What do you think?
Rate this book
Briar Constance #1
As Played by Gods
The gossip rag’s favorite witch, disaster and occasional historian Briar Constance is hearing voices.
Ever since political playboy, Soren Savros, asked her for help finding the lost spell book of a Goddess, she's been hearing the deity’s whispers. She might finally be on the brink of living up to her family name when she meets Lillia.
She’s beautiful, mysterious and maybe a little dangerous. Briar is immediately intrigued. But Lillia has a secret, one that frightens the Goddess and leaves Briar questioning everything.
Ever since political playboy, Soren Savros, asked her for help finding the lost spell book of a Goddess, she's been hearing the deity’s whispers. She might finally be on the brink of living up to her family name when she meets Lillia.
She’s beautiful, mysterious and maybe a little dangerous. Briar is immediately intrigued. But Lillia has a secret, one that frightens the Goddess and leaves Briar questioning everything.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2022
4 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 27, 2023
TLDR: A witch desires the history of the gods, but she needs clarity of purpose.
As someone who studied history at university, I am always interested in how communities of people justify human existence. As Played by Gods is, as you might imagine, a fictional exploration of theology. Thankfully, rather than drawing on any one religion, this story has elements of Norse and Greek mythology, as well as Christianity. In the land of Endlyia, monuments and shrines to the gods are revered, but all contact with them is lost. No one knows where they went or why the human race was replaced by witches and fae. Though the events are thought to be connected.
The central protagonist, Briar Constance, lives at the periphery of her much admired and famous family. She claims to prefer not being the center of her witch family’s affections, but she’s long deprived of her parent's love and lonely in managing her bookstore. So, when Soren Savros makes his introduction and claims he and Briar are destined for political and historical greatness, she is all too eager to help him. Their mission is to find the Book of Beginnings, which scholars believe will explain where the gods have gone and why magic now permeates the land. However, secrets surround Soren and leave Briar questioning who she can trust.
Like Rose’s other book, Hecate’s Hollow, she’s done a great job blending our world’s constructs into fantasy. Briar and Soren believe they are being guided by the hand of the goddess Elliana. It would be difficult to not see parallels to our own religions, as most prophets are said to be guided by the hand of their god or gods. And this manifests as you might expect – visions, light, breeze, whispers, laughter, and so on. Elliana is playful and mocking. She’s reminiscent of the Norse’s Loki, but Endlyia’s monuments are certainly more Greek. That said, there’s little doubt that this world is rife with paganism and I love it. There’s also some clever wordplay going on. Ortus and Ourst? Cheeky.
Although I am a huge fan of the world-building in this book, the characterization is problematic. Briar is often relegated to side jobs even though she is the central protagonist. This means that she has scant knowledge of her goal and consequently, doesn’t have a meaningful personal motivation. She is superfluous to the plot. And sadly, the characterization issue extends to side characters because everyone is secretive and aloof, so they don’t bond. Because they don’t bond, they don’t trust each other and the stakes are low. This is further muddled by Briar’s attraction to two people — Soren (M) and Lillia (F). I don’t object to split romantic interests, but for this book, I believe one suffices. This would allow Briar to truly form a connection, instead, she frequently comes across as flaky and unreliable.
In summary, I prefer Hecate’s Hollow because it is a Scooby Doo mystery van tour of the paranormal. All the characters are quirky and have meaningful bonds. And I will, absolutely, die on the hill of characterization being more important than world-building even if my history-loving heart weeps in the process. However, I really appreciate the climax of As Played By Gods because it’s attempting to do something clever and complex. So, while this story isn’t perfect I like that it feels original and I adore seeing someone else geek out about theology and the paranormal. Life is short. See the magic in everything.
Disclaimer: The author was kind enough to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. Thank you, again!
As someone who studied history at university, I am always interested in how communities of people justify human existence. As Played by Gods is, as you might imagine, a fictional exploration of theology. Thankfully, rather than drawing on any one religion, this story has elements of Norse and Greek mythology, as well as Christianity. In the land of Endlyia, monuments and shrines to the gods are revered, but all contact with them is lost. No one knows where they went or why the human race was replaced by witches and fae. Though the events are thought to be connected.
The central protagonist, Briar Constance, lives at the periphery of her much admired and famous family. She claims to prefer not being the center of her witch family’s affections, but she’s long deprived of her parent's love and lonely in managing her bookstore. So, when Soren Savros makes his introduction and claims he and Briar are destined for political and historical greatness, she is all too eager to help him. Their mission is to find the Book of Beginnings, which scholars believe will explain where the gods have gone and why magic now permeates the land. However, secrets surround Soren and leave Briar questioning who she can trust.
Like Rose’s other book, Hecate’s Hollow, she’s done a great job blending our world’s constructs into fantasy. Briar and Soren believe they are being guided by the hand of the goddess Elliana. It would be difficult to not see parallels to our own religions, as most prophets are said to be guided by the hand of their god or gods. And this manifests as you might expect – visions, light, breeze, whispers, laughter, and so on. Elliana is playful and mocking. She’s reminiscent of the Norse’s Loki, but Endlyia’s monuments are certainly more Greek. That said, there’s little doubt that this world is rife with paganism and I love it. There’s also some clever wordplay going on. Ortus and Ourst? Cheeky.
Although I am a huge fan of the world-building in this book, the characterization is problematic. Briar is often relegated to side jobs even though she is the central protagonist. This means that she has scant knowledge of her goal and consequently, doesn’t have a meaningful personal motivation. She is superfluous to the plot. And sadly, the characterization issue extends to side characters because everyone is secretive and aloof, so they don’t bond. Because they don’t bond, they don’t trust each other and the stakes are low. This is further muddled by Briar’s attraction to two people — Soren (M) and Lillia (F). I don’t object to split romantic interests, but for this book, I believe one suffices. This would allow Briar to truly form a connection, instead, she frequently comes across as flaky and unreliable.
In summary, I prefer Hecate’s Hollow because it is a Scooby Doo mystery van tour of the paranormal. All the characters are quirky and have meaningful bonds. And I will, absolutely, die on the hill of characterization being more important than world-building even if my history-loving heart weeps in the process. However, I really appreciate the climax of As Played By Gods because it’s attempting to do something clever and complex. So, while this story isn’t perfect I like that it feels original and I adore seeing someone else geek out about theology and the paranormal. Life is short. See the magic in everything.
Disclaimer: The author was kind enough to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. Thank you, again!
February 26, 2023
As with Calla Falling, this was a gifted review copy by the author, and again the trust from her is appreciated immensely. For the book itself, got through 300 pages in one afternoon before having to take a break from staring at a screen and just relax offline for a bit, because it was compelling. The world building is excellent, with it being set on a version of Earth where an event occurred millenia ago which turned humans into either fae or witches, the knowledge of which became lost to time. That changes when Briar Constance, a member of a very politically important and affluent family, has a chance meeting with Soren Soros, only son of a disgraced Fae who'd orchestrated the murder of protesters years earlier. They agree to work together to find two books which would shed light on where their respective races had come from, and as important, why the Gods the two cultures both still believed in abruptly cut off all contact with the mortal world. To not get deep into spoilers, as it's the first in a series that has a cliffhanger enticing readers to see what comes next, Briar finds herself getting deeper into the mystery, wondering what's really true and if she can trust her heart when her almost impulsive need to learn about things left by the wayside get in the way. Would recommend for those who like a bit of urban fantasy or just wanna read a book about a protagonist who is a bisexual disaster, acknowledges the fact, and does her best to make amends for the mistakes that occur because of her rashness and bullheadedness at times.
June 11, 2023
I'm a sucker for a fantasy in a modern setting, and with other favourites such as historical mystery and a bi protagonist, I had this on my To Read pile for a while. My Kindle copy of the book was kindly donated by the author, so I could finally get going.
I found the pace at the beginning a bit odd. The way the characters were introduced, I felt like I was joining them part way through a series and that I should already have some understanding of what was going on. However, this feeling slowly dissipated once the story properly got going.
I was interested to see where all the numerous threads were going, and it was super satisfying to see them all coming together towards the end. I'm going to be straight onto the next one to see where it goes next!
I found the pace at the beginning a bit odd. The way the characters were introduced, I felt like I was joining them part way through a series and that I should already have some understanding of what was going on. However, this feeling slowly dissipated once the story properly got going.
I was interested to see where all the numerous threads were going, and it was super satisfying to see them all coming together towards the end. I'm going to be straight onto the next one to see where it goes next!
May 23, 2022
I was absolutely blessed enough to receive an arc from Tallie (thank youuuu, Tallie!!) and I am ecstatic to write this review.
I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book y’all. The characters, the world, the plot, ugh. It was great. Soren, Lillia, Briar, Fauna… they were all great, but I really did love Soren and Briar and their relationship. There were so many plot twists and the concept in general is so freakin unique.
Some chapters had me screaming, crying, squealing, wanting to throttle Tallie, and others—especially the ones with Soren/Briar (chapter 26 might have been my absolute favorite of the entire book) and Briar/Lillia.
And while I know this is an arc and nowhere near ready for publishing, I did notice that the book kinda “skipped” things. Minor things that in no way took away from the book, like Briar walking outside by herself, character A joining her—Briar noting them joining her, and then character B starts talking like they’ve been there the whole time. I found a couple of these little skips throughout the book but again, it in no way, shape, or form, took away from the overall book, thus, the five stars.
ANYWHO. Once this book is released (late June!) y’all need to do yourself a favor and get your hands on this book. You’ll thank me later.
I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book y’all. The characters, the world, the plot, ugh. It was great. Soren, Lillia, Briar, Fauna… they were all great, but I really did love Soren and Briar and their relationship. There were so many plot twists and the concept in general is so freakin unique.
Some chapters had me screaming, crying, squealing, wanting to throttle Tallie, and others—especially the ones with Soren/Briar (chapter 26 might have been my absolute favorite of the entire book) and Briar/Lillia.
And while I know this is an arc and nowhere near ready for publishing, I did notice that the book kinda “skipped” things. Minor things that in no way took away from the book, like Briar walking outside by herself, character A joining her—Briar noting them joining her, and then character B starts talking like they’ve been there the whole time. I found a couple of these little skips throughout the book but again, it in no way, shape, or form, took away from the overall book, thus, the five stars.
ANYWHO. Once this book is released (late June!) y’all need to do yourself a favor and get your hands on this book. You’ll thank me later.
May 9, 2022
I devoured this book, another absolute gem from Tallie Rose!! The MC is so amazing and loveable and fierce, easily one of my favorite characters ever! Her friends are so real and so wonderful and the romance is *chefs kiss* I couldn’t put this book down, you NEED to read this!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews