Thursday, April 20, 2017

Divine by Blood by P.C. Cast ~ Review

Title: Divine by Blood (Partholon #3)
Author: P.C. Cast
Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Length: 443 pages
Publisher: Luna Books
Release Date: September 1, 2007
Source: Purchased
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Morrigan Christine Parker finds that turning 18 carries a heavy weight when you're the only daughter of Rhiannon MacCallan, disgraced high priestess to the goddess Epona, in Cast's down-home follow-up to 2006's Divine by Choice. After Rhiannon betrayed Epona, the goddess bestowed her favor on Rhiannon's look-alike, Shannon Parker. Rhiannon promised her allegiance to the evil god Pryderi, but recanted after Morrigan's birth, giving the child over to Epona's protection and the care of Shannon's parents. Now Morrigan comes of age and learns more about her heritage from her adoptive grandparents and the wind-borne whispers of Pryderi and Epona. While visiting the Alabaster Caverns State Park and exploring her power over rocks and crystals, Morrigan is unexpectedly transported to the mystical realm of Partholon, where she must find Shannon and fulfill her destiny.


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We're jumping forward to the next generation of Partholon. With both Rhiannon and Shannon having daughters, the stage is set for the next generation to take center stage. But it all happens in a bit of an upexpected way. Again, the parallels between the two worlds are quite striking and seem to be aligning for some big new event to take place.

This big event is the birth of two girls - and sets off a struggle for both to find themselves. Even though they are worlds apart, their lives seem to mirror each other's in many ways. But there are some unexpected twists. The bad guys show regret and repentance, and the good guys doubt. The daughters both struggle to find where they might belong in their world, and then those worlds collide once again, then the struggle must begin all over again.

Pryderi, the dark god, is making a big grab for power. It's quite sneaky and I think I enjoy his inventive and manipulative techniques. They fit his shadow god personna quite well, and really add that perfect dark and hidden element to the story and the characters' lives.

We are also introduced to a new realm within Partholon that I found fascinating. We meet new divine characters and explore new cultures. This was my favorite part. I hope it carries on through future books in the series.


Partholon

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