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The Forgotten Splinters Chronicles #1
Goddess of Limbo
Free will is a relic of the past. Souls have a prewritten path to heaven. If they miss it, they are doomed to roam the lost realm of limbo as splinters of their former selves or worse—as demons.
Their only hope is the reaper Alames, whose own soul shattered when her celestial lover, Balthos, usurped their creators to make them gods. In her absence, he builds a pantheon of monsters and tricks the mortals, whom he blames for his grief, into worshiping him. But when a new generation defies Balthos’s law, Alames’s splinters appear among them.
Brilliant physicist Ally longs for progress and innovation, but the Council controlling her nation strips the “Mad Princess” of power. Pregnant and uncertain, the unrivaled Captain Se’azana abandons her career for the false promises of love. The starving serf Richard makes a deal with a Fae demon to save his son. And teenage rebel Vana trades her guitar for a blade when faced with ruthless nobility.
When worlds tear and hearts break, will they defy the gods’ narrative to create a brighter future or will they obey the lies preached and doom their souls forever?
For fans of A GAME OF THRONES and THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE comes an immersive epic fantasy with a diverse cast of underdogs fighting demons, gods, and oppression.
This story contains adult themes. For trigger warnings and representation details, please visit the author's website.
Their only hope is the reaper Alames, whose own soul shattered when her celestial lover, Balthos, usurped their creators to make them gods. In her absence, he builds a pantheon of monsters and tricks the mortals, whom he blames for his grief, into worshiping him. But when a new generation defies Balthos’s law, Alames’s splinters appear among them.
Brilliant physicist Ally longs for progress and innovation, but the Council controlling her nation strips the “Mad Princess” of power. Pregnant and uncertain, the unrivaled Captain Se’azana abandons her career for the false promises of love. The starving serf Richard makes a deal with a Fae demon to save his son. And teenage rebel Vana trades her guitar for a blade when faced with ruthless nobility.
When worlds tear and hearts break, will they defy the gods’ narrative to create a brighter future or will they obey the lies preached and doom their souls forever?
For fans of A GAME OF THRONES and THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE comes an immersive epic fantasy with a diverse cast of underdogs fighting demons, gods, and oppression.
This story contains adult themes. For trigger warnings and representation details, please visit the author's website.
670 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2021
4 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
September 4, 2021
These characters and their story have stolen my heart years ago and have taken me down paths I never expected to walk. I am so grateful to now share them with you. I hope you'll have a great time reading it!
Here is a brief overview of the first book's representation & trigger warnings:
Representation: LGBTQIA+ (5 lesbians, 4 gay men, 5 bisexuals, 1 nonbinary person, 1 trans man, 1 demisexual man); PTSD/C-PTSD, cerebral palsy, schizoaffective disorder, eating disorder, autism (identity first), main characters of different skin colors and cultural backgrounds (see www.leafalls.com for more details)
Trigger Warnings: Ableism (external + internalized), birth complications/reference to miscarriage, body horror, cheating, child marriage/pedophilia (non-graphic), domestic abuse, drugs/addiction, eating disorder, homophobia (external + internalized), mental illness/depression, psychological horror, racism/xenophobia, religious trauma, sexual assault/harrassment (non-graphic), sexual situations, reference to suicide, transphobia (external + internalized), graphic violence/death/blood/gore
In the back of the book, you'll find a TW list with a chapter breakdown. A main theme of the book is reclaiming one’s autonomy and agency after trauma, hence the long TW list. I tried to be as respectful as possible with them, but of course, every reader is different. If you have any questions about this list, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via hello@leafalls.com.
Thank you so much to everyone who is leaving a review or considering picking up my story!
Here is a brief overview of the first book's representation & trigger warnings:
Representation: LGBTQIA+ (5 lesbians, 4 gay men, 5 bisexuals, 1 nonbinary person, 1 trans man, 1 demisexual man); PTSD/C-PTSD, cerebral palsy, schizoaffective disorder, eating disorder, autism (identity first), main characters of different skin colors and cultural backgrounds (see www.leafalls.com for more details)
Trigger Warnings: Ableism (external + internalized), birth complications/reference to miscarriage, body horror, cheating, child marriage/pedophilia (non-graphic), domestic abuse, drugs/addiction, eating disorder, homophobia (external + internalized), mental illness/depression, psychological horror, racism/xenophobia, religious trauma, sexual assault/harrassment (non-graphic), sexual situations, reference to suicide, transphobia (external + internalized), graphic violence/death/blood/gore
In the back of the book, you'll find a TW list with a chapter breakdown. A main theme of the book is reclaiming one’s autonomy and agency after trauma, hence the long TW list. I tried to be as respectful as possible with them, but of course, every reader is different. If you have any questions about this list, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via hello@leafalls.com.
Thank you so much to everyone who is leaving a review or considering picking up my story!
September 18, 2023
I am not sure what this book is even about? There really wasn't a plot.... there was no grand quest, no main objective, just a story going... somewhere? but it didn't really end up anywhere to be honest.
There were SO MANY CHARACTER POVs. Vana's story line was just heavy handed communism. Sachi's didn't really make any sense? He is the chieftain? but then everyone hates him and throws him out? Piers just fucking disappeared and nothing ever happened with that again. Richard was gay? or molested as child by a priest? or tortured religiously? Did he end up having a relationship with that Yooko guy? When and how? The next time we see him is in a freaking prison with Vana. Robert was just down to share his baby-mom with a court jester? The best sniper in the whole realm? Ally is a weird character. Is she crazy? Is she useless? Is she a mad scientist? Subi was just down with being beaten by a clown of a person? The most feared general in the whole world? Not believable at all. And the scenes with her daughter were so out of place. They really didn't fit the plot of the story at all. They went nowhere and added nothing to the story.
The LGBT+ representation felt disingenuous. For example, when I have read stories with Non-Binary characters (such as Dead Space by Kali Wallace) the author just soley uses they/them pronouns. They don't flat out say "they prefer to go by they/them". They just do it. The trans-orc character was a very weird character all together. It really didn't make much sense? They met a Te-fiti-esque ancestor who gave them a sex change?
And the spice... if you're going to be marketed as The Priory of the Orange Tree meets Brandon Sanderson and claim to have LGBT+ rep, why were all the sex scene heterosexual? and boring... oh god the sex was boring. Any gay sex was just teased and never shown. The only sex scene, which only added to the plot to conceive a child, was so vanilla and completely heterosexual. bleh.
As for the actual pacing of the story, what the hell man? There were massive time jumps throughout the book. switching between characters willy-nilly. I could not keep a coherent timeline to save my life with this book. Sometimes the writing was verbose and frilly and really nice. But other times it was clunky, cheesy, and down-right juvenile.
One thing I did like in the story was that there is an extensive trigger warning list and chapters where it takes place. That is a really nice add-on and I think more book should have something similar.
There were SO MANY CHARACTER POVs. Vana's story line was just heavy handed communism. Sachi's didn't really make any sense? He is the chieftain? but then everyone hates him and throws him out? Piers just fucking disappeared and nothing ever happened with that again. Richard was gay? or molested as child by a priest? or tortured religiously? Did he end up having a relationship with that Yooko guy? When and how? The next time we see him is in a freaking prison with Vana. Robert was just down to share his baby-mom with a court jester? The best sniper in the whole realm? Ally is a weird character. Is she crazy? Is she useless? Is she a mad scientist? Subi was just down with being beaten by a clown of a person? The most feared general in the whole world? Not believable at all. And the scenes with her daughter were so out of place. They really didn't fit the plot of the story at all. They went nowhere and added nothing to the story.
The LGBT+ representation felt disingenuous. For example, when I have read stories with Non-Binary characters (such as Dead Space by Kali Wallace) the author just soley uses they/them pronouns. They don't flat out say "they prefer to go by they/them". They just do it. The trans-orc character was a very weird character all together. It really didn't make much sense? They met a Te-fiti-esque ancestor who gave them a sex change?
