Review: Spark of the Divine by Louise Holland
“Death didn’t comment. It just did what had to be done.”
Blurb:
SAVE THE GODS. SAVE THEIR REALM.
As a Divine, Mae wields her strange gifts working as a mercenary, until a simple rescue job has the crew uncover a plot to steal divinity from the gods. And when the god Mae serves is attacked, she must find a way to restore their power—before the entire seven realms will be thrown into chaos.
With the kingdom of Altaea already on the edge of war, and the divinity of all gods at stake, the crew must travel beyond their country and their realm to save it. But each member has their own agenda, and forbidden romance and deadly betrayal threaten to break them apart.
Originally inspired by a years-long Dungeons and Dragons campaign and the first instalment of the epic fantasy series The Kalaraak Chronicles, SPARK OF THE DIVINE brings a group of reluctant heroes on a quest to save a god, as the fate of their realm hangs in the balance. Will they each find what they desperately seek, or will the secrets they keep from one another be their undoing? Can they master their fears to defeat an evil their world has never seen?
Is it the strength of the god that matters, or the belief of the Divine?
Review:
I enjoyed this more than I could put into proper words. Sometimes, you find a book that just checks every box, and this one was very much it for me.
Characters - I would die for them (overall score: 10/10)
Mae is an obvious favorite, but every character, even the ones who had me screaming and throwing this book across the room, breathed life into this story. The dynamics between this found-family gripped me, and I am invested in their stories. (And Camden, my honorable mention of the review because he’s a catalyst, and I loved his character.) The villains – chef kiss. OH AND GRUNDLE. UM, I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN MS HOLLAND.
Atmosphere – (overall score: 13/14)
Setting: I want to read more like this (9/10)
Holland mentioned she based this on a DnD campaign, and let me tell you, I NEED MORE OF IT, thanks.
Mood: I felt all the feels (4/4)
When I say I felt all the feels, trust me. I laughed, I cried, I was enraged, and I was surprised.
Writing Style – (overall score: 17/18)
Storytelling: Excellent storytelling (9/10)
Had me from page one. I think I highlighted more in this book than I have in a long while.
Grammar: No issues (4/4)
Formatting: No issues (4/4)
Plot – A pageturner (overall score: 10/10)
While I did try my best to savor this, I devoured it. The book has a few POVs and a few campaigns, and it’s a pretty epic ride, if I do say so myself.
Intrigue – (overall score: 13/14)
General: Couldn’t put it down (9/10)
This whole book is a pageturner, but during that last third of the book I was flipping pages so quickly, so much was happening that I was gripped.
Re-Readability: Dying to reread (4/4)
You bet I will be hosting a read-along!
Logic - (overall score: 13/14)
Plot Logic: I understand and want more (9/10)
Character Logic: Characters made sense (4/4)
If I give too much away in this section, it will be too spoiler-filled. As a general rule, I try to keep my reviews spoiler-free, but I will say I love these relationships. I was shocked by others, and one literally made me DM the author. I was so surprised.
Excitement – I’m in the exclusive fan club (10/10)
I bought all the editions, and I am the queen of the fan club. Expect my socials to blow up with quotes.
Scores:
CAWPILE: 86/90
