Review: Kick-ass Adventure, Worldbuilding and Romance!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2014
Marley Canton used to be a full-fledged Goddess, women with paranormal abilities to draw strength from various objects around them, like the moon or metal. Unfortunately, Marley lost her Goddess abilities when her ex boyfriend leeched her power from her. After some of her friends attempt to restore her power (Book 2) but it doesn’t work, Marley realizes she can actually neutralize Goddess power in people who shouldn’t have it, like leeches and members of Numina (the male equivalent to Goddesses whose powers are more about charm and influence). So Marley, with the help only of her ex boyfriend (!!), decides to make it her mission to track down people who aren’t supposed to have this power. She ends up getting involved with Gage Samargo, who is a prominent player in Numina, while they are both tracking a rogue Goddess who is giving illicit power to Numina members who then use it in ways they probably shouldn’t.Marley’s determination and ability to work with her ex boyfriend, despite what he did to her, show her strength of character. She trains herself to be very kick-ass and dependent on nobody. Her transformation into a warrior is inspiring. Gage initially suspects she’s the villain, but after they get to know each other and understand more about the other person’s mission, they join forces and explore their sexual attraction. The question is, will Marley, Gage and their friends be able to defeat a rogue Goddess who has more at stake than anybody ever dreamed?The third book in Damschroder’s Goddesses Rising series proves that third time is a charm. Granted, in my opinion the first two books were pretty charmed as well! I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this series. Never too much or too little. I think a reader’s experience would be enhanced by reading these in order, but you may be able to pick one up and follow along anyway.Damschroder has a way with action scenes and creating a very cinematic vision in a reader’s head. The pacing and adventure element also remind me of such TV shows as Supernatural, Lost Girl and Grimm. The romance plays an influential part in the storyline and is balanced by character development. When secondary characters from other books appear, it never feels like “character pimping” as all elements fit together to form a very readable whole.Recommended for fans of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and sf/f adventure novels.