What do you think?
Rate this book
Call of Calamity #1
Vassal
One Goddess. One mortal woman.
An entire world at stake.
Allee and Etienne have been friends since they first came to the Moxous school of Magics, but when they unwittingly release a terrible, ancient power their bond will be tested in the journey towards fixing their mistakes.
Delyth was raised to faithfully serve the Goddess Enyo at the temple where she was abandoned as a babe, so when the sword, Calamity, is thrust into her keeping, she faces the task of protecting the Goddess’s Vassal with equanimity. Only, no amount of training could have prepared Delyth for the strain on her loyalties caused by the beautiful Vassal herself; under enough pressure, even the beliefs of a lifetime will bend.
Love, friendship, and betrayal will all blossom on the path to Thlonandras in this first book of The Call of Calamity Series.
An entire world at stake.
Allee and Etienne have been friends since they first came to the Moxous school of Magics, but when they unwittingly release a terrible, ancient power their bond will be tested in the journey towards fixing their mistakes.
Delyth was raised to faithfully serve the Goddess Enyo at the temple where she was abandoned as a babe, so when the sword, Calamity, is thrust into her keeping, she faces the task of protecting the Goddess’s Vassal with equanimity. Only, no amount of training could have prepared Delyth for the strain on her loyalties caused by the beautiful Vassal herself; under enough pressure, even the beliefs of a lifetime will bend.
Love, friendship, and betrayal will all blossom on the path to Thlonandras in this first book of The Call of Calamity Series.
375 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2021
43 people are currently reading
801 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 24, 2022
This was, perhaps, one of the most infuriating books I've read in a long while. It's.... basically a long road trip where very little happens except for interpersonal conflict. Of the five main characters, only two of them were enjoyable to read about, and even then, one started trying my patience in the end. Alphonse (a girl) is a doe eyed, passive, gosh-darn good ole girl that has the personality of a wet paper bag. We're supposed to feel for her, because she's the exact opposite of Enyo who is possessing her body. Enyo, by the way, is the one character I enjoyed. She's... chaos. Pure chaos. Not necessarily evil, but mercurial, assertive, confident, all the things that Alphonse is not. Alphonse's best friend, Etienne (a boy) is a coward, filled with jealousy, and prideful. I just wanted to do nothing but smack him, and he's supposed to be one of the 'good guys'. Dyleth is the only other character that I enjoyed, and the one who seemed the most normal, but she fell for Alphonse and gets kind of insufferable towards the end. The last character, Tristan, is the only one you're not supposed to like. He's... chaos in the bad way. He brings strife. He's cruel for cruelty's sake, but he's not the kind of character that's fun to read about.
The other problem with this book, as I said is that it's a road trip. It's mostly about how all these characters interplay with each other as they all try to get along well enough to continue on their journey. Very little actually happens in this book. There's a snow storm, a forest fire, and a bandit attack. That's about it. The rest of it is people mostly being awful to each other, and Dyleth and Alphonse being sickeningly in love. I'd give this one a pass, but some people might enjoy it. I dunno. 3 stars.
The other problem with this book, as I said is that it's a road trip. It's mostly about how all these characters interplay with each other as they all try to get along well enough to continue on their journey. Very little actually happens in this book. There's a snow storm, a forest fire, and a bandit attack. That's about it. The rest of it is people mostly being awful to each other, and Dyleth and Alphonse being sickeningly in love. I'd give this one a pass, but some people might enjoy it. I dunno. 3 stars.
August 14, 2021
I really enjoyed this queer fantasy adventure from Liv Savell and Sterling D'Este!
The characters were all engaging and interesting, though Alphonse took me awhile to warm up to. But seeing her with Delyth was so warm and fuzzy, and I love how they helped each other grow. Enyo was exactly as psychotic as I assume a goddess would be, and her temperament and inner thoughts were entertaining and frightening.
The book did get a little confusing with all the different points of view, and the flashbacks to the past, but overall the world-building was great and I am excited for the next book!
The characters were all engaging and interesting, though Alphonse took me awhile to warm up to. But seeing her with Delyth was so warm and fuzzy, and I love how they helped each other grow. Enyo was exactly as psychotic as I assume a goddess would be, and her temperament and inner thoughts were entertaining and frightening.
The book did get a little confusing with all the different points of view, and the flashbacks to the past, but overall the world-building was great and I am excited for the next book!
May 16, 2021
Wow, this went from an enjoyable start to rather unfortunate in a short amount of time.
First of all, I feel that the title is wrong. Alphonse is a VESSEL to the goddess, not a vassal. She is not a servant, but a container. Therein lies the story.
In the beginning all was good. The friendship between Alphonse and Etienne was cute, and they had an interesting enough dynamic. The only bothersome thing back then was the constant switching between viewpoints, often multiple times within a single scenes. It breaks the reading flow, and showing a character unable to read another's true motives helps understand them, compared to just switching viewpoints and finding out immediately.
Not the big problems.
Some of the scenes were rather creepy. There was a lot of emphasis on blood and blood-drinking as a sort of ritual, but the was it was described left me unable to understand if it was meant to be disturbing, or as a fetish. The non-con stuff by possession though, that was very uncomfortable.
Whenever the goddess took over the body, it seemed like the only things she ever did was a) hurt people, or b) try to fuck the first man in view. So from a narrative point, she was trying to use Alphonse's body only to do things Alphonse was absolutely against, by her faith and nature (she was a very gentle person, and came from a cultural background that valued chastity). Now, the debate between sexual liberation and hesitation is a nuanced one, but if one wants to see a character evolve on that topic, someone else forcing them into it is not the way to go. It was as if a devout nun was sharing a body with a prostitute. Neither by themselves are problematic, but if the nun was forced to sit through the prostitute's work (in her body), and occasionally regained consciousness in some stranger's lap (again, in her own body), that would be pretty disturbing.
It was rather unpleasant to read about, and eventually I just wanted two of the five main characters to painfully die.
One the goddess, one tristan. He was some dick who met the goddess before, but his role in the narrative was to be disgusting, an asshole, and facilitating above-mentioned non-con to hurt the three good main characters. It was difficult to glean from the story why the other four kept them around (or rather three, since the goddess picked him up to seduce once in a while, adding to the discomfort), because all he did was antagonize everyone.
The idea of the story sounded so good in theory, too. A wild, "old testament" style goddess being forced to share the body of a kind and gentle healer apprentice has tons of potential. It's just that no one in the story grew, or gained much depth. In fact, a claim could be made for every character devolving from chapter to chapter. Even Delyth, whose relationship with Alphonse (for what little the book actually focussed on it) was the only good thing about it for me, did not grow too much as a character.
Alphonse could have been great, but she didn't do anything. Sure, it might make sense that a healer doesn't have the willpower to oppose a goddess, but from a narrative perspective, it completely ruins any point of her being there in the first place. She is basically just a lamb to the slaughter, completely helpless and with no positive impact on the storyline.
I'll file this under one of the few stories I got rather emotional about (which is why I revised this review), and in many ways, this might be one of the more uncomfortable and depressing books I've read in my time. Everything good lasts about 15% into the book, and after that, it is just moving from one depressing situation to the next. Every attempts the three good characters make are doomed to fail, poor Alphone loses all control over her body.
Not even the wlw romance involving the kind priestess and the strong winged warrior woman could save this for me.
First of all, I feel that the title is wrong. Alphonse is a VESSEL to the goddess, not a vassal. She is not a servant, but a container. Therein lies the story.
In the beginning all was good. The friendship between Alphonse and Etienne was cute, and they had an interesting enough dynamic. The only bothersome thing back then was the constant switching between viewpoints, often multiple times within a single scenes. It breaks the reading flow, and showing a character unable to read another's true motives helps understand them, compared to just switching viewpoints and finding out immediately.
