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A review by kreela
The Stone God by Erin Kellison
5.0
I feel for the children of the gods. They are knights in a proxy war, where marriages indicate alliances and territory. Since this is a modern world, their actions are televised, and the gods apparently care what lowly humans follow in the media. When a lesser god escapes from his imprisonment and rolls to a muddy torrent at Terah’s house, it disrupts not only her life but Adominai’s, the first-born, or Hood, of the primary god she worships, Aran.
Normally I don’t like multiple viewpoints, but this time it is seamless. Nylea, the first born of the god of beauty, has to outshine any other god’s Hood, or first born. At first she seems like an empty Chinese silver vase, but when her god evicts her, she discovers what she is truly capable of, and it is frightening. Adominai at first seems the capable and boring bureaucrat, but his love for Nylea and hatred for Terah makes him more of a firebird. Edgeron is forced by his god (gambling and chance) to pursue Terah, thus abandoning the mother of his children. Yet he goes against his god for his child’s safety. The lenolai (vampire? Elf? Rat of the sewers?) Vey is so single-minded he will enter a warzone to make his move. I loved all their personalities and would not change it to single POV.
Normally this politicking would be the proxy war between gods, but Kol’s, the Stone god, arrival, which means Terah’s arrival, thrusts every character into a real upheaval of all they know, and each person’s merit is challenged. As they say, the gods play games…and their children are the pawns.
I am glad I paid for this novel after reading the sample. You never know if the rest of the novel is consistent, but the story poses some deep themes. Not only do we see a modern world practically controlled more by media exaggerations than by gods, but every step taken by the players is a guess towards pleasing the ones they worship. And of course, what is greater: technology or gods?
It is almost a cliff-hanger, so be prepared to wishlist the next book. As for the hopeless romantic in me, I don’t want to see the arranged marriage come true. I want Terah and Adominai to go from enemies to lovers, but hey. To be determined.
Normally I don’t like multiple viewpoints, but this time it is seamless. Nylea, the first born of the god of beauty, has to outshine any other god’s Hood, or first born. At first she seems like an empty Chinese silver vase, but when her god evicts her, she discovers what she is truly capable of, and it is frightening. Adominai at first seems the capable and boring bureaucrat, but his love for Nylea and hatred for Terah makes him more of a firebird. Edgeron is forced by his god (gambling and chance) to pursue Terah, thus abandoning the mother of his children. Yet he goes against his god for his child’s safety. The lenolai (vampire? Elf? Rat of the sewers?) Vey is so single-minded he will enter a warzone to make his move. I loved all their personalities and would not change it to single POV.
Normally this politicking would be the proxy war between gods, but Kol’s, the Stone god, arrival, which means Terah’s arrival, thrusts every character into a real upheaval of all they know, and each person’s merit is challenged. As they say, the gods play games…and their children are the pawns.
I am glad I paid for this novel after reading the sample. You never know if the rest of the novel is consistent, but the story poses some deep themes. Not only do we see a modern world practically controlled more by media exaggerations than by gods, but every step taken by the players is a guess towards pleasing the ones they worship. And of course, what is greater: technology or gods?
It is almost a cliff-hanger, so be prepared to wishlist the next book. As for the hopeless romantic in me, I don’t want to see the arranged marriage come true. I want Terah and Adominai to go from enemies to lovers, but hey. To be determined.