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The Goddess Complex
In Ireland, 2064, female intuition is considered a dangerous mental illness known as The Goddess Complex. Afflicted women and girls are institutionalized, and become property of the State – an already corrupt and highly segregated corporate governing body.
Raised in a State facility, Amber is one of those young women, and has spent her whole life desperate to escape the Croí, Ireland’s capital city, where all citizens are expected to reside.
But not everyone abides by the State’s regime. Sixteen-year-old Elmagh has grown up in the Deadlands of Ireland, raised by her four vagabond aunts. Yet despite her freedom, the isolation of her existence leaves her lonely and, like Amber, she yearns for a normal life – whatever normal is.
When both of their lives coalesce, Elmagh and Amber must tap into their prohibited intuition… or risk losing everything.
Raised in a State facility, Amber is one of those young women, and has spent her whole life desperate to escape the Croí, Ireland’s capital city, where all citizens are expected to reside.
But not everyone abides by the State’s regime. Sixteen-year-old Elmagh has grown up in the Deadlands of Ireland, raised by her four vagabond aunts. Yet despite her freedom, the isolation of her existence leaves her lonely and, like Amber, she yearns for a normal life – whatever normal is.
When both of their lives coalesce, Elmagh and Amber must tap into their prohibited intuition… or risk losing everything.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 15, 2026
YA Dystopia is back!
I haven’t felt this engrossed in a ya dystopian for a long time! And finally set somewhere that isn’t America.
This book is set in Ireland where all nations crumbled and had to be bailed out by corporations. Taking final stage capitalism to an extreme (but scarily not unrealistic level).
But the domino’s that led to this was the discovery of ‘The Goddess Complex’ aka the commonly female presenting experience of 6th sense, intuition and trusting your gut. A research paper ‘proved’ it was real and of course in a patriarchal society this was just the evidence the male population need to ‘prove’ women who were succeeding were ‘cheating’. And inevitably all female human rights are disregarded.
This story follows 2 girls, one living outside the system on the land with her aunts and the other inside the core of the centre.
As there is only 1 main city per country so the corporations can keep an eye on everyone,I particularly liked the idea that to make it sound less insane, they remade all the capital cities and now only city the local language for heart. Class A marketing there and scarily realistic that a board would think that helps everything ha!
Really thought out politic system and history of events to get to where the book starts. Perfect for young adults and for adults and very timely message.
Can’t believe this is a debut and I haven’t heard anyone talk about it. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to review it and share the word of this great book
I haven’t felt this engrossed in a ya dystopian for a long time! And finally set somewhere that isn’t America.
This book is set in Ireland where all nations crumbled and had to be bailed out by corporations. Taking final stage capitalism to an extreme (but scarily not unrealistic level).
But the domino’s that led to this was the discovery of ‘The Goddess Complex’ aka the commonly female presenting experience of 6th sense, intuition and trusting your gut. A research paper ‘proved’ it was real and of course in a patriarchal society this was just the evidence the male population need to ‘prove’ women who were succeeding were ‘cheating’. And inevitably all female human rights are disregarded.
This story follows 2 girls, one living outside the system on the land with her aunts and the other inside the core of the centre.
As there is only 1 main city per country so the corporations can keep an eye on everyone,I particularly liked the idea that to make it sound less insane, they remade all the capital cities and now only city the local language for heart. Class A marketing there and scarily realistic that a board would think that helps everything ha!
Really thought out politic system and history of events to get to where the book starts. Perfect for young adults and for adults and very timely message.
Can’t believe this is a debut and I haven’t heard anyone talk about it. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to review it and share the word of this great book
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley, Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
3,25 ⭐
The story is set in Ireland, 2064, where female intuition is considered a dangerous mental illness known as The Goddess Complex. Afflicted women and girls are institutionalized, and become property of the State, now run by large corporations. We follow two girls: Elmagh and Amber, one has fled with her aunties and lives of the grid, the other is in one of the institutions. Can they escape being caught and tested for The Goddess Complex?
This story is disturbing in the sense that I could see our world looking like this in 30-ish years. Giant corporations taking over and running the world, rampant mysogyny, 24-7 monitoring and live-streams. Scary stuff. I sincerely hope this story is not a glimpse into our future. This book is a setup for more to follow, there are the first hints of resistance forming at the end.
