In a world void of divinity, there is little to believe in. The gods and heroes of mythology have all disappeared, their stories lost to the ages. So few know the truth…
Naika Connors leads a quiet, normal life—at least, as quiet and normal as a welder and shape-shifting girl can. Naika was born with The Call—a primal instinct that causes her body to transform into that of a polar bear when in distress— a condition that has sometimes been the bane of her existence, and one that's been absent in human culture for centuries.
When a mysterious force robs the Earth of all sunlight, Naika must team up with her best friend, Noah Humphreys, and an unwilling boy from her past, Sirus Vick, to determine the cause. Their little North Dakota town is turned upside down as mythological beings of every sort crawl off the forgotten pages of history and into their lives. One monster rules above the rest— one that threatens the very existence of the world: the Godeater.
Will they be able to save the lights of the cosmos? Are all of the gods truly gone?
Melody Klink's debut novel, Godeater: The Second World, roars to life with out-of-this-world imagery, larger-than-life characters, and a mythological behemoth that just won't quit. How do you defeat that which defeats immortality?
Capable of finding muses just about anywhere, Melody Klink has written across a few genres, from children's picture books in Bad Mood Boogaloo, to Young Adult titles like Godeater: The Second World and Diamond Marked: The Tale of El'Anret, and beyond into poetry with Wayward: Poetry for Monsters, Muses and Other Deviants. She has a few stories in the works, and can't wait to show everyone what's next.
'Godeater: The Second World' is a fantasy adventure featuring a young shape-changing girl, Naika, and her friends, Noah, Sirus, Chier, and a host of Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian Gods. An unusual occurrence - the sun disappears, enveloping the world in darkness - leads Naika and her friends to the horrific discovery that the gods are under attack by a monster called the Godeater, and the world is in danger, and if the coming devastation is to be averted, they - as godly reincarnations - must join forces against the relentless enemy.
I love adventure sagas, and this was an interesting book to read. You can tell that the author had a lot of fun with her world, and it is certainly an imaginative, fascinating one - an ever-changing forest; the fight between the winter gods; Hekate, the helpful Goddess of the Crossroads; the under-water attack by the Sirens; astral travel; portals to other world domains; dear-old-devious Loki; the Shade army; the other world river; the Tree of the Apples of Discord; Eris, the vengeful Goddess of Chaos; the ghastly cavern of the Godeater; the final battle; and much more. There is a lot going on, at frenetic pace, and the author has managed the different threads very well.
I should have liked a little more character depth - a bit more shown-rather-than-told sense of Naika, Noah, Sirus, Chier, and Cristina as individuals. The writing was okay, but it is always advisable to read it out aloud to make sure it sounds right, not cheesy. Sentences such as these didn't really work for me -
"Chier gave a sweet-as-pie smile, paired with doe eyes."
"Sirus Vick leaned back against the window of the Shipmake's front office, his staunch arms crossed over his chest."
"Gathering her every ounce of courage, Chier squeezed her eyes shut, pausing a moment."
"Gravity robbed her of height as she crumpled to the ground at the casket’s side, wailing like no banshee ever had."
The last dragged me out of what ought to have been a very solemn moment.
Aside from these quibbles though, 'Godeater: The Second World' is a creditable work, and I had an enjoyable time reading it.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
The premise of the story really excited me! I think the author had a great concept to start with. It is obvious that the author is capable of setting a scene with vivid, believable detail, but she's using that energy in the wrong places. Objects and environments are described in beautiful detail, but the intricacies of the world the characters live in are thrown at the reader without enough build up which takes away from the potential excitement. Often these two things would happen back to back. I think the author has a great concept and a powerful voice a little bit of developmental editing would have put this piece over the top!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Real Rating: 3.5 stars (I gave an extra .5 for the cover because its awesome.)
READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE: If your sick of the cliche Young Adult books then you should definitely pick this one up. It has a strong female protagonist who doesn't need a man to help her, but it also has 2 males in this book that keep it from being to girly. This book is definitely more on the side of dramatic and suspenseful.
READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO: I really liked the main plot of this book. It was original and not just a knock off of a book that's already been written. It doesn't follow the "formula" for a great young adult novel with 2 people in love with the same person, and that's a good thing because that has been done entirely too many times than is good for humanity anyway. The only critique I really have is the writing style. It wasn't for me. You can say the author wrote it in more of a middle-grade style or its just a poor excuse for an adult book. I would go with the formal much quicker than the latter but do not read this book if that's going to bother you. I also thought the story line was believable... If you believe in gods and goddesses. Once again I loved the strong female protagonist who grew as the story went along. I can't really compare this book to anything because there isn't really anything like it that I've read. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes a good story and gods and goddesses.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My first reaction to the idea of were-polar-bear was “Oh, no.” For me, a polar-bear was too cute to be taken seriously. Well It turned out just fine, perhaps because of the sober, gritty tone, and I took in the big, cuddly, girl-turned polar bear and believed in it as much as I would a werewolf. The plot was convincing enough and the story is mostly shown, not told, which was good. The problem I had was its lack of tension and moment-to-moment conflictions, and its slow-moving scenes burdened by uninteresting details and descriptions. Overall the book was reasonably enjoyable, if you don’t take things too seriously.
Release review to let everyone know the page is live and the book is out!
It was both exhilarating and daunting to push this little wordbird out into the world. For nearly three years, I've kept this story close to my chest, watching it evolve and grow long after I wrote "The End." Even in the weeks leading up to its release, I poured over the words again and again, finding little things I wanted to change, or things I really loved. A story full of magic, mythology, hope, despair... my first big wordbird. I do hope you enjoy the story, and I can't wait for you all to take the journey with Naika, Noah, and Sirus as they unlock the secrets of the world.
Naika Connors is a shape-shifting girl who transforms into a polar bear when in distress. When Earth is robbed of all sunlight, Naika teams up with her friend, Noah Humphreys, and another boy, Sirus Vick, to find the cause as their town is devastated by mythological creatures.
This was quite an interesting and unique concept. I would have probably enjoyed the book more with a lesser number of characters and events. It would have made room for character development and more show vs tell.
Reading Godeater, it’s obvious that Melody Klink is a gifted and upcoming writer. I loved the concept of the polar bear shape shifter. The fantastical journey of three friends, each equipped with a special power, and the host of gods and fantastical beings make for a busy story. Sometimes twists seem a little surprising and not always believable, rooms appearing out of nowhere, secret messages from Naika’s mother. I felt lost when this happened.
But then this is fantasy on a large scale with super powers and super heroes. Lots of them and I think too many. Character development of the main protagonists was lacking. Not even Naika receives a deeper inner world and this makes the story less exciting and for the reader less emotional.