Not the big problems.
Some of the scenes were rather creepy. There was a lot of emphasis on blood and blood-drinking as a sort of ritual, but the was it was described left me unable to understand if it was meant to be disturbing, or as a fetish. The non-con stuff by possession though, that was very uncomfortable.
Whenever the goddess took over the body, it seemed like the only things she ever did was a) hurt people, or b) try to fuck the first man in view. So from a narrative point, she was trying to use Alphonse's body only to do things Alphonse was absolutely against, by her faith and nature (she was a very gentle person, and came from a cultural background that valued chastity). Now, the debate between sexual liberation and hesitation is a nuanced one, but if one wants to see a character evolve on that topic, someone else forcing them into it is not the way to go. It was as if a devout nun was sharing a body with a prostitute. Neither by themselves are problematic, but if the nun was forced to sit through the prostitute's work (in her body), and occasionally regained consciousness in some stranger's lap (again, in her own body), that would be pretty disturbing.
It was rather unpleasant to read about, and eventually I just wanted two of the five main characters to painfully die.
One the goddess, one tristan. He was some dick who met the goddess before, but his role in the narrative was to be disgusting, an asshole, and facilitating above-mentioned non-con to hurt the three good main characters. It was difficult to glean from the story why the other four kept them around (or rather three, since the goddess picked him up to seduce once in a while, adding to the discomfort), because all he did was antagonize everyone.
The idea of the story sounded so good in theory, too. A wild, "old testament" style goddess being forced to share the body of a kind and gentle healer apprentice has tons of potential. It's just that no one in the story grew, or gained much depth. In fact, a claim could be made for every character devolving from chapter to chapter. Even Delyth, whose relationship with Alphonse (for what little the book actually focussed on it) was the only good thing about it for me, did not grow too much as a character.
Alphonse could have been great, but she didn't do anything. Sure, it might make sense that a healer doesn't have the willpower to oppose a goddess, but from a narrative perspective, it completely ruins any point of her being there in the first place. She is basically just a lamb to the slaughter, completely helpless and with no positive impact on the storyline.
I'll file this under one of the few stories I got rather emotional about (which is why I revised this review), and in many ways, this might be one of the more uncomfortable and depressing books I've read in my time. Everything good lasts about 15% into the book, and after that, it is just moving from one depressing situation to the next. Every attempts the three good characters make are doomed to fail, poor Alphone loses all control over her body.
Not even the wlw romance involving the kind priestess and the strong winged warrior woman could save this for me.
May 30, 2021
So I’ve never written a review before so this is how much I enjoyed Vassal. As an avid fantasy reader (when I have the time to read) I find myself bogged down with sifting through crappy writing trying to find something enjoyable if not enthralling. Well let me tell you Liv Sterling knows how to enthrall us. So I checked out her page and found the she is a they. I am so excited to read the future of this young writing team. I suggest you check em out.
August 14, 2021
Magic, gods, struggles
Interesting story. There is a lot to this book. I just cannot seem to put together the right words for this review.
Basically, you just have to read the book. There is one word I don't have a problem associating with this book and that word is cliffhanger.
I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series but not immediately.
Interesting story. There is a lot to this book. I just cannot seem to put together the right words for this review.
Basically, you just have to read the book. There is one word I don't have a problem associating with this book and that word is cliffhanger.
I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series but not immediately.
May 26, 2021
This was such a great fantasy read! This had a classic quest plot with two sapphic ladies at the helm, as well as an absolutely bananas goddess riding shotgun. I really enjoyed this one and found myself not being able to put this one down as I needed to know where this story took these wonderful characters.
Right from the beginning, the characters in this book drew me in. And I fell even more in love with Alphonse and Delyth as the story progressed. There was just enough mystery, with a secondary plot woven in about the gods that were banished so long ago. This book switches POVs a lot and you get to see a little bit from everyone's perspective which could get really confusing but I think was really well done and the characters were each vibrant enough that it was always clear who was talking. Definitely a fantasy worth the read and I can't wait to read the sequel to this one to see what happens next!
Thank you to the authors Liv Savell & Sterling D'Este for the copy of Vassal for review! The sequel, Goddess, is out now!
_______
Representation: sapphic main pairing
Content Warnings: violence, body possession, explicit sex, blood, murder
Right from the beginning, the characters in this book drew me in. And I fell even more in love with Alphonse and Delyth as the story progressed. There was just enough mystery, with a secondary plot woven in about the gods that were banished so long ago. This book switches POVs a lot and you get to see a little bit from everyone's perspective which could get really confusing but I think was really well done and the characters were each vibrant enough that it was always clear who was talking. Definitely a fantasy worth the read and I can't wait to read the sequel to this one to see what happens next!
Thank you to the authors Liv Savell & Sterling D'Este for the copy of Vassal for review! The sequel, Goddess, is out now!
_______
Representation: sapphic main pairing
Content Warnings: violence, body possession, explicit sex, blood, murder
March 6, 2024
4 ⭐ CW: violence, blood, gore, sexual content
Vassal by Liv Savell and Sterling D'Este is book one in the Call of Calamity duology. This is the second book by these authors I've read, and neither one has let me down! A sweeping fantasy with strong female leads, a sapphic love story, and some great relationship dynamics abound.
We follow Alphonse, a healer student at Moxous Magic Academy, and Etienne, her best friend a mage student. Alphonse is meek, kind, and shy while Etienne is passionately studious and driven to be the best. On his quest to prove his mage superiority, he summons an ancient goddess, Enyo, who possesses Alphonse.
Once Etienne has realized what he has done, he and Alphonse go on a quest to find Enyo's temple to banish her, and along the way find Delyth, a warrior priestess of Enyo with wings, and a gambler and cocksure thief named Tristan. At first uneasy with each other, Alphonse and Delyth become close even as Alphonse battles the goddess fighting for control inside her.
We had some great female characters! Alphonse is all softness in contrast to Delyth's warrior strength and stoicism, but their relationship is so pure. We get some really great conversations on consent and relationship expectations. Some of the healthiest stuff I've read in a long time. We also get some really great spicy scenes that I very much enjoyed. I love Delyth so much.
Enyo, our villain, is a goddess of the wilds, mercurial, vicious, and bloodthirsty. Everything opposite of Alphonse. The men on the other hand, weren't my favorite. Etienne is kind of weak and a coward. He becomes selfish and annoying quickly, while Tristan was never likable. This was definitely a character centered story, and I look forward to book two!
Vassal by Liv Savell and Sterling D'Este is book one in the Call of Calamity duology. This is the second book by these authors I've read, and neither one has let me down! A sweeping fantasy with strong female leads, a sapphic love story, and some great relationship dynamics abound.
We follow Alphonse, a healer student at Moxous Magic Academy, and Etienne, her best friend a mage student. Alphonse is meek, kind, and shy while Etienne is passionately studious and driven to be the best. On his quest to prove his mage superiority, he summons an ancient goddess, Enyo, who possesses Alphonse.
Once Etienne has realized what he has done, he and Alphonse go on a quest to find Enyo's temple to banish her, and along the way find Delyth, a warrior priestess of Enyo with wings, and a gambler and cocksure thief named Tristan. At first uneasy with each other, Alphonse and Delyth become close even as Alphonse battles the goddess fighting for control inside her.
We had some great female characters! Alphonse is all softness in contrast to Delyth's warrior strength and stoicism, but their relationship is so pure. We get some really great conversations on consent and relationship expectations. Some of the healthiest stuff I've read in a long time. We also get some really great spicy scenes that I very much enjoyed. I love Delyth so much.
