within the story; giants, hellhounds, witches, dwarves, dragons etc that helped define an exciting tale full of magic.
All in all, this book was a pleasure to read and I enjoyed the characterisation of mythological figures. I felt that the message of the story was that in the face of great evil, loyalty, honour and determination will always pay off in the end. This story may be a little hard to get into at first but a little determination goes a long way and once the story gets going, it’s full of fierce characters, surprises and twists, and an enchanting world of magic and myth. Read it and be surprised.
The author does an excellent job of depicting Diana, the Roman goddess of nature, childbirth, the hunt and the moon who was also known as Hecate and Artemis in Greek mythology, in this book despite my dislike of her at the beginning. A witch of great power, her runes transports her to a Norse meadow, where she soon learns that she is not wanted. She soon comes to learn that she is to play a vital plot in trying to save the Norse and the whole world from the black-hearted, evil witch Heid. She frustrated me with her cocky attitude, impulsiveness and quick temper but redeemed herself with her caring side and her eagerness to assist those in need of her help. She is in no way a damsel in distress and I admired her strong, independent and feisty attitude but she also irritated me with her arrogance and sometimes superior attitude. Her cold attitude towards Tyr at the beginning of the book perplexed me, as he is undoubtedly kind and respectful towards her, offering assistance if needed. Diana seems distant at first, irritated by his offers of help. Her independence and stubbornness seems to blind her from seeing honest offers of help. Post’s interpretation of the goddess was original and I enjoyed how she modernised her tale by introducing Diana lounging in her New York apartment, her use of modern phrases and her longing for modern technology such as a camera. Her use of modern phrases also added a light comic relief to the story as it utterly perplexed the other characters and made for some scenes of amusement and confusion which helped lighten the serious mood of the tale.
I really enjoyed the character of Tyr, the sky god of Norse mythology. Despite having a thunderous temper he is an honourable and loyal individual who fights for and fiercely protects those he cares about. He is a caring individual, drawn to Diana despite her vexing attitude. I also thought he had a cheeky side and his humorous teasing of the goddess brought a sense of fun and light heartedness to the story. The fiery exchanges between Diana and Tyr were full of sexual innuendos that underlined the intense sexual tension between the two. It was entertaining at first but slowly it started to frustrate me that nothing was happening between the two and when it something finally happened it seemed rushed, too quick and of no great importance, devoid of warmth and passion. I wish that their relationship had been dealt with in a more romantic way instead of a thing that they had to get out of their system before trying to save the world.
Inga’s transformation from a fragile and scared young girl weakened by shame and banishment, to a capable young woman was a great and vital part of the story. Her exile shows the corruption of the seemingly peaceful society and is a prime example of an innocent young girl tricked by a dishonest man misusing his power in degrading ways. Inga’s storyline was full of emotion and I enjoyed seeing her alter before my eyes and fulfil her destiny. Freya, the goddess of love and beauty is a fierce individual in this story, liberal with her sexuality, sensuous and beautiful and eager to unite couples especially Diana and Tyr. I really liked the character of Freya. She just doesn’t take things too seriously, lives a passionate life filled with pleasure and beauty, Freya was another character that helped lighten the mood of the story. Eager for Diana and Tyr to get together she urges Diana to free herself from her chaste life and the dialogue between the two goddess’ was fun to read, as if they were two friends sharing secrets.
Heid was portrayed as a plausible villain despite the fact that I felt that she posed no real danger towards Diana, a great and powerful witch. A witch consumed by a hunger for power and domination, Heid is depicted as a mad and uncontrollable being who would stop at nothing to destroy everything before her, take control and wreak havoc upon the world. A good villain but I just felt that she was doomed from the moment Diana stepped foot in the norse meadow and battled her hellhounds.
The plot was full of treachery, deception and magic all woven together to create an exciting tale. As a reader I was constantly kept on my toes as there was always something occurring on each page and the story unravelled at a steady pace. The story was laced with twists at every corner, and the surprising revelation of a traitor helped add to the tale. Despite the tale being an exciting one, I felt that the characterisation and the blossoming relationships were more central to the story and therefore the plot seemed almost fractured, less solid. There were numerous action scenes within the story that were a little anticlimactic as we were made aware from the beginning that Diana was an almighty goddess with unmatchable powers.
The magic within the story really interested me and it was probably the most entertaining aspect of the story in my opinion, secondary to the characterisation and relationships. The runes were especially interesting, as they’re aptitude for foretelling the future helped create an intense feeling of foreboding throughout the story. There were also numerous different creatures within the story; giants, hellhounds, witches, dwarves, dragons etc that helped define an exciting tale full of magic.
All in all, this book was a pleasure to read and I enjoyed the characterisation of mythological figures. I felt that the message of the story was that in the face of great evil, loyalty, honour and determination will always pay off in the end. This story may be a little hard to get into at first but a little determination goes a long way and once the story gets going, it’s full of fierce characters, surprises and twists, and an enchanting world of magic and myth. Read it and be surprised.
August 9, 2018
Loved this book
Big fan of good fantasy and in my opinion this is good fantasy, great story line and good use of mythology to keeps me happy and reading. Loved the humanity she had her heroine show.
Big fan of good fantasy and in my opinion this is good fantasy, great story line and good use of mythology to keeps me happy and reading. Loved the humanity she had her heroine show.
July 8, 2017
They were slow figuring out the traitor, but overall good. Unusual. Would very much like more. 4* or a smidgen more.
July 5, 2012
My Review: 3.75/5*
The book begins with the goddess of magic, Diana, entering the Norse meadow and engaging in a very quick and efficient battle with the hellhounds. The tale progresses from here as we watch Diana’s discovery of the war in which she so vitally plays a role – they cannot win without her. Throughout the book we as the reader are privy to the friendships developed between Diana and various other characters; Freya the goddess of love, Tyr the god of the sky and Inga the once banished town member who has discovered her hidden talent of being that of a seer.
From the very first chapter I found myself very unsure of the path in which this novel was going to take. The figure of Diana was unlikeable from the very beginning, I have no reason for my dislike of her. Usually she is the type of character which I love – a strong, passionate, no messing around female figure. There was just something about her I couldn’t get along with. Post’s attempt at blending urban into mythology made the book an interesting read, but I found it incredibly frustrating whenever Diana was given dialogue. Fine, she had to stand out with her ‘modern chit chat’ but she just seemed so unnecessarily full of attitude. My one main problem was that every one of the battles that we encounter within the novel is incredibly anti-climactic. Little boy runs across a field, tries to kill someone, gets killed. A load of giants turn up trying to kill people, they’re killed. I don’t know. Even the main battle right at the very end of the novel was incredibly bland. Bang, bang, bang, Diana shoots them all down with her arrows (I will admit, my inner archer was very happy to see the use of archery within the novel) and her spells. Freya becomes all dragon mistress and destroys them. There were no major casualties except for one (not going to spoil it with the who) but even that was massively skimmed over. It all just seemed far too predictable and far too ‘happy ever after’. It was as if no matter what Heid did she had absolutely no chance anyway because Diana just KNEW when something was wrong. It did my head in, she could have at least got a bruise for Zeus sake!
Despite this, the world created by Post kept me turning the page to read what was going to happen next. I thought that she was incredibly inventive with the world in which she created. Her addition of the traitor was brilliant – it helped redeem the novel somewhat. I rated it a 3.75/5* as, despite my hate of the character of Diana and the bland relationship between her and Tyr, I did like the other characters. Post injected them with the right amount of morals and bravery for this story. I loved reading of the development of the character of Inga – a small, mousey girl who was once banished from the village due to her being soiled by Griswold. She develops into a strong, passionate woman who holds an important role in the village she was once banished from. Despite her aversion to violence and her squeaky innocence in these matters, she is a character I loved to see develop in ways which did not include violence.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend that people read it. It’s a light read, easily done in a day or two and Post succeeds in creating an inventive otherworld for us as readers to visit.
The book begins with the goddess of magic, Diana, entering the Norse meadow and engaging in a very quick and efficient battle with the hellhounds. The tale progresses from here as we watch Diana’s discovery of the war in which she so vitally plays a role – they cannot win without her. Throughout the book we as the reader are privy to the friendships developed between Diana and various other characters; Freya the goddess of love, Tyr the god of the sky and Inga the once banished town member who has discovered her hidden talent of being that of a seer.
