An interesting mythological romp!

This story follows, for the most part, a goddess who is trapped in a mortal dryad’s body. We’re not given her name, at first, but we are given hints as to who she is. I knew almost right away, but I’m a giant mythology nerd. I won’t spoil it for you, either way. ^_^

The goddess wakes up in Niflheim with no clear memory of what happened, but knows that she must have answered this dryad’s prayer and is now in her body. Gods who take on mortal forms like this are known as Wyrd, and given her… unique circumstances, it’s up to her to help defeat the man who has declared himself Niflheim’s ruler.

This was an interesting story that followed the goddess in the first person, which was rather interesting since she has another personality speaking in her head as well. It also includes several interludes in the third person from the POV of several of the other characters, which puts a lot of the story that the protagonist can’t really see together. It was a great way to see what was happening overall.

I liked the story, but at times I found it a little confusing, especially in the beginning. I had a hard time figuring out some of the characters’ motivations or their importance to the plot at times, but by the halfway mark I was pretty immersed. The world is an interesting one, as it mixes together (mostly) Norse and Greek mythology, with details like Hades and Hel being in the same world. There are three major races outside of the gods and the Wyrd (or, I think it’s possible for any of the three of them to become a Wyrd, I’m a little vague on that one), what are basically Dryads, Humans, and then a third race known as the Dharkan, which are a race of men who burn in the sun, seem to control ice, feed off the energy of other people, and are generally reviled in the world, being called Wraiths.

The goddess meets a Dharkan over the course of her adventure, and for some reason that neither of them really knows, they are drawn to each other. He helps her here and there, and I really enjoyed the mysteriousness of his character, and how the goddess (and her host) are so drawn to him. It was one of my favorite parts of this story.

The narrator, Sarah Kempton, did a fantastic job with this one. It was very easy to just turn this one on and listen to it for hours while doing things like working or painting. She has a lovely voice to listen to, to begin with, but really did great giving all the characters a different voice.

All told, I liked this one quite a lot, and hopefully, the following books in the series become audiobooks as well, because this one was very entertaining and I would like to listen to more!

This review is based on a review copy. Opinions are my own.

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Absolutely refreshing!

It was an absolutely refreshing take on the pantheons of Mythology. the writing was great the narration what's perfect for this novel! I definitely recommended book!

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Mythological creatures and beings - well done!

This is a story about a goddess who has isolated herself by withdrawing from the world, staying away from the other gods content to dwell among the stars. Then one day, she does the unthinkable and answers a prayer only to discover there is a reason why no gods ever answer the prayers of humans! Caught in the body of Illena she discovers that the world is full of danger and intrigue as both the Norse gods and Greek gods are fighting. There is mystery, romance, and more in this well-thought-out story woven with mythological beings and creatures.

The author, Susana Imaginario builds each character skillfully allowing them to evolve into rich and complete beings. The story is well-told and invokes the desire to read more on the mythological beings mentioned – such as Chronos, Odin, and more. She manages to keep the suspense and deliver solid twists to the plot.

The narrator, Sarah Kempton, gives a solid performance. Her range of voices is rich and gives each character a personality that fits their role and the plot. Her cadence was smooth.

This is an interesting story that offers an opportunity to question motives, human nature, and more. I look forward to hearing the story evolve throughout the series.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook, it was clear and well produced.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

Fantastic Mythological Mashup

If, like me, you enjoy stories where mythology is reimagined a bit you'll love this book. The combination of Norse and Greek gods was very well done and I enjoyed the conversations between the gods of the different pantheons. The goddess trapped inside of Ilena is one of my favorites so I was particularly pleased to get a story with her as the lead! If you know your mythology there's a lot of nice nods to the original stories, but I didn't feel it was necessary to know much about any of the myths going in, the things you need to know are explained in the book, and the rest is just extra great backdrop if you know where it's coming from.
Top to bottom I thought the book was very well done. The reveal at the end, well fleshed out characters, pacing, dialogue, all fantastic.

The book resolves nicely with closing out it's story arc while still leaving a lot of interest open for future books. I'm very excited to get to the next books in the series!

Sarah Kempton did a great job with the narration, with a huge range of voices for all the characters. There were a couple voices that annoyed me a bit but that's real life too, and they all seemed appropriate to their character. But the main characters in particular all had really fantastic character voices that were a joy to listen to.

In summary, if you like mythology, or even just a well told story in a fantasy setting, you'll enjoy this book.

Immediately Engaging!

Wyrd Gods is immediately engaging and a wonderfully imaginative journey to the last minute. I really enjoyed this book, especially how it pulls on some of the great myths of the world from a variety of pantheons. Our main character is an unnamed deity who has awakened in the body of dryad named Ilena (or Elena? Spelling?). Her memories are blurry and a bit tangled with Ilena’s. Obviously, she needs to do something and with that her quest begins.

Pulling on the Norse and Greek pantheons in the beginning, Ilena has several run-ins with other deities and those that worship them. Behind the scenes, there are those that want to use her for their own means. Ilena hears of the local big baddie, the Suzerain, and we all know their paths must cross at some point. Full of mythological characters and creatures, you never know what new obstacle Ilena will face next.

I really liked her attitude too. I immediately knew I would be cheering her on for the entire book. Sometimes her no-nonsense attitude gets her in trouble. Ha! She has been a deity for many, many years and it’s very hard to get used to just how easily damaged this mortal body is. For instance, shoes aren’t just a fashion statement; they are necessary for traveling many miles on foot. Towards the end of the book after much is revealed, she lets more of her deity-self out with plenty of cussing. Yep, I knew I was going to love this character!

A little over halfway through the book, some of the Egyptian pantheon is pulled into the story too. I certainly enjoyed trying to guess who some of these characters were, including our main character herself (as her deity identity isn’t revealed until near the end). There’s also these interludes where some upper-level deities are plotting, planning, and congratulating themselves on being oh so clever. Those where fun too.

If you’ve enjoyed other novels that treat the pantheons as real, then I think you’d enjoy this novel too. The interactions between the gods is sometimes humorous and sometimes deadly. Hades and Hel made me laugh with their exchanges. The tale ends with a solid ending for book 1 but with the door open for a possible sequel. 5/5 stars.

The Narration: Sarah Kempton was the perfect narrator for this book. I loved her voice for Ilena, especially her no-nonsense voice when dealing with the bad guys (or idiots). Kempton had a variety of voices for both male and female voices, and at least 1 hermaphrodite deity. Her variety of accents were also well done too. Kempton sounded engaged in the story as well and therefore had the perfect pacing. She also pulled off a range of emotions for the various characters too. There were no technical issues for this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of a Kickstarter project rewards. My opinions are honest & 100% my own.

really good book

this was a really good book. it is very original story. looking forward to book 2.

An Unknown Goddess Has to Save the Universe

A mysterious Olympian god has found herself trapped in a dryad’s body. It seems that she answered a prayer and wound up there. She has no idea where or when she is, all she wants to do is go back to her place among the stars.

What she finds is that Niflheim and Haddes has been joined together and the world tree cut down. The new ruler is bent on making this a place of punishment. The god has to hide her identity for safety as she travels the world. She has to be there for a reason but it’s unknown to her.

At the same time the other gods in this world are being punished in their own way but are scheming like normal. It’s up to the unknown god to stop the new ruler and save the other Wyrd. But how can she do this when she has no memories that can help.

This was an interesting read. I liked the variety of gods, not just from one culture. I admit that I did get frustrated with the unknown goddess. I understand she doesn’t know where she is but she sure was selfish and just wanted to go back to hiding in the stars.

I loved Sarah Kempton’s narration. I was drawn into the story and enjoyed how each character had their own voice. It was a good story and had a perfect twist ending. I am curious to read the next book to see where we end up next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to listen to and post an honest review.

Long, but wonderful story

I really enjoyed listening to this story. Thank you to Sarah Kempton for having such a dynamic range for all the character's voices, or I'm sure I would've been lost. It's a wonderful story, but there are quite a few characters, and I loved the depth and uniqueness in each of them. Various mythos are blended in this book, but done so skillfully that it didn't bother me (and was a pleasant surprise in that respect). At first, I wasn't sure I would be able to get into it. The opening was interesting, but seemed to promise a lot, and Imaginário more than delivered. I cannot wait for book 2!!!

Blended Mythology Adventure

Wyrd Gods is a first person account of events from the POV of a goddess who has been made a Wyrd, a god in mortal form, but in this case she's trapped in the body of a dryad and isn't sure why or how this happened to her. It's a punishment for daring to answer a prayer. The cast is a blend of Norse and Greek mythology with plenty of familiar names mixed in with unique concepts that meld together beautifully into an epic story that will hold your attention and keep you coming back to find out what happens next. Can our heroine rescue herself and the other Wyrds and return to her immortal life?

I'm a sucker for anything involving Norse mythology, so I jumped at the chance to review this one, and I was rewarded with familiar names pretty much immediately. I haven't enjoyed a reimagining of mingled pantheons this much since the Iron Druid Chronicles were new and fresh. That's not to imply that these books compare in any significant way aside from having both Norse and Greek gods in key roles, they're entirely different storylines, but if what you loved about Iron Druid was the mixed pantheons then Wyrd Gods will scratch that itch.

Susana Imaginário writes dialogue very well. Not a single conversation had between the characters throughout this book felt unnatural or boring, and our POV goddess' sass and stubborn strength came through very clearly in the way she chose her words and when to speak them. This is a very character-driven book, and Susana has made is very easy to bond with the protagonist and cheer her on.

I noticed that despite the book's length, it sets aside very little time to explain who all these gods and goddesses are, how they relate to one another, etc. and I do fear that readers who aren't familiar with the mythology around both pantheons will find themselves confused at points or missing between-the-lines information. Personally I'm much more familiar with the Norse gods than the Greeks due to my interest in all things relevant to my own Norwegian heritage and the fact that various Hercules retellings and high school samplings of The Iliad are the only Greek mythology stories I've heard since 7th grade social studies.

Sarah Kempton's performance as the audiobook narrator is flawless! She distinguishes different characters very well and speaks at a pace that lends itself well to faster listening speeds but isn't intolerably slow at regular speed. I'm surprised to see that she has 44 titles on Audible at the time of this review, and I'll absolutely be seeking out opportunities to listen to more of her work.

I recommend Wyrd Gods to fans of mythology-based fantasy, especially if you like long, epic adventures with strong, sassy heroines.

A fun mix of mythologies

Stories like this are my absolute favorite category-I love mythology, and I love hearing the many ways that authors interpret the tales of old and make them into something new-so I’ve heard quite a few retellings for the stories and characters involved. I was quite excited at the opportunity to receive this book in a complementary audio format, because had the author not been looking for readers I would not have learned of this wonderful novel.

In Wyrd Gods, Imaginário deftly wove the words in such a way so as to give the novel the vibe of a classic story. She was able to create an entire system for how her stories worked that fit with the skills and personalities of the characters involved, giving each person their own life while extrapolating out with her own details and concepts, and the narrator did a lovely job bringing them to life with a number of choices in voice style and accent for the different characters. It does end on a cliffhanger which sets the scene for the next book in the series. I look forward to reading the continuation of the Timelessness series.