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Of Gods & Mortals #1
Whom the Gods Love
When Cass draws her blade, nothing can stop her. Except maybe a god.
Cass is eager to help when she is called. Gunnarr is eager to help Cass. When he suggests they go on a mission together, she's pleased the big man noticed her. Unfortunately, the gods have taken notice as well, and that spells trouble for them both.
Tasked with a noble entreaty, Cass and Gunnarr set out with a group of friends on a harrowing adventure. It will take more than harpies, giant spiders and ogres to stop them from getting the job done, but the gods are far more dangerous than any of their creations. Certain death lurks at the end of this quest.
As Cass and Gunnarr close in on their goal, and to each other, it becomes clear a terrible choice must be made. Cass must decide what's more important to her, the love of a good man, or the life she's trying to save. Can she escape her fate?
Cass is eager to help when she is called. Gunnarr is eager to help Cass. When he suggests they go on a mission together, she's pleased the big man noticed her. Unfortunately, the gods have taken notice as well, and that spells trouble for them both.
Tasked with a noble entreaty, Cass and Gunnarr set out with a group of friends on a harrowing adventure. It will take more than harpies, giant spiders and ogres to stop them from getting the job done, but the gods are far more dangerous than any of their creations. Certain death lurks at the end of this quest.
As Cass and Gunnarr close in on their goal, and to each other, it becomes clear a terrible choice must be made. Cass must decide what's more important to her, the love of a good man, or the life she's trying to save. Can she escape her fate?
ebook
First published August 13, 2012
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About the author
M.M. Perry
10 books34 followersM.M. Perry has written and published thirteen books. By day, she is an expert cat and dog wrangler, a nacho connoisseur, and writer of fantasy, science fiction and horror. By night… she does the same things. She is hard at work getting her first science fiction series edited and published. She’s equally busy teaching her pug to sing along to the Muppets. She is known for saying, “No task involving a pug is impossible, just highly improbable.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
January 21, 2018
I always go into self-published books with a healthy skepticism and low expectations. Maybe that's a pretty harsh generalisation, but it's so easy for people to publish their work online these days that they've often neglected vital editing processes, making for books of a lower quality. Not always, but more often than not.
So with that in mind, this was actually a surprisingly entertaining read. There's plenty of action and the pace is fast, and I ended up getting through it much faster than I anticipated. It's full of fantastic creatures like Harpies, Ogres and Djinn and the main characters are a dynamic bunch with plenty of stories to tell.
It does read like amateur work, though. There's such a great story here but it's more like a roughly detailed sketch than a full-colour mural. We have this great cast of characters: a snobby king, a grumpy old woman with her young, eager-to-please 'nephew', an enchantress, and two warriors - one the big, manly, 'brawn' type and the other the female leader of the troupe. They have great dynamics between themselves but it never feels like any of the characters are properly fleshed out. Take, for example, the romance between our two warriors, Cass and Gunnarr. There's zero build up and no romance, but we're supposed to automatically believe how in love they are with one another. It's spoken about on several occasions but there's never really any dedication to making us feel the depth of the relationship, or the strength of their commitment to one another. We barely get to know them as individuals, let alone as a couple.
Callan was probably my favourite character because he was the closest to being grey. He's this spoiled rich dude who can't stand bugs and orders people around, but he's also willing to sacrifice himself for his 'commoner' wife. That's a pretty freaking noble thing to do. I was a bit disappointed with how little effort went into fleshing this guy out because I could easily have formed a book-crush on him. He's got so many layers but is never properly explored, and that's just such a shame. Same goes for Nat, our budding wannabe-warrior, and Viola, the enchantress. Both are never really given an opportunity to shine, with the action being mostly carried out by the two warriors. For a woman who can use magic, Viola was poorly utilised as she performed very little magic at all. Nat was never given a chance to step up and have his big development moment, and even though there's still another two books in the series I really feel like he was a missed opportunity here. There's just nothing that really creates empathy and connection to the characters. You kind of just observe them going about their (rather mild) adventure without ever becoming truly invested in it.
I liked the variety of the action but it was all pretty tame, with no one ever seeming to be in any real danger. They were often covered in grime, but there were no bumps and bruises, no scrapes and scratches along the way. There was very little sense of danger at any time.
What I did really enjoy though was the storytelling. I liked the momentary diversions from the present, and they were short and sweet adventures with interesting characters. There's a rather creative world here full of magic and legends, and gods who interact on the earthly plane. I think it just took a little adjusting to because there were a lot of gods to remember and, quite honestly, I lost track of who did what etc.
This is a fantastic, creative story but it's very raw and there is so much more that could have been expanded on to make this a really captivating story. With more characterisation and exploration of themes I think this would have been hard to put down.
As it stands, Whom the Gods Love is an entertaining frolic in a new fantasy world and M.M. Perry has the potential to become a strong writer in the fantasy genre. Her gift for storytelling is evident, and I look forward to seeing her writing mature.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So with that in mind, this was actually a surprisingly entertaining read. There's plenty of action and the pace is fast, and I ended up getting through it much faster than I anticipated. It's full of fantastic creatures like Harpies, Ogres and Djinn and the main characters are a dynamic bunch with plenty of stories to tell.
It does read like amateur work, though. There's such a great story here but it's more like a roughly detailed sketch than a full-colour mural. We have this great cast of characters: a snobby king, a grumpy old woman with her young, eager-to-please 'nephew', an enchantress, and two warriors - one the big, manly, 'brawn' type and the other the female leader of the troupe. They have great dynamics between themselves but it never feels like any of the characters are properly fleshed out. Take, for example, the romance between our two warriors, Cass and Gunnarr. There's zero build up and no romance, but we're supposed to automatically believe how in love they are with one another. It's spoken about on several occasions but there's never really any dedication to making us feel the depth of the relationship, or the strength of their commitment to one another. We barely get to know them as individuals, let alone as a couple.
Callan was probably my favourite character because he was the closest to being grey. He's this spoiled rich dude who can't stand bugs and orders people around, but he's also willing to sacrifice himself for his 'commoner' wife. That's a pretty freaking noble thing to do. I was a bit disappointed with how little effort went into fleshing this guy out because I could easily have formed a book-crush on him. He's got so many layers but is never properly explored, and that's just such a shame. Same goes for Nat, our budding wannabe-warrior, and Viola, the enchantress. Both are never really given an opportunity to shine, with the action being mostly carried out by the two warriors. For a woman who can use magic, Viola was poorly utilised as she performed very little magic at all. Nat was never given a chance to step up and have his big development moment, and even though there's still another two books in the series I really feel like he was a missed opportunity here. There's just nothing that really creates empathy and connection to the characters. You kind of just observe them going about their (rather mild) adventure without ever becoming truly invested in it.
I liked the variety of the action but it was all pretty tame, with no one ever seeming to be in any real danger. They were often covered in grime, but there were no bumps and bruises, no scrapes and scratches along the way. There was very little sense of danger at any time.
What I did really enjoy though was the storytelling. I liked the momentary diversions from the present, and they were short and sweet adventures with interesting characters. There's a rather creative world here full of magic and legends, and gods who interact on the earthly plane. I think it just took a little adjusting to because there were a lot of gods to remember and, quite honestly, I lost track of who did what etc.
This is a fantastic, creative story but it's very raw and there is so much more that could have been expanded on to make this a really captivating story. With more characterisation and exploration of themes I think this would have been hard to put down.
As it stands, Whom the Gods Love is an entertaining frolic in a new fantasy world and M.M. Perry has the potential to become a strong writer in the fantasy genre. Her gift for storytelling is evident, and I look forward to seeing her writing mature.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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January 7, 2018This book was part of Bookworm Blues grouping and has since been eliminated. Their review here: http://www.bookwormblues.net/2017/08/...
Plot:
King Callan has to get to the temple of Oshia to help his wife, she’s dying and he’s been told by his Seer that the only way to save her is to get to this temple. He adds that a woman by the name of Inez will be critical to the success of the mission and he has to find her and bring her along. The book opens when he’s already on his way with Inez – they are heading to a town to gather a few warriors to help them along the way.
They get to the Inn and find a couple warriors ready to go with them, Gannarr and Cass. Inez has an immediate distaste for Cass, but she’s not sure what it’s about. Maybe jealousy that she’s getting the attention from the men, or maybe it’s something more. Inez is one of my favourite characters, she’s an old bitty who loves to talk about her past sexcapades and tries to get younger men into bed with her. She reminds me a bit of Nanny Ogg in certain ways.