From the very first chapter I found myself very unsure of the path in which this novel was going to take. The figure of Diana was unlikeable from the very beginning, I have no reason for my dislike of her. Usually she is the type of character which I love – a strong, passionate, no messing around female figure. There was just something about her I couldn’t get along with. Post’s attempt at blending urban into mythology made the book an interesting read, but I found it incredibly frustrating whenever Diana was given dialogue. Fine, she had to stand out with her ‘modern chit chat’ but she just seemed so unnecessarily full of attitude. My one main problem was that every one of the battles that we encounter within the novel is incredibly anti-climactic. Little boy runs across a field, tries to kill someone, gets killed. A load of giants turn up trying to kill people, they’re killed. I don’t know. Even the main battle right at the very end of the novel was incredibly bland. Bang, bang, bang, Diana shoots them all down with her arrows (I will admit, my inner archer was very happy to see the use of archery within the novel) and her spells. Freya becomes all dragon mistress and destroys them. There were no major casualties except for one (not going to spoil it with the who) but even that was massively skimmed over. It all just seemed far too predictable and far too ‘happy ever after’. It was as if no matter what Heid did she had absolutely no chance anyway because Diana just KNEW when something was wrong. It did my head in, she could have at least got a bruise for Zeus sake!
Despite this, the world created by Post kept me turning the page to read what was going to happen next. I thought that she was incredibly inventive with the world in which she created. Her addition of the traitor was brilliant – it helped redeem the novel somewhat. I rated it a 3.75/5* as, despite my hate of the character of Diana and the bland relationship between her and Tyr, I did like the other characters. Post injected them with the right amount of morals and bravery for this story. I loved reading of the development of the character of Inga – a small, mousey girl who was once banished from the village due to her being soiled by Griswold. She develops into a strong, passionate woman who holds an important role in the village she was once banished from. Despite her aversion to violence and her squeaky innocence in these matters, she is a character I loved to see develop in ways which did not include violence.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend that people read it. It’s a light read, easily done in a day or two and Post succeeds in creating an inventive otherworld for us as readers to visit.
July 6, 2012
I was allowed a free copy to R2R through GoodReads, which has not biased my review whatsoever.
I’m so glad that I had a chance to read Empty Altars through GoodReads R2R. I enjoyed it so much, that I read for 2 ½ hours to from start to finish because I was so intrigued by the book.
Post does an excellent job of blending mythology with urban fantasy, even though the book doesn’t really involve the urban aspect very much. I’ve only read one other book similar to this & that combined all three aspects of mythology (Roman, Greek, and Norse ) into several gods all at once.
Diana, the protagonist is known as the Roman Goddess of witchcraft, Hecate the Greek Goddess of the moon, and Artemis the Greek Goddess of the Hunt. She relies not only on her magical powers of witchcraft, which since she is basically the mother of all witchcraft are extremely powerful but also on her runes. When her runes transport her to Aasgard with Norse Gods and a Goddess, she adapts quickly and builds relationships, both with humans and the Gods. Her 21st century slang is at first confusing to her friends, but they soon catch on. In the meantime, I got several chuckles out of people taking her slang quite literally. She becomes fast friends with the Goddess of Fertility and Love as well as the Queen of the Valkyries, Freya and Tyr the God of the Sky, but will these 3 deities paired with human warriors be enough to win the war?
Considering her various deities, she has no problem standing up for not only herself but everyone else as well. She has a temper, that when provoked is quite fierce. I enjoy this in the books that I read. I like smart-ass women, who can hold their own and she lives up to that!
She has to stay with the villagers and other deities, because a seer tells her that if she leaves the war with the evil black witch will be lost. So, she’s trapped initially by her own conscience, and then once she makes friends she is determined to make sure this war will be won by the good guys. However, there is no guarantee that they will win the war. Post does a great job of alternating between light-hearted banter and the seriousness of the upcoming war. She sucks the reader right into a fantasy world they won’t want to leave. The antagonist Heid, is an evil black witch that has spies in every corner, shape shifters at her disposal, and yes even dragons.
This book focused a lot on relationship, great dialogue, excellent character development, as well as witchcraft and deities. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and anyone else that likes paranormal or mythology type books is sure to like it as well.
I’m hoping it turns into a series and not just a stand alone novel. There is no cliff-hanger, but the ending alludes to an ancient seer predicting that Diana will be working with her Norse peers in other battles, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!
I’m so glad that I had a chance to read Empty Altars through GoodReads R2R. I enjoyed it so much, that I read for 2 ½ hours to from start to finish because I was so intrigued by the book.
Post does an excellent job of blending mythology with urban fantasy, even though the book doesn’t really involve the urban aspect very much. I’ve only read one other book similar to this & that combined all three aspects of mythology (Roman, Greek, and Norse ) into several gods all at once.
Diana, the protagonist is known as the Roman Goddess of witchcraft, Hecate the Greek Goddess of the moon, and Artemis the Greek Goddess of the Hunt. She relies not only on her magical powers of witchcraft, which since she is basically the mother of all witchcraft are extremely powerful but also on her runes. When her runes transport her to Aasgard with Norse Gods and a Goddess, she adapts quickly and builds relationships, both with humans and the Gods. Her 21st century slang is at first confusing to her friends, but they soon catch on. In the meantime, I got several chuckles out of people taking her slang quite literally. She becomes fast friends with the Goddess of Fertility and Love as well as the Queen of the Valkyries, Freya and Tyr the God of the Sky, but will these 3 deities paired with human warriors be enough to win the war?
Considering her various deities, she has no problem standing up for not only herself but everyone else as well. She has a temper, that when provoked is quite fierce. I enjoy this in the books that I read. I like smart-ass women, who can hold their own and she lives up to that!
She has to stay with the villagers and other deities, because a seer tells her that if she leaves the war with the evil black witch will be lost. So, she’s trapped initially by her own conscience, and then once she makes friends she is determined to make sure this war will be won by the good guys. However, there is no guarantee that they will win the war. Post does a great job of alternating between light-hearted banter and the seriousness of the upcoming war. She sucks the reader right into a fantasy world they won’t want to leave. The antagonist Heid, is an evil black witch that has spies in every corner, shape shifters at her disposal, and yes even dragons.
This book focused a lot on relationship, great dialogue, excellent character development, as well as witchcraft and deities. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and anyone else that likes paranormal or mythology type books is sure to like it as well.
I’m hoping it turns into a series and not just a stand alone novel. There is no cliff-hanger, but the ending alludes to an ancient seer predicting that Diana will be working with her Norse peers in other battles, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!
July 6, 2012
I was given this book to read through Basically Books ARR - Reader’s Corner for an honest review, thank you.
July 11, 2012
Diana the Goddess of the Hunt and Magic is currently living in the modern world. Diana uses runes to learn about dangers, troubles, and fated agendas. Diana's runes were warm to the touch and transported her to a beautiful meadow near bridge. Where Diana fought off two Hellhounds. Two men are waiting at a bridge yet neither seemed very friendly. Gentlemen introduced themselves as Tyr the Sky God and Donar the Thunder God. Diana was stunned to realize these were Norse Gods and were protecting a nearby village. Diana wonders where she's at and finds a young girl at a stone cottage with thatched roof. The young girl who meets with Diana is called Inga. Inga explains that she was shunned from her village and to await Diana's arrival. Diana's runes sent her here to help these people for what purpose remains to be seen. Freya the Goddess of Beauty and Love also meets Diana taking both Diana and Inga to the village to meet the seer Gudrun. Gudrun is please to learn of Diana's arrival despite what the other Goda think or feel for that matter Griswold. Upon meeting Griswold, both Diana and Griswold instantly dislike to each other. Inga is sweet on Jorunda even though she is shunned. The Norse Gods and Goddess are in the middle of another war battling Heid yet again. They deseparately needed a new way of dealing with Heid cuz what they are doing now is clearly not working except for Heid. Will Norse Gods let Diana help? Will Diana stay to help? What about Inga and Jorunda? Can Heid be destroyed finally? Your answers await you in Empty Altars.
July 9, 2012
Originally posted on my blog http://ufreview.com/2012/07/08/empty-...
I received a copy of Empty Altars from the Making Connections group on Goodreads, so thanks to the author and mods for making this available. I have to say right off that I really really enjoyed this book, it was engaging from cover to cover and I finished it in a single setting. It was a great combination of Greek, Roman and Norse mythologies. The goddess Diana get sent from her Manhattan penthouse to a Norse meadow to the middle of a fight between hellhounds and the Norse gods Tyr and Donar. The Norse gods are not happy to see her in the least, but she really doesn't let that deter her.