And the spice... if you're going to be marketed as The Priory of the Orange Tree meets Brandon Sanderson and claim to have LGBT+ rep, why were all the sex scene heterosexual? and boring... oh god the sex was boring. Any gay sex was just teased and never shown. The only sex scene, which only added to the plot to conceive a child, was so vanilla and completely heterosexual. bleh.
As for the actual pacing of the story, what the hell man? There were massive time jumps throughout the book. switching between characters willy-nilly. I could not keep a coherent timeline to save my life with this book. Sometimes the writing was verbose and frilly and really nice. But other times it was clunky, cheesy, and down-right juvenile.
One thing I did like in the story was that there is an extensive trigger warning list and chapters where it takes place. That is a really nice add-on and I think more book should have something similar.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2021
Creative, captivating, full, character-driven, growth-oriented, adventurous
Goddess of Limbo is a creative and enchanting epic fantasy story with the delightful magic of the gods. This character-driven novel tells the story of how a group of unexpected heroes fight against gods and demons to save their souls. This premise seems to dream big and I was really pleased to see how interesting the characters are, how creative the world is, and how much everyone seems to grow throughout the book. Though it is a lengthy novel, it is perfect for those looking for a refreshing and different epic fantasy. If you are sick of the standard loosely veiled medieval England tome that is often epic fantasy (that’s me! Very tired of this!) Goddess of Limbo is a perfectly refreshing read!
Quick Summary: The days of free will are gone. Souls have a prewritten path toward heaven but if they miss it, they are doomed to roam Limbo as splinters of who they once were or demons. The reaper Alames, whose own soul has been shattered when her lover, Balthos, rebelled against their creators to make them gods. When a new generation begins to defy Balthos, Alame’s splinters begin to appear again. This cast of underdogs must fight demons, gods, and oppression to save themselves.
Goddess of Limbo really impressed me with its characters. Most books that have so many characters often make me lose track of each of them as they start to blend together. In this novel, I did not feel like any of the characters were blending together at all. It handles the vast amount of characters so well. Each character has their own personality and their own goals and feelings in mind, none of them feel like they are blending together as is so often the case in books with so many characters. Not only were they all characterized so well, but that also made them have interesting and compelling relationships with each other.
Continue Reading...
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
Goddess of Limbo is a creative and enchanting epic fantasy story with the delightful magic of the gods. This character-driven novel tells the story of how a group of unexpected heroes fight against gods and demons to save their souls. This premise seems to dream big and I was really pleased to see how interesting the characters are, how creative the world is, and how much everyone seems to grow throughout the book. Though it is a lengthy novel, it is perfect for those looking for a refreshing and different epic fantasy. If you are sick of the standard loosely veiled medieval England tome that is often epic fantasy (that’s me! Very tired of this!) Goddess of Limbo is a perfectly refreshing read!
Quick Summary: The days of free will are gone. Souls have a prewritten path toward heaven but if they miss it, they are doomed to roam Limbo as splinters of who they once were or demons. The reaper Alames, whose own soul has been shattered when her lover, Balthos, rebelled against their creators to make them gods. When a new generation begins to defy Balthos, Alame’s splinters begin to appear again. This cast of underdogs must fight demons, gods, and oppression to save themselves.
Goddess of Limbo really impressed me with its characters. Most books that have so many characters often make me lose track of each of them as they start to blend together. In this novel, I did not feel like any of the characters were blending together at all. It handles the vast amount of characters so well. Each character has their own personality and their own goals and feelings in mind, none of them feel like they are blending together as is so often the case in books with so many characters. Not only were they all characterized so well, but that also made them have interesting and compelling relationships with each other.
Continue Reading...
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
July 14, 2021
**This review originally appeared on Instagram.**
“Today I’m supposed to carry 203 souls to their deaths. Their stories are finished, I know they are, but I’m tempted to add another epilogue.”
I’ve known the author for a few years now, and when she started talking about this fantasy book she was writing, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Still, I had no clue what I was getting into.
I’m incredibly selective about the fantasy I read. I used to read so much YA urban fantasy that I burned myself out with it (except for Sarina Langer's work). Now, I only read adult fantasy that takes place in another world entirely. I love seeing how different authors put together worlds and weave new people into being. The last adult fantasy I read and loved was FOR THE WOLF by Hannah Witten. Before that, it was THE SAVIOR’S SISTER by Jenna Moreci. It’s a short list.
GODDESS OF LIMBO is now on the list. In this sweeping fantasy epic, Lea weaves together a compelling cast of characters with clear personal goals and stakes with an engrossing world and plot that kept me turning pages. In the past, I’ve abandoned books like the GAME OF THRONES series (sorry) because there were too many POV characters for me to keep track of or care about. Not so with GODDESS OF LIMBO! Although there are many POV characters, I found their stories easy to follow and easier still to invest in.
It’s impressive how much time Lea covers in this book, and even more impressive when you realize she’s gotten you to care about a character for decades. In addition, although the book deals with some dark and heavy subjects, the author handles them as respectfully and realistically as possible.
If you’re interested in trigger warnings, you can find them on Lea’s website. I also appreciated the diverse representation in this book—you’ll find everything from gender fluidity to disability representation, transgender representation, and so much more.
I give 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to GODDESS OF LIMBO, and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
“Today I’m supposed to carry 203 souls to their deaths. Their stories are finished, I know they are, but I’m tempted to add another epilogue.”
I’ve known the author for a few years now, and when she started talking about this fantasy book she was writing, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Still, I had no clue what I was getting into.
I’m incredibly selective about the fantasy I read. I used to read so much YA urban fantasy that I burned myself out with it (except for Sarina Langer's work). Now, I only read adult fantasy that takes place in another world entirely. I love seeing how different authors put together worlds and weave new people into being. The last adult fantasy I read and loved was FOR THE WOLF by Hannah Witten. Before that, it was THE SAVIOR’S SISTER by Jenna Moreci. It’s a short list.
GODDESS OF LIMBO is now on the list. In this sweeping fantasy epic, Lea weaves together a compelling cast of characters with clear personal goals and stakes with an engrossing world and plot that kept me turning pages. In the past, I’ve abandoned books like the GAME OF THRONES series (sorry) because there were too many POV characters for me to keep track of or care about. Not so with GODDESS OF LIMBO! Although there are many POV characters, I found their stories easy to follow and easier still to invest in.
It’s impressive how much time Lea covers in this book, and even more impressive when you realize she’s gotten you to care about a character for decades. In addition, although the book deals with some dark and heavy subjects, the author handles them as respectfully and realistically as possible.
If you’re interested in trigger warnings, you can find them on Lea’s website. I also appreciated the diverse representation in this book—you’ll find everything from gender fluidity to disability representation, transgender representation, and so much more.
I give 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to GODDESS OF LIMBO, and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
December 7, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley & the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Y'all so much goes on in this book. I have zero idea how to summarize, so if you like rebellions, magic, scientific inventions and epic world building, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a queer Adult epic fantasy, look no further.
I savored this book. Reading this behemoth over the course of the month was the best decision I ever made. Things are slow moving at first, but I loved meeting all of the characters and seeing them develop through the book. Look I loved everyone, but I especially loved Captain Subira's story. I loved seeing her take back her agency and become the dangerous yet incredible leader she is again.
I am so curious about how everything is going to fall into place. Not only are there several characters followed, but we also have gods and goddesses to watch out for. There are so many pieces of the puzzle here and I am loving what I saw so far and I can't wait to see more!
Statements taken from the author's review:
Representation: LGBTQIA+ (5 lesbians, 4 gay men, 5 bisexuals, 1 nonbinary person, 1 trans man, 1 demisexual man); PTSD/C-PTSD, cerebral palsy, schizoaffective disorder, eating disorder, autism (identity first), main characters of different skin colors and cultural backgrounds (see www.leafalls.com for more details)
Content Warnings: Ableism (external + internalized), birth complications/reference to miscarriage, body horror, cheating, child marriage/pedophilia (non-graphic), domestic abuse, drugs/addiction, eating disorder, homophobia (external + internalized), mental illness/depression, psychological horror, racism/xenophobia, religious trauma, sexual assault/harrassment (non-graphic), sexual situations, reference to suicide, transphobia (external + internalized), graphic violence/death/blood/gore.
Y'all so much goes on in this book. I have zero idea how to summarize, so if you like rebellions, magic, scientific inventions and epic world building, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a queer Adult epic fantasy, look no further.
I savored this book. Reading this behemoth over the course of the month was the best decision I ever made. Things are slow moving at first, but I loved meeting all of the characters and seeing them develop through the book. Look I loved everyone, but I especially loved Captain Subira's story. I loved seeing her take back her agency and become the dangerous yet incredible leader she is again.
I am so curious about how everything is going to fall into place. Not only are there several characters followed, but we also have gods and goddesses to watch out for. There are so many pieces of the puzzle here and I am loving what I saw so far and I can't wait to see more!
Statements taken from the author's review:
Representation: LGBTQIA+ (5 lesbians, 4 gay men, 5 bisexuals, 1 nonbinary person, 1 trans man, 1 demisexual man); PTSD/C-PTSD, cerebral palsy, schizoaffective disorder, eating disorder, autism (identity first), main characters of different skin colors and cultural backgrounds (see www.leafalls.com for more details)
Content Warnings: Ableism (external + internalized), birth complications/reference to miscarriage, body horror, cheating, child marriage/pedophilia (non-graphic), domestic abuse, drugs/addiction, eating disorder, homophobia (external + internalized), mental illness/depression, psychological horror, racism/xenophobia, religious trauma, sexual assault/harrassment (non-graphic), sexual situations, reference to suicide, transphobia (external + internalized), graphic violence/death/blood/gore.
August 1, 2021
Vibrant and delightful descriptions of settings and situations. Having the chance of following the story through several characters' eyes is very exciting and gives the chance of understanding diverse psychological aspects of this fantastic novel. It was like "reading" a video game, or a role game. Lots of colors and sensations. Awesome and enjoyable novel!
August 23, 2021
I want to thank netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was a 3 star book & that is being generous. The kind of reader I am in EXTREMELY lenient with reviews but I trudged through this book.
The writing and the character development was good but besides that I honestly cannot tell you what the plot is. It was a 670 page book that felt like nonsense to me. The overall beginning made no sense to me, we were jumping from character to character, then we jumped to 10 years later, which I was fine with but then we got a whole other set of characters. There was no mention of Alames and who the goddess of limbo was until 60% in. I didn’t even know the plot until 60% in. The writing itself was really good but the plot and organization needed a lot of work, I know what the author was attempting to do bc I have seen it done before but it fell flat and I just felt bored & confused.
I considered dnf-ing this book the whole time. If it wasn’t because I hate dnf-ing I would have. Despite wanting to dnf I decided to finish it in order to give it an honest review. Which was: even after finishing it I am clueless to what just happened... so many things were not even addressed and it doesn't feel like it was left open for a sequel it just felt sloppy, as if the author was trying to accomplish too much in one book.
I give this a 3 star because the writing itself and how the author writes I liked but it needed a different organize or plot lay out. The book was also different in its magic system and it's world, which initially pulled me in but I just felt throughout the book there was an unnecessary amount of bad things happening to the characters and information I did not need. Maybe I’ll need that information for the next books but it was unnecessary to info dump that much in the first book. I did not enjoy this read because I felt that I was reading a bunch of characters with minimal connection and little to no plot and it wasn't until 80% that half of these characters connected. It was too long of a book to read with no plot or connection, nothing of substance happened until 80%. It was extremely confusing and I really struggled to read it, I’m not sure if I’ll read the next books. Which makes me sad because I was so excited to read this book.
The writing and the character development was good but besides that I honestly cannot tell you what the plot is. It was a 670 page book that felt like nonsense to me. The overall beginning made no sense to me, we were jumping from character to character, then we jumped to 10 years later, which I was fine with but then we got a whole other set of characters. There was no mention of Alames and who the goddess of limbo was until 60% in. I didn’t even know the plot until 60% in. The writing itself was really good but the plot and organization needed a lot of work, I know what the author was attempting to do bc I have seen it done before but it fell flat and I just felt bored & confused.
I considered dnf-ing this book the whole time. If it wasn’t because I hate dnf-ing I would have. Despite wanting to dnf I decided to finish it in order to give it an honest review. Which was: even after finishing it I am clueless to what just happened... so many things were not even addressed and it doesn't feel like it was left open for a sequel it just felt sloppy, as if the author was trying to accomplish too much in one book.
I give this a 3 star because the writing itself and how the author writes I liked but it needed a different organize or plot lay out. The book was also different in its magic system and it's world, which initially pulled me in but I just felt throughout the book there was an unnecessary amount of bad things happening to the characters and information I did not need. Maybe I’ll need that information for the next books but it was unnecessary to info dump that much in the first book. I did not enjoy this read because I felt that I was reading a bunch of characters with minimal connection and little to no plot and it wasn't until 80% that half of these characters connected. It was too long of a book to read with no plot or connection, nothing of substance happened until 80%. It was extremely confusing and I really struggled to read it, I’m not sure if I’ll read the next books. Which makes me sad because I was so excited to read this book.
August 1, 2021
Holy friggin' limbo. I was not ready for this at all. I read the blurb and thought this was a nice concept. I had no idea what i was getting myself into. Like with any book that switches POVs a lot while telling the story, this got a bit confusing in the beginning. That's perfectly normal and goes right along with the fantastic world building this book offers. It doesn't take long till you feel like you actually know the places, the characters and you're right at home in their world. Once I got to know the characters, switching POVs was easy enough and I found myself always waiting to find out what part of the story would be continued in the next chapter. The story never gets boring. All the characters are interesting and you can't help but want to find out more about their story, a possible secret, what makes them tick. This is fast-paced fantasy once you got introduced to all the important key players. Before you know it, you're racing towards the end of this book, unable to put it down for even a second because you don't want to miss a thing. I can't wait to find out how this will continue. I'm hooked.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 6, 2021
Well, to say it's different is an understatement. It's a compelling story full of interesting characters and ideas.
Once you get used to the places and characters you feel like you fit in. It really is a fantasy epic, and I found the story easy to follow once I got into it.
I must warn you that the book is quite extensive. But you understand why once the plot starts to expand. It is very well written. And although slow at first it soon picks up pace. After the first few chapters I found myself unable to put it down as I always wanted to know what came next.
The characters draw you further in. Some are complicated, some are easy. But all have a place in the story as a whole.
Yes,m I would recommend this book. I also look forward to book two.
Enjoy!
Once you get used to the places and characters you feel like you fit in. It really is a fantasy epic, and I found the story easy to follow once I got into it.
I must warn you that the book is quite extensive. But you understand why once the plot starts to expand. It is very well written. And although slow at first it soon picks up pace. After the first few chapters I found myself unable to put it down as I always wanted to know what came next.
The characters draw you further in. Some are complicated, some are easy. But all have a place in the story as a whole.
Yes,m I would recommend this book. I also look forward to book two.
Enjoy!
October 5, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Zauberfalls Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC!
Content Warning: Check the link here at the author's website for a detailed list of triggers.
Balthos and Alames were once a celestial couple, spending their days loving one another and, in Alames's case, reaping souls. But when Balthos -- in an effort to create his twisted idea of a perfect world -- usurps their creators in order to make himself and Alames gods, it causes her soul to shatter into tons of lost splinters. In the new generation, who unwittingly worship Balthos and the monsters he's created, Alames finds hope: there's Alexandra, the "Mad Princess," who wants nothing but the best for her people; Captain Subira Se'azana, an elfish military leader who is thrust into an uncertain future; the insurgent half-elf, half-human Vana; and many others, all who offer both Alames and themselves another chance at life.
I don't read much fantasy. This year, it's come more onto my radar, and I've picked up a few books here and there which have given me a taste for exploring this genre more. When I saw Goddess of Limbo on Netgalley, I was both intrigued and intimidated: it is high fantasy, a sort of alluring mixture of Lord of the Rings combined with newer takes like Game of Thrones, complete with its own world, politics and species. Let me also clarify, though, that unlike many of the books that populate the mainstream of fantasy, it's full of amazing representation which only adds to its wonderful, creative spin!
It isn't easy to make every single point-of-view character interesting, but somehow, Falls does it. They're all fascinating, relatable even in their darkest moments, with distinct narrative voices. It's practically a form of magic in and of itself to be able to pull that off. This is a hefty book, clocking in around 670 pages, and man, is it worth every page. I definitely have my personal favorites -- Subira, Vana, and Sachihiro a few amongst many -- but it doesn't have that horrible feeling of reading a character's chapter with dread, or feeling bored until you're back in a certain story arc. Instead, all of the many subplots are not only original and compelling in their own right, but make perfect sense when put together with the novel as a whole.
The plot itself is difficult to define or describe in only a few sentences; it's part of something much bigger, much more overarching, that I expect will continue over several books. I'm not a big fan of series', to be perfectly honest, but I was so delighted when I realized that this was going to be one. Although, it's so hard to not have a conclusion for everything, and to be left on a semi-cliffhanger -- I want the next one, right now!
Falls's writing is concise, simple, but also embellished with wonderful descriptions which help to transport you to this fantasy realm. It doesn't matter if you're reading about an orc, human, elf or even a god; it's full of both the hardships we experience here in our own world and the ones unique to Falls's universe. I must also applaud her creativity, particularly when it comes to the religions, politics and forms of magic that she came up with. This has made me a true fantasy fan.
When a book can take you so effortlessly into its universe, when you anticipate picking it back up and find yourself enthusiastic for every chapter, you know it can't be anything but a five star read. I highly recommend this, and I urge you to look into it if you're interested -- this review and all the summaries in the world can't do it justice. Do yourself a favor, and pick this up when you get the chance!
For more of my reviews, check out my blog!
Content Warning: Check the link here at the author's website for a detailed list of triggers.
Balthos and Alames were once a celestial couple, spending their days loving one another and, in Alames's case, reaping souls. But when Balthos -- in an effort to create his twisted idea of a perfect world -- usurps their creators in order to make himself and Alames gods, it causes her soul to shatter into tons of lost splinters. In the new generation, who unwittingly worship Balthos and the monsters he's created, Alames finds hope: there's Alexandra, the "Mad Princess," who wants nothing but the best for her people; Captain Subira Se'azana, an elfish military leader who is thrust into an uncertain future; the insurgent half-elf, half-human Vana; and many others, all who offer both Alames and themselves another chance at life.
I don't read much fantasy. This year, it's come more onto my radar, and I've picked up a few books here and there which have given me a taste for exploring this genre more. When I saw Goddess of Limbo on Netgalley, I was both intrigued and intimidated: it is high fantasy, a sort of alluring mixture of Lord of the Rings combined with newer takes like Game of Thrones, complete with its own world, politics and species. Let me also clarify, though, that unlike many of the books that populate the mainstream of fantasy, it's full of amazing representation which only adds to its wonderful, creative spin!
It isn't easy to make every single point-of-view character interesting, but somehow, Falls does it. They're all fascinating, relatable even in their darkest moments, with distinct narrative voices. It's practically a form of magic in and of itself to be able to pull that off. This is a hefty book, clocking in around 670 pages, and man, is it worth every page. I definitely have my personal favorites -- Subira, Vana, and Sachihiro a few amongst many -- but it doesn't have that horrible feeling of reading a character's chapter with dread, or feeling bored until you're back in a certain story arc. Instead, all of the many subplots are not only original and compelling in their own right, but make perfect sense when put together with the novel as a whole.
The plot itself is difficult to define or describe in only a few sentences; it's part of something much bigger, much more overarching, that I expect will continue over several books. I'm not a big fan of series', to be perfectly honest, but I was so delighted when I realized that this was going to be one. Although, it's so hard to not have a conclusion for everything, and to be left on a semi-cliffhanger -- I want the next one, right now!
Falls's writing is concise, simple, but also embellished with wonderful descriptions which help to transport you to this fantasy realm. It doesn't matter if you're reading about an orc, human, elf or even a god; it's full of both the hardships we experience here in our own world and the ones unique to Falls's universe. I must also applaud her creativity, particularly when it comes to the religions, politics and forms of magic that she came up with. This has made me a true fantasy fan.
When a book can take you so effortlessly into its universe, when you anticipate picking it back up and find yourself enthusiastic for every chapter, you know it can't be anything but a five star read. I highly recommend this, and I urge you to look into it if you're interested -- this review and all the summaries in the world can't do it justice. Do yourself a favor, and pick this up when you get the chance!
For more of my reviews, check out my blog!
October 12, 2021
Lea has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end, her ability to draw one in is so magical. There are multiple perspectives in this novel and with each perspective comes stories that attach to other characters which Lea weaves together beautifully. I feel absolutely honored that I was able to read this story and cannot wait to read more! Every character in this book has so much depth. I love the magical system that's in place, the language differences and how Lae portrays each character and how they either know a language or are learning a language or don't understand it all --- all while in English. She is so clever! This book is definitely not for those that are interested in a quick read; this book is jam-packed with characters and stories that attach intricately together and I hope that Lea makes this into an entire series.
October 10, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Zauberfalls Publishing for gifting me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
In a fantasy world where at one's death it is known whether your soul has ascended or splintered, a huge cast of characters from different backgrounds is trying to do their best. We have a physicist queen who suffers from hallucinations, a teen peasant attempting to start a revolution, a bunch of orc college students who are trying to get their families to accept them, and a few more.
I struggled through this book; that summarizes my feelings about this pretty well. While there were some interesting ideas in here, the execution just was not there for me. I'll start with the things I appreciated. There were a ton of queer characters (trans, nonbinary, gay, lesbian, polyamorous) that were well integrated into this fantasy world; it's not a queernorm world, but people have been openly queer for a couple of generations. There were also a few different Tolkein style fantasy races of our characters, which I think is frankly underutilized in everything but DnD nowadays. I really liked Ally as a character, she's sort of a Cassandra character.
Onto what I wasn't a fan of. The word I'd use to describe this book would be "underdeveloped". We have so much going on; there are three time periods we go into, a GRRM level amount of characters to follow (including Robert, Reginald, and Richard, which, why in the world would you pick so many similar names of important characters. I could not keep them straight for so long), and a good amount of settings that we are in including a magical one a the end. There really wasn't a central plot to this, which is why my synopsis was so vague, so I'm assuming the author intended for this to be a character-focused narrative. Truly, there wasn't enough worldbuilding to truly understand their surroundings anyway. However, to get attached to characters, you need to understand their backgrounds, basic desires, personality traits, and motivations. Other than wanting to be with their significant others, few characters had those motivations (with the great exception of Vana, the teen revolutionary who is very much a YA protagonist hothead). What were the goals of these characters? And therefore, what was the point? If we're not going to ask big philosophical questions about the world and politics, we need to have that small-scale goal. A good way to do this might have been to fix the timeline situation. With no flashbacks, we are given an ancient times chapter, then several "ten years ago" chapters, and then the rest in the "now". The second section felt pointless to me. Show me these characters, reflect on what they've been through with their current actions and situations, and give them some drive. If you're not sure what their drive is, maybe don't make them a perspective character if you can help it.
Rest assured, I believe there is an audience for this book. I'm not really sure who that is, and it, unfortunately, does not include me. If you love found family, I think this series might be something to check out. This is a debut novel, so I think with some more experience the author may be able to find her footing in future works.
In a fantasy world where at one's death it is known whether your soul has ascended or splintered, a huge cast of characters from different backgrounds is trying to do their best. We have a physicist queen who suffers from hallucinations, a teen peasant attempting to start a revolution, a bunch of orc college students who are trying to get their families to accept them, and a few more.
I struggled through this book; that summarizes my feelings about this pretty well. While there were some interesting ideas in here, the execution just was not there for me. I'll start with the things I appreciated. There were a ton of queer characters (trans, nonbinary, gay, lesbian, polyamorous) that were well integrated into this fantasy world; it's not a queernorm world, but people have been openly queer for a couple of generations. There were also a few different Tolkein style fantasy races of our characters, which I think is frankly underutilized in everything but DnD nowadays. I really liked Ally as a character, she's sort of a Cassandra character.
Onto what I wasn't a fan of. The word I'd use to describe this book would be "underdeveloped". We have so much going on; there are three time periods we go into, a GRRM level amount of characters to follow (including Robert, Reginald, and Richard, which, why in the world would you pick so many similar names of important characters. I could not keep them straight for so long), and a good amount of settings that we are in including a magical one a the end. There really wasn't a central plot to this, which is why my synopsis was so vague, so I'm assuming the author intended for this to be a character-focused narrative. Truly, there wasn't enough worldbuilding to truly understand their surroundings anyway. However, to get attached to characters, you need to understand their backgrounds, basic desires, personality traits, and motivations. Other than wanting to be with their significant others, few characters had those motivations (with the great exception of Vana, the teen revolutionary who is very much a YA protagonist hothead). What were the goals of these characters? And therefore, what was the point? If we're not going to ask big philosophical questions about the world and politics, we need to have that small-scale goal. A good way to do this might have been to fix the timeline situation. With no flashbacks, we are given an ancient times chapter, then several "ten years ago" chapters, and then the rest in the "now". The second section felt pointless to me. Show me these characters, reflect on what they've been through with their current actions and situations, and give them some drive. If you're not sure what their drive is, maybe don't make them a perspective character if you can help it.
Rest assured, I believe there is an audience for this book. I'm not really sure who that is, and it, unfortunately, does not include me. If you love found family, I think this series might be something to check out. This is a debut novel, so I think with some more experience the author may be able to find her footing in future works.
September 19, 2021
Goddess of Limbo by Lea Falls is the first book in the Forgotten Splinters Chronicles dark epic fantasy series. “Free will is a relic of the past. Souls have a prewritten path to heaven. If they miss it, they are doomed to roam the lost realm of limbo as splinters of their former selves or worse—as demons.” But ill they turn and be strong enough to disobey the Gods? What a uniquely interesting premise! You are introduced to a variety of different characters, following them in a number different timelinesl has a way of crafting his story, masterfully interwoven with progressive world building, action, and delving deeply into his characters persona without overdoing one thing or another. I highly recommend this novel. I gave this honest, voluntary review after being given a free copy of the book.
October 20, 2021
I really, really wanted to love this book but I couldn’t. I thought about DNF-ing this many times but I never do that so I just started skipping pages. Then I started skipping chapters. Truth to be told before I started skipping I REALLY DID TRY. I stuck with this book for more than two weeks and it’s a long time for me. I couldn’t get myself to read it and honestly, I wouldn’t ‘finish’ it if I wasn’t stuck at home due to Covid.
To start with the good parts, the writing was good. It had LGBTQ+ representation. It had a very different and unique magic system as well as a very different world. The author obviously worked hard on the world-building but she just badly distributed it. Sadly. I was honestly drawn to how unique this book was, till I wasn’t.
This book was full of info dump, which is something I’m usually okay with as long as the book picks up after that. This book didn’t and I did not understand anything. Literally. I have no idea what happened in this book. The info dump was a lot but not explanatory. The author just smacks you in the face with different words and countries and kinds but never give any explanation what-so-ever. It makes it hard to connect to a book. I felt like I was in high school math class all over again.
Another reason why I couldn’t connect with this book nor the characters was that there were way too many POVs. Like a lot. I’m still honestly not sure who is who. The POVs were short too, so you just jump from character to character.
The ‘Goddess of Limbo’ comes into play after like %50-60 mark of the book so that’s where the actual plot started. Till that there were just sub-stories and useless complicated information. I honestly like a book more when it gets to action faster than this.
Long story short, it was just not for me. If it was edited and maybe became shorter than 670 pages, I would’ve recommended it to a lot of people but still. I’d say anyone should give this a try and see it for themselves.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
To start with the good parts, the writing was good. It had LGBTQ+ representation. It had a very different and unique magic system as well as a very different world. The author obviously worked hard on the world-building but she just badly distributed it. Sadly. I was honestly drawn to how unique this book was, till I wasn’t.
This book was full of info dump, which is something I’m usually okay with as long as the book picks up after that. This book didn’t and I did not understand anything. Literally. I have no idea what happened in this book. The info dump was a lot but not explanatory. The author just smacks you in the face with different words and countries and kinds but never give any explanation what-so-ever. It makes it hard to connect to a book. I felt like I was in high school math class all over again.
Another reason why I couldn’t connect with this book nor the characters was that there were way too many POVs. Like a lot. I’m still honestly not sure who is who. The POVs were short too, so you just jump from character to character.
The ‘Goddess of Limbo’ comes into play after like %50-60 mark of the book so that’s where the actual plot started. Till that there were just sub-stories and useless complicated information. I honestly like a book more when it gets to action faster than this.
Long story short, it was just not for me. If it was edited and maybe became shorter than 670 pages, I would’ve recommended it to a lot of people but still. I’d say anyone should give this a try and see it for themselves.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2021
great read!
July 28, 2021
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Goddess of Limbo by Lea Falls is the first book in the Forgotten Splinters Chronicles dark epic fantasy series. Goddess of Limbo follows a large cast of characters all of whom are part of different cultures and races within the story’s universe. The story sometimes jumps through time, but every chapter starts with a small list indicating the point of view character’s name, the year, and the location in which the chapter takes place. This list is clearly labeled at the top of the first page of every chapter. There are a lot of stories told throughout the novel including but not limited to a princess turned queen trying to take back her agency, a sixteen-year-old trying to start an uprising among the lower classes, a warrior who turns in her weapons to start a family, and a group of university graduates whose stories are told as they part ways after graduation.
The ending is phenomenal. I did not predict any of it, but it wasn’t that it came out of nowhere by any means. Falls creates an ending that is of the I-should-have-seen-this-coming variety because Falls sets it up nicely, scattering breadcrumbs for readers to find throughout the story. I like being able to guess the endings of books, but I was delighted to find out that I was wrong about this one. Also, at the end of the novel, various characters’ stories intersect in such a way that answers many major questions, but also nicely sets up the rest of the series.
My main complaints about the book are that there are a lot of point of view characters. This isn’t terrible, but there are just so many things happening all at once that reading it felt a little slow at times because one must read several points of view to finally find out what happened to the character whose point of view was fifty pages ago. That being said, I liked all of the characters and their points of view and plots were unique and interesting. There were just a lot of them to go through to fully understand the story.
One text feature that I really liked was the list of trigger warnings Falls includes in multiple places where information about the book is posted. There’s a link on the NetGalley information about the book, Falls included trigger warning information on GoodReads, and there’s trigger warning information on Falls’s website. I just thought this was a wonderful way to make sure readers know what they’re getting into, and it also stresses the seriousness of the things the trigger warnings are about. It gave me the impression that Falls cares about readers and wants to make sure they know what to expect from the book.
I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. It’s not a 5 out of 5 star-rating because as I mentioned before, the pacing bothered me, but it was still a good book. I would recommend it to people who love epic fantasy books that are full of laughter, strong friendships, fighting, danger, and surprises around every corner.
Goddess of Limbo by Lea Falls is the first book in the Forgotten Splinters Chronicles dark epic fantasy series. Goddess of Limbo follows a large cast of characters all of whom are part of different cultures and races within the story’s universe. The story sometimes jumps through time, but every chapter starts with a small list indicating the point of view character’s name, the year, and the location in which the chapter takes place. This list is clearly labeled at the top of the first page of every chapter. There are a lot of stories told throughout the novel including but not limited to a princess turned queen trying to take back her agency, a sixteen-year-old trying to start an uprising among the lower classes, a warrior who turns in her weapons to start a family, and a group of university graduates whose stories are told as they part ways after graduation.
The ending is phenomenal. I did not predict any of it, but it wasn’t that it came out of nowhere by any means. Falls creates an ending that is of the I-should-have-seen-this-coming variety because Falls sets it up nicely, scattering breadcrumbs for readers to find throughout the story. I like being able to guess the endings of books, but I was delighted to find out that I was wrong about this one. Also, at the end of the novel, various characters’ stories intersect in such a way that answers many major questions, but also nicely sets up the rest of the series.
