Gift of the Goddess

Title: Gift of the Goddess
Author: Kaje Harper
Cover Artist: ThinkSentient Ltd
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
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Genre: Fantasy. Scarification
Length: Short Story. 50 pages. 22400 words
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Review by Zac D

Review Summary: A highly visual book. Gripping and superbly written. Brutal themes handled well, and a thoroughly captivating read.

Blurb: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Garvin’s lover Nyle has been kidnapped by a band of soldiers in need of a smith. In the king’s army, that means he’ll serve until he’s dead, and Garvin will be damned if he’ll let that happen. But Garvin’s a small, slight man without the skills to follow and take on trained soldiers. For the first time in his life, Garvin prays to the Goddess for help, for enough guidance to get him to Nyle, so he can do whatever it takes to rescue the man he loves. And the Goddess answers him.

Review: I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up with some skepticism, as fantasy isn’t my usual thang, but I came away hugely impressed with this book’s take on a challenging genre. Two elements of the book captivated me most: the world building, and the characterization.

The world building is excellent. A lot is crammed into a short book, but never does the plot feel overloaded with convoluted details. The imagery is sound, and easily absorbed. It didn’t feel forced, or flowery. It was gritty, with a hint of magic. In fact, the whole book has a mystical vibe––like a Game of Thrones kinda thang. The violence is grahic, but well handled, and the clear trigger warning much appreciated. I didn’t care for the ‘evacuation’ sequence, but that is very much personal taste and not a criticism. Some folk like poop, some don’t. I don’t.

The rape scene is brutal, but that is what makes it work. It’s in keeping with the context of the book, and is seen through to the end. Often, rape is tossed into gay fiction as a clumsy plot device. A character is tortured, then the issue is left by the wayside. Not here. The scene is graphically described, and then the emotional fallout is seen through right to the end. Good job.
Now, the characterization. I love the characters in the book. Nyle is sweet and masculine. A bear. A protector. Every story needs one of those, and Nyle is a pretty good one. However, the star of this book is Garvin.

Garvin is a multidimensional character. We see him as a timid young boy, and as a tenacious man, determined to rescue his lover from a gang of wayward soldiers. He is not a predictable character. He does the unexpected at every turn. I enjoyed the surprise of Garvin being the top in their sexual relationship. It wasn’t what I expected, and I appreciated how it made me think…consider their bond, and Garvin’s personality a little deeper. Put together with Garvin’s dogged determination to get Nyle back, it made the young man a fascinating character. He is given the path he followed to become Nyle’s lover, he is deceptively strong, and I loved that. It was emotive and gripping, and kept me absorbed in the book from start to end.

I didn’t understand the Goddess/scar concept. It went over my head a little, and I couldn’t quite grasp the purpose of that particular plot arc. Also, there were a few occasions when the language didn’t quite match the genre, too modern, or not quite…right, but such occasions were scant, and I’m not going to pull examples out as most normal, non-anal folk won’t notice them.

My niggles with the book are minor. Like I say, I didn’t understand some elements of the plot but that’s not to say there was anything wrong with them. Fantasy isn’t my usual genre, so others may get more from the Goddess angle than I did.

As a whole, this book is excellent, and I enjoyed it very much. If you liked Scorpion, or GoT, you will appreciate this one.

Good work. Four stars.