It’s supposed to be an impossible journey to get to Oshia, it’s one of the temples that’s the furthest away from any sort of city and their travels are impeded by a number of dangers. They have to make it through the Forest of no Return full of spiders that have legs the size of trees with moss and stuff growing on them. They have to make it past the harpees and bandits. The Aswangs are humanoid monstrous creatures that feed off of humans – lots of stuff going on during their journey.
Final Score: 8/10
----------------------------------------------
Characters:
King Callan is actually a likeable character even though he’s sort of “Kingy”. Inez finds it amusing to try and bait him with rather harsh insults but he just grins and bears it – he’s good at maintaining his composure.
Inez is sort of mysterious, I always got the feeling there was more to her than what was showing. What other reason would there be for a Seer to name her specifically as critical to the mission? She’s pretty old and sort of ornery but also funny. She has a donkey that’s just as comical that pulls their cart along the way.
Cass is a female warrior that has everyone’s attention when she’s in the room, she’s loud, loves telling stories and has a lot of good ones to tell. She also has a soft spot for Griffins, as a kid she helped a young chick who’s parents had been killed by Banshees. She lured two other roosting Griffins over to the chick since they are communal nesters at great risk to herself – but it worked. Ever since then she grew a relationship with them and was eventually able to ride them.
Gunnarr is one of the warriors picked up along with Cass. He’s definitely honor bound and takes a lot of pride in defending the realm and offering his services for good cause. He’s falling in love with Cass, and their relationship was actually enjoyable. I don’t typically like romance but I did enjoy these two.
Viola is a young enchantress picked up on the way, she’s sort of desperate to get out of her village where she’s destined to become a wife and mother and unable to leave her village after marriage. She’s sweet and kind of shy, but I really liked her.
Overall I found the characters well developed and endearing, I liked them all for different reasons.
Final Score: 8.5/10
---------------------------------------
World Building:
I really liked the world building, there were explanations of the monsters and their behaviors rather than just being placed in the environment with no reasoning. I always love when even a touch of ethology or ecology make it into a book, no matter how small. The explanations for why the spiders lived where they did, how the griffins behaved and interacted with each other really charmed me.
There are giant stone statues in the middle of an empty field that gave a sense of wonder, and the lore behind them was pretty neat. They’re called the Dead Gods and legend has it that they were cast into stone by a magical artefact during a war/sabotage between the gods.
There are all sorts of fantasy creatures in this world, from giant spiders the size of buildings, to swarms of marta which are tiny insects with paralyzing vemon that eat you alive while you can’t move. There are Aswangs which are hairy humanoid creatures that prey on humans. Hydras live in the waters with scales so touch that swords have little effect, ships have to line their hulls with armor to avoid being sunk.
Elves in this world are a menace, they bewitch human women and rape and impregnate them. They only live on one of the continents and boats coming from that continent have to be checked for stow away elves. They have terrible songs with terrible lyrics and are overall a giant nuisance.
Enchantresses are young women with special gifts, but as they age their powers diminish – they try and breed more enchantresses with special mating practices. Viola was one of them and effectively ran away from her village under the guise she wanted to help with the Kings mission.
Final Score: 8.5/10
---------------------------------------
Pacing/Prose/Tone:
It took a little bit for the book to get going, they are on a journey for a while – but once it got going it went pretty quickly.
The writing style was entertaining and well done, but there were some editing errors in the ebook version.
The tone was adventurous and more light than dark, the interactions between characters and their general demeanor were comical or endearing rather than dark and brooding.
Pacing Final Score: 7.5/10
Writing Final Score: 7.5/10
--------------------------------
Originality:
I’ve seen a lot of “going on a quest” stories, but for some reason, this one felt different. It could be the combination of personalities going on the mission or the world building around it – but I really enjoyed myself despite having read many ‘quest’ stories.
Final Score: 8/10
-----------------------------
Audience:
For people who like ‘quest’ stories
For people who like multi pov
For people who like great characters
For people who like myths and legends around Gods
For people who like monsters/fantasy creatures
For people who like older characters
For people looking for female POV ‘
For people looking for female authored high fantasy
For people looking for LGBT characters
---------------------
Final Score: 48/60 or 8/10
Plot:
King Callan has to get to the temple of Oshia to help his wife, she’s dying and he’s been told by his Seer that the only way to save her is to get to this temple. He adds that a woman by the name of Inez will be critical to the success of the mission and he has to find her and bring her along. The book opens when he’s already on his way with Inez – they are heading to a town to gather a few warriors to help them along the way.
They get to the Inn and find a couple warriors ready to go with them, Gannarr and Cass. Inez has an immediate distaste for Cass, but she’s not sure what it’s about. Maybe jealousy that she’s getting the attention from the men, or maybe it’s something more. Inez is one of my favourite characters, she’s an old bitty who loves to talk about her past sexcapades and tries to get younger men into bed with her. She reminds me a bit of Nanny Ogg in certain ways.
It’s supposed to be an impossible journey to get to Oshia, it’s one of the temples that’s the furthest away from any sort of city and their travels are impeded by a number of dangers. They have to make it through the Forest of no Return full of spiders that have legs the size of trees with moss and stuff growing on them. They have to make it past the harpees and bandits. The Aswangs are humanoid monstrous creatures that feed off of humans – lots of stuff going on during their journey.
Final Score: 8/10
----------------------------------------------
Characters:
King Callan is actually a likeable character even though he’s sort of “Kingy”. Inez finds it amusing to try and bait him with rather harsh insults but he just grins and bears it – he’s good at maintaining his composure.
Inez is sort of mysterious, I always got the feeling there was more to her than what was showing. What other reason would there be for a Seer to name her specifically as critical to the mission? She’s pretty old and sort of ornery but also funny. She has a donkey that’s just as comical that pulls their cart along the way.
Cass is a female warrior that has everyone’s attention when she’s in the room, she’s loud, loves telling stories and has a lot of good ones to tell. She also has a soft spot for Griffins, as a kid she helped a young chick who’s parents had been killed by Banshees. She lured two other roosting Griffins over to the chick since they are communal nesters at great risk to herself – but it worked. Ever since then she grew a relationship with them and was eventually able to ride them.
Gunnarr is one of the warriors picked up along with Cass. He’s definitely honor bound and takes a lot of pride in defending the realm and offering his services for good cause. He’s falling in love with Cass, and their relationship was actually enjoyable. I don’t typically like romance but I did enjoy these two.
Viola is a young enchantress picked up on the way, she’s sort of desperate to get out of her village where she’s destined to become a wife and mother and unable to leave her village after marriage. She’s sweet and kind of shy, but I really liked her.
Overall I found the characters well developed and endearing, I liked them all for different reasons.
Final Score: 8.5/10
---------------------------------------
World Building:
I really liked the world building, there were explanations of the monsters and their behaviors rather than just being placed in the environment with no reasoning. I always love when even a touch of ethology or ecology make it into a book, no matter how small. The explanations for why the spiders lived where they did, how the griffins behaved and interacted with each other really charmed me.
There are giant stone statues in the middle of an empty field that gave a sense of wonder, and the lore behind them was pretty neat. They’re called the Dead Gods and legend has it that they were cast into stone by a magical artefact during a war/sabotage between the gods.
There are all sorts of fantasy creatures in this world, from giant spiders the size of buildings, to swarms of marta which are tiny insects with paralyzing vemon that eat you alive while you can’t move. There are Aswangs which are hairy humanoid creatures that prey on humans. Hydras live in the waters with scales so touch that swords have little effect, ships have to line their hulls with armor to avoid being sunk.
Elves in this world are a menace, they bewitch human women and rape and impregnate them. They only live on one of the continents and boats coming from that continent have to be checked for stow away elves. They have terrible songs with terrible lyrics and are overall a giant nuisance.
Enchantresses are young women with special gifts, but as they age their powers diminish – they try and breed more enchantresses with special mating practices. Viola was one of them and effectively ran away from her village under the guise she wanted to help with the Kings mission.
Final Score: 8.5/10
---------------------------------------
Pacing/Prose/Tone:
It took a little bit for the book to get going, they are on a journey for a while – but once it got going it went pretty quickly.
The writing style was entertaining and well done, but there were some editing errors in the ebook version.
The tone was adventurous and more light than dark, the interactions between characters and their general demeanor were comical or endearing rather than dark and brooding.
Pacing Final Score: 7.5/10
Writing Final Score: 7.5/10
--------------------------------
Originality:
I’ve seen a lot of “going on a quest” stories, but for some reason, this one felt different. It could be the combination of personalities going on the mission or the world building around it – but I really enjoyed myself despite having read many ‘quest’ stories.
Final Score: 8/10
-----------------------------
Audience:
For people who like ‘quest’ stories
For people who like multi pov
For people who like great characters
For people who like myths and legends around Gods
For people who like monsters/fantasy creatures
For people who like older characters
For people looking for female POV ‘
For people looking for female authored high fantasy
For people looking for LGBT characters
---------------------
Final Score: 48/60 or 8/10
December 13, 2020
I received this book courtesy of Voracious Readers Only and M.M. Perry in exchange for an honest review.
I knew as soon as I started reading that I would love this book. There wasn't a character I hated and the twists were amazing. The story follows Callan and his quest to seek out the god, Oshia, hoping to bargain with the god for a wish to cure his sick wife. On his journey he is accompanied by Cass and Gunarr, two warriors, Nat and Inez, a hopeful warrior and a cranky old woman and Viola, a young enchanter who wants more in her life than to be married and breeding children. On their journey they all come to learn a little about themselves and each other and one important message. Gods lie.
I knew as soon as I started reading that I would love this book. There wasn't a character I hated and the twists were amazing. The story follows Callan and his quest to seek out the god, Oshia, hoping to bargain with the god for a wish to cure his sick wife. On his journey he is accompanied by Cass and Gunarr, two warriors, Nat and Inez, a hopeful warrior and a cranky old woman and Viola, a young enchanter who wants more in her life than to be married and breeding children. On their journey they all come to learn a little about themselves and each other and one important message. Gods lie.
February 22, 2020
Received from author and Voracious Readers Only in exchange for a review.
This was a fun, fast-paced read. Solid, enjoyable characters, and I enjoyed the interplay between the characters, with equal amounts of sweet, funny, and serious. Well-done cliffhanger ending, and I cannot wait to get into the next book, and get into more details with the characters.
Crossposted to GoodReads and Amazon
This was a fun, fast-paced read. Solid, enjoyable characters, and I enjoyed the interplay between the characters, with equal amounts of sweet, funny, and serious. Well-done cliffhanger ending, and I cannot wait to get into the next book, and get into more details with the characters.
Crossposted to GoodReads and Amazon
September 1, 2017
Almost everything about this book cover (the one with four characters) is misleading. The picture shows a large man with a war hammer, the warrior exists but he wields a sword. It mentions nothing can stop the man character except maybe a god....and a giant herbivore creature, a were-boar, and an ogre.
This is definitely a YA book. The point of view switches between characters multiple times in a chapter without any hint that it is going to switch or has happened. The action sequences are short and not very intense. There are multiple sexual/nude references putting it on the edge of acceptable YA reading. It writes about a young man who has sex with a married woman, and the husband is somehow ok with this.... Then a few of the main characters blush frequently when talking about feelings or thinking of their loved ones like little kids. Apparently, all warriors are friendly, drink lots of ale, tell/enjoy stories, and are found mainly in a random inn in the middle of nowhere.
The main plot seems quite forced. It starts with a king leaving his kingdom with an old woman and a young man to hire a warrior. Which leads to a bunch of questions like: why doesn't he leave with a group of soldiers (for protection), why doesn't he send a messenger or knight sworn to his service in his stead, and why is the king, with multiple responsibilities leaving his kingdom in the first place (you find out eventually but it is a question early on)? Along the same lines, why does he need to hire warriors when he has an army (this is mentioned in the book)? Towards the end of the book, you find out the king plans on giving up his life for his wife, which is noble in a way, but also very stupid. If he doesn't want to live without his wife, why would she want to live without him? Throughout the book, it mentions him thinking of his wife like he has plans for saving her and returning to see/be with her again, and then you find out that nope he plans on never seeing her again...
This is definitely a YA book. The point of view switches between characters multiple times in a chapter without any hint that it is going to switch or has happened. The action sequences are short and not very intense. There are multiple sexual/nude references putting it on the edge of acceptable YA reading. It writes about a young man who has sex with a married woman, and the husband is somehow ok with this.... Then a few of the main characters blush frequently when talking about feelings or thinking of their loved ones like little kids. Apparently, all warriors are friendly, drink lots of ale, tell/enjoy stories, and are found mainly in a random inn in the middle of nowhere.
The main plot seems quite forced. It starts with a king leaving his kingdom with an old woman and a young man to hire a warrior. Which leads to a bunch of questions like: why doesn't he leave with a group of soldiers (for protection), why doesn't he send a messenger or knight sworn to his service in his stead, and why is the king, with multiple responsibilities leaving his kingdom in the first place (you find out eventually but it is a question early on)? Along the same lines, why does he need to hire warriors when he has an army (this is mentioned in the book)? Towards the end of the book, you find out the king plans on giving up his life for his wife, which is noble in a way, but also very stupid. If he doesn't want to live without his wife, why would she want to live without him? Throughout the book, it mentions him thinking of his wife like he has plans for saving her and returning to see/be with her again, and then you find out that nope he plans on never seeing her again...
May 14, 2018
I received a copy of this book to review from Voracious Readers.
This was a fantastic read. It is chock full of adventure, a journey and dynamic characters. Cass is a strong, warrior woman who has been asked to join a king on his quest to save his dying wife. They are joined by several other people all quite different from one another.
I love the magic in the book and the different gods. The characters' personalities are brought out amazingly and the journey had me on the edge of my seat! I could envision the temple so clearly in my mind.
M.M. Perry is extremely skilled at making the reader feel like they're watching the events unfold right before them.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fantasy, changing landscapes, journeys, Gods and Goddesses, and strong women!
This was a fantastic read. It is chock full of adventure, a journey and dynamic characters. Cass is a strong, warrior woman who has been asked to join a king on his quest to save his dying wife. They are joined by several other people all quite different from one another.
I love the magic in the book and the different gods. The characters' personalities are brought out amazingly and the journey had me on the edge of my seat! I could envision the temple so clearly in my mind.
M.M. Perry is extremely skilled at making the reader feel like they're watching the events unfold right before them.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fantasy, changing landscapes, journeys, Gods and Goddesses, and strong women!
November 2, 2019
The writing style (omniscient POV) and narrative are immediately immersive and engaging - it's hard not to like (and dislike but then start to like) the characters from the beginning, which is impressive! The characters were all believable in their motivations, flaws, and their variety which was refreshing, as well as the amount of growth and development of the characters throughout - no static characters here. The vocabulary range used by the author was appreciated, often books use the same bland adjectives and nouns repeatedly, but not this author! I LOVED the way world lore was introduced through characters telling each other stories throughout the work - it made the world engaging without getting a history dump to slog through.
There are some sexual references and scenes which I don't usually prefer, but the author kept them from being pornographic (which isn't usually the case in fantasy works) while still making them hot and steamy. Also, Inez the horny old woman was hilarious throughout.
The book was a little predictable but not every work needs to have convoluted twists and turns that keep you guessing. With the way this book reads I'm pretty sure M. M. Perry plays Dungeons and Dragons and I cannot wait to read more of her works!
There are some sexual references and scenes which I don't usually prefer, but the author kept them from being pornographic (which isn't usually the case in fantasy works) while still making them hot and steamy. Also, Inez the horny old woman was hilarious throughout.
The book was a little predictable but not every work needs to have convoluted twists and turns that keep you guessing. With the way this book reads I'm pretty sure M. M. Perry plays Dungeons and Dragons and I cannot wait to read more of her works!
January 4, 2019
Well developed characters, a beautifully imagined and rendered world, complete with its own pantheon of new and old Gods. I loved the new spin on Warriors and their raison d’être. Cass is a strong, but not invincible warrior, full of bravado and tales of her adventures.
I finished this book at midnight and wanted to start book 2 immediately!
I received a free copy of this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only.
I finished this book at midnight and wanted to start book 2 immediately!
I received a free copy of this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only.
June 20, 2020
Beautiful collection of characters who prove time and time again that the power of sharing a good story is nothing to be rivaled. Perry captivates audience with twists and turns and tales of great adventures and mighty beasts. Initially It took some time to get used to the switching of perspectives but after a few chapters I found it cool to hear insights from all the different characters
February 27, 2019
I received a free copy of this books as a member of VoraciousReadersOnly in return for an honest review.
I selected this book because of the cover and the overall summary of the book. For the most part, I would say that the book did include a decently pave adventure for the characters.
At the start of the book I was a little confused to the whole adventure because of the character the King was setting out with but then after chapter 2 I felt that the overall story did make sense and did pick up with action.
The one part of the book that I felt was interesting but maybe not as necessary was the in depth warrior stories. I mean I get the reasoning for the stories and some of them did increase world building, characterization, and character development, but there were a few that I felt were longer than it kept my interest because I wanted to continue with the main story to see what they were going to do next. Most of the stories built background information and were not needed in regards to the plot/problem/solution of the story.
The other thing that I found a little annoying was the amount and frequency that the character perspective seemed to switch. Maybe it was just because this book focused on more than just 2-3 characters.
I overall did enjoy each of the characters (even the King-but he had to be a little on the annoying side for the character because he was supposed to be the spoiled king) because they were described and developed well. I liked how the author made their interactions seem quite relatable and real. I really thought the twist in Inez character was interesting and made sense for “why” she needed to be there but did not seem to really do anything but annoy the king. (And the twist wasn’t just thrown in you got little hints now and then that something was going on).
Romance: I thought that the romance was decent in the story. I would not say it was insta love because your supposed to assume and get the inference that he was crushing on her for a while. However, he never got up the nerve to even talk to her until he got to go on the quest with her. Also through the story they seemed to not get all mushy about how they were feeling about each other. There were other parts in the book dealing with romance and feelings that were a little not needed. For instance, the hint of jealously that was brought in for a few chapters between the one main character and another one that was brought it. It was quickly dropped because the character was not interested in the other in that way at all. That character that got their feelings let down also had to let another character down because they did not feel that way towards them. So within the little party there were a lot of feelings being thrown around. And then there was Inez, the creepy old woman, who just seemed to hit on anything and everything in the story. 😂
Overall I enjoyed this book and after I get through some others I might consider purchasing book 2-3.
I selected this book because of the cover and the overall summary of the book. For the most part, I would say that the book did include a decently pave adventure for the characters.
At the start of the book I was a little confused to the whole adventure because of the character the King was setting out with but then after chapter 2 I felt that the overall story did make sense and did pick up with action.
The one part of the book that I felt was interesting but maybe not as necessary was the in depth warrior stories. I mean I get the reasoning for the stories and some of them did increase world building, characterization, and character development, but there were a few that I felt were longer than it kept my interest because I wanted to continue with the main story to see what they were going to do next. Most of the stories built background information and were not needed in regards to the plot/problem/solution of the story.
The other thing that I found a little annoying was the amount and frequency that the character perspective seemed to switch. Maybe it was just because this book focused on more than just 2-3 characters.
I overall did enjoy each of the characters (even the King-but he had to be a little on the annoying side for the character because he was supposed to be the spoiled king) because they were described and developed well. I liked how the author made their interactions seem quite relatable and real. I really thought the twist in Inez character was interesting and made sense for “why” she needed to be there but did not seem to really do anything but annoy the king. (And the twist wasn’t just thrown in you got little hints now and then that something was going on).
Romance: I thought that the romance was decent in the story. I would not say it was insta love because your supposed to assume and get the inference that he was crushing on her for a while. However, he never got up the nerve to even talk to her until he got to go on the quest with her. Also through the story they seemed to not get all mushy about how they were feeling about each other. There were other parts in the book dealing with romance and feelings that were a little not needed. For instance, the hint of jealously that was brought in for a few chapters between the one main character and another one that was brought it. It was quickly dropped because the character was not interested in the other in that way at all. That character that got their feelings let down also had to let another character down because they did not feel that way towards them. So within the little party there were a lot of feelings being thrown around. And then there was Inez, the creepy old woman, who just seemed to hit on anything and everything in the story. 😂
Overall I enjoyed this book and after I get through some others I might consider purchasing book 2-3.
October 16, 2018
~ I received this book in exchange for an honest review. ~
Excellent:
-The character dialogue throughout the entire book was truly entertaining.
-There were small jokes here and there that kept me giggling.
-There was a wide variety of action that never seemed repetitive or stretched.
-Perry took foreshadowing to a whole new level. Most of them came to fruition by the end of the book, the remaining expected foreshadows will probably be wrapped up in the next book or so.
-Wide array of vocabulary, I was impressed with her lexicon.
-For me, I normally struggle to really get into a story because my attention is always in 50 different directions. However, it didn’t take long for this thrilling tale to capture my attention and I couldn’t look away until I had reached the last page.
-Callan’s character development was truly wonderful, I really felt like I got to know him. (More on character development later in the review).
Neutral:
-Cass and Gunnarr had a wonderful romantic relationship blossom. However, it seemed to come on like a surprise. It was hinted that Gunnarr had a crush on Cass, but it never seemed like she liked him for more than a single night’s play. Then all of a sudden it appears they’re truly in love. I would have liked to see more development there. I wanted to fall in love with the couple as they fell in love.
-All of the characters were developed in a lovely way, but it seemed as if you were left wanting to know more about each one. You knew enough about each character to understand and enjoy the story, but not enough to truly connect with them emotionally.
-The book reads as a prequel. It seems to be a generalized introduction to the characters and the world. There isn’t much time spent with all of the characters, as the story is written from third person omniscient. There are also a lot of string left hanging, the book ends with a little “P.S.” that leaves the reader with a massive cliffhanger.
Negative:
-None.
Overall:
I loved this story with everything in me. It was captivating and left me with a strong urge to continue reading. I have been struggling to concentrate on reading lately, which is why I joined Voracious Readers Only. I wanted to get back into the world where you could travel everywhere with a little imagination. Not only did M. M. Perry provide that “trip” for me, but she made sure it was a wonderful experience. My expectations for the coming books are high, and I know she’ll meet them.
Excellent:
-The character dialogue throughout the entire book was truly entertaining.
-There were small jokes here and there that kept me giggling.
-There was a wide variety of action that never seemed repetitive or stretched.
-Perry took foreshadowing to a whole new level. Most of them came to fruition by the end of the book, the remaining expected foreshadows will probably be wrapped up in the next book or so.
-Wide array of vocabulary, I was impressed with her lexicon.
-For me, I normally struggle to really get into a story because my attention is always in 50 different directions. However, it didn’t take long for this thrilling tale to capture my attention and I couldn’t look away until I had reached the last page.
-Callan’s character development was truly wonderful, I really felt like I got to know him. (More on character development later in the review).
Neutral:
-Cass and Gunnarr had a wonderful romantic relationship blossom. However, it seemed to come on like a surprise. It was hinted that Gunnarr had a crush on Cass, but it never seemed like she liked him for more than a single night’s play. Then all of a sudden it appears they’re truly in love. I would have liked to see more development there. I wanted to fall in love with the couple as they fell in love.
-All of the characters were developed in a lovely way, but it seemed as if you were left wanting to know more about each one. You knew enough about each character to understand and enjoy the story, but not enough to truly connect with them emotionally.
-The book reads as a prequel. It seems to be a generalized introduction to the characters and the world. There isn’t much time spent with all of the characters, as the story is written from third person omniscient. There are also a lot of string left hanging, the book ends with a little “P.S.” that leaves the reader with a massive cliffhanger.
Negative:
-None.
Overall:
I loved this story with everything in me. It was captivating and left me with a strong urge to continue reading. I have been struggling to concentrate on reading lately, which is why I joined Voracious Readers Only. I wanted to get back into the world where you could travel everywhere with a little imagination. Not only did M. M. Perry provide that “trip” for me, but she made sure it was a wonderful experience. My expectations for the coming books are high, and I know she’ll meet them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2022
Whom the Gods Love by M.M. Perry has potential to be amazing! We jump into this Epic Fantasy with the King, Callen, looking for warriors to guide him to Oshia so he can save his sick wife. He employs Cass (female warrior) and Gunnarr (a big male warrior who follows Cass), to guide him, Inez (older lady Callen detests) and Nat (virgin teen boy). From the start, it sounds like an interesting group for this journey. They all set off on their dangerous adventure and hit many unexpected situations along the way. How will they fare in the end?
Although this story has lots of interesting stories and pieces sprinkled throughout, it got very slow. The time that it takes to get the whole point across seems immense. It feels like there’s not much character development occurring, no arcs happening and nothing is changing, aside from slowly making their way to their destination. Along the way, a few people come along and there’s a bunch of stories being told in between. It didn’t feel quite whole, like it was missing something.
I enjoyed the sporadic action sequences here and there. They brought life to the experience and slightly started to push us forward through the story. However, once they were over, it’d slow down for a while once again.
The actual main story seems to sputter through and it was challenging to finish this novel. It feels like it could be so much better, just having things occur a bit faster and establish the characters a bit more, so they can have visible arcs happening throughout and not just towards the end.
I do appreciate the fact that the main warrior is a woman and she’s able to guide them where they need to go. It’s refreshing to have that slight role reversal occurring in a story that takes place during a time where that sort of thing is unheard of.
*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Whom the Gods Love from M.M. Perry via Voracious Readers Only
Although this story has lots of interesting stories and pieces sprinkled throughout, it got very slow. The time that it takes to get the whole point across seems immense. It feels like there’s not much character development occurring, no arcs happening and nothing is changing, aside from slowly making their way to their destination. Along the way, a few people come along and there’s a bunch of stories being told in between. It didn’t feel quite whole, like it was missing something.
I enjoyed the sporadic action sequences here and there. They brought life to the experience and slightly started to push us forward through the story. However, once they were over, it’d slow down for a while once again.
The actual main story seems to sputter through and it was challenging to finish this novel. It feels like it could be so much better, just having things occur a bit faster and establish the characters a bit more, so they can have visible arcs happening throughout and not just towards the end.
I do appreciate the fact that the main warrior is a woman and she’s able to guide them where they need to go. It’s refreshing to have that slight role reversal occurring in a story that takes place during a time where that sort of thing is unheard of.
*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Whom the Gods Love from M.M. Perry via Voracious Readers Only
July 28, 2021
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.
Overall i love it! It's very well-written, detailed enough to get lost into the story quite easily. It's a fast paced book and there's always danger around the corner to keep you on edge. If you are a fan of fantasy and like tales about gods i recommend it.
The occasional stories of the adventures Cass lived through told by her in the book makes everything so much better!! We understand much better what their world is like and enjoy some short adventures, and not only the main quest of the characters. I never read a book that did this before so i really loved that part!
Cass is so easily likable, and fun to read about. I can't explain how much i love the world built. And i loved the plot twist.
The only thing i didn't like was the ocassional scenes of....ugh...nudity? Gunnarr getting naked to distract a monster that hated men?! What was the worst moment in the book for me was the mud...totem. (aka the-male-private-parts-towering over-all-of-them-totem) it went along with the story so it wasn't random so to speak but i don't see how it was neccessary to include it for the characters to beat the monsters, instead of doing it in another way. Gunnarr is annoying at moments but i like how there isn't much of a love story in the book. I loved the way Oshia was represented, before we met him, and after. I wish there was more moments of him to be honest.
The only thing overall i didn't like (beyond the mud thing) was how everyone from the main group of characters is goody-two-shoes. I can imagine every last one of them (not sure about Inez, because she may try to be super nice and all in book 2, with a righteous purpose as well, cause she's trying to suck up to her mom) to be ready to jump into danger to die for a stranger. A bit more variety on the characters and their beliefs and personal traits wouldn't have been bad.
November 27, 2017
This was the first time I have ever read a book solely on a kindle and I kept my expectations low. I was pleasantly surprised when I reached chapter 2 and still wanted to go on. It was a fun adventure. It wasn't perfect.
The world building wasn't great, it was like looking at a map with an incredibly detailed road but with blank and foggy space all around it. I never got a sense of the entire world. And a chunk of the book felt like a series of events. Perhaps because it was a first in the trilogy it was just trying to push us to the end so as to really get started.
There were positives, however. I like the characters Cass and Gunarr. I really belived their relationship and wanted the very best for them. If it wasn't for their dynamics and the respect they showed to one another, I wouldn't have hung on. With such a healthy relationship in a fantasy novel, how could I not see it through to the last page.
I'm certain there will be more character development of the other players in the next two and I'm intrigued. I suspected something about one character but was still suprised by the outcome for them. I hope Nat gets better, he was rather wet, more so than was necessary and I do like to see a weedy thing become more than he believed. And Callan was a bit hit and miss with me. He was too many things; the fussy king, the silly one, the wise one. He had too many moments that didn't all quite fit in one. But once again, near the end, I started liking him again. Of all his qualities, some contradictory, his best was that he loved his wife with all his heart.
The writing was decent, it was a different and intriguing fantasy. It had admirable female characters and it was lovely to step away from the overwhelming amounts of fantasy that victimise their women and suffocate the stories in stuffy, over-complicated politics.
A very good fantasy indeed. I would certainly recommend fantasy-lovers who want some fierce, independent women and character driven plot.
The world building wasn't great, it was like looking at a map with an incredibly detailed road but with blank and foggy space all around it. I never got a sense of the entire world. And a chunk of the book felt like a series of events. Perhaps because it was a first in the trilogy it was just trying to push us to the end so as to really get started.
There were positives, however. I like the characters Cass and Gunarr. I really belived their relationship and wanted the very best for them. If it wasn't for their dynamics and the respect they showed to one another, I wouldn't have hung on. With such a healthy relationship in a fantasy novel, how could I not see it through to the last page.
I'm certain there will be more character development of the other players in the next two and I'm intrigued. I suspected something about one character but was still suprised by the outcome for them. I hope Nat gets better, he was rather wet, more so than was necessary and I do like to see a weedy thing become more than he believed. And Callan was a bit hit and miss with me. He was too many things; the fussy king, the silly one, the wise one. He had too many moments that didn't all quite fit in one. But once again, near the end, I started liking him again. Of all his qualities, some contradictory, his best was that he loved his wife with all his heart.
The writing was decent, it was a different and intriguing fantasy. It had admirable female characters and it was lovely to step away from the overwhelming amounts of fantasy that victimise their women and suffocate the stories in stuffy, over-complicated politics.
A very good fantasy indeed. I would certainly recommend fantasy-lovers who want some fierce, independent women and character driven plot.
July 2, 2019
***I have received a copy of the book through Voracious Readers***
I typically read books that have magic and the myth elements in contemporary settings but I occasionally read high fantasy.
The book uses elements of Greek myth and other mythos. There is a spin on each of those more common mythological creatures that is fun to see (though if someone is really attached to a type of mythological creature this might make some unhappy on how drastic some twists were).
The flow of the book is nice, it alternates between storytelling (story within a story) and adventures the characters really lives through. It was an interesting choice that, in my opinion, didn't make the world building seem like info dumping. The information was more easily remembered. The book is good at using the stories to develop the characters of the characters. I stories were used to great effect. But if you removed the stories you still end up with an interesting book, but the stories within the stories do add depth.
One thing I was disappointed about was that there was no map, I find those helpful and fun to track the characters' progress. It would be great if the author could include a one.
Also I love quotes and I just like that the author wrote this one: "Truth is often less interesting than fiction, but that makes it no less true" -M.M.Perry
For me, it was fun to question who's lying and who's telling the truth and for what reason, in this book. Because that's the thing with oral tradition- it changes with time and memories get changed as everyone goes back to retell them. It kind of reminded me of Green Grass Running Water in that way that it used both oral and written tradition so that you feel like your sitting hearing stories around a campfire but at the same time it's a book that you read in your hands. The story is written but, at the same time, the question of the truth of the stories (the mythos of the book itself) make it seem more dynamic.
I typically read books that have magic and the myth elements in contemporary settings but I occasionally read high fantasy.
The book uses elements of Greek myth and other mythos. There is a spin on each of those more common mythological creatures that is fun to see (though if someone is really attached to a type of mythological creature this might make some unhappy on how drastic some twists were).
The flow of the book is nice, it alternates between storytelling (story within a story) and adventures the characters really lives through. It was an interesting choice that, in my opinion, didn't make the world building seem like info dumping. The information was more easily remembered. The book is good at using the stories to develop the characters of the characters. I stories were used to great effect. But if you removed the stories you still end up with an interesting book, but the stories within the stories do add depth.
One thing I was disappointed about was that there was no map, I find those helpful and fun to track the characters' progress. It would be great if the author could include a one.
Also I love quotes and I just like that the author wrote this one: "Truth is often less interesting than fiction, but that makes it no less true" -M.M.Perry
For me, it was fun to question who's lying and who's telling the truth and for what reason, in this book. Because that's the thing with oral tradition- it changes with time and memories get changed as everyone goes back to retell them. It kind of reminded me of Green Grass Running Water in that way that it used both oral and written tradition so that you feel like your sitting hearing stories around a campfire but at the same time it's a book that you read in your hands. The story is written but, at the same time, the question of the truth of the stories (the mythos of the book itself) make it seem more dynamic.
January 3, 2021
I received a copy of this novel from Voracious Readers Only in an exchange for an honest review.
I will admit, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as I began reading. I wasn't sure I was a fan of the characters at first because I thought they seemed dull. However, as I continued reading, I was surprised by the depth in these characters, mainly Cass. I was worried Cass was going to be a character who was too powerful, but after what occurred with the aswanga, I was happy to see that Cass' skills weren't perfect and that she needed to be saved just like anyone else. Very well written.
I loved how straightforward the story was. I don't think there were any moments that I thought weren't necessary. Even the beginning got straight to the point (which is likely why the characters threw me off- there wasn't a lot of character building at the beginning because it went straight to the plot). It started in medias res which I don't see much in any stories. I honestly loved it because it never felt like too much was being explained.
I think my favorite thing about this book was the world it was in. I loved hearing about different gods and mythical creatures through the stories told by the different characters. I laughed a lot while reading because of just how unique and funny the stories were, especially regarding the aswanga and the strategies behind defeating them.
Also, the plot twists really did surprise me. The author did a wonderful job of making Inez seem like a worthless character who didn't seem to do anything to help progress the journey. There were a lot of hints that made me know she was going to be useful, but I didn't expect her to turn out to be Issa. I was honestly shocked, which doesn't often occur to me when reading.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun to read about, I loved the stories that Cass and Gunnarr told, and I am looking forward to reading on in the series (the cliffhanger got to me at the end!).
I will admit, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as I began reading. I wasn't sure I was a fan of the characters at first because I thought they seemed dull. However, as I continued reading, I was surprised by the depth in these characters, mainly Cass. I was worried Cass was going to be a character who was too powerful, but after what occurred with the aswanga, I was happy to see that Cass' skills weren't perfect and that she needed to be saved just like anyone else. Very well written.
I loved how straightforward the story was. I don't think there were any moments that I thought weren't necessary. Even the beginning got straight to the point (which is likely why the characters threw me off- there wasn't a lot of character building at the beginning because it went straight to the plot). It started in medias res which I don't see much in any stories. I honestly loved it because it never felt like too much was being explained.
I think my favorite thing about this book was the world it was in. I loved hearing about different gods and mythical creatures through the stories told by the different characters. I laughed a lot while reading because of just how unique and funny the stories were, especially regarding the aswanga and the strategies behind defeating them.
Also, the plot twists really did surprise me. The author did a wonderful job of making Inez seem like a worthless character who didn't seem to do anything to help progress the journey. There were a lot of hints that made me know she was going to be useful, but I didn't expect her to turn out to be Issa. I was honestly shocked, which doesn't often occur to me when reading.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun to read about, I loved the stories that Cass and Gunnarr told, and I am looking forward to reading on in the series (the cliffhanger got to me at the end!).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2020
Disclaimer: I received a free complimentary review copy of this book to review
Callan is a king, well used to the comforts and trappings of royalty. When his wife falls ill with a mysterious sickness, the seers tell Callan to begin a long journey to seek the god Oshia, from whom no one has ever returned from. Accompanied by the irascible Inez, and old lady whom the seers say is key to the quest, and a young lad Nat, he begins the journey towards the plains in order to seek a warrior to guide them to the temple. Instead of one, he gets two warriors who decide to embark on this quest. Cass is a wild warrior, and Gunnarr is a man who left his homeland a long time ago. Not everyone is who they seem, and some know more than others what lies at the end, but Cass knows, and she has a plan to ensure Callan is reunited with his wife. Fate is fickle, just when she has finally found peace, she might lose it all as a seer once told her.
‘Whom the Gods Love’ is a wonderful tale of adventure, courage and just a hint of love. I admire the devotion that Callan shows towards his wife despite his aversion to the the discomforts of travel. His journey isn’t just that of the physical nature, he grows as the journey continues on, realising that people aren’t just a means to the end, that people all have their own stories. I would have loved to see a little more of this evolution, his thoughts as he went through this change we’re not very obvious, and could’ve been explored more. The blooming love between the two warriors, and their kindness to Nat is endearing, I can’t wait to read more of this series.
Callan is a king, well used to the comforts and trappings of royalty. When his wife falls ill with a mysterious sickness, the seers tell Callan to begin a long journey to seek the god Oshia, from whom no one has ever returned from. Accompanied by the irascible Inez, and old lady whom the seers say is key to the quest, and a young lad Nat, he begins the journey towards the plains in order to seek a warrior to guide them to the temple. Instead of one, he gets two warriors who decide to embark on this quest. Cass is a wild warrior, and Gunnarr is a man who left his homeland a long time ago. Not everyone is who they seem, and some know more than others what lies at the end, but Cass knows, and she has a plan to ensure Callan is reunited with his wife. Fate is fickle, just when she has finally found peace, she might lose it all as a seer once told her.
‘Whom the Gods Love’ is a wonderful tale of adventure, courage and just a hint of love. I admire the devotion that Callan shows towards his wife despite his aversion to the the discomforts of travel. His journey isn’t just that of the physical nature, he grows as the journey continues on, realising that people aren’t just a means to the end, that people all have their own stories. I would have loved to see a little more of this evolution, his thoughts as he went through this change we’re not very obvious, and could’ve been explored more. The blooming love between the two warriors, and their kindness to Nat is endearing, I can’t wait to read more of this series.
September 1, 2020
Received from the author in exchange for a review.
This book is so hard to rate! There are sooo many aspects that I feel were done fantastically, but there were also several areas that were lacking. I was incredibly impressed by the new take on the standard wrote mythical beings. One of the biggest struggles with fantasy is creating something new and refreshing with a lot of used and reused creatures and concepts. Perry did a great job of presenting these creatures in a new light. Though there were a few missed opportunities in using these creatures to add depth to the story or explain why two warriors were really necessary for this journey. Perhaps I am a bit of an action junky, but I felt that for a book with the tagline "When Cass draws her blade, nothing can stop her." there was a lack of sword fighting, active danger , and tough calls. There may be some foreshadowing as to the reason for the lack of good scuffles, but based on book one, I was mildly disappointed.
I loved the collection of characters, but I don't feel that I know them much better now than I did when they were first introduced. I hope that changes, as these are fun people that I cannot wait to get to know better.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I already the next two books in the series downloaded and ready to read.
This book is so hard to rate! There are sooo many aspects that I feel were done fantastically, but there were also several areas that were lacking. I was incredibly impressed by the new take on the standard wrote mythical beings. One of the biggest struggles with fantasy is creating something new and refreshing with a lot of used and reused creatures and concepts. Perry did a great job of presenting these creatures in a new light. Though there were a few missed opportunities in using these creatures to add depth to the story or explain why two warriors were really necessary for this journey. Perhaps I am a bit of an action junky, but I felt that for a book with the tagline "When Cass draws her blade, nothing can stop her." there was a lack of sword fighting, active danger , and tough calls. There may be some foreshadowing as to the reason for the lack of good scuffles, but based on book one, I was mildly disappointed.
I loved the collection of characters, but I don't feel that I know them much better now than I did when they were first introduced. I hope that changes, as these are fun people that I cannot wait to get to know better.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I already the next two books in the series downloaded and ready to read.
April 27, 2022
The pacing of this book starts off a little slow but picks up Very quickly. That being said, I started reading this book and put it down for a solid week or two before picking it up again. Not because the story was uninteresting, but I couldn't get past the fact that there were too many errors that should have been caught in proofreads and editing phases of a book. (It gets better, but there's one segment where a character is stated as waiting for the return of 3 members of the party - yet said character is one of the 3 members that had left on the excursion...)
There are many stories within the story. Interesting stories, but certainly tales that take up a fair portion of the 1st book of the trilogy - pages that may have been better spent on character development. All the characters exist, sure, and I certainly did not want harm to befall them, but I wouldn't say that I became invested in ... any of them.
Overall: good pacing, needs better proofreading, characters show promise, many little twists, maybe excessive usage of a thesaurus... Not sure I understand the final direction of the plot point in the trilogy. Not sure I'll pick up book two after reading the synopsis. **Was interested in picking up book two with how book one ended - until the dream sequence. Did not care for the seer's dream. Boring. Of course she's alive.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Voracious Readers in return for an honest review.
There are many stories within the story. Interesting stories, but certainly tales that take up a fair portion of the 1st book of the trilogy - pages that may have been better spent on character development. All the characters exist, sure, and I certainly did not want harm to befall them, but I wouldn't say that I became invested in ... any of them.
Overall: good pacing, needs better proofreading, characters show promise, many little twists, maybe excessive usage of a thesaurus... Not sure I understand the final direction of the plot point in the trilogy. Not sure I'll pick up book two after reading the synopsis. **Was interested in picking up book two with how book one ended - until the dream sequence. Did not care for the seer's dream. Boring. Of course she's alive.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Voracious Readers in return for an honest review.
February 20, 2018
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Whom the Gods Love was... genuinely surprising. I admit, it started off rocky. The characters were unsympathetic, and the story seemed slow. The obvious effort put into worldbuilding was pleasing, however, and was largely the reason I kept on with it.
Until, suddenly, the characters became less unsympathetic and more human. I think it would be best, going into the book for the first time, to realize that the narrators are unreliable - not necessarily lying (I'm treading around spoilers here) but more having no reason to spill their whole lives and motivations to people they've only just met (y'know, like actual human beings do).
From that point on it became less 'kinds boring but an interesting setting' and more 'a genuinely pleasant read, if with an obvious plot twist'. And it stayed that way, right up until the obvious plot twist was enacted - and immediately followed by a second, much sneaker plot twist that turned the characters into genuinely relatable people (and even good ones!) and turns the whole novel into what I'm praying is a set up for a more plot-centric second novel. It's certainly got me curious enough that I'm about to go buy it.
Solid 4/5, would recommend to a friend.
Whom the Gods Love was... genuinely surprising. I admit, it started off rocky. The characters were unsympathetic, and the story seemed slow. The obvious effort put into worldbuilding was pleasing, however, and was largely the reason I kept on with it.
Until, suddenly, the characters became less unsympathetic and more human. I think it would be best, going into the book for the first time, to realize that the narrators are unreliable - not necessarily lying (I'm treading around spoilers here) but more having no reason to spill their whole lives and motivations to people they've only just met (y'know, like actual human beings do).
From that point on it became less 'kinds boring but an interesting setting' and more 'a genuinely pleasant read, if with an obvious plot twist'. And it stayed that way, right up until the obvious plot twist was enacted - and immediately followed by a second, much sneaker plot twist that turned the characters into genuinely relatable people (and even good ones!) and turns the whole novel into what I'm praying is a set up for a more plot-centric second novel. It's certainly got me curious enough that I'm about to go buy it.
Solid 4/5, would recommend to a friend.
March 19, 2019
I was lucky enough to get a free copy of this book through Voracious Reads.
This book follows King Callan on his quest to save his wife’s life. I found the description to be a little misleading but that could just be my interpretation.
Callan starts out his journey with the over-enthusiastic Nat, who wishes to become a warrior, and his overly cranky aunt Inez. They pick up the warriors Cassandra and Gunnarr to help them on their way. They also meet the enchanted Viola and end up getting into all sorts of trouble with monsters, ogres, and giant woodland spiders.
I did quite enjoy this book. There was a lot of mystery surrounding certain characters that, personally, I did not see the reveals coming so that made me really want to keep reading. I also like the quest aspect of this book. I enjoyed going on such a journey with the characters. Basically the entire book is them travelling.
There were parts of this book that felt familiar in a sense, like I’d read similar things before, but that was ok.
Also, there are some pretty annoying proofreading errors that you have to just skip over. I’m not blaming the author, but just to warn you, it is there.
Overall, I didn’t think it was amazing but at the same time, it wasn’t awful. Hence 3/5 stars
This book follows King Callan on his quest to save his wife’s life. I found the description to be a little misleading but that could just be my interpretation.
Callan starts out his journey with the over-enthusiastic Nat, who wishes to become a warrior, and his overly cranky aunt Inez. They pick up the warriors Cassandra and Gunnarr to help them on their way. They also meet the enchanted Viola and end up getting into all sorts of trouble with monsters, ogres, and giant woodland spiders.
I did quite enjoy this book. There was a lot of mystery surrounding certain characters that, personally, I did not see the reveals coming so that made me really want to keep reading. I also like the quest aspect of this book. I enjoyed going on such a journey with the characters. Basically the entire book is them travelling.
There were parts of this book that felt familiar in a sense, like I’d read similar things before, but that was ok.
Also, there are some pretty annoying proofreading errors that you have to just skip over. I’m not blaming the author, but just to warn you, it is there.
Overall, I didn’t think it was amazing but at the same time, it wasn’t awful. Hence 3/5 stars
April 30, 2020
I enjoyed the book, and didn't have any trouble with motivation to read :) I would reccomend to anyone who likes the "traveling party, journey-not-destination" style fantasy.
That being said, I have 2 issues with the writing:
The first is that a lot of info seems to be needlessly withheld from the reader, and it gets frustrating. I understand about Inez, but I think it would have been less frustrating if none of the POV characters knew and we were given more hints like the village of light so everyone (reader & character) is guessing at the same time. This also came up with Cass' destiny and Nat's "sacrifice", where I wish we'd been given more hints and less intentional secret keeping from the author.
Secondly, the POV seems to shift suddenly. Maybe this is simply not my normal reading style but it would have been easier for me to follow if they were broken up more distinctly. As it is now, it makes it harder to distinguish certain character's "voices" in their POV (Especially that of Gunnar & Nat, who I feel suffered from very short bursts of narration).
Those aside, there was a lot to love. I think the plot was fun to follow and I loved the "Greek Myths" feel of the religion.
Received a complimentary review copy of this book via Voracious Readers Only
That being said, I have 2 issues with the writing:
The first is that a lot of info seems to be needlessly withheld from the reader, and it gets frustrating. I understand about Inez, but I think it would have been less frustrating if none of the POV characters knew and we were given more hints like the village of light so everyone (reader & character) is guessing at the same time. This also came up with Cass' destiny and Nat's "sacrifice", where I wish we'd been given more hints and less intentional secret keeping from the author.
Secondly, the POV seems to shift suddenly. Maybe this is simply not my normal reading style but it would have been easier for me to follow if they were broken up more distinctly. As it is now, it makes it harder to distinguish certain character's "voices" in their POV (Especially that of Gunnar & Nat, who I feel suffered from very short bursts of narration).
Those aside, there was a lot to love. I think the plot was fun to follow and I loved the "Greek Myths" feel of the religion.
Received a complimentary review copy of this book via Voracious Readers Only
November 3, 2020
In short: it’s a good adventure story, but it needs refinement.
The writing was pretty rough in the beginning. There was a lot of over explanation and excessively wordy sentences. The characters were pretty undefined, personality wise, the characters would seemingly switch personalities from one paragraph to the next until they sort of mostly found a range to stick to.
This book I found myself picking up to read only to put it back down because I wasn’t compelled to read it. Besides the writing issues mentioned above, the characters were flat and felt lifeless so there wasn’t any connection for me to keep me coming back. I just feel like there were a lot of ideas in this book and it was so overcrowded with them that non of them were as defined as they could have been to improve the story. There were so many adventure fight scenes that were cut abruptly short, tiny tangents of ideas that were sort of tied in later on, etc.
Overall it’s a good story, I just think it needed more work on defining the characters and the main plot points, if that was done they could have easily turned this book alone into a trilogy.
I’d still recommend it if your looking for a fantasy adventure story.
The writing was pretty rough in the beginning. There was a lot of over explanation and excessively wordy sentences. The characters were pretty undefined, personality wise, the characters would seemingly switch personalities from one paragraph to the next until they sort of mostly found a range to stick to.
This book I found myself picking up to read only to put it back down because I wasn’t compelled to read it. Besides the writing issues mentioned above, the characters were flat and felt lifeless so there wasn’t any connection for me to keep me coming back. I just feel like there were a lot of ideas in this book and it was so overcrowded with them that non of them were as defined as they could have been to improve the story. There were so many adventure fight scenes that were cut abruptly short, tiny tangents of ideas that were sort of tied in later on, etc.
Overall it’s a good story, I just think it needed more work on defining the characters and the main plot points, if that was done they could have easily turned this book alone into a trilogy.
I’d still recommend it if your looking for a fantasy adventure story.
January 5, 2021
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
I have to admit, this is my favourite genre so was excited to begin reading this book. What an absolutely fantastic book! This book had a brilliant original storyline, with well written and interesting characters. I felt that all characters were described well and all of them stuck to their personality throughout. We had characters who grew during the story too which I always love to see.
My favourite character is Nat, I wish he had a bigger role but this will likely come in to play in the sequels.
All descriptions, whether it be scenes or people etc were written so well that I could envision everything and it was like I was with the group on their adventure.
This is a book, and likely a series, that I need in paperback or hardback form rather than on kindle so it can take pride of place on my bookshelf.
What i would suggest is that the book is proof read again as I noticed some mistakes such as punctuation and extra words in sentences. Also, at the beginning of the book, every character seems to blush! And it got on my nerves slightly as I don't think every person would blush in them situations.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
I have to admit, this is my favourite genre so was excited to begin reading this book. What an absolutely fantastic book! This book had a brilliant original storyline, with well written and interesting characters. I felt that all characters were described well and all of them stuck to their personality throughout. We had characters who grew during the story too which I always love to see.
My favourite character is Nat, I wish he had a bigger role but this will likely come in to play in the sequels.
All descriptions, whether it be scenes or people etc were written so well that I could envision everything and it was like I was with the group on their adventure.
This is a book, and likely a series, that I need in paperback or hardback form rather than on kindle so it can take pride of place on my bookshelf.
What i would suggest is that the book is proof read again as I noticed some mistakes such as punctuation and extra words in sentences. Also, at the beginning of the book, every character seems to blush! And it got on my nerves slightly as I don't think every person would blush in them situations.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
March 3, 2018
M.M. Perry's latest epic fantasy brings to life a magnitude of creatures and characters in an ancient fantasy world.
In this first installment, we follow King Callan on his quest to save his wife who is dying of an incurable illness. Travelling to the Temple of an Old God, King Callan and his party are faced with numerous challenges that they must overcome. A typical plot for a fantasy novel with quests and whatnot.
The book, which is roughly 238 pages, is well written and contains descriptions where your imagination isn't going to be strained. The world Perry has created leaves little to the imagination, weaving beasts and other interesting features into the scenery that would make you wish to visit.
In all honesty, it took a while for anything remotely interesting to happen in the book. At the very end, we are given some food for thought, with some unexpected twists to what we thought we knew about the characters.
While this book is well written, I wouldn't recommend it. I give this book 2.5/5 stars. Hopefully the next installment contains more interesting content for those who did enjoy this book.
In this first installment, we follow King Callan on his quest to save his wife who is dying of an incurable illness. Travelling to the Temple of an Old God, King Callan and his party are faced with numerous challenges that they must overcome. A typical plot for a fantasy novel with quests and whatnot.
The book, which is roughly 238 pages, is well written and contains descriptions where your imagination isn't going to be strained. The world Perry has created leaves little to the imagination, weaving beasts and other interesting features into the scenery that would make you wish to visit.
In all honesty, it took a while for anything remotely interesting to happen in the book. At the very end, we are given some food for thought, with some unexpected twists to what we thought we knew about the characters.
While this book is well written, I wouldn't recommend it. I give this book 2.5/5 stars. Hopefully the next installment contains more interesting content for those who did enjoy this book.
June 27, 2018
I received a copy of this book to review from Voracious Readers.
I really enjoyed the book. It was a good pace, easy to read and difficult to put down. It could have been a cliché tale of a young man on a quest to save the woman he loves, meeting interesting characters and many dangers along the way. But the author managed to put a spin on things and make the classic tale interesting.
The characters, especially, are always more then they appear. The young man, is not what you expect from such a tale, and not the perfect hero we usually see. The young warrior who really is the hero of the story has depth and a very interesting backstory. We can see how the relationships between each member of the party changes them. The story kept my interest in learning more about each member of the party.
The world the author build is rich and I love the device the author use to let us learn more about it: by having the different members of the party tell tales. There is a good balance of actions and dialogues. Definitely worth a try if you enjoy this genre. I am looking forward the next volumes.
I really enjoyed the book. It was a good pace, easy to read and difficult to put down. It could have been a cliché tale of a young man on a quest to save the woman he loves, meeting interesting characters and many dangers along the way. But the author managed to put a spin on things and make the classic tale interesting.
The characters, especially, are always more then they appear. The young man, is not what you expect from such a tale, and not the perfect hero we usually see. The young warrior who really is the hero of the story has depth and a very interesting backstory. We can see how the relationships between each member of the party changes them. The story kept my interest in learning more about each member of the party.
The world the author build is rich and I love the device the author use to let us learn more about it: by having the different members of the party tell tales. There is a good balance of actions and dialogues. Definitely worth a try if you enjoy this genre. I am looking forward the next volumes.
Read
September 8, 2022DNF @ 5%
I’m not leaving a rating because I feel it’s unfair to do so being as I couldn’t get past 5% of the book. Feel free to check out my reading activity for more loose ideas and opinions on the book.
I try to read at least one chapter of a book before I decide to put it down, and Whom the Gods Love unfortunately had me wanting to put it down ten paragraphs in. The stagnant, passive voice is incredibly distracting - impossibly more so than the info dumps - and the characters are awkward and anything but compelling. The immersion was completely broken in this supposed high fantasy when a character said the word “nope”. I have no idea how none of this was caught by an editor prior to publishing.
It took half way through the first chapter to establish a quest that could’ve been summed up in the first paragraph, and the dialogue is stiffened with exposition or awkward interactions that just feel unreal. Additionally, the “grandma” of the group hinting about sexual adventures didn’t feel funny, it felt jarring and uncomfortable.
Won’t be picking this one back up unfortunately.
I’m not leaving a rating because I feel it’s unfair to do so being as I couldn’t get past 5% of the book. Feel free to check out my reading activity for more loose ideas and opinions on the book.
I try to read at least one chapter of a book before I decide to put it down, and Whom the Gods Love unfortunately had me wanting to put it down ten paragraphs in. The stagnant, passive voice is incredibly distracting - impossibly more so than the info dumps - and the characters are awkward and anything but compelling. The immersion was completely broken in this supposed high fantasy when a character said the word “nope”. I have no idea how none of this was caught by an editor prior to publishing.
It took half way through the first chapter to establish a quest that could’ve been summed up in the first paragraph, and the dialogue is stiffened with exposition or awkward interactions that just feel unreal. Additionally, the “grandma” of the group hinting about sexual adventures didn’t feel funny, it felt jarring and uncomfortable.
Won’t be picking this one back up unfortunately.
Read
October 10, 2024I received an arc copy and am leaving an honest review.
At 13%, I could not continue, thus I will not be leaving a rating. The writing was very choppy, forced, and the amount of head hopping was so confusing, I actually found myself getting angry while reading because I was so disoriented.
The characters are painfully flat, and none of them got my interest. A seventeen year old boy sounded like he was 10, we have a warrior brute who is blushing constantly, and the first two chapters were so long and really did nothing to explain the stakes or get me interested in the plot. It was hard to get a sense of the world after being introduced to so many characters at once.
If the head hopping hadn’t been so blatant, and we had been given time to understand them a bit more, I might have considered continuing, even though the writing was rough. But since I was 13% through the book and was still reading chapter 2, I couldn’t do it.
At 13%, I could not continue, thus I will not be leaving a rating. The writing was very choppy, forced, and the amount of head hopping was so confusing, I actually found myself getting angry while reading because I was so disoriented.
The characters are painfully flat, and none of them got my interest. A seventeen year old boy sounded like he was 10, we have a warrior brute who is blushing constantly, and the first two chapters were so long and really did nothing to explain the stakes or get me interested in the plot. It was hard to get a sense of the world after being introduced to so many characters at once.
If the head hopping hadn’t been so blatant, and we had been given time to understand them a bit more, I might have considered continuing, even though the writing was rough. But since I was 13% through the book and was still reading chapter 2, I couldn’t do it.
March 25, 2019
I received a free copy of this book to review from Voracious Readers. (This is my first ever book review so please bear with me!) I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found the story well-paced generally (though a little slow in places) and the character development well thought out. It is obvious that the author really knows the world and characters they have created inside and out. I felt the characters were realistic and believable in their fears, passions and behaviours- so much so that I can see some of my friends in their behaviours and reactions! There was the odd occasion where I felt the descriptions of the action was a bit clunky but other than that I would recommend this book to others who enjoy books from the fantasy/adventure genre and I look forward to reading the rest of the books of the series! 😊
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