Hidden Blade

Soul Eater Series, Book 1

By: Pippa DaCosta

Narrated by: Paul Woodson

Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Kicked out of the underworld and cursed to walk this earth for all eternity, Ace Dante finds solace in helping others avoid the wrath of the gods.

But when warrior-bitch, Queen of Cats, and Ace's ex-wife, Bastet, hires him to stop whoever is slaughtering her blessed women, Ace is caught between two of the most powerful deities to have ever existed: Isis and Osiris.

The once-revered gods aren't dead. They're back, and Ace is in their way.

©2016 Pippa DaCosta (P)2016 Tantor

Egyptian Gods Drama in a Modern World

Must get educated first on Egyptian Gods and Mythology. Once you do this first before reading it, you'll truly get to enjoy it.

I thought it was an okay book. For a small one, it took me a while. I have read Pippa DaCosta's works and for a moment I was under the impression I missed previous books. My only disappointment was writer didn't provide the reader background information on the Gods. It was hard for me in the beginning, as it left me questioning many times "why". Hence why a short story took me a while to get into. I had to do research. Good thing for Pinterest app and Egyptian Gods family tree and info!!

I am unsure about my rating; as I still have some unanswered questions about main character. Maybe I am being harsh. Overall I did get to enjoy it (after research... and narration) and do want to read what happens next.

I purchased the audible book when I saw it was narrator Paul Woodson. Da man is in no doubt a superb narrator!! I have a list of books narrated by him I am yet to own! Great voice actor! It made the story much more exciting, and go through emotions.

Audible made it much more enjoyable!

Fantasy, action adventure!

Hidden Blade
(Soul Eater #1)
by Pippa DaCosta
Terrific and terrifying gods that haven't the slightest morals or empathy for life. Ace finds out he has a daughter that is grown and in danger. He is trying to save her, save his ex-wives followers, keep from losing his mind from darkness, keep from getting himself killed by a sadistic god, and he is suppose to kill a god that he has no chance of killing. Plus, there is a demon on the loose! The book is never dull!
Good narrator!

Pretty good

What made the experience of listening to Hidden Blade the most enjoyable?

I really liked the focus on Egyptian mythology.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

It was more or less your standard urban fantasy. Nothing truly shocked me, yet, I wasn't bored.

What does Paul Woodson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Probably the attitudes of certain characters.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

No soul is safe.

Any additional comments?

Pretty good start.

way too short!

I no sooner got really into the story when it ended. RATS!! And more rats!!!

Disappointing especially from DaCosta

This is ok for a first book of the series but not good enough for a seasoned writer like Pippa DaCosta. First catch up on your Egyptian gods. I was unfamiliar with many of them. Being unfamiliar I had no idea about some of the nuances of the story. Why were the jackals turning tail and running from Ace when he got his mojo going? What is soul eater? What is the difference in the light and dark souls? How does having your soul eaten leave the victim? These were questions I still had at the end of the story. For those of you who does not have an understand of the Egyptian gods, here is some brief information to help with your enjoyment.

Summary of Egyptian gods
Osiris put a compulsion on Ace. Throughout the height of Egyptian civilization, Osiris was the primary deity. In power, he was second only his father, Ra, and was the leader of the gods on earth. He was the husband and brother of Isis. Osiris married his sister Isis to keep their bloodline.

Isis - The major goddess of the Egyptian pantheon, she had many of the same attributes of other mother-goddesses found all over the world. She was revered as the great protector, prayed to for guidance, and beseeched for peace in the world.

His mother is Ammit. Ammit sits beneath the Scales of Justice before the throne of Osiris where she waits for the daily flow of souls (soul eater) to come before Osiris for judgment. During the Judging of the Heart, if the deeds of the soul being judged are found to be more wicked than good, Anubis feeds the soul to Ammit. The person undergoing judgement was not allowed to continue their voyage towards Osiris and immortality. Once Ammit swallowed the heart, the soul was believed to become restless forever; this was called "to die a second time". This results in the total annihilation of the person, and there is no hope of further existence. Ammit was not worshipped; instead she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness… Ace being her son enticed the same fear.

He ex-wife is Bastet. Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and is associated with the concept of the Eye of Ra (the all-seeing eye) and the Distant Goddess (a female deity who leaves Ra and returns to bring transformation)

I found the book to be only o.k. due to my lack of Egyptian gods. That information could have been presented to make it easier to understand the relationships. This was a big jump for a writer to feature Egyptian gods in a story. Even when presenting something slightly different, providing the reader with background information is worth a better read.

The Greek and Roman Mythology has been featured in many stories we are familiar with the major relationships. Ace is the quintessential anti-hero hero. It was not until I research the questions I listed above that I grasped more of the story and decided to get the second book.d

I gave it 2 stars because I had to do research. The story was only 4 hours. It would not have made it much longer with more information. Now that you have some background on Egyptian gods, you can enjoy the book more than I did.

Started out promising, but quickly devolved

It felt underdeveloped and overly melodramatic, encumbered by descriptions of sex and the main character's feelings of inferiority.