Divine Judgment

by Mell Eight

157 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2026

About the author

When Mell Eight was in high school, she discovered dragons. Beautiful, wondrous creatures that took her on epic adventures both to faraway lands and on journeys of the heart. Mell wanted to create dragons of her own, so she put pen to paper. Mell Eight is now known for her own soaring dragons, as well as for other wonderful characters dancing across the pages of her books. While she mostly writes paranormal or fantasy stories, she has been seen exploring the real world once or twice.

For more information on Mell’s stories and future writing plans, visit her website.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Divine Judgment
Author: Mell Eight
Publisher: Ninestar Press
ISBN: 978-1-64890-918-4
Buy Link: https://ninestarpress.com/product/div...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Ves’s life has always been a troubled one. An orphan growing up on the streets and imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, Ves knows how bad things can be. When he’s chosen to go before the God of Judgment to be judged for his crimes, Ves knows the result of that will either be insanity or death. Except, Judgment doesn’t go as anyone expected when, instead, the God chooses Ves to be his head priest.
Settling into his new life as priest to a God is strange, but being around Rais, the God of Judgment, is no chore. Spending time together as Ves learns what it means to be a Priest of Judgment is wonderful, until people from Ves’s past realize where he is. Ves must decide whether he wants the past he didn’t realize he had lost, or the future he was just starting to build with Rais. Presuming the other powers at play allow him to live long enough to make that decision.

Total Score: 5/5

Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel

Summary:
Ves’s life has been s mess since he was old enough to understand. The orphanage was bad enough, but when he was sent to prison at fourteen years old for a crime he didn’t commit everything was over. After he was almost killed leaving him permanently injured he was being sent to the God of Judgment to face his crimes. Ves is told he would die or left mentally deranged because that is what happens to those guilty. The only issue is Ves isn’t guilty of anything.

What would happen to someone who is truly innocent? Rais, the God of Judgment, finds in Ves a man who is good and honest, something he hasn’t seen in centuries and offers Ves a choice. He can return to jail or become his head priest.

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divine Judgment by Mell Eight was an interesting read, with gods and goddesses as important characters and with almost human traits. The main character, Ves, is a street urchin, resorting to crime to stay alive, but is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. However, he is fortunate enough to be released early from his sentence. He is even more fortunate in the person he falls into company with when he is released. What makes this engaging is primarily viewing it all from Ves’s point of view. We also see the same events from other characters, to keep everything in context. It takes some time for Ves to appreciate the more “human” qualities in the various deities. When it does, Ves’s worldview changes. I did not see the ending coming at all, which added to my pleasure in reading the book. I received a copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short novel

My only issue with this book is that it wasn’t longer. I adored the plot and premise and Rais and Ves were such lovely characters. Because the novel is short, events do feel a little rushed and I would have liked to see more character development and emotional development from both Ves and Rais. Ves especially went through huge changes but we didn’t really get to see a lot of his development happen on page, so when we got towards the end of the novel his change in demeanor was a bit stark.

So yeah, I would have loved to see this novel be longer, but I still absolutely adored the book. I could read 12 books with these two and still want more. Probably one of my favorite Mell Eight novels now.

[Duke Silver's Duchess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, quick read on a day where I didn't want much plot or angst.

Everything is "fade to black" or "suggested" though between the characters, so if that's what you're looking for, I wouldn't recommend this for you. This is definitely more on the sweet side of things, and still wonderful.

[Anna Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Wish it was Longer!

I REALLY liked this world. It was a short book, did everything it set out to, and was quite fun. I wish it was longer!!! Was a fantastic read.