I loved the character Diana, she is ballsy, fearless and with all her goddess super powers she can back it all up, I love female characters that can kick some ass. Each of the other characters has their own voice as well, Diana initially isn't welcome by the Norse gods but she quickly wins them over especially the sky god Tyr.
The story was definitely more character than action driven but it kept a great pace and as I said I read it in a single sitting, so I kept flipping pages to see what happens next. There is action throughout and a big showdown at the end, but for me I was more interested in the interactions between the characters than the battle scenes. I would definitely recommend it to fantasy and urban fantasy fans.
4/5 Great read loved the story!
I received a copy of Empty Altars from the Making Connections group on Goodreads, so thanks to the author and mods for making this available. I have to say right off that I really really enjoyed this book, it was engaging from cover to cover and I finished it in a single setting. It was a great combination of Greek, Roman and Norse mythologies. The goddess Diana get sent from her Manhattan penthouse to a Norse meadow to the middle of a fight between hellhounds and the Norse gods Tyr and Donar. The Norse gods are not happy to see her in the least, but she really doesn't let that deter her.
I loved the character Diana, she is ballsy, fearless and with all her goddess super powers she can back it all up, I love female characters that can kick some ass. Each of the other characters has their own voice as well, Diana initially isn't welcome by the Norse gods but she quickly wins them over especially the sky god Tyr.
The story was definitely more character than action driven but it kept a great pace and as I said I read it in a single sitting, so I kept flipping pages to see what happens next. There is action throughout and a big showdown at the end, but for me I was more interested in the interactions between the characters than the battle scenes. I would definitely recommend it to fantasy and urban fantasy fans.
4/5 Great read loved the story!
September 9, 2014
The stars have shined since the dawn of time, their existence spawning stories of gods and goddesses. Who better to protect humanity than beings with knowledge and power far beyond our own?
When the universal balance is threatened, Diana (goddess of the hunt and goddess of all magic) is sent by her runes to help the Norse gods protect the world from a burgeoning evil strong enough to destroy everything the gods created.
Mythology is not a strong interest of mine, but Empty Altars’ synopsis poked my curiosity. The beginning started a bit slow and was somewhat confusing (I’m sure due to my lack of mythological knowledge), but once the action started and the pace picked up, Ms. Post’s voice had my full attention.
Strong characterization, layered personalities and a solid plot kept me turning pages. For those who enjoy fantasy worlds ruled by gods, goddesses and magic, Empty Altars will not disappoint. I am thrilled at finding a new author to follow and look forward to reading more of Ms. Post’s work.
*Author ecopy provided for honest review
When the universal balance is threatened, Diana (goddess of the hunt and goddess of all magic) is sent by her runes to help the Norse gods protect the world from a burgeoning evil strong enough to destroy everything the gods created.
Mythology is not a strong interest of mine, but Empty Altars’ synopsis poked my curiosity. The beginning started a bit slow and was somewhat confusing (I’m sure due to my lack of mythological knowledge), but once the action started and the pace picked up, Ms. Post’s voice had my full attention.
Strong characterization, layered personalities and a solid plot kept me turning pages. For those who enjoy fantasy worlds ruled by gods, goddesses and magic, Empty Altars will not disappoint. I am thrilled at finding a new author to follow and look forward to reading more of Ms. Post’s work.
*Author ecopy provided for honest review
July 26, 2012
I am totally in love with this book!! Absoletly amazing plot, characters, conflict...everything. made my favorites list and that is hard to do. I love Diana is totally amazing as a heroine and thr...yea even with the mangled hand he sounds perfect. Their relationship seemed very real and not in the least forced. I loved the final battle, again Diana and team are bad ass! If theres another book to come I will definetly have to read it.
July 19, 2013
This was nice pleasant story, a quick read. A blend of Greek, Roman and Norse mythology. Diana (Artemis) has always been a favorite of mine so I was intrigued when I saw the description of the plot.
I won't post any spoilers but it left things open for more tales. I need to brush up on my Norse mythology in the meantime :)
I won't post any spoilers but it left things open for more tales. I need to brush up on my Norse mythology in the meantime :)
October 25, 2014
An interesting book about the Norwegian Gods and Goddess and a Greek Goddess and some how they all managed to work together.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews