Goddess

By: Callista Hunter

Narrated by: Tami Leah Lacy

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Olivia is a sixteen-year-old Vestal Virgin, a happy devotee of her beloved goddess Vesta in her home nation of Parcae. But when her faith in Vesta is shaken, Olivia illegally experiments with her own divine power, making a discovery that could save her country from war - if she's brave enough to share it.

After an accidental revelation proves Vesta is fake, Olivia and her fellow Virgins are tempted by a charismatic academy boy, Cassius, to invoke the real gods. Although they risk death if they are discovered, Olivia and her friends test their skills in secret experiments. But their games take an unexpected turn when flighty blonde Lucia reveals surprisingly deadly powers.

Gaius, a brilliant military student, must protect the girls and plan for war against an enemy nation while ignoring his growing attachment to Olivia. As a Vestal Virgin she has taken a holy vow of chastity, and the consequences of breaking it are severe.

©2015 Callista Hunter (P)2017 Callista Hunter

Absorbing story with a heroine you'll root for!

What did you love best about Goddess?

From the opening scene, Goddess grabbed my attention. Callista Hunter keeps the action, conflict and suspense going at a crackling pace.
Unlike a negative review left at this site, I think the author did an outstanding job of world-building by revealing Olivia's world bit by bit, through dialogue and not artificial exposition. This takes particular skill. I am reminded of, for example, William Gibson.
I liked the heroine, Olivia. She and her coterie of friends are vividly drawn.
I especially enjoyed Gaius, Olivia's taciturn love interest. Gaius is a handsome and intelligent young soldier who falls for five-foot-tall girl Olivia who he initially thinks is a bit of a feather-head; until he comes to realize she is extraordinarily courageous and modest.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Goddess?

The story serves up some real twists and turns -- the heroine is at first horribly disillusioned when she discovers everything she believed in is a lie, and I was certain that one her friends was a fraud who was going to bring her further disillusionment -- until the author turned the tables on me.

Have you listened to any of Tami Leah Lacy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator Tami Leah Lacy provides voices for characters ranging from young girls to powerful generals. She also handles prayers written in Latin. Most importantly, her overall tone matches the humorous and youthful tone of the novel -- although Goddess deals with some calamitous events and serious issues, Hunter's book is never dark or depressing, and the idealism and optimism of the heroine carry her through the bad times.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Even though the story is technically a fantasy, it is filled with historical detail drawn from the Roman Empire and deals with issues which have relevance for the modern reader, including fanatics who commit acts of terrorism. Olivia and her friends are very vulnerable in a world where they can be made the scapegoats of ambitious politicians -- exploited, used and destroyed.

Any additional comments?

Hunter skillfully balances these darker themes with humor and infuses the novel with the sweet-nature of the heroine, who gets her well-deserved happy ending. I would certainly read future novels from this author.

Girl Power!

4.25★ Audiobook⎮ Goddess was so much more than I was expecting. It was a delightful story set in Ancient Rome. Goddess was filled with political and religious intrigue, accompanied by an empowering message of feminine strength.

Calista Hunter’s stellar writing set the ancient scene beautifully, while still throwing in modern flair via the dialogue. Goddess‘s message is especially appropriate for teens 14+ and would serve as a great entry point into Ancient Roman mythology for young readers. The characters were engaging and distinct. I wasn’t drawn to one singular character, but the group of characters and the way they rounded each other out was most appealing.

The religious aspect of the story was heartbreaking. The main character, Olivia, experiences a “crisis of faith” after learning that the goddess she has devoted her life to serving was an invention of the patriarchy. Vesta, the goddess of home and hearth, was invented by men to keep women devoted to “womanly duties”. Many people have been in Olivia’s shoes, having had their fath shaken or shattered, which is why I think her story resonates so strongly.

Even if Vesta was fictionalized, the remaining gods were very real, which brought an element of fantasy to Goddess. It was easy to slip into the plot through the eyes of Callista Hunter’s well-defined characters. There was an excellent amount of action throughout Goddess, with acutely shocking plot twists peppered in along the way.

Hunter showed excellent skill by elongating the overarching plot to encompass several “mini-adventures” and then weaving everything back into the primary plot. Every time it fell like the story was tapering off nicely, Hunter found a way to revive it for another go. This type of storytelling makes me wish that Goddess was being extended into a series. Callista Hunter has something really neat here and I’m not sure I’m ready to see it end in a stand-alone novel.

Narration review: Tami Leah Lacy made this listening experience even more enjoyable. Her voice itself was extremely pleasant to hear. She appropriately varied her vocalizations to match each character’s personality and status, which added another dimension to the characters. A dimension which the physical book would not have been able to provide. There were minor quality issues throughout, which became more noticeable as the audiobook went on. The sound level frequently faded in and out, often mid-sentence. Tami Leah Lacy seems to be an extremely talented performer, but I would hire a sound engineer next time. ♣︎

➜ This audiobook was graciously gifted to me by its author, Callista Hunter, in exchange for a review containing my honest thoughts and opinions. Thanks, Callista!

Great YA/Teen Fiction About Goddesses & Gods

This story was interesting and full of twists and turns. It kept me interested and wanting more.

The narrator did a good job bringing the story to life.

I started to get really worried towards the end. I was holding my breath because I did not want any of the girls to get hurt! I don't want to give any spoilers so I just want to say that I was surprised but pleased with all the twists and turns.

I'm looking forward to reading more books by Callista Hunter.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Underdeveloped characters and World Building

This is a moment when you read reviews, read/listen to the book and wonder if the reviews were left for the same, so you re-read the reviews. Twice. And again.

Is this a typical wishywashy teeny bop book that is mainstreaming and diluting the gene pool?
I think the narrator was tops and disappointed she chose this book for a project. She portrayed the characters as they were presented. However, they were poorly dancing with religion, conversations, and war. Then each other. Their personalities didn't stick. Events nor nature evolved them. They changed as needed for plot or 'just because'.
The final chapters were unbearable and insufferable. After Gaius spends nearly his entire fortune to literally save her life, Olivia plays "strong woman" and asks who asked him to save her, has a fit, and demands she won't play Wife to him. Then the next morning, he wants to buy her clothes, and she wants to go and choose her own - with HIS money.
This was below trashy although it was a clean read.
Oh, did I mention she had little to no emotion when her brother was judged on a crime?
Another problem with the lack of world building: with the description based on pre-Christian mythological gods and goddesses, this was written with current language and ideology.
Beautifully read but a waste of talent.

I was so excited to receive this Audiobook but was unimpressed with it.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Great YA Fantasy with many relevant themes

I really enjoyed this book! The narrator brought appropriate voices to all the characters to make it feel very real. The story itself has many themes that young adult readers could relate to, such as questioning of faith, the relationship between religion with sexuality and gender, gender roles in society, finding ones own strength and worth, as well as a sweet romance. I recommend this book especially to young women, but I feel anyone who likes a quick YA with an exciting story that encompasses religion, war, patriotism, identity and love will enjoy this book!

Go-go little goddess.

Any additional comments?

Girl power rocks. This is a YA fantasy that touches on themes of women being undervalued. Throughout the story our heroine proves over and over that women can be strong. Great concept , excellent narration and totally enjoyable.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Good YA Story

I got this book via audiobook boom. The story centers around a young lady who is part of a group of vestal virgins.She discovers that the nation has been deceived and she must make a choice on what to do. The story and characters were well developed and I could see the scenes as they played out.I like the morals that were included and that is one of the things that make this a good story for our young adults to read or listen to. The narrator fit the story and helped to make it come to life.

Loved it!!

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I loved it. This was awesome. This is a great young adult themed book. Love the whole idea of not worshiping false goddess, or in today's age bad female role models.