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The Goddess's Scythe #1
Raven's Wings: Chosen by the Goddess
Banishment is heart-wrenching… so why choose it?Cast to the winds, Kala’s to-do list is daunting…- Survive another day… (so far so good)- Regain her humanity… (easier said than done)- Track down the “one that got away”… (he’s out there)- Find a way home… (can’t give up hope)- Serve the Goddess of Death… (what the hell?)- Stop the Apocalypse… (seriously?!?)How can a girl stop the Apocalypse when she is the Goddess of Death’s chosen weapon?Kala may have a talent for killing, but it won’t help her escape what she fears most. As the only contact between the isolated communities of her world, mysterious airships demand a youth in exchange for the goods that each community so desperately needs to survive. If you have to send someone away, you choose a misfit, and Kala has always been at the top of the list.Kala’s trepidation is upended by the arrival of charismatic Skye, who teases a life beyond her village, then is carried away from her on the winds. Kala is thrust into the brutal and unforgiving wider world, where she is enslaved by a lord who desires her talents as his personal assassin. The Church also wants her, believing her to be the prophesied weapon of the Goddess of Death.Kala just wants to regain her freedom and her humanity, find Skye and a way home, but all of those things seem outside her reach.With fresh characters and page-turning suspense, this richly imagined fantasy series explores unimaginable choices, the price of a soul, and the power of redemption..
- GenresFantasy
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 17, 2020
29 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 19, 2020
A Great Read!
I loved the book. Here’s what you’re in for if you decide to read it…
GENRE: The book is best described as light (young adult) epic fantasy - “fantasy” because there are battles and allusions to gods and goddesses (it does not read like Tolkien however); “light” because there is no magic, dragons, elves, etc.; “epic” as opposed to ‘urban’ or ‘contemporary’, and because it is set on an ever-widening grand scale; and “young adult” because the main characters are teens and the emotional stakes are high, although it will appeal to adult readers.
The series straddles the fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, and YA genres, so you’ll like it if you like any and all of those. It is part “SF” because it is set in the far future, when humanity has expanded and regressed, and there are still residual elements of advanced civilization; it is part “dystopian” because there are problems with the societal structure that need to be overcome; and it is part “YA” because of themes like discovering one’s identity, etc.
YA or ADULT: The series will appeal to both young and ‘less-young’ readers. It will resonate with young readers, but it can be dark and edgy, and were it not for the main characters being teens, it reads like an adult series. It’s not “New Adult,” i.e. YA with sex, because, while it is emotionally-charged, it is never too graphic (young readers won’t squirm).
PREMISE: It is the far future, in which humanity has spread through the stars, then begun to disappear. The people of the world on which the series is set decide to hedge against their own downfall by keeping the population in a status quo of isolated communities, linked only by unpiloted airships. Periodically, the ‘Ancients’ deem that the population needs to be culled to maintain stasis. Over time, the world has devolved culturally, so there is a bit of a medieval feel.
PLOT: I won’t spoil anything, I promise! The book introduces us to the main character, who escapes her restrictive village, but finds herself under the control of a petty crime lord who wishes to exploit her gift for killing. The book revolves around her breaking free from him and wrestling with her dark side. The shadowy Church, which is in league with the Ancients, operates in the background, encourages the main character to embrace her dark side to further its apocalyptic agenda.
CHARACTERS: Kala (15-18), a rebellious girl, is the main character. Skye, a charismatic but flawed boy, is her love interest. Her dearest friends are Lily, Cera, Calix and Forest, and her circle of friends widens to include Hawke, Amber, Brother Grey, Dhara and her sisters, and others. The chief antagonists are Claudius and Sayer, Councillors in Kala’s village, and Baron, the petty crime lord into whose thrall Kala falls. Characters that become antagonists in later books include Soren, the man who’s army threatens Kala and her friends, and the Priestess, the cunning head of the church serving the Goddess of Death.