Enyo, our villain, is a goddess of the wilds, mercurial, vicious, and bloodthirsty. Everything opposite of Alphonse. The men on the other hand, weren't my favorite. Etienne is kind of weak and a coward. He becomes selfish and annoying quickly, while Tristan was never likable. This was definitely a character centered story, and I look forward to book two!
June 10, 2021
Best friends Alphonse and Ettiene accidentally unleash the ancient goddess Enyo, who chooses Alphonse to possess, with the ultimate goal of taking over her body completely. Delyth is tasked with protecting Enyo and helping her reach her goals, but when she gets to know Alphonse she begins to fall in love, and she questions her loyalty.
It’s a hit-and-miss with indie books because you never quite know the quality you’re getting into. I was hopeful for this one because the plot sounded so interesting - a sapphic romance, an ancient goddess, high fantasy, etc. But this book exceeded my expectations. It was possibly the best written indie book I’ve ever been asked to review. The writing and descriptions are fantastic, and the typos are so minimal that they never pulled me out of the story.
The characters were excellent. I loved Delyth especially, and the slow-burn romance between her and Alphonse was so sweet. The conflict between her own values and wants and the religious upbringing she had was written really well and I loved seeing that character growth.
The story really captures the inhuman nature of Enyo, characterizing her as an unpredictable being who acts solely for her own short-term pleasure. She was detestable but also incredibly interesting, and I loved the flashbacks which gave more insight into her character.
I appreciated the platonic male-female friendship between Ettiene and Alphonse. That’s sadly rare, and it was great to have no love triangle or will-they-won’t-they between them. They are firmly established as having a sibling-like relationship at the beginning and that was so refreshing.
Trigger warning for some uncomfortable scenes where Enyo is sexual with a man while in Alphonse’s body. These scenes are not endorsed by the story and it’s made clear how wrong it is. They did bother me though; I’m sensitive to that kind of thing and I really didn’t like that aspect of the book.
The book ends on a cliffhanger which made me very eager to read the next book. I grew so attached to the characters that I need to know what happens to them.
Both books in the duology are out and I highly recommend it. It’s a little known book with less than 100 hundred reviews on Goodreads. It deserves so much more recognition, so consider reading and reviewing it.
It’s a hit-and-miss with indie books because you never quite know the quality you’re getting into. I was hopeful for this one because the plot sounded so interesting - a sapphic romance, an ancient goddess, high fantasy, etc. But this book exceeded my expectations. It was possibly the best written indie book I’ve ever been asked to review. The writing and descriptions are fantastic, and the typos are so minimal that they never pulled me out of the story.
The characters were excellent. I loved Delyth especially, and the slow-burn romance between her and Alphonse was so sweet. The conflict between her own values and wants and the religious upbringing she had was written really well and I loved seeing that character growth.
The story really captures the inhuman nature of Enyo, characterizing her as an unpredictable being who acts solely for her own short-term pleasure. She was detestable but also incredibly interesting, and I loved the flashbacks which gave more insight into her character.
I appreciated the platonic male-female friendship between Ettiene and Alphonse. That’s sadly rare, and it was great to have no love triangle or will-they-won’t-they between them. They are firmly established as having a sibling-like relationship at the beginning and that was so refreshing.
Trigger warning for some uncomfortable scenes where Enyo is sexual with a man while in Alphonse’s body. These scenes are not endorsed by the story and it’s made clear how wrong it is. They did bother me though; I’m sensitive to that kind of thing and I really didn’t like that aspect of the book.
The book ends on a cliffhanger which made me very eager to read the next book. I grew so attached to the characters that I need to know what happens to them.
Both books in the duology are out and I highly recommend it. It’s a little known book with less than 100 hundred reviews on Goodreads. It deserves so much more recognition, so consider reading and reviewing it.
February 4, 2021
I loved the book and I can't wait for book 2!
This is a well-written book with a very interesting plot and great characters!
I found myself really enjoying the characters as one of the main strengths of the book. Their interactions and how they affect one another. This was made all the better with great descriptions of emotions, body language and the speech itself. The entire spectrum of emotions is covered, and it is always well-reflected and tastefully done. Each character has strengths and weaknesses with unique personalities that are both frustrating and intriguing in equal measure. I especially like the inner strength Alphonse show throughout the book, uncommon and different as it might be. I did love all of the characters though, they were all great fun, or totally infuriating at other times. Another aspect of the characters is how the book's plots and problems is explored from their sometimes very different perspectives.
I found that the book's plot and progress move with a good speed, from beginning to end. I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but the premise is one I haven't seen before personally. It is a story with interesting stakes, and it only ever gets more exciting and more tense as progress is made!
Can't recommend the book enough, truly!
Oh, and it is a very pretty book!
This is a well-written book with a very interesting plot and great characters!
I found myself really enjoying the characters as one of the main strengths of the book. Their interactions and how they affect one another. This was made all the better with great descriptions of emotions, body language and the speech itself. The entire spectrum of emotions is covered, and it is always well-reflected and tastefully done. Each character has strengths and weaknesses with unique personalities that are both frustrating and intriguing in equal measure. I especially like the inner strength Alphonse show throughout the book, uncommon and different as it might be. I did love all of the characters though, they were all great fun, or totally infuriating at other times. Another aspect of the characters is how the book's plots and problems is explored from their sometimes very different perspectives.
I found that the book's plot and progress move with a good speed, from beginning to end. I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but the premise is one I haven't seen before personally. It is a story with interesting stakes, and it only ever gets more exciting and more tense as progress is made!
Can't recommend the book enough, truly!
Oh, and it is a very pretty book!
September 2, 2021
These two young indie authors are here to make a mark. I am delighted to encourage folks to spread their views and try on this page turner, the first of the Call of Calamity series. The characters are intricate, the plot intriguing, the world building drew me in quickly. I am thoroughly enticed by the strong winged warrioress, Delyth. And the talented magic of Alphonse and Etienne who are thrust into an impossible life threatening adventure. Plus new love, honorable loyalty and the wild ancient goddess of chaos & creation who demands adoration and blood. What more could you desire? Guess you have to read it to find out!
November 14, 2021
Wow
This book is everything it was advertised to be. It also managed to be both tragic and hopeful at these time throughout, and handled many concepts the genre usually butchers quite tactfully. Each character is fantastically developed, and while I promise you won't like all of them, I can almost guarantee you'll understand them deeply.
One critique I had was that the transitions between POVs weren't as smooth they could have been, and sometimes it took me a little time to figure out who's perspective I was in, but the voices were so unique it was manageable. Simple labels when a perspective change happens that name the new POV would have been helpful though.
A great balance of adventure/quest and emotional storytelling. Downloading the second book in 3, 2, 1...
This book is everything it was advertised to be. It also managed to be both tragic and hopeful at these time throughout, and handled many concepts the genre usually butchers quite tactfully. Each character is fantastically developed, and while I promise you won't like all of them, I can almost guarantee you'll understand them deeply.
One critique I had was that the transitions between POVs weren't as smooth they could have been, and sometimes it took me a little time to figure out who's perspective I was in, but the voices were so unique it was manageable. Simple labels when a perspective change happens that name the new POV would have been helpful though.
A great balance of adventure/quest and emotional storytelling. Downloading the second book in 3, 2, 1...
August 25, 2021
Honestly the world is pretty good in this book but the characters are special. They are all so interesting and different and their behaviors never seem to make me think it is something this person or creature wouldn't do. The pacing seems to be done such that the reader gets to know the characters more and more intimately. I like that and have not seen it so pronounced in a book until now.
June 13, 2022
wow
What an ending. An amazing series! Characters with grit and strength. You can’t help but a happy ending comes to them.
