Priestess

by K.M. Rice

"What if I said you could go back? Ophelia, you could change... everything."

She left behind the modern world she knew to save the man she loves. Now in the trenches of the Great War, Ophelia must find a way to reach her lover of several lifetimes. Her existence is limited, making her journey all the more complicated, for she is in the Afterworld - the place between this life and the next. New memories of a wilder, untamed past life will either be a welcome reprieve from the pain of war or a deadly distraction.

Trapped in the past, will she be able to change her future?

Priestess continues the journey begun in the first book, Ophelia.

436 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2019

About the author

K.M. RICE is a national award-winning screenwriter and author who has worked for both Magic Leap and Weta Workshop, the latter being responsible for such cinematic epics as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Her first novel, Darkling, is a young adult fantastical thriller.

Her novella The Wild Frontier is an ode to the American spirit of adventure and seeks to awaken the wildish nature in all of us.

As the producer of the webseries Happy Hobbit, she was also a contributor to J.W. Braun's book Middle-earth Madness.

Her work has recently been featured in the literary journal Passing Through: Stories and Art About the Road Less Traveled.

In the past, she has had her work published in the literary journal Reed Magazine and was also the focus of a feature article in the August 2009 issue of Script Magazine. Her most recent release, The Country Beyond the Forests, is a short story and selected poetry collection showcasing a range of genres and styles.

When not working on her novels or hiking in the woods, she can be found enjoying the company of the many animals on her family ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Her books can be found online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in-store at Bookshop Santa Cruz.

Several years in the making, her upcoming Afterworld series is set to debut with the first book, Ophelia.

Reviews

[Taryn Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priestess by K.M. Rice tells the tale of a soul trapped in the world between life and death, trying to protect her living lover during the Great War.

Spoiler Warning –If you haven't read book one of the Afterworld series, check out Ophelia by K.M. Rice before reading on.

Ophelia and Brennan have gone by many names during their numerous lives throughout history, but in every single life their souls have found each other. Unfortunately, so has Adam, their rival and centuries long enemy who will do whatever it takes to tear Ophelia and Brennan apart and keep Ophelia for himself. The pattern has repeated more lifetimes than Ophelia can remember and it always ends in tragedy.

Caught between life and death, Ophelia goes back in time to see what she can change. She gets to know Brennan –or Johnny as he is called in this life – while he is fighting at the front of the Great War. Without form and being, she is little more than a ghost as she tries to change the past by keeping Johnny safe. Ophelia finds herself confused, however, when she observes Adam –Kent in this life– displaying surprising acts of heroism despite his obvious madness and obsession with finding her. Memories of an even older life soon pull her away from Johnny and her dedication to saving him. She becomes overwhelmed trying to make sense of all her lives and how they brought her to where she is now.

This story keeps the reader guessing as the narrative tumbles through detailed and harrowing descriptions of battle, sweet innocent romance, and complex moral questions about what a hero really is and who is worth saving. Celtic mythology blends with the rich historical details of World War I and ancient Greece to tell the tale of a love that transcends the bounds of time.

The themes in this book are complex and textured and the characters are well drawn and authentic. While Ophelia's ties to her lover’s soul are unquestionable, her ties of platonic friendship play an equally important role. Johnny relies on the support and companionship of his comrades at the front, particularly his fellow Irishman Shorty, while Ophelia encourages her grieving sister and best friend Lucy to let her go. The soul numbing effects of violence and cruelty are felt in both the war front of 1917, and the isolated Temple of Artemis. Meanwhile the complexity of Adam’s brutality and desire for Ophelia fog like gas in unmasked lungs.

K.M. Rice is a talented and imaginative writer who pays close attention to detail. Her obvious love of poetry and old gothic literature shines through, particularly in a scene in battle when the soldiers stop to listen to birds. The brief moment of tranquility amidst the horrors of war is a beautiful homage to the bird motif and metaphor poets have entangled themselves with for centuries. Priestess, like Ophelia, is riddled with subtle and less subtle literary references for the bibliophiles to squeal over. It's a beautiful, well penned book perfect for lovers of romance, historical fiction, and fantasy.