PLOT-DRIVEN or CHARACTER-DRIVEN: The series is both. The plot is tense, the stakes are high, and I love the twists. If you saw it coming, there’s no fun in it! Navigating the plot, are the characters on their personal journeys, and to me, that’s the best part. The series explores complex relationships between nuanced characters. It is sort of like ‘ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.’ The series explores romantic relationships, female-female friendships, female-male friendships, and family relationships (sistership and parent-child). It has all the feels without being emotionally manipulative. If you don’t tear up at least once per book, I will pay for your therapy (just kidding… that would be a LOT of therapy)!
CONCLUSION: Definitely give the series a try. I think you’ll love it.
I loved the book. Here’s what you’re in for if you decide to read it…
GENRE: The book is best described as light (young adult) epic fantasy - “fantasy” because there are battles and allusions to gods and goddesses (it does not read like Tolkien however); “light” because there is no magic, dragons, elves, etc.; “epic” as opposed to ‘urban’ or ‘contemporary’, and because it is set on an ever-widening grand scale; and “young adult” because the main characters are teens and the emotional stakes are high, although it will appeal to adult readers.
The series straddles the fantasy, science fiction, dystopian, and YA genres, so you’ll like it if you like any and all of those. It is part “SF” because it is set in the far future, when humanity has expanded and regressed, and there are still residual elements of advanced civilization; it is part “dystopian” because there are problems with the societal structure that need to be overcome; and it is part “YA” because of themes like discovering one’s identity, etc.
YA or ADULT: The series will appeal to both young and ‘less-young’ readers. It will resonate with young readers, but it can be dark and edgy, and were it not for the main characters being teens, it reads like an adult series. It’s not “New Adult,” i.e. YA with sex, because, while it is emotionally-charged, it is never too graphic (young readers won’t squirm).
PREMISE: It is the far future, in which humanity has spread through the stars, then begun to disappear. The people of the world on which the series is set decide to hedge against their own downfall by keeping the population in a status quo of isolated communities, linked only by unpiloted airships. Periodically, the ‘Ancients’ deem that the population needs to be culled to maintain stasis. Over time, the world has devolved culturally, so there is a bit of a medieval feel.
PLOT: I won’t spoil anything, I promise! The book introduces us to the main character, who escapes her restrictive village, but finds herself under the control of a petty crime lord who wishes to exploit her gift for killing. The book revolves around her breaking free from him and wrestling with her dark side. The shadowy Church, which is in league with the Ancients, operates in the background, encourages the main character to embrace her dark side to further its apocalyptic agenda.
CHARACTERS: Kala (15-18), a rebellious girl, is the main character. Skye, a charismatic but flawed boy, is her love interest. Her dearest friends are Lily, Cera, Calix and Forest, and her circle of friends widens to include Hawke, Amber, Brother Grey, Dhara and her sisters, and others. The chief antagonists are Claudius and Sayer, Councillors in Kala’s village, and Baron, the petty crime lord into whose thrall Kala falls. Characters that become antagonists in later books include Soren, the man who’s army threatens Kala and her friends, and the Priestess, the cunning head of the church serving the Goddess of Death.
PLOT-DRIVEN or CHARACTER-DRIVEN: The series is both. The plot is tense, the stakes are high, and I love the twists. If you saw it coming, there’s no fun in it! Navigating the plot, are the characters on their personal journeys, and to me, that’s the best part. The series explores complex relationships between nuanced characters. It is sort of like ‘ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.’ The series explores romantic relationships, female-female friendships, female-male friendships, and family relationships (sistership and parent-child). It has all the feels without being emotionally manipulative. If you don’t tear up at least once per book, I will pay for your therapy (just kidding… that would be a LOT of therapy)!
CONCLUSION: Definitely give the series a try. I think you’ll love it.
Want to read
March 6, 2022🎁 The Complete Series is FREE on Amazon today (3/6/2022)! 🎁
July 21, 2020
Wow. I loved the world-building. The premise is that the world is divided into isolated communities and each one felt a little different, be it a patriarchal village, or a merchant-run town, or the seat of the Church. I liked how the main character's understanding of the world grew as she explored it. Very cool. I highly recommend the book.
July 20, 2020
An awesome book! Kala is a kick-ass protagonist.
July 20, 2020
I read it in one sitting - loved it!
March 30, 2021
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was very pleasantly surprised. This is being added to my favorites.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews