The adventure of trying to discover who done it, and why, was fun. This secret agent aspect of the gods and how that team fell apart brought a fun twist to things. While the world building was not as thorough as some, the fast pace of this book felt like it excused that. The entire time, I was on the edge of my seat needing to know- what happens next?

Admittedly, things became predictable as the story moved along. Without spoiling anything, about 50% into the book, I had figured out who had done what. That didn’t take away from my enjoyment, it just made me want to see how the author fleshed this out. I would like more from this as a series, perhaps with more world building and various other myths brought into the storylines.

I found all the characters interesting to read about, although, Sedna was much more interesting to read on than her very mortal daughter Cairn. Perhaps a prequel would make this entire thing just fantastic.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from Karsten.

3.5 stars. A good read, quick, but overall a bit boring. I love the concept but the execution left me wanting a little more. Overall though, a nice read.

ARC from NetGalley

This book suffers from trying to cram too many things into one. The amount of disbelief you need to suspend in order to enjoy it is, well, a lot.

You have gods who are reincarnated over and over. Why? We never know. Why do they take mortal bodies but still retain their powers? We never find out.

I'm going to get spoilery now, fair warning.





How is it that this has been happening for millennia, and they are reincarnated over and over and over, yet what happened at the end of the book never happened prior. In all these years, you're telling me that none of the gods decided to take advantage of their powers to be worshiped again? You're telling me only one of them decided that this was important, and only in this iteration of her immortal life? Humans would have absolutely been subjugated loooong ago, because Karsten Knight decided that they would be fallibly human, driven by human motivations, desires, and emotions. I mean honestly I can think of nothing more frightening than a human with superhuman abilities. Humans are selfish assholes.

You're telling me that a god decided with a snap of the fingers to train an 18-year-old girl to go and hunt down murderers and various other criminals? She has no skills. No talent. She's not particularly strong. She's not special. She brings nothing to the table aside from the knowledge that gods and goddesses exist in human form? It's ridiculous.

She trains to fight, but she admits that all of this takes place over the course of 3 fucking months. The superhero schtick is shoe-horned in. Karsten Knight wants Cairn to be Batman. The costume she dons at the end is just cringe-worthy. So much is cringe-worthy, and that is a significant shame because it is otherwise relatively well-written and engaging.

There were parts where I genuinely enjoyed myself, but those parts were unfortunately overshadowed by the faults in this book. Karsten Knight is a decent writer. He writes an engaging mystery, but he tried to kitchen sink this book, and it didn't work. It COULD have worked if there was a bit more effort put into the history and a bit more assistance in helping the reader suspend disbelief. I hope that the next book is better, because there's certainly the potential for it.

Actual rating: 4.5🌟

This is a well blended story with mixtures of fantasy, romance, mystery, crime and suspense.

Our main heroine Cairn is the daughter of a goddess who was murdered. This is her story as she tries to find the murderer and give justice to her mother.

It was very easy for me to dive into the story. The writing flows naturally and I enjoy how vivid I see/imagine the things that I'm reading.

At first I was confused on all the info dump on different mythological gods/goddesses. I love how there's a mystery and I really had no clue at all on who the murderer is.

As clues started appearing, I joined Cairn and her allies as they decipher the truth. This was a book with lots of plot twists and I was always shocked on every turn. 😅

I don't usually read books with mystery/crime/investigation on it. I'm more of a romance girl. But I did enjoy this.👍 Also, there's a bit of romance here though not the center of the story. It's a f/f romance.

I'm not a super fan of Cairn but I do admire her tenacity even though at times she's impulsive. My favorite characters in the book are Nook and Vulcan. They are both reliable and sensible characters. Love them.❤

I like the story and it was an exciting read.👍

**Thanks for netgalley, the publisher and author for making this available for review.**

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review

I loved this book. If you like fantasy, then give this one a try

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

I so loved the blend of mythical and modern day in this novel! The story line was well written and kept me drawn in the whole time. My only fault was there were moments where I felt more detail could have been added- the main character, Cairn, some times annoyed me- but otherwise it was a well thought out story line. Would definitely recommend!!

This was an interesting read.

Gods and goddesses walk the Earth, reincarnated every few hundred years. This book follows Cairn, the daughter of Sedna, Inuit goddess of the Sea.

The story follows her as she is trying to discover what, or who killed her mother. She discovers that her mother went on a voyage that ended in unspeakable tragedy and that every member that went on that voyage, one by one, is dying. Cairn with the help of Detective Nanook, Inuit Master of Polar Bears, they try to find who, or what is killing off Gods and Goddesses.

When I first started this, I was worried that it would not keep my attention, but boy was I wrong. This book is a wonderful blend of myth, superhero tale, and urban fantasy. The world here is so similar to our own but the world-building here was amazing.

The characters were all varied and complex and the villain didn't seem like a caricature either. I would highly recommend this!

Also, there is LGBT rep, and I loved the main couple. :)

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley.

I felt that the worldbuilding was very well done. The concept, that gods live among us and are reincarnated with new personalities but the same powers was a fun new take on the concepts of mythology. The author blended this concept with modern science-fiction ideas to create a unique and interesting plot.

The main character, an 18-year-old demi-god in search of the truth didn't feel fully realized to me. Her motivation for the story, while compelling, felt a little bit forced. This might have been because I knew from the book-description that true motivations behind her mother's death. That I feel was a mistake on the part of the publisher, which made me feel less connected to the main character and her motivations. The rest of the main cast of protagonists were more nuanced and believable. I feel that the antagonists were also a bit one-sided, but not all antagonists can be multi-layered.

The plot was well-paced and kept me hooked as I read. I didn't feel that the story stopped moving or had any obvious issues. I would like to keep reading this series and when the next book comes out I will be waiting to pick up and learn more about this interesting world and some of the characters who were introduced but didn't take the spotlight in this novel.

For fans of urban fantasy with a dash of X-men like concepts, this is a great YA fantasy novel.

Americans Gods meets a Marvel movie.

In a world where gods of the past have been reincarnated for centuries and living among us, teenager Cairn is mourning the suicide of her mother/water goddess Sedna. As Cairn investigates the strange circumstances surrounding her mother's death, she finds a whole other side to her mother and secrets from the past that may be the cause for the recent mysterious deaths of other gods and goddesses.

This was a fast-paced, fun read and I very much enjoyed it. I liked the flash backs from Sedna’s diary which always left me hanging in the best way and I did not predict the twists. What started out as a murder mystery turned into and superhero story and I was not mad about it. My only gripe was that I liked Cairn’s character until the end in which she turned into a Mary Sue type character out of nowhere which made for too clean of an ending. There isn’t much cultural background into the gods or goddesses so it’s not a book to be taken too seriously. If there was a sequel I would read it (even though I’m totally over the superhero/Marvel thing).

I cannot recommend this book enough. I was excited to read something different and this book did not disappoint me.

I just couldn't finish this book because it just didn't keep my attention. I am sure some will love this but it just wasn't for me.

I loved this book and the fact that it started quickly and the action never ended. I always adore kick ass female leads and it's a plus that there was LGBTQ representation. I appreciate how mythology was woven into the this story in unexpected ways. I thought the world and elements were so well thought out and written to really grasp the world in the story. I do wish that it was slightly less predictable.

This book contained everything I love! Gods from all corners of mythology & folklore, a kick ass female lead and some top notch action scenes. Cairn Delacriox is just like everybody else, except her mother is the reincarnation of the Inuit Sea God Sedna. In Cairn's world the God's live amongst us, reincarnated every century or so to a new body with no knowledge of their previous lives, some choose to keep their existence a secret, preferring the quiet life, whereas others use their powers and for fame and well... worship. When Cairns mother unexpectedly re-enacts her original death Cairn's world is broken apart. She doesn't understand why her mother would commit suicide, nor can she explain the glassy look that came over her eyes before she threw herself into the ocean. One night she discovers something that will upend her world all over again, her mother had a secret life, one that taints Cairn's view of her. But Cairn knows one thing, her mother didn't commit suicide, she was murdered, and Cairn will stop at nothing to find out who and why, even if that means her as a mortal going up against Gods.

In a world filled with Gods come to life Cairn's viewpoint was such a vital one to read the book from. She knows all about the mythology of Gods from her mothers stories, but she is ultimately mortal, this isn't Percy Jackson guys... Cairn has no amount of her mothers otherworldly powers. Seeing her traverse the world of God's was brilliant, in some ways the world of God's is somewhat commonplace to her, but she also respects their power and is aware that as a mortal, she is somewhat outgunned. She is snarky, sarcastic, resilient and stubborn as hell. Nothing will get in the way of her catching the person behind her mothers death, even her own mortality. The other characters were all well developed, we get introduced to a whole host of Gods from a whole host of mythologies, all of whom have their part to play in Cairn getting the answers she seeks.

This world was so brilliantly rendered. Gods live among us and we get to meet a whole host of them, from lots of different cultures around the world. You know me a mythology, so it will be no surprise when I say I LOVED the part of the books where we got to delve into the backstory of a certain God. We see the ones who like to live in the shadows, some for nefarious reasons and others because they simply don't want the pressure that comes with being a reincarnated deity, and the there are the ones who live for the spotlight. The ones who use their power for their advantage, becoming actresses, Senators and other positions where they are likely to become worshipped. I found this idea wholly refreshing, yes we have plenty of books out there featuring Gods from different mythologies, but none (that I know of) where they are reincarnated with no knowledge of their previous lives.

This was like a fantasy style murder mystery filled with twists and turns. The author keeps you guessing throughout most of the book, and I enjoyed coming to the realisations at the same time as Cairn, it definitely helped me bond with her as a character and I certainly felt her 'WTF' moments. Trust me when I say I had no idea where this story was going until the author hit me with the information needed to put it all together, she gives us little bits of information throughout the story, enough to keep us intrigued and throwing wild guesses out there, but nothing could have prepared me for the climactic ending.

There was a brilliant f/f romance throughout this book. Delphine, Cairn's best friend and love interest was another intriguing character. One of the few people to know Cairn's mothers true identity, she was there the day Adna threw herself into the sea and we see her's and Cairn's relationships going through the trials and tribulations that come with loss and grief. The romance was a small part of the overall plot, but I enjoyed reading their interactions together.

I was surprised how much I loved this book. The author left us with an opening for another book, but also tied the main plot neatly in a bow so it could be left as a standalone. To be honest I would just like to return to the world, whether through Cairn's eyes or someone else's.

What if the gods of mythologies all over the world did exist? And what if they were among you now, constantly reincarnating, carrying on grudges, building families, changing the world?! In This Eternity of Masks and Shadows, we find a mourning Cairn Delacroix, still reeling after the death of her mother (the recent reincarnation of the Inuit goddess Sedna). Cairn is a demigod on a mission; to find her mother's killer and stop them from murdering again. She needs some "godly" help to uncover her mother's mysterious past and find the killer before it's too late. As Cairn discovers more about her mother's secret double life, she is drawn deeper into a conspiracy that threatens more than she ever realized. Somehow, Cairn has to save the day, get the girl, and feed her pet lynx!
I'm a bit on the fence with this one. On one hand, the main character is a POC, lgbtq+ demigod!!! And so many of the other characters are people of color as well, which is such a joy to read! On the other hand, I felt the pacing was jumpy, the dialogue corny, and there needed to be a bit more world-building to flesh out the narrative. I had a hard time relating to Cairn, who seemed a bit too childish to be solving murders (the actual detective, who is a GOD, played hapless sidekick). I was intrigued by the premise and its various myths and gods; I just wanted to dig deeper!
This book straddled the line between teen/young adult and adult urban fantasy for me. Cairn struck me as an angsty teen (understandable, she is 18) transplanted into a far more mature setting than she should be reasonably expected to handle. I struggled with plausibility often, which made it difficult to really immerse myself in the world Knight has envisioned. A quick warning to readers that there's quite a bit of blood and gore, which I hadn't really been expecting as I read through. Overall, it's an interesting premise with great representation, I just felt like something was missing.

This story hooked me from the start. As the world of gods and mortals came alive, I absolutely couldn’t put it down. There’s a great mix of detective work, suspense, fantasy, and mythology. Knight unravels the backstory and its secrets at just the right moments. It was suspenseful and enticing in so many ways.

While full of action, there’s also character moments in which Cairn comes to grip with her new reality. She tries to find normalcy despite the supernatural elements invading her life. Knight even slips in a few clues during these more vulnerable moments. Cairn is an intelligent woman who struggles but learns. If she makes a mistake, she owns it. She’s also proud of who she is: a gay woman who, by the way, knows how to craft a killer (no pun intended) date for the woman she loves. Bravo!

There were lots of surprising. LOTS. I loved discovering the different gods and their powers and enjoyed the developing relationships as well as how each character fit together in intriguing ways. Knight pulls in gods from all different cultures, which wove in many new and largely unfamiliar myths.

I was so impressed by this story and hope to read more of these characters in the future. A great murder mystery/superhero/adventure story. I LOVE mythology, and Knight does a great job bringing it to life. Recommended!

I found the book to be a very interesting read; there were a lot of twists and turns and the world the book was set in was interesting especially the inclusion of the different types of gods.

A lot happens in the book; there are a lot of deaths, investigations and change of settings and lots of reveals. Throughout the book there are also flashback chapters to an event that happened which involved a group of gods which builds tension into the book. The main character did find out information easily such as the events in the flashback and I did find it weird that the reader was not aware of what happened even though the main character was, as the flashback chapters are scattered throughout the book, whilst the main character reads about it and knows it all. Although I liked the writing style, I did find that when the main character found out the reveals her reaction was very exaggerated and almost comical.

I did not like the main character, Cairn, at first just because her character was a bit lifeless and as the book went along I did like her but I still felt like she was missing a spark and because of this, the book did feel a little flat.

The book is very fast paced and almost feels like a tv show/movie and I did like the pace however I would have liked more detail on certain people/relationships such as the team of gods which feature in the flashback and the romance in the novel. Cairn and Delaphine get together at the start of the novel and I wanted more interactions between them because the reader does not get to see the falling in love part of the relationship as the characters already like each other from the start.

4/5

DNFED at 45%

This book had so much potential and all the elements to make it an interesting read. From Greek gods who reincarnate with no memory of their previous lives to a mystery at the center of the story. However, it failed to deliver.

First of all, the protagonist is kind of unlikeable. I couldn't get myself to connect with her at all. Granted that we don't see her under normal circumstances, but there's only so much I can take even after taking those under consideration. She also has a habit of making some badly timed inappropriate jokes which just got on my nerves. There's a thin line between rude and funny and she falls in the former category most of the time. The way she treats the people who are supposedly close to her and (especially her best friend) is pretty much questionable. I liked her friend more than I liked her and her friend didn't get a lot of page time.

I feel like the time jumps made it harder to understand what was going on. First of all, there was a lot of info dumping, rather than a smooth transition into the story which was a bummer. Secondly, random characters would pop in and out. Thirdly, I don't understand why gods would willingly lead lives like humans especially after they're aware of their powers? A lot of things about the why's did not make sense to me.

I think I could've made it through the book if the protagonist was somewhat likeable but it wasn't the case here. I was somewhat here for the f/f relationship but our protagonist doesn't seem deserving of her friend and I lost interest in sticking around to find out if she redeems herself. I've seen some positive opinions about this book and if you're really into Greek mythology, then I think it would be worth giving a shot.

I love the present-day spin on the old mythology we all know. But this book took me forever to get through. I will say there's always some sort of action happening. But the lead character has way too easy a time moving through the obstacles and defeating the villains.

In a world where Gods reincarnate as humans, Cairn is an 18-year-old whose life used to be normal and her worries that of a simple teen. Then she lost her mother in what looked like suicide. Her life fell apart and she spiraled into a dark place, hell-bent on self-destructing. Until she unearthed secrets her mother had been keeping. As she dug deeper, she found out there was a lot more to her mother’s death than she realized.

At first, the book was very slow and it took me a while to get into the story. But as I kept reading, it got better. The story shifts from past to present, revealing the plot twists little by little, and with maximum impact. Truth be told, I didn’t like Cairn’s attitude. But I enjoyed the plot-line so much, I couldn’t stop reading.

Karsten Knight crafted an extraordinary plot-line with a backstory that left you stunned. I found myself intrigued, with a voracious curiosity as to what secret would be revealed next. The villain was wicked and super cool when first met. But I was kind of disappointed with the later character development.

Despite not liking the main character, I enjoyed the different side-characters and all the Gods with the detailed backstories. The action scenes were well done with vivid descriptions. I enjoyed this book a whole lot more than expected and I’m still wowed over by the story. Plus, let’s not forget that gorgeous cover!

3.5/5

Okay okay <I>okayyyy</I>
I very much enjoyed this. I did.
Super creative idea. How could any fantasy nerd resist the idea that reincarnated gods and goddesses throughout all mythology and lore walk among us? Like, yes. Sign me up.

Also, I hope we can all agree that Columbia is a Karen...

Refreshing formatting—I’m sure some people don’t like time-jumping in their reads, but I love that shit. Especially when used as a plot device in a mystery, as in this work.

Lots of other big ups to note:

☑️ NBPOC representation
☑️ bi/queer representation
☑️ multicultural myth and lore representation
☑️ quippy dialogue
☑️ solid twist
☑️ non-annoying YA female protagonist— let’s face it, there are many in the YA Fic genre that are unbearable and unrelatable


Big negative for me was pacing which hit several slow periods where I struggled to fully immerse, but once it hit its strides, I was really happy to be reading it, flipping through very quickly.

Another, but very picky negative mark: There were quite a few messy misses in the editing. Quite a few places where words were repeated, out of place, or just flat out autocorrected to the wrong word entirely.

**I did receive an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, but after it had already been published, so it’s a bummer for the author that the handful of typographical errors were missed.**

All in all, I really truly liked this story a lot, and would read other works from Knight!