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Between Gods and Demigods
Once there was a battle between gods and demigods, and the demigods lost. Now sorcery is banned and those who choose to follow the demigods are shunned, even the followers of the Lady of Dawn, the only demigod to side with her godly parents in the battle.
Azern doesn’t know much about the outside world, or anything other than the crumbling secluded temple she was raised in. Year by year goes by, and one by one the priests leave the temple never to return. As one of the few remaining members devout to Lady Dawn, Azern is faced with a calling bigger and far more deadly than she ever could have imagined.
The demigods are awakening, and once again the Lady of Dawn calls upon her followers to aid her parents in their fight. Azern is given the task of finding and protecting the mortal heroes that the gods have chosen to save humanity. To aid her in this task she is gifted a taste of Lady Dawn’s foresight, but the first vision she ever sees of the future is about a Magicker, an injury, and a werewolf attack. Azern is convinced that she was given this vision so that she could save this Magicker’s life. Even if she must join a mad lord in his suicidal battle against werewolves to do it. What she didn’t count on was the Magicker being a stubborn fool who would likely rather die than break a rule. To gain his trust, Azern must keep her sorcery a secret. More than just his life may depend on it. If her sorcery is discovered the werewolves will be the least of her problems.
But then, for mortals caught in the ancient struggle between gods and demigods, death is just an occupational hazard.
Azern doesn’t know much about the outside world, or anything other than the crumbling secluded temple she was raised in. Year by year goes by, and one by one the priests leave the temple never to return. As one of the few remaining members devout to Lady Dawn, Azern is faced with a calling bigger and far more deadly than she ever could have imagined.
The demigods are awakening, and once again the Lady of Dawn calls upon her followers to aid her parents in their fight. Azern is given the task of finding and protecting the mortal heroes that the gods have chosen to save humanity. To aid her in this task she is gifted a taste of Lady Dawn’s foresight, but the first vision she ever sees of the future is about a Magicker, an injury, and a werewolf attack. Azern is convinced that she was given this vision so that she could save this Magicker’s life. Even if she must join a mad lord in his suicidal battle against werewolves to do it. What she didn’t count on was the Magicker being a stubborn fool who would likely rather die than break a rule. To gain his trust, Azern must keep her sorcery a secret. More than just his life may depend on it. If her sorcery is discovered the werewolves will be the least of her problems.
But then, for mortals caught in the ancient struggle between gods and demigods, death is just an occupational hazard.
- GenresFantasyWerewolves
Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2021
40 people want to read
About the author
Nicki Chapelway
37 books329 followersNicki is a twenty-something author of swoony romantic fantasy. She has been writing since she was eleven and has since published several works. She enjoys creating stories with twisty-stabby faerie romances, retellings that take a darker turn, and epic fantasies in worlds full of monsters and magic.
Nicki lives in Ohio where she spends far too much time watching TV, playing video games, and sleeping. She listens to music basically all the time, and adores obsessing over mythologies, her shows, and her slew of fictional boyfriends. When not writing, she can usually be found at her desk with either a paintbrush or a pen in her hand.
Subscribe to her newsletter and receive a free book!
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Nicki lives in Ohio where she spends far too much time watching TV, playing video games, and sleeping. She listens to music basically all the time, and adores obsessing over mythologies, her shows, and her slew of fictional boyfriends. When not writing, she can usually be found at her desk with either a paintbrush or a pen in her hand.
Subscribe to her newsletter and receive a free book!
https://mailchi.mp/b6ec5f4a74a5/subsc...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 28, 2022
After reading Rage Like the Gods I remembered I had this short prequel story of how Azern and Magnar met so I decided to read it and really enjoyed it!
It gave me a lot more insight into Azern and how she ticks more than what I got originally in RLTG and through this story I grew to like her even more in how innocent and caring she is even when she has no idea what she’s doing. And Magnar is a grouch but a lovable one, lol. Not to mention these two are really cute together. Just sayin’… 😉
This story also delved more into the differences between magikers and sorcerers which I really appreciated as I never grasped what was so different about the two aside from one was illegal.
Also this may sound strange, but I would actually recommend reading this after RLTG which I know sounds really weird, but I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I hadn’t known these characters from the novel first. Just my opinion though. I have no doubt you could read this one first too and still love it. ☺️
‼️Content‼️
Language: gods; wench
Violence: werewolves attack and kill people (not detailed); injuries and blood (not detailed); fighting with weapons and magic (not detailed)
Sexual: a shirtless man; mild suggestive comments; a character must be disrobed and searched (not shown)
Other: magic; magical abilities, races, and creatures; death and grief; a fantasy world worship and refer to fantasy gods, goddesses, and demigods; mentions of necromancers and the practice of necromancy (not in a good light); vampires and werewolves
It gave me a lot more insight into Azern and how she ticks more than what I got originally in RLTG and through this story I grew to like her even more in how innocent and caring she is even when she has no idea what she’s doing. And Magnar is a grouch but a lovable one, lol. Not to mention these two are really cute together. Just sayin’… 😉
This story also delved more into the differences between magikers and sorcerers which I really appreciated as I never grasped what was so different about the two aside from one was illegal.
Also this may sound strange, but I would actually recommend reading this after RLTG which I know sounds really weird, but I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I hadn’t known these characters from the novel first. Just my opinion though. I have no doubt you could read this one first too and still love it. ☺️
‼️Content‼️
Language: gods; wench
Violence: werewolves attack and kill people (not detailed); injuries and blood (not detailed); fighting with weapons and magic (not detailed)
Sexual: a shirtless man; mild suggestive comments; a character must be disrobed and searched (not shown)
Other: magic; magical abilities, races, and creatures; death and grief; a fantasy world worship and refer to fantasy gods, goddesses, and demigods; mentions of necromancers and the practice of necromancy (not in a good light); vampires and werewolves
May 13, 2022
“Do you think that once I see the future it is set in stone?”
“I cannot speak from personal experience, but I would assume that once you see a vision that should mean it is incorruptible. As much a part of the fabric of time as the present we live in. Guarded by Thyre himself. It would take… well, it would take the power of a god or demigod to change such a thing.”
This is the third novella I have finished, and the first that is not a part of the Winter Cursed series. Due to this fact, there were some learning curves. In Winter Cursed, I created a world. One that I expanded in A Winter Dark and Deadly. However with this story, I already had a world that I had created, a very large world that I actually had to shrink down to fit into this story. I decided to write Between Gods and Demigods after I had already written one hundred thousand words in Rage Like the Gods, the book this is the prequel to. So deciding what parts of this already highly developed world to show, and what to leave out until later was difficult.
Writing a novella has always been a struggle for me. I adore the thrill of epic tales, and therefore telling a smaller story is actually harder for me than to write a novel that is in the hundreds of thousands word in length. However, I did not run into that problem with Between Gods and Demigods. I view this as simply the first chapter of an epic saga. This novella is the first published in a world that houses multiple series, and the prequel to a five book long series. Azern and her future visions, while not the main part of Rage Like the Gods, do play a key roll. We do not say goodbye to her at the end of this story, her tale is only just beginning. As is the struggle between gods and demigods. And it is up to their mortal pawns to save the world.
I'm very excited about this series, because it provides so many glimpses into every facet of Ruskhazar. From men and elves to monsters and those called monsters. Between Gods and Demigods starts that off with the question of magic and sorcery and if werewolves are truly monsters.
I'm interested to hear what you all think of it.
I’m no god. I’m not even a demigod. I’m just a mortal elf, cursed to see visions that she is powerless to change.
“I cannot speak from personal experience, but I would assume that once you see a vision that should mean it is incorruptible. As much a part of the fabric of time as the present we live in. Guarded by Thyre himself. It would take… well, it would take the power of a god or demigod to change such a thing.”
This is the third novella I have finished, and the first that is not a part of the Winter Cursed series. Due to this fact, there were some learning curves. In Winter Cursed, I created a world. One that I expanded in A Winter Dark and Deadly. However with this story, I already had a world that I had created, a very large world that I actually had to shrink down to fit into this story. I decided to write Between Gods and Demigods after I had already written one hundred thousand words in Rage Like the Gods, the book this is the prequel to. So deciding what parts of this already highly developed world to show, and what to leave out until later was difficult.
Writing a novella has always been a struggle for me. I adore the thrill of epic tales, and therefore telling a smaller story is actually harder for me than to write a novel that is in the hundreds of thousands word in length. However, I did not run into that problem with Between Gods and Demigods. I view this as simply the first chapter of an epic saga. This novella is the first published in a world that houses multiple series, and the prequel to a five book long series. Azern and her future visions, while not the main part of Rage Like the Gods, do play a key roll. We do not say goodbye to her at the end of this story, her tale is only just beginning. As is the struggle between gods and demigods. And it is up to their mortal pawns to save the world.
I'm very excited about this series, because it provides so many glimpses into every facet of Ruskhazar. From men and elves to monsters and those called monsters. Between Gods and Demigods starts that off with the question of magic and sorcery and if werewolves are truly monsters.
I'm interested to hear what you all think of it.
I’m no god. I’m not even a demigod. I’m just a mortal elf, cursed to see visions that she is powerless to change.
January 16, 2023
I couldn't be more excited for further exploration of the world of Ruskhazar. Rage Like the Gods is going to be an EPIC series! And this novella is the most deliciously appetite-whetting introduction to RltG that any reader begging for a new extensive fantasy fandom could ask for.
December 27, 2021
3 stars // read December 2021
Between Gods and Demigods definitely feels like the prequel to a series, setting up the background and introducing us to the characters. The writing felt a bit rambly and hard for me to focus on, and it would’ve been nice to have information (such as the difference between sorcery and magic) incorporated earlier on and in a more natural way. The most interesting part of the book for me was seeing how Azern’s vision played out.
Content: one soldier makes a vague but crass comment about Azern; the MC is searched by another female for werewolf bites before she is allowed to visit someone
Between Gods and Demigods definitely feels like the prequel to a series, setting up the background and introducing us to the characters. The writing felt a bit rambly and hard for me to focus on, and it would’ve been nice to have information (such as the difference between sorcery and magic) incorporated earlier on and in a more natural way. The most interesting part of the book for me was seeing how Azern’s vision played out.
Content: one soldier makes a vague but crass comment about Azern; the MC is searched by another female for werewolf bites before she is allowed to visit someone
June 7, 2021
If I remember right this book was inspired by Russian and Scandinavian mythology and maybe the videogame “Skyrim”. One of the very best things about this book that I loved is the worldbuilding. Worldbuilding is like painting a picture. You can add as much or as little detail that you want, but depending on how you do it people’s eyes are going to be drawn to certain areas of the painting. I think that with this book it’s done wonderfully. We’re given that wonderful picture and yet every detail that we are given is important to the plot in some way. The writing is absolutely beautiful and flowing. The characters have the signature wittiness that Nicki brings to her characters. I love the concept of the main character trying to change something that she saw in the future. Just brilliant!
The Characters:
Azern. Our main character! Ah, I love her. I also love how I have similar thought patterns to her. Like I kept wanting throughout this book for Azern to go and hit Magnar over the head and kidnap him. And while she didn’t do that, she did think about it, and it did make me feel so happy. Yeah, I would say that this character is a little bit witty. Nicki has a talent and unique writing style that I absolutely love. She has a habit of giving her main character witty thoughts and sometimes awkward moments that just add so much to the overall story. Plus, it puts a smile on my face. Okay, sometimes I burst out laughing, but try to picture me as being an emotionless human being with a knife. It just suits me better. I also love the fact that Azern has grayish-blue skin. I just think she looks very pretty. Because blue. You did know that it was going to be impossible for me to write this review without mentioning my favorite color. XD
Magnar. He is one of these guys who follows his word down to the letter. The letter. Which is also a word I don’t know all the letters of apparently. I mean, it’s not a bad thing to be like that, probably a good thing actually. The point I’m trying to make is that it makes Azern’s job harder when he keeps refusing to do what she asked. Break his word and save his hide. Then, of course, there was the little trust issue and suspicion that Magnar always has about Azern only because she is a High Elf. That being said. I REALLY LOVE MAGNAR!!! You have to read the book to know what I’m talking about.
The World Building:
Look, this is a short book. I read it in a day. And yet I feel like I just journeyed to the land of Ruskhazar and knew how this world worked. Which was really cool.
The book took its time to explain that the people of this world are not fond of the people who worship demigods. Because they’re evil. Or most of them are anyway. Apparently, these people also don’t do their research on the demigods or they would’ve found out that is not always the demigods are not always evil.
Anyway, the people who do worship these demigods learn how to use sorcery, which differs depending on which demigod they worship. I guess it is kind of like using a demigod’s power or something like that, though it can be unpredictable and some demigods are, like I said, evil.
And sorcery is different from magic in this book. Like way different. I love how the magic system is described in this book. Sorcery is harnessing the power of a demigod, you can only control things such as fire or, uh, dead bodies. While with magic you have to mutter spells and you create things like fire or wind, or SUPER COOL CREATURES THAT NEVER MADE IT IN THIS BOOK, BUT BOY AM I EXCITED TO SEE IT IN ANOTHER ONE!!! HINT, HINT!!!
One of the best things about the worldbuilding in this story was having a character who has never seen buildings that were not made out of stone for the first time. The descriptions were golden.
(Also can I just say how beautiful the drawings are inside? They are so, so good! Loved them! And that COVER!!!! AHHH, SO STUNNING!!!)
Content in Book:
1. Gods and demigods.
2. Werewolves.
3. Slicing someone’s face and eye with a knife.
4. Violence. (Blood. Gore. Hand-to-hand combat. With a sword. With magic. Tearing and ripping people’s flesh with teeth and claws. Etc.)
5. Magic. Sorcery. (Calling on gods or demigods to use sorcery. Muttering spells. Reanimating the dead. Etc.)
6. A couple of comments of some men wanting to sleep or hang out with a naked girl. It never went very far and was only commented about.
Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:
Those who like fantasy.
Those who like the chosen one or a character who has a prophecy plot (I love those tropes, okay? They’re great and this book is done right).
Those who like witty characters.
Those who want a short quick read that will leave you feeling both satisfied and reeling for more.
If you checked off all those points then this book is for you!
Review was first posted on my blog on 6/2/21. =D
The Characters:
Azern. Our main character! Ah, I love her. I also love how I have similar thought patterns to her. Like I kept wanting throughout this book for Azern to go and hit Magnar over the head and kidnap him. And while she didn’t do that, she did think about it, and it did make me feel so happy. Yeah, I would say that this character is a little bit witty. Nicki has a talent and unique writing style that I absolutely love. She has a habit of giving her main character witty thoughts and sometimes awkward moments that just add so much to the overall story. Plus, it puts a smile on my face. Okay, sometimes I burst out laughing, but try to picture me as being an emotionless human being with a knife. It just suits me better. I also love the fact that Azern has grayish-blue skin. I just think she looks very pretty. Because blue. You did know that it was going to be impossible for me to write this review without mentioning my favorite color. XD
Magnar. He is one of these guys who follows his word down to the letter. The letter. Which is also a word I don’t know all the letters of apparently. I mean, it’s not a bad thing to be like that, probably a good thing actually. The point I’m trying to make is that it makes Azern’s job harder when he keeps refusing to do what she asked. Break his word and save his hide. Then, of course, there was the little trust issue and suspicion that Magnar always has about Azern only because she is a High Elf. That being said. I REALLY LOVE MAGNAR!!! You have to read the book to know what I’m talking about.
The World Building:
Look, this is a short book. I read it in a day. And yet I feel like I just journeyed to the land of Ruskhazar and knew how this world worked. Which was really cool.
The book took its time to explain that the people of this world are not fond of the people who worship demigods. Because they’re evil. Or most of them are anyway. Apparently, these people also don’t do their research on the demigods or they would’ve found out that is not always the demigods are not always evil.
Anyway, the people who do worship these demigods learn how to use sorcery, which differs depending on which demigod they worship. I guess it is kind of like using a demigod’s power or something like that, though it can be unpredictable and some demigods are, like I said, evil.
And sorcery is different from magic in this book. Like way different. I love how the magic system is described in this book. Sorcery is harnessing the power of a demigod, you can only control things such as fire or, uh, dead bodies. While with magic you have to mutter spells and you create things like fire or wind, or SUPER COOL CREATURES THAT NEVER MADE IT IN THIS BOOK, BUT BOY AM I EXCITED TO SEE IT IN ANOTHER ONE!!! HINT, HINT!!!
One of the best things about the worldbuilding in this story was having a character who has never seen buildings that were not made out of stone for the first time. The descriptions were golden.
(Also can I just say how beautiful the drawings are inside? They are so, so good! Loved them! And that COVER!!!! AHHH, SO STUNNING!!!)
Content in Book:
1. Gods and demigods.
2. Werewolves.
3. Slicing someone’s face and eye with a knife.
4. Violence. (Blood. Gore. Hand-to-hand combat. With a sword. With magic. Tearing and ripping people’s flesh with teeth and claws. Etc.)
5. Magic. Sorcery. (Calling on gods or demigods to use sorcery. Muttering spells. Reanimating the dead. Etc.)
6. A couple of comments of some men wanting to sleep or hang out with a naked girl. It never went very far and was only commented about.
Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:
Those who like fantasy.
Those who like the chosen one or a character who has a prophecy plot (I love those tropes, okay? They’re great and this book is done right).
Those who like witty characters.
Those who want a short quick read that will leave you feeling both satisfied and reeling for more.
If you checked off all those points then this book is for you!
Review was first posted on my blog on 6/2/21. =D
November 26, 2023
This is an amazing prequel that introduced us to the world Ruskhazar and the friction between the different beings inhabiting it. Though it is a short story, characters are well fleshed out, and so is the conflict, leaving you wanting to continue the journey with Azren, the MC. Can’t wait to read the next in the series.
February 17, 2024
Nicki is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint! Azern is a very relatable character who knows she has to do something, due to her visions, but is still figuring out how to do them. I like Magnar’s character as well, and I’m looking forward to see where their story takes them!
December 18, 2024
It's a well-written story with interesting world and premise. I liked the idea of a character who has magic from a misunderstood goddess trying to do good in a world that mistrusts her, but I struggled connecting with the characters.
March 30, 2024
2.75⭐️
2024 Reads #189/250
2024 Reads #189/250
Want to read
October 19, 2024Included in the "Of Storms and Stardust" charity anthology for victims of Hurricane Helene.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews