Hello Bookworms!

I hope you had a very merry Christmas and are amping up for the new year. I know I am! It can’t be worse than 2020, right?

Today I’m stopping by with another book review. This time I read Domna, Part One: The Sun God’s Daughter by Tammie Painter.

This has been on my TBR for a while, and it’s time to finally put my money where my mouth is. I’ve read plenty of Painter’s short stories, but reading some of her longer works has been something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time. I have not read anything set in her world of Osteria, so this is my first experience. Alright, here we go!

Blurb:

Sofia Domna has her future planned. She’ll follow in her father’s footsteps and lead the Temple of Apollo. She’ll marry her childhood love, Papinias. She’ll have respect, status, and power.

So when her father bitterly forces her betrothal to a stranger and orders her from the life she’s always known, Sofia is thrown into a new world where any wrong move could mean her demise.

Refusing to give up her home, her future, and her love, Sofia immediately plans her escape, but she soon learns exactly how cruel destiny and the people surrounding her new husband can be.

GoodReads

The Review:

I give this book four and a half fantastical stars!

I’ve become quite the fan of Painter’s short stories and simply had to give this series a shot. I’m very glad I did!

In this premiere installment to the series, we meet Sofia Domna. She’s a bright young woman who knows what she wants in life. To please the gods, to be married to her young lover Papinias. But when a random event breeds tragedy, Sofia’s world is turned upside down. Can she figure out a way out of this, and if not, what will happen to the wonderful life she’s known?

Hands down, this book was great.

I think what instantly drew me into it was the concept. I’ve had a deep love of Greek Mythology ever since a took a class on it in seventh grade. The world of Osteria is mysterious, fantastical, and promises to give us many, many great adventures. I enjoyed the little tidbits of mythology thrown in there. Gods, monsters, I loved all of it. Yes, this book wasn’t centrally focused on the mythology, but I think we can expect some crazy journeys in this series.

I really enjoyed being in Sofia’s POV. She’s intelligent, headstrong, and determined, something that is hard to reel in when social standards dictate that women take the back seat more often than not. I think this constant tension helped draw me in further into the story. Sofia was easy to root for, and given the circumstances she’s in her feelings are very easy to relate to.

The plot was riveting. I enjoyed getting to know Sofia, and when things take a turn for the worse I got even more into the story. I had to know how things were going to work out for her because I cared about her plight, and that really made me blaze through the pages. The concepts of gods and monsters was a key element to this world and can’t be understated. I will admit that the first chapter or two didn’t completely blow me away, but once I got to know Sofia a little better I was hooked and couldn’t stop.

Overall, this was a great introduction to the world of Osteria filled with mystery, heartache, and fantasy, and I can’t wait to continue!

That’s a Wrap!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!

Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!

If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out the book review section of my blog or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!

Have a great day!

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