The Lightning God's Wife

Master of Crows #1.7

by Grace Draven

It hasn't rained for a quarter of a century, and a dying world gasps for water. Outcast and exiled, the rain priestess Revida rescues a man and his children as they flee from the wrath of a creator god known as the Bitter Dark. But Atagartis is more than a man, and Revida soon discovers the lover she's known only in dreams has a purpose for her and the tearless grief she's born for more than two decades.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Short Stories, Novella, Magic, Paranormal

29 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2014

About the author

I'm an author and Louisiana native living in Texas with my husband, three smalls and a big doofus dog. I have lived in Spain, hiked the Teton Mountains, honeymooned in Scotland, ridden in competition rodeo and am the great great granddaughter of a Nicaraguan president. I also hate doing laundry and refuse to iron anything.

I've loved storytelling since forever. I published my first short story with Amber Quill Press and have since written several other tales. A love of the bad boy in fiction always inspires me.

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting short story about lonely lives and lost Gods......

[h o l l i s · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is no almost-novel length novella, THE LIGHTNING GOD'S WIFE is truly a short story. What I didn't know before now was this, and the next, are outtakes from the first book in this series MASTER OF CROWS. So while it does add something to the world.. it also doesn't, because this is just a little story about some of the mythology in the Glimmerlands and not the over-arcing plot itself.

I did, of course, love the brief moments with Martise and Silhara. Because anything with them is my favourite. But overall I wouldn't say this is necessary to the series. The story of the gods and the drought were interesting but I don't really feel it's added anything to my enjoyment of book one.

Except for maybe these bits..

"They say when the big storms come, like this one, it's Atagartis making love to Revida."
"Well I'd appreciate a little less enthusiasm on his part. The last time he decided to tup the goddess near Neith, he torched one of my trees."

"Come to bed. We'll pretend I'm Atagaris and you're Revida."
"The sounds terribly sacrilegious."
"My favourite kind of entertainment."

But again, like I said, any excuse for more scenes with my favourite crow mage and apprentice is a-okay with me.

3.5 stars

[Sometime · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this very short story, Martise tells Silhara the story of the lightning God and the priestess who loved him.

[Cheesecake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could probably be read as a standalone, but works better as an extra to 'Master of Crows'.
Martise distracts Silhara with a story about a lightening God and the aging handmaiden of his murdered wife, the Goddess of rain. A tragic bittersweet tale with a happy ending. It's too short but I still loved it.

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Very short but engaging read that included Martise and Silhara and the telling of a great little story.

[Seffra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this story was longer so we could get more of the couple. Still a good read though!

[Ksenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but too short.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story set in the world of Master of Crows, it is a tale told by Martise to Silhara as they watch a rain storm pelt the orange groves of Neith. The story itself is interesting - about an old priestess, Revida, whose dreams of the lightning god are made real after almost two decades of drought. My real interest in this short, however, lay in the brief glimpse of an intimate moment between Silhara and Martise. Nicely done.

[RachelW (BamaGal) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent short tale by someone who writes wonderful fantasy, and knows how to pack a wallop in even an abbreviated story.

Set in the same world as Grace Draven's supremely divine book "Master of Crows".

[MrsJoseph *grouchy* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. It's short - and I wish there was a lot more detail - but I enjoyed every bit that I did get.

Damn, now I want the rest of the books she's written. Let's see what happens...

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a short story until I started reading it, and turns out, I haven't read the series it goes with - something I'll have to remedy. It was a good short read.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little story - I love how Grace Draven brings in certain elements of falling in love despite appearance. The idea that even though that she’s now an “old hag” he still views her as the woman he fell in love with years earlier. And I love getting glimpses of Silhara and Martise of course.

[Diandra Fernandes · Rating 2 out of 5]

É um conto muito curto e rápido. Dificilmente me conecto com histórias assim, mas não foi de todo ruim e a lenda se saiu relativamente interessante.

Silhara conta a Martise a lenda sobre o deus Relâmpago Atagaris e Revida.

[Averie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this short little novella in this series! I thought that this was an interesting little tale, and I probably would have loved this as a whole entire book!

*read during FaRoFeb readathon*

[Kait Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fairytale from one of my favorite authors. What's not to love?

[Elizabeth]

Thank you short stories for helping me get back on track with my reading goal and for allowing me to feel a sense of accomplishment for finishing a task while I’m stuck in moving limbo.

[crashqueen73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable tale and a super quick read.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace Draven's mind is awesome.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He bent to kiss her, and she tasted darkness and fire in the intimate caress."

This was a really fun addition to Master of Crows. It was like a nice little epilogue that included a look at our favorite couple from the first novel but focused on the love between a god and a woman. Very fun!

[Jassa Myne · Rating 4 out of 5]

my only complaint is that I wish it had been longer

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. Not necesary to read if you're looking for more involving the characters from "Master of Crows." Entertaining and well written.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review also available on my blog The Shameful Narcissist Speaks.

This short takes place in the same world as Master of Crows , occurring after the first novel in the series.  Silhara and Martisse (the OTP) serve as a framing device for the tale at hand, as she's telling him the story after they're both woken up by a storm in the midst of a bad drought.

While I enjoyed reading about Silhara and Martisse again (I love when a deadpan snarker is matched with cool witticism), the Lightning God and Rain Goddess story was (ironically) kind of dry, which is a double shame because I'm pretty certain they were supposed to complement to the sorcerer and apprentice turned lovers from the first book.  The idea was good, but the execution didn't do anything different with the motifs of warring sibling gods and deities falling in love with humans to whom they eventually grant apotheosis.    This could be because Draven didn't have time to flesh out these characters in this short excursion into the world, so if the story had either been longer or actually focused on Martisse and Silhara, it would've worked better.

At the very least reviewing this made me check to see if I had the next one on my reading list, which I didn't, and there's another short in between the first and second book that actually focuses on the main characters.

The framing device of Silhara and Martisse was far more interesting and informative than the story itself.  Corruption's star (the catalyst for the first story) is still there, and the country of Neith has been experiencing a long drought, so these will more than likely be factors in the next installment.

[Katter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in the middle about liking the Master of Crows book. I wasn't sure if I should continue reading the series but then I decided to because I like Grace Draven's writing style. I am so glad that I gave it a shot! It was such a pleasant surprise!

I was not disappointed at all! During a storm Martise tells Silhara a story about the lightning god and what he and a priestess went through. It was short read but it told a complete story that has a happy ending. Silhara's comment on the last page about sacrilege was pretty funny. I like me some well placed snark!

If you were on the fence like I was about this series then I would implore you to give this snippet a shot. It's absolutely worth the $0.99!

[~♥*Marianna*♥~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m rating this one lower then usual because its already a novella and its been split between two couples so we get just the smallest bit of them both. It’s done well and ends on a clever note but that doesn’t quite satisfy me like her other novellas did.

P.S. Just realized one of the couples is the couple from Master of Crows and of course there is plenty of them in their book. I’m bringing it up a star since its technically an add on and shouldn’t be judged on its own as a novella. I should reread Master of Crows! Its been a long while..

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a storm outside and while they watch from inside their warm dry home, Martise tells Silhara the story of the Lightning God's wife, Revida. How Revida was a priestess to the rain goddess, and when the goddess disappeared, Revida was blamed for it and exiled. 25 years later, Revida rescues two children and their dad from the Bitter Dark, and immediately recognizes the dad as the man from her dreams in the last 25 years.

I thought Ravida's story was a little confusing, but it was short and sweet. Just a brief tale; enjoyable overall.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

It hasn't rained for a quarter of a century, and a dying world gasps for water. Outcast and exiled, the rain priestess Revida rescues a man and his children as they flee from the wrath of a creator god known as the Bitter Dark. But Atagartis is more than a man, and Revida soon discovers the lover she's known only in dreams has a purpose for her and the tearless grief she's born for more than two decades.
Very short story, but I really liked it. Takes place during Master of Crows.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

RE-READ 10-2020

Short story that may not seem like much as a stand alone story but makes lots more sense once you read the Master of Crows books. Love the snippets of Silhara and Martise in all these short stories.

This one deals with a story of the gods and a woman that is comforted in dreams by a man who is a god. He and his children are looking for her to help heal the world and yes, they find each other :)

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough are the words that I can use for this story.
It was a glimpse in Silhara and Martise's life after the defeat of the fallen god.
I didn't really like the god and his story, not really. Maybe because it was to short and didn't allow the characters to grow.
I am hoping that this story is somehow connected to the future ones in any series.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story set in the middle of Master of Crows. I liked this short look at the mythology of the world, and the glimpse at the relationship between Silhara and Martise. This takes place not long after they consummated their relationship, and it's a short and sweet story between them. I also liked the myth Martise told Silhara; it definitely felt like an actual myth would.

[Cindy Du plessis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too SHORT... lol I know it's a short story, but I like sinking my teeth into a story and living in that world for a while. So I don't like reading short stories, but I did this one and I liked it. For a teaser lol