Jennie's Reads

“Your gifts are meant for war, and war is here. Do you fear them?” “I fear the sacrifice. I never wanted immortality. I just wanted a simple life.” She sighed. “Life rarely gives us what we want. It gives us what we need.”

⭐️ 4
🌶 2
🏹 Memory Magic
🏹 Feisty Female Powerhouse
🏹 Betrayal & Ancient Feuds
🏹 Forbidden Romance
🏹 Angsty Love Triangle
🏹 High Stakes

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Aside from the fact that our MMC has the same name as my toddler (loooool, what a trip!) I LOVED THIS BOOK! Sheila does an amazing job and building this world that Cece lives in, what the Gauntlet is, and how all of this ties into one another. I was enraptured from the very beginning. I absolutely loved the more mortal aspects of the “gods”; typically we see gods in stories as untouchable, all powerful beings- but the gods in The Lost God are surprisingly human, they just have extra *powers* that set themselves apart.

Blurb

Two kingdoms vying for an ancient power. One witch on the verge of releasing it. But all magic requires an exchange.

Memory Witch, Cecilia, is used to sacrificing for power. She’s exchanged her blood for memories, her pride for respect at court, and her forbidden and unrequited love for her guardian, Rainer, for the sake of her duty. It will all be worth it if she can complete the Gauntlet and release the power of the Lost God.

But when the god of war attacks, sending the two kingdoms from simmering tension to open war, Cecilia and Rainer set out on one final perilous journey. They venture deeper into enemy territory than ever before, aided by a charming hunter who offers Cecilia a glimpse of the adventure and romance she’s always wanted.

As the trio encounters vicious memory-stealing hunters, enchanted illusion forests, and meddling gods who speak in riddles, they draw ever closer to the pinnacle of the Gauntlet, and the sacrifice that Cecilia has been dreading. When faced with the most important magical exchange of her life, Cecilia must choose between her kingdom, and her heart, knowing one will be left irreparably broken.

What I Enjoyed

Cece: WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FEMALE MAIN CHARACTER. I totally related with Cece on so many levels! The way she handled the pressure to complete the gauntlet that she’d been training so long for, the pressure to pull everything together and keep it together, handling this immense power & responsibility that was just plopped on her without any sort of rhyme or reason, the fear of said responsibility and the need to ignore it for a bit. I really appreciated the fact that Cece as a character had questions, didn’t take things at face value, and questioned it all. However, Cece can come off as a little bit of a cry baby at times, but… who wouldn’t in her circumstance?

World Building: I feel like I say this all the time, but we know I’m a sucker for a beautifully built set and setting. I felt like I really knew what was going down, the differences between Argaria and Olney. Although I feel there could be a LITTLE MORE in terms of complexity, I’m excited to read into the next couple of books to find out more. I was *just enough* for me. Adding into the world building is the fact that the gods are more mortal than usual. They have their vices, and are able to make mistakes and mess up. It was sobering to see a little more of that in a fantasy story instead of being omniscient or just messing things up from afar.

Cece + Rainer’s Friendship: I would be lying if I didn’t say that this friendship of theirs was hella cute. The whole crescent scar on the hand? Telling each other stories to go to bed? Ugh, so so cute.

Cece + Rainer + Xander: Ohkay, so wishful thinking that this is something that happened… but maybe… in the future books?!

What I Didn’t Like

Extremely Fast Releationship Progression Between Cece & Xander: Even though it makes sense in the context of the book, I would have much preferred there to be a little more push and pull between Cece and Xander. I mean, Cece does stay hung up on Rainer, but also I felt she kinda got with Xander to ‘get back at Rain’ in a way. Just my deep down feeling. I get it though, she has a need to feel free to make her own choices, and Xander gave her that freedom.

Writing Felt a Little Inconsistent at Times: There are some points in the book where I felt like the writing could have been edited a little bit better, or the way of writing wasn’t up to par to the rest of the verbiage and structure- but that’s a personal-ish. It wasn’t a lot, but sometimes some sections felt a little childish.

Cece + Xander’s Guardian Bond: THIS DUDE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SOUL BOUND TO CECE. YET HE WAS ABLE TO KEEP SO MUCH FROM HER?! The bond seemed to work on and off, and I was a little annoyed at that. I appreciate the fact that they were able to “shut the door” on the bond, but also… ugh. The fact that he was able to hide his feelings from her for so long too…

**spoiler warning for the next item**

Killing Of Teddy: JUST WHY. WHY!??!

Notable Quotes

“Xander was asking her to choose him—to choose herself just once. He asked her like hers was the only permission he needed. He handed her the power, and she would have been a fool not to take it.” – Cece

“Just say yes, Goddess. Please. At this moment, I’d give my kingdom to be inside you.” – Xander

“I suspect you would very much enjoy the way I would worship you. I could hear the way the words I said made your heart race.” – Xander

“Scars are just reminders of the things we’ve survived. This is just a sign that you are stronger than the thing that tried to break you, Cece.” – Rainer

“Free will is the antidote to the whims of fate.”

Theme Song

Over All Thoughts

Overall, the dynamics of everything and everyone- the way the story is told, how Cece handles the power she got and the revelation of who she is… it was a beautiful story to follow. It was good to see cause and effect, to see that there are big sacrifices, and there is always hurt and betrayal. Again though, I’m shipping the Cece + Rainer + Xander throuple, but we will see. Sheila… please? LOL

*this book is available on Kindle Unlimited for your reading pleasure.
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