What an ending. An amazing series! Characters with grit and strength. You can’t help but a happy ending comes to them.
Want to Read
August 31, 2022🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/31/2022)! 🎁
Did Not Finish
June 26, 2025dnf somewhere in the middle of chapter 3
February 16, 2022
More Than I Hoped For
Exciting, heartfelt, engaging, and interesting read! Excellent world building, great relationships, and a sweet but spicy sapphic romance. Great fantasy read, not in the usual vein. Not the same old tired tropes over and over, for sure!
Exciting, heartfelt, engaging, and interesting read! Excellent world building, great relationships, and a sweet but spicy sapphic romance. Great fantasy read, not in the usual vein. Not the same old tired tropes over and over, for sure!
February 22, 2021
It was very well written and the story was good if not a tad bit meandering. Hopefully the pacing in the second book is more uptempo.
February 13, 2021
This book should come with a Surgeon General’s Warning: This book will cause lack of sleep BECAUSE YOU CANNOT PUT IT DOWN! From the first page to the last you are in its thrall! Great characters - the good and the bad - and a riveting storyline - I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Put down whatever you’re reading now and get this book!!
January 27, 2021
First of all, I wanna say thank you to the author’s for sending me this book! While it was a gift to me, I am still reviewing the book with all honesty.
First, I loved the relationship between all the characters. The ones that cared for each other, the ones that loved each other, and the ones that didn’t really like each other too. The character relationships were great and they felt like real people in their interactions.
Second, I love the main story plot of the book. I don’t wanna spoil too much, but it makes you feel very conflicted when you really like one character and there is another one you are not a huge fan of totally entwined with the one you like.
Lastly, I will be reading the other books in the series when they come out. I must know what happens next.
My reasoning behind the 4 stars instead of 5 mostly revolves around the ending and how it took me a bit to get into the book, but once it caught me? I was hooked.
Overall, super enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
First, I loved the relationship between all the characters. The ones that cared for each other, the ones that loved each other, and the ones that didn’t really like each other too. The character relationships were great and they felt like real people in their interactions.
Second, I love the main story plot of the book. I don’t wanna spoil too much, but it makes you feel very conflicted when you really like one character and there is another one you are not a huge fan of totally entwined with the one you like.
Lastly, I will be reading the other books in the series when they come out. I must know what happens next.
My reasoning behind the 4 stars instead of 5 mostly revolves around the ending and how it took me a bit to get into the book, but once it caught me? I was hooked.
Overall, super enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
January 30, 2021
This story captivates you immediately. It is about students in a magic school who accidentally release a vengeful "Old God", a priestess who had no idea who her Goddess truly was/is, and a rogue. They journey together, have the adventure of a lifetime and try to fix what they broke.
There is a great romance between two characters (LBGT fxf romance), and magic and action and all the feels!
I highly recommend VASSAL.
Extra points for being diverse, LGBTQAI+, strong female protagonists and unique characters.
There is a great romance between two characters (LBGT fxf romance), and magic and action and all the feels!
I highly recommend VASSAL.
Extra points for being diverse, LGBTQAI+, strong female protagonists and unique characters.
February 20, 2021
A fantastic fantasy novel and a great beginning to a series. The characters were what stood out to me—they were extremely well crafted and had so much life in them. I especially loved Delyth because uhhhh hot warrior lady with wings, duh. Her relationship with Alphonse was beautiful and heartbreaking. The worldbuilding is great and has room to expand as the series goes on. I’m particularly interested in the bits we learn about the place where the gods came from. I’m looking forward to the other books!
October 1, 2021
I enjoyed this story but dear god it was a slog to get through some parts. When the story was moving along it was great but there were definitely parts that slowed the story telling down and seemed unnecessary. I’ll read the second book because I want to know what happened but it won’t go into my “read again” list.
October 13, 2021
I really wanted to love this -- strong women leads, lesbian love, identity, magic, ancient gods, earth worship - - but the book kind of just dragged on, replaying the same story over and over.
I may read others in the book as I really love Delyth (swoon) but not totally hooked.
I may read others in the book as I really love Delyth (swoon) but not totally hooked.
February 8, 2023
Kept reading hoping something would happen. Nope. Which is a shame because the world built is interesting. But the two main characters are not compelling and nothing happens.
February 27, 2021
I had to give this one a few days to sit in my brain before I could sort through all my thoughts (mostly all good reasons). The duel writing team of Liv and Sterling were able to pack so much in their debut novel, that takes fantasy fiction to an elevated level, with a uniquely refreshing writing style.
It was welcoming to have a book that seemed to cross paths between high fantasy and (mature) YA while interjecting sapphic romance, making it accessible to a wider range of readers. The characters do a great part in emphasizing this element given Etienne & Alfonse are much younger and stumbling through teen self discovery, while Delyth has more experience in the world but has her own lessons to learn.
While the majority of the book revolved around the physical journey of 4 (technically 5) characters, it’s full of them delving into their internal battles, sharing stories, and achieving their own agendas. I must say, that I felt if we only got internal thoughts from Delyth & Alphonse (or maybe just the latter) the connection might have been a bit stronger and further developed between the reader and the character(s). I just got lost at times bouncing between all 5 of them.
At no point did I want to stop reading; the few plot twists were pleasant, the action nicely mixed the story up, and the ending definitely makes you want book 2. I’d love to see more world building (especially the magic school) and interactions amongst the population because I found their world intriguing from the taste that we’re given in this installment.
**3.5 Stars
It was welcoming to have a book that seemed to cross paths between high fantasy and (mature) YA while interjecting sapphic romance, making it accessible to a wider range of readers. The characters do a great part in emphasizing this element given Etienne & Alfonse are much younger and stumbling through teen self discovery, while Delyth has more experience in the world but has her own lessons to learn.
While the majority of the book revolved around the physical journey of 4 (technically 5) characters, it’s full of them delving into their internal battles, sharing stories, and achieving their own agendas. I must say, that I felt if we only got internal thoughts from Delyth & Alphonse (or maybe just the latter) the connection might have been a bit stronger and further developed between the reader and the character(s). I just got lost at times bouncing between all 5 of them.
At no point did I want to stop reading; the few plot twists were pleasant, the action nicely mixed the story up, and the ending definitely makes you want book 2. I’d love to see more world building (especially the magic school) and interactions amongst the population because I found their world intriguing from the taste that we’re given in this installment.
**3.5 Stars
Read
September 10, 2022I am officially DNFing at 15%
I don't love the introduced characters, but more than anything I'm exhausted by the narrative voice. The sentences are so convoluted and long while the scenes are abruptly short.
A real shame because I was really looking forward to this one. I love some sword lesbians. But this just didn't deliver.
(Also, I'm only 15% but I'm pretty sure she's a VESSEL and not a VASSAL, which is irritating every time I opened the book)
I don't love the introduced characters, but more than anything I'm exhausted by the narrative voice. The sentences are so convoluted and long while the scenes are abruptly short.
A real shame because I was really looking forward to this one. I love some sword lesbians. But this just didn't deliver.
(Also, I'm only 15% but I'm pretty sure she's a VESSEL and not a VASSAL, which is irritating every time I opened the book)
May 6, 2022
I enjoyed reading the book. However, there is a cliff hanger in this book. Other than the characters need less whining and more action. a good book to read .
November 30, 2022
Dark fantasy world with winged warrior priestesses, vengeful goddesses, and a sapphic love story. Definitely dark, read the content warnings before you dive into this one!
July 18, 2022
Loved this fantasy story for the return of the "gods" who are so powerful yet so fragile at the same time. Definitely reading the rest of this series.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews