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The Legend of Lilith #1
The Legend of Lilith
In a land where beasts roam the plains and the valleys, and vile monsters sprout wings to scale the highest city walls, the five Gods of Elysium have created a race called the Divine; human vessels for Their elements. These individuals are endowed with greater power to fight the evils of the terrestrial realm. When Lilith Oak is Anointed Divine by Constantine, God of Aether, she is thrust into a whole new world of dark magic, vicious warfare, and vengeance. Somehow she must learn how to control the abyss that is Aether, whilst overcoming grief in order to unite with her new family in Divination.
Rhéa DaSylvà, a young Enchantress of the Obsydían Marsh, abandons the Ilíos coven to pursue a comfortable life at the side of her beloved. Her plans are disrupted when she is presented with an impossible task: to serve a covetous man or lose her only love.
The Era of Shadows has blanketed Augusta for over a century, and now these two women are expected to end the Great Divine’s one-hundred-year campaign against the Empire. On separate sides of Augusta, Lilith and Rhéa are forced to choose between the good of the Empire and their only living kin.
Rhéa DaSylvà, a young Enchantress of the Obsydían Marsh, abandons the Ilíos coven to pursue a comfortable life at the side of her beloved. Her plans are disrupted when she is presented with an impossible task: to serve a covetous man or lose her only love.
The Era of Shadows has blanketed Augusta for over a century, and now these two women are expected to end the Great Divine’s one-hundred-year campaign against the Empire. On separate sides of Augusta, Lilith and Rhéa are forced to choose between the good of the Empire and their only living kin.
- GenresFantasy
488 pages, Paperback
Published January 17, 2020
2 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 14, 2021
The Legend of Lilith is one of those YA books that follows the same standard tropes dutifully, but occasionally adds a spark of uniqueness to keep you interested. I wish it had focused more on the things that made it good, rather than sticking to the path carved by a stampede of YA fantasy classics.
This book follows a girl named Lilith. She's chosen by the gods to become one of the Divine, humans prepared specifically to fight off the monsters that plague the realm. They are gifted enhanced senses and strength. Meanwhile, an enchantress named Rhéa is struggling to fight off the evil power that threatens to destroy the land.
The first thing I noticed about this book was the odd vocabulary used. It was like the author looked up a normal word in a thesaurus and found the most obscure synonym possible to use. It drew me out of the story, feeling oddly unnatural. Some of the lines used were also cheesy, like the dreaded, "Stay with me, please? Just until I fall asleep." I hate that line with a burning passion. It's used in over 75% of the books I've read this year. Some of the modern language also annoyed me, like the use of "okay" and "hi." The word "okay" was coined in 1839. That was the year when the first photograph of a person was taken. This world has no such technology. It's more of a standard medieval-type fantasy realm. Which is why I don't understand why this language was used. It's a pet peeve of mine.
The magic system was written almost like it was supposed to be vague, but it didn't quite pull it off. I prefer hard magic systems over soft ones, but I'm pretty sure that even if you prefer soft magic systems, this would be a little too undefined still. I'm not really sure how the magic even works. It's called Aether. Lillith is just supposed to "look inside herself" to summon it. I was frustrated. The process of Anointing was unclear. Everything was unclear.
One thing I did like was the father-daughter relationship between Arduen and Lilith. They had a rocky start and I think their relationship was a little in-your-face, but I still appreciated it. It was complex and full of hills and valleys, but the way they stuck together even when they were mad at each other was sweet.
Lilith masters everything too quickly. She had maybe two lessons before she got really good at whatever she was trying to do. This is a common trend I see a lot in YA fantasy, and I don't like it. If a character isn't struggling, I will get bored quickly. She was also a Typical YA Heroine in her stubbornness and determination to do everything all by herself. She wants to defeat the baddie by herself. She wants to save her brother by herself. And deity forbid anyone go after her, because it was hEr fAuLt, which somehow means that she has to take care of it on her own.
It was okay. It wasn't special, it was just fine.
2 stars
I was provided with a free eARC of this book by Phoenix Rising Press, via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
_____
This book was nothing special, but I found myself oddly invested in Rhéa's story. Too bad she had literally no role in the book. I am too often disappointed in YA fantasy ☺️
review to come...
This book follows a girl named Lilith. She's chosen by the gods to become one of the Divine, humans prepared specifically to fight off the monsters that plague the realm. They are gifted enhanced senses and strength. Meanwhile, an enchantress named Rhéa is struggling to fight off the evil power that threatens to destroy the land.
The first thing I noticed about this book was the odd vocabulary used. It was like the author looked up a normal word in a thesaurus and found the most obscure synonym possible to use. It drew me out of the story, feeling oddly unnatural. Some of the lines used were also cheesy, like the dreaded, "Stay with me, please? Just until I fall asleep." I hate that line with a burning passion. It's used in over 75% of the books I've read this year. Some of the modern language also annoyed me, like the use of "okay" and "hi." The word "okay" was coined in 1839. That was the year when the first photograph of a person was taken. This world has no such technology. It's more of a standard medieval-type fantasy realm. Which is why I don't understand why this language was used. It's a pet peeve of mine.
The magic system was written almost like it was supposed to be vague, but it didn't quite pull it off. I prefer hard magic systems over soft ones, but I'm pretty sure that even if you prefer soft magic systems, this would be a little too undefined still. I'm not really sure how the magic even works. It's called Aether. Lillith is just supposed to "look inside herself" to summon it. I was frustrated. The process of Anointing was unclear. Everything was unclear.
One thing I did like was the father-daughter relationship between Arduen and Lilith. They had a rocky start and I think their relationship was a little in-your-face, but I still appreciated it. It was complex and full of hills and valleys, but the way they stuck together even when they were mad at each other was sweet.
Lilith masters everything too quickly. She had maybe two lessons before she got really good at whatever she was trying to do. This is a common trend I see a lot in YA fantasy, and I don't like it. If a character isn't struggling, I will get bored quickly. She was also a Typical YA Heroine in her stubbornness and determination to do everything all by herself. She wants to defeat the baddie by herself. She wants to save her brother by herself. And deity forbid anyone go after her, because it was hEr fAuLt, which somehow means that she has to take care of it on her own.
It was okay. It wasn't special, it was just fine.
2 stars
I was provided with a free eARC of this book by Phoenix Rising Press, via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
_____
This book was nothing special, but I found myself oddly invested in Rhéa's story. Too bad she had literally no role in the book. I am too often disappointed in YA fantasy ☺️
review to come...
February 18, 2020
The Legend of Lilith is definitely a new epic fantasy one should sit up for. Written with a lulling, complex prose the fantasy genre is so fond of, Lilith's story unfolds with rhythms of intrigue, adventure, and hope despite the rising tide of darkness before them all. The world-building is vast yet thought out and the setting is a familiar balance between medieval questers and something wholly new and fantastical. The characters each have a fire within them that carves them out into individuals and carries the story forwards and with this I love how different paths overlap and weave together to further elevate the plot as it evolves into the sort of grand tale fantasy readers love. And the ending is certainly one with a heavy note that will tempt you for more.
If you enjoy high fantasy and are looking for a new series or author to pursue, then I certainly recommend you give this one a chance.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to read. It sits happily on my shelf and I am sure I will flip through its pages once more if a friend has not claimed it before then.
If you enjoy high fantasy and are looking for a new series or author to pursue, then I certainly recommend you give this one a chance.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to read. It sits happily on my shelf and I am sure I will flip through its pages once more if a friend has not claimed it before then.
July 25, 2025
DNF at 21%
long story short: I didn’t like this book.
long story short: I didn’t like this book.
June 6, 2021
I had a lot of hope for The Legend of Lilith being a great book, but I'm sorry to say that unfortunately, for me, it fell flat and I found that reading this one was becoming a chore.
May 31, 2021
The plot was confusing and she just added in more plot points without ever explaining them so it felt very inconsistent and erratic. The characters were marginal and there was practically no actual character development.
August 12, 2021
Tried. I really really tried to give this series a chance since the synopsis was good. Being stuck at 15% progress for 120 days, that’s when I decided to give up. I. DO. NOT. TAKE. DNF-ing. LIGHTLY. I can count the books I DNF-ed in my whole life within one hand and I’ve read for more than a decade already. I do not like DNF-ing, but this book was too much to bear.
- The words were a whole jumble of mess. I mean who use words so deep I can see the Earth’s core in it????
- The story didn’t interest me. A girl gets powers out of nowhere and now she has to go train herself with a bunch of strangers???? With words that I’m sure she doesn’t even understand 😳😳
- The MC doesn’t even have a backbone!! She just allows herself to be **uprooted** (more like kidnapped) by a stranger because she has a destiny/job to fulfill? I call bs.
All in all, I really had a hard time reading this. Might give it a try again in the future, but not anytime soon.
- The words were a whole jumble of mess. I mean who use words so deep I can see the Earth’s core in it????