My main complaints about the book are that there are a lot of point of view characters. This isn’t terrible, but there are just so many things happening all at once that reading it felt a little slow at times because one must read several points of view to finally find out what happened to the character whose point of view was fifty pages ago. That being said, I liked all of the characters and their points of view and plots were unique and interesting. There were just a lot of them to go through to fully understand the story.
One text feature that I really liked was the list of trigger warnings Falls includes in multiple places where information about the book is posted. There’s a link on the NetGalley information about the book, Falls included trigger warning information on GoodReads, and there’s trigger warning information on Falls’s website. I just thought this was a wonderful way to make sure readers know what they’re getting into, and it also stresses the seriousness of the things the trigger warnings are about. It gave me the impression that Falls cares about readers and wants to make sure they know what to expect from the book.
I’m giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. It’s not a 5 out of 5 star-rating because as I mentioned before, the pacing bothered me, but it was still a good book. I would recommend it to people who love epic fantasy books that are full of laughter, strong friendships, fighting, danger, and surprises around every corner.
December 19, 2024
Goddess of Limbo is a great addition to any fantasy reader’s bookshelf.
Lea Falls does an amazing job of weaving individual characters’ storylines together to leave the reader wanting more. I was completely obsessed with the magic system she has created, and I can’t wait to learn more about it - it’s so different from other systems that I’ve been reading lately. While there are many different POVs that you read from, you really fall in love with them and their growth throughout the novel. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series to see how the story continues to develop.
Be sure to check content warnings as this book contains quite a few potentially triggering topics.
***I am writing this review for free after receiving an ARC via NetGalley.
Lea Falls does an amazing job of weaving individual characters’ storylines together to leave the reader wanting more. I was completely obsessed with the magic system she has created, and I can’t wait to learn more about it - it’s so different from other systems that I’ve been reading lately. While there are many different POVs that you read from, you really fall in love with them and their growth throughout the novel. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series to see how the story continues to develop.
Be sure to check content warnings as this book contains quite a few potentially triggering topics.
***I am writing this review for free after receiving an ARC via NetGalley.
October 13, 2021
By Caedam's Cat! WHAT! A! STORY! From start to finish, I always had something to keep my attention. Whether it be the mystery of who's the lost goddess, the fate of a certain character, or the vibrant beautiful descriptions. The way she describes things made even the littlest of details pop. I am honestly in awe of how this story came together and I just might splinter from anticipation waiting for the next book to come out. If you like magic, emotionally invested characters, and to read a story from a true story teller then grab this book off the shelf.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
October 17, 2021
“I think any soul can splinter.” (Prologue)
Goddess of Limbo is an intricate and beautiful story that delves the dark subject matter of trauma, but leaves you with an inspiring and positive message of hope. Trauma and pain can splinter any soul, but even splintered souls can heal. Even half-broken souls can find pieces of perfection in a broken world: humor, stories, and love.
The author’s dedication says it all: “For anyone who has stared at their splintered selves and wondered if they could ever be whole again. You are not just whole. You are divine.”
This is a tale of trauma (see warnings below), healing, and finding pieces of perfection in a broken world. A mad reaper named Balthos usurped the world’s creators, declared himself a god, and turned a once peaceful world into a half-broken world riddled with conflict. The only other reaper, Alames, was heartbroken by the horrific actions of her lover, Balthos. This splintered her soul and sent her to limbo. The world is now full of souls that miss their one prewritten path to heaven and end up splintered souls in limbo without a reaper to help them find their way to heaven.
This book’s style is elegant and beautiful. The main characters are the centerpiece of this work. The story is told in first person narrative, rotating among a collection of protagonists. Each has their own unique voice and thought patterns. As a result, you really relate strongly to each character from the very beginning. Each protagonist has their own blindspots and strengths. All of them are imperfect, morally gray, and a little broken at times. But, the antagonists are clearly distinguishable as far darker than shades of (morally) grey.
At first, each of the protagonists’ stories seem unrelated and the story itself feels splintered. Then, the fates and stories of the main characters are weaved together like threads in a great tapestry. Neither character nor plot development is rushed. It takes awhile before the reader can begin to see how the different characters’ stories fit together or where the plot is headed. However, it is well worth sticking it out and the characters are compelling enough to keep your interest until the plot becomes clear. It does all tie together eventually.
There is great world-building without any tedious bulk information dumps. This includes a handy glossary to help you keep the vocabulary and names straight.
The central love story that emerges is a heartwarming romance between LGBTQ+ main characters, which you rarely see in literature. Despite the dark subject matter of this book, the ending is hopeful, uplifting, and somewhat happy. This long book ends at a natural stopping point where many things are resolved for now, but the primary antagonist is not defeated for good. The ending provides a clear setup of material to be explored in the next book of this series.
The author provides clear content warnings and a list of trigger warnings by chapter in the back of the book. Since this book deals with the heavy and emotional topics of loss and trauma, there are quite a few warnings. This book is also quite long. I would not recommend this book if you’re looking for something quick or lighthearted.
CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS: Graphic descriptions of violence/death/gore; non-graphic mentions of sexual assault, suicide, and child marriage; Homophobia, transphobia, racism, xenophobia, miscarriage/stillbirth, domestic abuse, drugs, eating disorders, PTSD, mental illness, and sexual harassment.
Goddess of Limbo is an intricate and beautiful story that delves the dark subject matter of trauma, but leaves you with an inspiring and positive message of hope. Trauma and pain can splinter any soul, but even splintered souls can heal. Even half-broken souls can find pieces of perfection in a broken world: humor, stories, and love.
The author’s dedication says it all: “For anyone who has stared at their splintered selves and wondered if they could ever be whole again. You are not just whole. You are divine.”
This is a tale of trauma (see warnings below), healing, and finding pieces of perfection in a broken world. A mad reaper named Balthos usurped the world’s creators, declared himself a god, and turned a once peaceful world into a half-broken world riddled with conflict. The only other reaper, Alames, was heartbroken by the horrific actions of her lover, Balthos. This splintered her soul and sent her to limbo. The world is now full of souls that miss their one prewritten path to heaven and end up splintered souls in limbo without a reaper to help them find their way to heaven.
This book’s style is elegant and beautiful. The main characters are the centerpiece of this work. The story is told in first person narrative, rotating among a collection of protagonists. Each has their own unique voice and thought patterns. As a result, you really relate strongly to each character from the very beginning. Each protagonist has their own blindspots and strengths. All of them are imperfect, morally gray, and a little broken at times. But, the antagonists are clearly distinguishable as far darker than shades of (morally) grey.
At first, each of the protagonists’ stories seem unrelated and the story itself feels splintered. Then, the fates and stories of the main characters are weaved together like threads in a great tapestry. Neither character nor plot development is rushed. It takes awhile before the reader can begin to see how the different characters’ stories fit together or where the plot is headed. However, it is well worth sticking it out and the characters are compelling enough to keep your interest until the plot becomes clear. It does all tie together eventually.
There is great world-building without any tedious bulk information dumps. This includes a handy glossary to help you keep the vocabulary and names straight.
The central love story that emerges is a heartwarming romance between LGBTQ+ main characters, which you rarely see in literature. Despite the dark subject matter of this book, the ending is hopeful, uplifting, and somewhat happy. This long book ends at a natural stopping point where many things are resolved for now, but the primary antagonist is not defeated for good. The ending provides a clear setup of material to be explored in the next book of this series.
The author provides clear content warnings and a list of trigger warnings by chapter in the back of the book. Since this book deals with the heavy and emotional topics of loss and trauma, there are quite a few warnings. This book is also quite long. I would not recommend this book if you’re looking for something quick or lighthearted.
CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS: Graphic descriptions of violence/death/gore; non-graphic mentions of sexual assault, suicide, and child marriage; Homophobia, transphobia, racism, xenophobia, miscarriage/stillbirth, domestic abuse, drugs, eating disorders, PTSD, mental illness, and sexual harassment.