Our two main characters are wonderful. Elmagh lives of the grid, but is desperate for friendship and feels lonely a lot of the time. Amber doesn't fit into the mold set by the government and also seeks friendship. When the two girls finally meet in dire conditions, you just know they are set for life. I loved how Amber instilled confidence in Elmagh and her abilities.
Where this book fell short for me is in the writing. It didn't suck me into the story and it felt very 'tell, not show'. I never really felt emotionally engaged with the characters because of this and that is a real shame. The storyline has all the good bones to be something amazing, but because of the writing it never connected with me.
That being said, this writing style might be right up your alley. If you like YA dystopia, you should really give it a chance!
3,25 ⭐
The story is set in Ireland, 2064, where female intuition is considered a dangerous mental illness known as The Goddess Complex. Afflicted women and girls are institutionalized, and become property of the State, now run by large corporations. We follow two girls: Elmagh and Amber, one has fled with her aunties and lives of the grid, the other is in one of the institutions. Can they escape being caught and tested for The Goddess Complex?
This story is disturbing in the sense that I could see our world looking like this in 30-ish years. Giant corporations taking over and running the world, rampant mysogyny, 24-7 monitoring and live-streams. Scary stuff. I sincerely hope this story is not a glimpse into our future. This book is a setup for more to follow, there are the first hints of resistance forming at the end.
Our two main characters are wonderful. Elmagh lives of the grid, but is desperate for friendship and feels lonely a lot of the time. Amber doesn't fit into the mold set by the government and also seeks friendship. When the two girls finally meet in dire conditions, you just know they are set for life. I loved how Amber instilled confidence in Elmagh and her abilities.
Where this book fell short for me is in the writing. It didn't suck me into the story and it felt very 'tell, not show'. I never really felt emotionally engaged with the characters because of this and that is a real shame. The storyline has all the good bones to be something amazing, but because of the writing it never connected with me.
That being said, this writing style might be right up your alley. If you like YA dystopia, you should really give it a chance!
March 24, 2026
Thank you to the publisher Cranthorpe Miller for the digital ARC, it hasn’t affected my honest review.
TW: death, animal death, violence, injury, grief
Ireland, 2064. Female intuition is now considered a mental illness, going by the name of the Goddess Complex. Any woman or girl exhibiting it is institutionalised and becomes property of the State, where they are re-educated. Misogyny and prejudice runs wild, every aspect under control by the corrupt State. Raised inside a facility in the Croi, Ireland’s capital city, Amber has spent her whole life burdened by the idea that her mother had the Goddess Complex. She feels trapped by the regime that controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives and aches for a normal life. Out in the Deadlands of Ireland, living on the run with her four aunts, Elmagh is deeply lonely and wants the same. When the two girls crash together by circumstance, they find themselves caught up in an enormous conspiracy that requires them to lean into their intuition or risk losing everything.
This is a really unique idea for a YA and I loved that it was set in Ireland, combining aspects of the dystopian and real world issues. I liked the character of Amber a lot, the way that she gradually came to realise the system she’d grown up in was wrong had a real tension as she starts to doubt everything she’s known. Elmagh is the exact opposite, she’s spent her entire life on the run and has never known the limitations that other girls and women experience except for in stories told by her aunts. Their relationship is interesting and I really liked the world building but the characterisation fell a little flat for me, I just didn’t feel connected to either character by the end.
TW: death, animal death, violence, injury, grief
Ireland, 2064. Female intuition is now considered a mental illness, going by the name of the Goddess Complex. Any woman or girl exhibiting it is institutionalised and becomes property of the State, where they are re-educated. Misogyny and prejudice runs wild, every aspect under control by the corrupt State. Raised inside a facility in the Croi, Ireland’s capital city, Amber has spent her whole life burdened by the idea that her mother had the Goddess Complex. She feels trapped by the regime that controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives and aches for a normal life. Out in the Deadlands of Ireland, living on the run with her four aunts, Elmagh is deeply lonely and wants the same. When the two girls crash together by circumstance, they find themselves caught up in an enormous conspiracy that requires them to lean into their intuition or risk losing everything.
This is a really unique idea for a YA and I loved that it was set in Ireland, combining aspects of the dystopian and real world issues. I liked the character of Amber a lot, the way that she gradually came to realise the system she’d grown up in was wrong had a real tension as she starts to doubt everything she’s known. Elmagh is the exact opposite, she’s spent her entire life on the run and has never known the limitations that other girls and women experience except for in stories told by her aunts. Their relationship is interesting and I really liked the world building but the characterisation fell a little flat for me, I just didn’t feel connected to either character by the end.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I could easily imagine The Goddess Complex by Shauna Lee Lynch as a wonderful tv series - scruffy, cool, principled female characters of all ages bound by a ‘messy, powerful, unconditional “risk my life for you” kind of love’ fighting an evil well groomed corporation. The purpose of this evil corporation - to monetise a form of female intuition called the Goddess Complex.
The novel begins with two young women in challenging circumstances. Elmagh is living a survivalist lifestyle with her previously mentioned scruffy, cool and principled aunts while Amber lives in the City of Croi ostensibly working for the corporation but in actuality a lab rat in waiting. As the story progresses Elmagh and Amber find solidarity first with each other and then a broader resistance community.
We are clearly in dystopian territory here and while some reviewers have commented that the tropes seem familiar, I’ve never seen them fall together in this particular way. It’s the first Irish Dystopia I’ve read for example. Although it’s dystopian there’s hints of mythology too as in here:
‘My mum used to talk about the idea of a golden thread, that there’s a golden thread of time. What’s happening right now is a section of the thread, and we’re going along it. Everything that’s happening has already happened along this thread. But it’s possible to change your thread, shift your reality, by connecting to another thread and changing your destiny,’
In these challenging times, we live in with evil corporations a-plenty, the themes of The Goddess Complex are timely.
‘Because the day that regular people stop helping others is the day the world is well and truly buggered’
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is set in 2064 in Ireland, where the "female intuition" has since been designated as a disease called the Goddess Complex that needs to be eradicated. I mean, the owning corporation may not specifically say that it needs to be eradicated, but anyone can read between the lines... This story has dual POVs for a while, one being Amber who lives in the Croi (center city that used to be Dublin) and one being Elmagh who lives in the Deadlands off-the-grid with her aunts. Both girls feel lonely in their own respective ways and share as much when they happen to meet in less than ideal circumstances.
Honestly, this one didn't do it for me. The concept sounded very interesting, and maybe a little too on the nose, but it just didn't play out on the page. While the author does discuss and provide examples of the Goddess Complex in use, it felt a bit contrived. And while I didn't mind the characters, I also wasn't so invested that I cared to see what happened on their journey. I contemplated DNFing but as it's a short book figured I'd just see if I enjoyed it more later, though that "later" never came. I think the book felt a bit like the characters and story line were being glossed over and yet forced along the path. Maybe this will be a good book for some, but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Either way, thanks to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the opportunity to read this.
Honestly, this one didn't do it for me. The concept sounded very interesting, and maybe a little too on the nose, but it just didn't play out on the page. While the author does discuss and provide examples of the Goddess Complex in use, it felt a bit contrived. And while I didn't mind the characters, I also wasn't so invested that I cared to see what happened on their journey. I contemplated DNFing but as it's a short book figured I'd just see if I enjoyed it more later, though that "later" never came. I think the book felt a bit like the characters and story line were being glossed over and yet forced along the path. Maybe this will be a good book for some, but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Either way, thanks to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the opportunity to read this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*I received this as an ARC from NetGalley
3.5 ⭐️
I read this entire book on the plane home from Dublin, so the setting resonated with me.
I thought the “magic system” (the concept of the Goddess Complex) was a very interesting concept, but I was left wishing there was more magic to it. It was always “I have a good/bad feeling about this” and I was hoping for…more.
There’s great gender rep here, which is surprising in a book about (mostly) women and their natural female intuition. However, at times the story felt too modern - I don’t need to know when a character “clocks” another character’s intentions/feelings. These couple of modern phrases took me out of the story. There are other times when the dialogue felt too robotic or scripted. I also felt like the worldbuilding was clunky and awkward.
If I hadn’t been half delirious on a 9 hour flight, I would have *clocked* the plot twist, which, in retrospect, is not that twisty.
If this book is the start of a series, it’s a strong start. If it’s a standalone, I don’t think it’s bad! But I don’t think it’s groundbreaking either.
3.5 ⭐️
I read this entire book on the plane home from Dublin, so the setting resonated with me.
I thought the “magic system” (the concept of the Goddess Complex) was a very interesting concept, but I was left wishing there was more magic to it. It was always “I have a good/bad feeling about this” and I was hoping for…more.
There’s great gender rep here, which is surprising in a book about (mostly) women and their natural female intuition. However, at times the story felt too modern - I don’t need to know when a character “clocks” another character’s intentions/feelings. These couple of modern phrases took me out of the story. There are other times when the dialogue felt too robotic or scripted. I also felt like the worldbuilding was clunky and awkward.
If I hadn’t been half delirious on a 9 hour flight, I would have *clocked* the plot twist, which, in retrospect, is not that twisty.
If this book is the start of a series, it’s a strong start. If it’s a standalone, I don’t think it’s bad! But I don’t think it’s groundbreaking either.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4/5 ✨
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy.
The Goddess Complex is an introspective look into a future where women are severely oppressed for exhibiting signs of female intuition—dubbed the Goddess Complex.
Elmagh and Amber are both strong FMCs with very likable and unique personalities. The story was very fast paced with a clear statement about the dangers of sliding into facism, especially for women and people of color. Some of the themes were spelled out a little too obviously and the story jumped around at times.
That said, this was an enjoyable read with a thought provoking reflection on the power of resistance, empowerment, and the importance of community.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy.
The Goddess Complex is an introspective look into a future where women are severely oppressed for exhibiting signs of female intuition—dubbed the Goddess Complex.
Elmagh and Amber are both strong FMCs with very likable and unique personalities. The story was very fast paced with a clear statement about the dangers of sliding into facism, especially for women and people of color. Some of the themes were spelled out a little too obviously and the story jumped around at times.
That said, this was an enjoyable read with a thought provoking reflection on the power of resistance, empowerment, and the importance of community.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I went into this book knowing nothing about it or the author, simply intrigued by the name, cover and synopsis. I was very excited for a new YA Dystopian but I was ultimately pretty disappointed. I found the story a bit lacking in terms of intrigue and character development. The world was not focused on or developed enough for me and neither were the characters themselves or the relationships they had with each other. I wish I had loved this one but unfortunately I did just not connect with any part of it. I do think the writing was well done and the story idea was interesting.
Thanks again to NetGalley!
I went into this book knowing nothing about it or the author, simply intrigued by the name, cover and synopsis. I was very excited for a new YA Dystopian but I was ultimately pretty disappointed. I found the story a bit lacking in terms of intrigue and character development. The world was not focused on or developed enough for me and neither were the characters themselves or the relationships they had with each other. I wish I had loved this one but unfortunately I did just not connect with any part of it. I do think the writing was well done and the story idea was interesting.
Thanks again to NetGalley!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Goddess Complex has a killer premise: a dystopian Ireland where "female intuition" is a punishable mental illness. The world-building is eerie and atmospheric, and I loved the dual perspective between Amber in her clinical facility and Elmagh in the wild Deadlands. It tackles heavy themes like bodily autonomy and environmental collapse in a way that feels incredibly timely.
However, at under 300 pages, the story felt a bit rushed. I wanted more time to connect with the characters and see their friendship develop naturally. The pacing was also a bit uneven, with a slow middle followed by an abrupt ending. It’s a solid debut with a powerful message, but it lacked the depth to truly blow me away.
However, at under 300 pages, the story felt a bit rushed. I wanted more time to connect with the characters and see their friendship develop naturally. The pacing was also a bit uneven, with a slow middle followed by an abrupt ending. It’s a solid debut with a powerful message, but it lacked the depth to truly blow me away.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really enjoyed this book. The dystopian theme and the two main characters made me love the book. This book really made me think and just wonder about the world today. I enjoyed the way that the book started off with different POV's of the main characters and then eventually joined. It gave me enough insight in the characters so that I wasn't confused on what I was reading or what was happening in the book. Although I do think the ending of the book seemed rather rushed, and I felt like it could've been longer since I feel like there were some unanswered questions that I feel like I had when I finished the book. I do have to say is female intuition is indeed scary.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is an extremely well written book, once I started, I couldn't put it down. The characters in it are very engaging, and you just have to keep reading to find out what's about to happen.
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