- The story didn’t interest me. A girl gets powers out of nowhere and now she has to go train herself with a bunch of strangers???? With words that I’m sure she doesn’t even understand 😳😳
- The MC doesn’t even have a backbone!! She just allows herself to be **uprooted** (more like kidnapped) by a stranger because she has a destiny/job to fulfill? I call bs.
All in all, I really had a hard time reading this. Might give it a try again in the future, but not anytime soon.
March 5, 2020
I enjoyed this book but found it slow at times. I never put it down, just read it straight through the day, but I did find myself bored at moments. It was entertaining and I loved the characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy and hope to do so soon.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 17, 2020
I Just finished this book and WOW it was awesome!!
You automatically get drawn into the world that has been written as well as the characters.
Lilith's character just keeps getting deeper as you progress through the story.
I can't wait to read the next book!
You automatically get drawn into the world that has been written as well as the characters.
Lilith's character just keeps getting deeper as you progress through the story.
I can't wait to read the next book!
September 28, 2021
I loved the premise of the book. Unfortunately, it had problems I could not even pretend to ignore.
Lilith Oak is a fiery yet naive girl working at her family's smithy when an accident turns her whole world upside down. She is quickly thrust into a polytheistic world where the Gods represent the elements (water, air, earth, fire, and the aether) and bestow them upon deserving humans when they die before their time. These gifts make them Divine and allow them to protect the world, fighting to bring the Gods' interests to life. The book does switch between multiple perspectives of Lilith, Larkin - Lilith's brother, and Rhea - an enchantress.
If you enjoy a typical YA book and are not expecting a whole new trope or original storyline, this book will suffice. The world building was standard, if not a bit muddled at the beginning, for typical YA fantasy. I did appreciate the creativity with the naming and jargon, but took some acclimation. The characters were flawed but strong, realistic enough. And of course, the handsome hero was to swoon for. I wish we saw more of him to be honest.
Sadly, the flaws surpass other competitors in the YA genre.
The writing is a bit too verbose for a YA, but it also lacks adult content, preventing it from receiving an NA label. I consider myself well-read and comfortable with a dictionary, but I found myself too frequently cocking my head at words and having to use the handy-dandy dictionary tool on my Kindle. This would be fine if it was easy to tell which words were made up (in the Elder Tongue language or world jardon) and which ones were just unfamiliar. Alas, it wasn't clear, and it was far too frequent for me. This, added to run-on sentences and extended descriptions of every little thing made the prose drag.
The synopsis held promise for an original storyline, but I felt like I was diving into an older version of "Avatar the Last Airbender." The Divine's all had Masters, similar to Avatar, and of course, the elements they wielded. Half of the book was about Lilith traveling through the woods or sulking because she did something she shouldn't have done. It was just... tiring.
Regarding the characters, this book's only true diversity was the "golden skin" that gave variety to the otherwise overwhelmingly pale characters. I know this is not a necessity to some readers, and this is a made up world in a different time, but as a white woman myself, the lack of POC characters was very obvious. The ONE black character was referred to as a knight, but essentially was a servant and cook for the other Divines at the Frourio, with no real powers of his own. He was a skilled swordsman, but again, like many POC characters by non-POC authors, he was there just to move the plot along and provide character growth for the main characters.
The Arduen and Rhea were two of the three appealing characters with complex backstories. We barely get more information on Rhea, and essentially just see her hopping from one bad situation to the next. I assume she is secretly Larkin and Lilith's real mom, but who knows if that is true or revealed later in the series. And Arduen, oh Arduen. Lilith describes his attractiveness and this longing for her Master, but then later ends up describing him like a father? Yuck. It needed to be one or the other, or just leave it at "he feels like family" after the plot progression. Not only that, but the twist that he was Jude's relative from centuries ago really was not necessary. Jude was irrelevant and should stay that way. No reason to further complicate the attraction Lilith felt towards Arduen at the beginning of the book.
Finally - I know, I'm sorry - I just could not stand the "you are my entire universe" line being used over and over. It felt like Oliver was trying to show some depth here, but there was just really no symbology or weight behind these words. Jude meant nothing to Lilith, yet these words held guilt over her for the entire novel? And the most basic line, at that?
Anyways, this book had a lot of promise. I wish Oliver would try again so I could fall in love like I wanted to.
*I received this book on NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.*
Lilith Oak is a fiery yet naive girl working at her family's smithy when an accident turns her whole world upside down. She is quickly thrust into a polytheistic world where the Gods represent the elements (water, air, earth, fire, and the aether) and bestow them upon deserving humans when they die before their time. These gifts make them Divine and allow them to protect the world, fighting to bring the Gods' interests to life. The book does switch between multiple perspectives of Lilith, Larkin - Lilith's brother, and Rhea - an enchantress.
If you enjoy a typical YA book and are not expecting a whole new trope or original storyline, this book will suffice. The world building was standard, if not a bit muddled at the beginning, for typical YA fantasy. I did appreciate the creativity with the naming and jargon, but took some acclimation. The characters were flawed but strong, realistic enough. And of course, the handsome hero was to swoon for. I wish we saw more of him to be honest.
Sadly, the flaws surpass other competitors in the YA genre.
The writing is a bit too verbose for a YA, but it also lacks adult content, preventing it from receiving an NA label. I consider myself well-read and comfortable with a dictionary, but I found myself too frequently cocking my head at words and having to use the handy-dandy dictionary tool on my Kindle. This would be fine if it was easy to tell which words were made up (in the Elder Tongue language or world jardon) and which ones were just unfamiliar. Alas, it wasn't clear, and it was far too frequent for me. This, added to run-on sentences and extended descriptions of every little thing made the prose drag.
The synopsis held promise for an original storyline, but I felt like I was diving into an older version of "Avatar the Last Airbender." The Divine's all had Masters, similar to Avatar, and of course, the elements they wielded. Half of the book was about Lilith traveling through the woods or sulking because she did something she shouldn't have done. It was just... tiring.
Regarding the characters, this book's only true diversity was the "golden skin" that gave variety to the otherwise overwhelmingly pale characters. I know this is not a necessity to some readers, and this is a made up world in a different time, but as a white woman myself, the lack of POC characters was very obvious. The ONE black character was referred to as a knight, but essentially was a servant and cook for the other Divines at the Frourio, with no real powers of his own. He was a skilled swordsman, but again, like many POC characters by non-POC authors, he was there just to move the plot along and provide character growth for the main characters.
The Arduen and Rhea were two of the three appealing characters with complex backstories. We barely get more information on Rhea, and essentially just see her hopping from one bad situation to the next. I assume she is secretly Larkin and Lilith's real mom, but who knows if that is true or revealed later in the series. And Arduen, oh Arduen. Lilith describes his attractiveness and this longing for her Master, but then later ends up describing him like a father? Yuck. It needed to be one or the other, or just leave it at "he feels like family" after the plot progression. Not only that, but the twist that he was Jude's relative from centuries ago really was not necessary. Jude was irrelevant and should stay that way. No reason to further complicate the attraction Lilith felt towards Arduen at the beginning of the book.
Finally - I know, I'm sorry - I just could not stand the "you are my entire universe" line being used over and over. It felt like Oliver was trying to show some depth here, but there was just really no symbology or weight behind these words. Jude meant nothing to Lilith, yet these words held guilt over her for the entire novel? And the most basic line, at that?
Anyways, this book had a lot of promise. I wish Oliver would try again so I could fall in love like I wanted to.
*I received this book on NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2021
This is a complex fantasy but a brilliant read. I really enjoyed reading about Lilith, our main character, and seeing her character developing. The world building is extensive and I found it had a mixture of high fantasy and medieval feel to it.
The story definitely had its own uniqueness of fantasy theme to it. Another plus point to add is the father and daughter relationship between Arduen and Lilith. As with any relationship, it's complex and rocky but develops well.
I really enjoyed this book and can not wait to read the next one.
The story definitely had its own uniqueness of fantasy theme to it. Another plus point to add is the father and daughter relationship between Arduen and Lilith. As with any relationship, it's complex and rocky but develops well.
I really enjoyed this book and can not wait to read the next one.
June 17, 2022
dnf. 33%
As some reviews have pointed out, the plot is confusing and the main character, Lilith is boring. She is nothing out of the ordinary and not remotely interesting. Wich is sad, because the blurb and the cover is interesting.
As some reviews have pointed out, the plot is confusing and the main character, Lilith is boring. She is nothing out of the ordinary and not remotely interesting. Wich is sad, because the blurb and the cover is interesting.
June 12, 2021
I ended up loving this book. It took a while for me to get into it, but that was definitely not the book’s fault. Seeing how much Lilith grew in this book and the sacrifices she endured were an amazing experience. I can’t wait to check out the sequel
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dnf
May 22, 2022DNF @ 10%
I'm not sure what I even read. Plot wise it felt very much like a YA chosen one story from 2005, but the writing was so wordy that by the time I got to the end of a sentence I'd forgotten what the one before even said.
I'm not sure what I even read. Plot wise it felt very much like a YA chosen one story from 2005, but the writing was so wordy that by the time I got to the end of a sentence I'd forgotten what the one before even said.
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