October 6, 2021
I have received this book thanks to Kathryn Marie, BookSirens and Lea Fall in exchange for an honest review. I must admit that reading Goddess of Limbo has consumed quite a bit of my time and calendar. After reading Midnight Sun I promised myself that I would not read such long books in the last months of the year, but the synopsis caught me and I had a hunch. Once again my reading instinct has not failed me because Lea Falls was about to hit me with her full potential. I confess that when I started reading it I was immediately taken in by the quality of Lea's writing, her talent is absolutely undeniable. Even so I felt a bit lost in the first half of the book, I didn't really know where the plot was taking me with the jumps between characters and time. I feel that a bit of organization or polishing could avoid a bit of burn out in the reader. I feel that worldbuilding and magic was what kept me reading in these moments of confusion and I did not regret it at all because once I got used to the character changes and began to understand the complexity of the story I began to fall in love with the book . It is something totally different from what you have been able to read before, really epic, almost like an RPG. The different cultures and diversity in representation is very wide and necessary. If you are looking for a book full of richness and diversity, this is all you need. I would love for many of the unanswered questions left in the book to be answered in the sequel, which I will read without hesitation. Overall this book is great with a worldbuilding full of potential and which needs maybe a little help to establish more clearly the story it wants to tell but I can't wait to read on. Sensitive topics are dealt with and although I feel that Lea handles them really well, it is necessary to read the TWs that can be found on her website. Thank you very much for an amazing read.
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#goddessoflimbo #forgottensplinters #SIPevents #sapphireinkpress #YAFantasy #Review #Bookstagram #NAFantasy #booksbooksbooks #bookaddict #bookstagrammer #bookgasm #bookgifts #bookstagram #bookfreak #bookaesthetic #goodreads #instareads #igreads #bookspine #prettybooks #beautifulbooks #prettycover #bookish #tbrpile #cozyvibes
August 10, 2021
When I read the blurb for this book I was really excited about the premise, a new fantasy series that is similar to Game of Thrones in both scope and wealth of characters/storylines. With gods, goddess, humans, orcs, fae and elves you have a variety of species to pick from.
The problem with this is that it was quite confusing when you jump into multiple storylines (and time periods) within the middle of action happening, it led to me not knowing who each of the characters were without constantly flicking between pages. Or even building a relationship with them until much later in the book.
Having said that, once I pushed through I did find myself enjoying the different storylines and how they interacted with each other. I thought that there was good relationships built between the characters.
I think the main problem with this book was that there was too much, even for a book that has 670 pages! It felt like too much history, characters and story were tried to be squeezed into it and the pacing suffers slightly for it, especially at the beginning like I have mentioned. The plot carries on into the second book just as it finally gets going and there is so much action and POV jumping it takes a second to track who is doing what.
A very positive point to add is that there is great representation in this book for the LGBTQIA+ community, there are hardly any heterosexual characters and I do not think the book suffers for this.
I commend the author for building such a vivid world as well as a wealth of different types of characters. The list of TWs are also very helpful for those it can affect.
Unfortunately this book just didn't grab me as other series have and whilst I am intrigued as to where the story will eventually end up... I am not sure that is strong enough to get book 2.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an advanced reader copy.
The problem with this is that it was quite confusing when you jump into multiple storylines (and time periods) within the middle of action happening, it led to me not knowing who each of the characters were without constantly flicking between pages. Or even building a relationship with them until much later in the book.
Having said that, once I pushed through I did find myself enjoying the different storylines and how they interacted with each other. I thought that there was good relationships built between the characters.
I think the main problem with this book was that there was too much, even for a book that has 670 pages! It felt like too much history, characters and story were tried to be squeezed into it and the pacing suffers slightly for it, especially at the beginning like I have mentioned. The plot carries on into the second book just as it finally gets going and there is so much action and POV jumping it takes a second to track who is doing what.
A very positive point to add is that there is great representation in this book for the LGBTQIA+ community, there are hardly any heterosexual characters and I do not think the book suffers for this.
I commend the author for building such a vivid world as well as a wealth of different types of characters. The list of TWs are also very helpful for those it can affect.
Unfortunately this book just didn't grab me as other series have and whilst I am intrigued as to where the story will eventually end up... I am not sure that is strong enough to get book 2.
3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an advanced reader copy.
February 28, 2022
DNF @ 69 %
2.75 stars.
This was a little all over the place for me, it was so many characters, and very many that i just did not care for, wich made it harder to follow. It was interesting, but as i said " a little too all over the place" for my taste.
2.75 stars.
This was a little all over the place for me, it was so many characters, and very many that i just did not care for, wich made it harder to follow. It was interesting, but as i said " a little too all over the place" for my taste.
October 25, 2021
Today, I am happy to tell y’all about Goddess of Limbo by Lea Falls.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Certain writers have a way of writing words that make you remember them, and make you remember who said them. Falls goes in that category for me.
In this book, she managed to beautifully weave together a lot of different characters into a fully flushed out story. The descriptive way of writing was so well done!
This book gave me similar chills that I felt when reading Illborn by Daniel Jackson. The feeling when you know you’re reading something special.
I was so intrigued with the various characters, especially Ally and Richard. Every character in this book is SO different, yet the story fits together so well. I love the little connections that exist. This book also had such a beautiful dedication, it made me so excited to start reading.
The world of gods and goddesses and splintered souls was so unique! If you are a fan of complex fantasy, this is a book for you.
This book also had plenty of wonderful LGBTQ representation that was a breath of fresh air!
I would definitely recommend this book—and Lea has some amazing stencilled edges on her signed copies if you preorder!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Certain writers have a way of writing words that make you remember them, and make you remember who said them. Falls goes in that category for me.
In this book, she managed to beautifully weave together a lot of different characters into a fully flushed out story. The descriptive way of writing was so well done!
This book gave me similar chills that I felt when reading Illborn by Daniel Jackson. The feeling when you know you’re reading something special.
I was so intrigued with the various characters, especially Ally and Richard. Every character in this book is SO different, yet the story fits together so well. I love the little connections that exist. This book also had such a beautiful dedication, it made me so excited to start reading.
The world of gods and goddesses and splintered souls was so unique! If you are a fan of complex fantasy, this is a book for you.
This book also had plenty of wonderful LGBTQ representation that was a breath of fresh air!
I would definitely recommend this book—and Lea has some amazing stencilled edges on her signed copies if you preorder!
September 12, 2021
**received from Netgalley. my review is entirely my honest thoughts on the book.**
General thoughts:
The world and the characters are very richly-imagined, and this seems to me to be very much a character-driven story. The first half of the book was quite long and could be trudgingly slow to get through at times, but things picked up and got more interesting in the second half... till it reached its conclusion, around the time of which (the last 20% of the book or so) I was starting to get confused. It felt like there was so much buildup of characters and intrigue yet it didn't go anywhere, or perhaps just didn't go where I expected it to. I kept vacillating between thinking it a strange, whimsical story, and a pointless one, though by the time I finished it and realised there would be a sequel and that it could possibly address all my unanswered questions regarding plot elements, characters, etc., I felt more appeased. Overall, it was a beautifully, beautifully-written book with an intricate cast of characters to become invested in, though the seemingly-meandering plot left me feeling like I'd just run a gauntlet by the time I finished the book.
What worked for me:
• Characters and their relationships; Multiple POVs. This was very beautifully-written and well-handled, and I had a particular fondness for Robert and Ally. Other characters were really interesting as well, though not as compelling for me as these two in particular. A very diverse and complex web of characters.
• The writing - absolutely gorgeous, adept prose.
• The issues tackled - there were a lot of important social issues that were delved into here, lots of allegories that parallel issues that we face in our reality, that were written and handled well. (TWs apply, which the book provides a comprehensive list of.)
• The strangeness of it all. It can definitely be confusing at times, but in a good way (for me).
What didn't work for me:
• ..... The conclusion. While I like the strangeness of the book, the conclusion was so confusing in a way that didn't really feel good, because I had no idea what was happening and so I couldn't really get into the action, or feel any real stakes.
• The plot. It felt like it was going nowhere and left me with so many unanswered questions (that will hopefully be addressed in the sequel).
• Having so many characters is a great thing, but it can also be a weakness when you aren't really interested in/invested in some or most of them; that just makes their POVs really hard to get through. Some characters also didn't feel as if they had any real importance in the story, and some were forgotten by the end of the book.
General thoughts:
The world and the characters are very richly-imagined, and this seems to me to be very much a character-driven story. The first half of the book was quite long and could be trudgingly slow to get through at times, but things picked up and got more interesting in the second half... till it reached its conclusion, around the time of which (the last 20% of the book or so) I was starting to get confused. It felt like there was so much buildup of characters and intrigue yet it didn't go anywhere, or perhaps just didn't go where I expected it to. I kept vacillating between thinking it a strange, whimsical story, and a pointless one, though by the time I finished it and realised there would be a sequel and that it could possibly address all my unanswered questions regarding plot elements, characters, etc., I felt more appeased. Overall, it was a beautifully, beautifully-written book with an intricate cast of characters to become invested in, though the seemingly-meandering plot left me feeling like I'd just run a gauntlet by the time I finished the book.
What worked for me:
• Characters and their relationships; Multiple POVs. This was very beautifully-written and well-handled, and I had a particular fondness for Robert and Ally. Other characters were really interesting as well, though not as compelling for me as these two in particular. A very diverse and complex web of characters.
• The writing - absolutely gorgeous, adept prose.
• The issues tackled - there were a lot of important social issues that were delved into here, lots of allegories that parallel issues that we face in our reality, that were written and handled well. (TWs apply, which the book provides a comprehensive list of.)
• The strangeness of it all. It can definitely be confusing at times, but in a good way (for me).
What didn't work for me:
• ..... The conclusion. While I like the strangeness of the book, the conclusion was so confusing in a way that didn't really feel good, because I had no idea what was happening and so I couldn't really get into the action, or feel any real stakes.
• The plot. It felt like it was going nowhere and left me with so many unanswered questions (that will hopefully be addressed in the sequel).
• Having so many characters is a great thing, but it can also be a weakness when you aren't really interested in/invested in some or most of them; that just makes their POVs really hard to get through. Some characters also didn't feel as if they had any real importance in the story, and some were forgotten by the end of the book.
September 17, 2021
Falls brings to life a stunningly new cast of misfits in this adult high fantasy novel!
In truth I struggled so much getting through this story. Like not just a section or a half but the whole thing and with a whopping 670 pages, I really just wanted it to be over by the end of it. To be fair, I am not sure if this was the writing or the format of the arc.
Though I struggled through the writing, I absolutely fell in love with these characters and this world! We have Insane Princesses 👸🏽, blood hungry rebels🥷🏽, hopeless romantic snipers and all kinds of monsters👹. It’s definitely a story packed with morally grey characters faced with overwhelmingly difficult decisions. Who wouldn’t love a story where the little guy goes up against the Gods!!!
The world Falls built is MASSIVE and so detailed with its new magic systems and politic quarrels. Absolutely beautiful! I would be willing to reread this when the book comes out to see if it was in fact the format and my rating changes.
In truth I struggled so much getting through this story. Like not just a section or a half but the whole thing and with a whopping 670 pages, I really just wanted it to be over by the end of it. To be fair, I am not sure if this was the writing or the format of the arc.
Though I struggled through the writing, I absolutely fell in love with these characters and this world! We have Insane Princesses 👸🏽, blood hungry rebels🥷🏽, hopeless romantic snipers and all kinds of monsters👹. It’s definitely a story packed with morally grey characters faced with overwhelmingly difficult decisions. Who wouldn’t love a story where the little guy goes up against the Gods!!!
The world Falls built is MASSIVE and so detailed with its new magic systems and politic quarrels. Absolutely beautiful! I would be willing to reread this when the book comes out to see if it was in fact the format and my rating changes.
November 17, 2021
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book has everything you want from an epic fantasy It has gods, goddesses, humans, elves, orcs, fae, and demons. Adventure, it’s own mythology, magic, romance, and a little bit of spice.
At first I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. This book is almost 700 pages and the first 10 or so chapters are told from different character points of view. The characters are so well written and developed that by the time you’re 1/2 way through the book you could open to the middle of a chapter and tell which characters point of view it’s written from.
This book is going to have a sequel, so the story lines are not finished at the end, but the author avoids ending it on a cliffhanger. If there wasn’t another book, this story would still feel satisfying while still leaving you wanting more.
Trigger warnings: torture, domestic violence, rape (not graphic), prejudice, homophobia, violence
This book has everything you want from an epic fantasy It has gods, goddesses, humans, elves, orcs, fae, and demons. Adventure, it’s own mythology, magic, romance, and a little bit of spice.
At first I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. This book is almost 700 pages and the first 10 or so chapters are told from different character points of view. The characters are so well written and developed that by the time you’re 1/2 way through the book you could open to the middle of a chapter and tell which characters point of view it’s written from.
This book is going to have a sequel, so the story lines are not finished at the end, but the author avoids ending it on a cliffhanger. If there wasn’t another book, this story would still feel satisfying while still leaving you wanting more.
Trigger warnings: torture, domestic violence, rape (not graphic), prejudice, homophobia, violence
November 11, 2021
This is one of the best books I have read! Honestly, I was so swept up in the world created by Falls I felt like I was reading the story of my own family.
To start with the characters were super well realized. Every MC has a unique voice that quickly clicked me into who I was reading so it was easy to remember everything and get right back into the POV. Their motivation is very real and I felt the pain and joy alongside this delightful rainbow of people fighting for the future of the world :D
I want to say about the representation, that it was presented marvelously and the way trans characters were handled made me feel seen. The neurodivergent characters were also quite impressive. (Somewhat related, don't forget to check the trigger warnings in the back of the book as they can be super helpful if you have sensitivities.)
Do yourself a favor and read this book yesterday, and tell your friends to read it tomorrow!
To start with the characters were super well realized. Every MC has a unique voice that quickly clicked me into who I was reading so it was easy to remember everything and get right back into the POV. Their motivation is very real and I felt the pain and joy alongside this delightful rainbow of people fighting for the future of the world :D
I want to say about the representation, that it was presented marvelously and the way trans characters were handled made me feel seen. The neurodivergent characters were also quite impressive. (Somewhat related, don't forget to check the trigger warnings in the back of the book as they can be super helpful if you have sensitivities.)
Do yourself a favor and read this book yesterday, and tell your friends to read it tomorrow!
August 31, 2021
"Free will is a relic of the past. Souls have a prewritten path to heaven. If they miss it, they are doomed to roam the lost realm of limbo as splinters of their former selves or worse—as demons."
I REALLY LIKED THIS! I truly thought this was on the scale of The Priory of the Orange Tree, it has wonderful LGBTQIA+ representation in it. I would highly recommend to any fantasy reader!
I REALLY LIKED THIS! I truly thought this was on the scale of The Priory of the Orange Tree, it has wonderful LGBTQIA+ representation in it. I would highly recommend to any fantasy reader!
October 19, 2021
Wow. Wow! WOW!! I need a moment to gather my thoughts about this book, but I honestly don’t think I’d do it justice no matter how long I’d thought about it. I’ll try though.
Falls has written a book that explores a big variety of themes. It's about fighting for who you want to be instead of being stuck with you are now, fighting for justice, fighting for your found family. This and more is wrapped up in a fast paced story full of adventure, mystery and love in all forms.
If you love reading about fantastical beings, goddesses and stories that will find each other this book is for you!
Falls has written a book that explores a big variety of themes. It's about fighting for who you want to be instead of being stuck with you are now, fighting for justice, fighting for your found family. This and more is wrapped up in a fast paced story full of adventure, mystery and love in all forms.
If you love reading about fantastical beings, goddesses and stories that will find each other this book is for you!
October 24, 2021
This book is so beautifully written.
I know the other reviews on here state that not much happens until the majority of the way in, but honestly a lot happened. It’s the perfect setup for the rest of the series.
I know the other reviews on here state that not much happens until the majority of the way in, but honestly a lot happened. It’s the perfect setup for the rest of the series.
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