I had the pleasure of receiving an early copy of the audiobook of "The Goddess Of" by Randi Garner, and I must say, it was a delightful surprise.

The story is a fascinating blend of ancient gods mingling in the modern world. This unique premise sets the stage for a tale full of wonder and intrigue.

The narrative masterfully explores themes of mythology, power dynamics, and the struggle between old and new worlds. The presence of gods in contemporary settings provides a fresh perspective on the fantasy genre.

The central tension between Ronin and Niah is palpable and compelling. Their relationship is nuanced and adds depth to the story, making it easy to become invested in their journey.

Garner’s writing is nothing short of magical. Her world-building is vivid and enchanting, drawing you into the story from the very beginning. The descriptions are so lush and detailed that it feels as though you’re experiencing the world firsthand.

What stood out to me the most was the balance the author achieved between the old and the modern. The narrative kept me on the edge of my seat with its constant tension and unexpected twists. The audiobook experience was especially immersive, making it hard to pause the story even for a moment.

When it was all over, I found myself wanting to start the story all over again. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves mythology, fantasy, and intricate world-building. Highly recommended!

This captivating book offers a thrilling fusion of suspense and breathtaking moments. Evoking comparisons to “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” which was notable for its lyrical prose tied to its otherworldly narrative. With a gradually unfolding plot being enriched with mythological elements, it ends up creating a fairytale ambiance that is dark, yet dreamlike. It weaves together themes of magic, curses, deities, and witches within a deeply emotional and increasingly romantic fantasy. At first glance I was in love with the cover, and after finishing it, I eagerly anticipate the next audiobook; the narration of this one carried a gothic quality that had me completely raptured.

The audiobook narration was wonderful. Abigail Reno did a fantastic job reading all of the different characters. I loved everything about this story. How have I not heard about this book before now?! This story was so intriguing and I loved every bit of the story. I was surprised by all of the twists and turns. I even gasped out loud several times while I was listening to the last half of the book. I cannot wait for book two, Even in Death, which will be released on 3/5/2025. The beginning was slightly confusing but as you learn more about the immortal world, things start to make sense.

This is exactly how I want my fantasy mixed with modern elements. This was so absolutely wonderfully crafted. The world building was as lush as any high fantasy while still pulling in modernization. A cute MMC with a nitro cold brew addiction and magic blood! Chefs kiss
This was a wonderful read from start to finish!

3.75 stars! 🌟 Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for the ALC! 💌

GODS, CURSES & A MORTAL WHO STEALS YOUR HEART?! SIGN ME UP. 😭💖

This book had me hooked from the moment Naia ran from her nightmare of a family and straight into the arms (well, home) of Ronin, our mysterious mortal MMC. The stakes? SKY HIGH. The emotions? ALL OVER THE PLACE. The romance? CHEF'S KISS. 💋✨

Naia is a goddess without power, without a title, and without a place to belong. Her mother treats her like nothing more than a pawn in a divine game, and her only way out is through a curse she doesn’t even understand. And Ronin? Soft, broody, mysterious, and hiding secrets that had me screaming. He’s the kind of MMC who will destroy anyone who dares hurt her, and I ate that up!! 😭🔥

🏹 Fated Mates / Cursed Lovers
🖤 Grumpy & Soft Dynamic
🏹 Gods Among Mortals
🖤 The Heroine With No Power (Or So She Thinks 👀)
🏹 A Deal With A Dark Power
🖤 Slow-Burn, High-Stakes Romance

The urban fantasy world-building was so unique! Imagine gods and witches walking around a modern city, blending magic with the real world in the best way. The writing was lush, poetic, and cinematic. It gave me Greek mythology meets dark fairy tale vibes, but with its own fresh spin.

The narration by Abigail Reno and Benjamin Crow was absolutely incredible. They really brought these characters and the world to life in such a vivid way, adding layers of emotion and tension. Their voices perfectly matched the dark, mysterious tone of the story, making it impossible to stop listening. I couldn’t have imagined a better pair to narrate this fantastical ride.

THE GOOD STUFF:
✔️ NAIA. Babygirl deserved the world. The pain, the trauma, the yearning—I was FEELING IT. 💔
✔️ Ronin. SIR. Protective, devoted, & ready to set the world on fire for her. 🖤🔥
✔️ A curse that keeps you on edge—What did she agree to?! WHO IS RONIN REALLY?!
✔️ A mix of fantasy, romance, horror, and emotional devastation. Yes, please. 😭

THE NOT-SO-GOOD STUFF:
⏳ The pacing jumped around a bit, and some time skips had me a little lost.
🌀 The mythology is fascinating, but I needed more depth on the gods & their rules.

That ENDING. I—I need book 2 RIGHT NOW. 😭 But what has me even more feral?? Finnian & Cassian, the GOD OF DEATH AND CURSES. True MM enemies-to-lovers in a world of gods, magic, witches & curses?? THE ANGST IS GOING TO BE OFF THE CHARTS. 😩🔥

Final verdict: A lush, emotional, and utterly captivating romantasy that blends mythology, heartbreak, and an MMC you’ll absolutely fall for. 💘✨ PICK THIS UP.

An epic story that seems both familiar and new. Feels like Little Mermaid on a Hawaiian island.  This saga is about an 800-year-old goddess and a 28 year-old human (refreshing). I appreciated the incorporation of Polynesian culture, and all the food talk made me crave takiyaki, malasadas, and shave ice. The plot spans hundreds of years, but the pacing is spot on. It features family drama, brutality, misery, hope, and love. The Audiobook reader did a wonderful job of capturing the emotions in the book. 4.5 stars for me!

Rated 4.5 Stars

The Goddess Of was a fantastic story. I loved the worlds, the magic system, the lore and the story in general. It was wild with some edge of your seat, intense action scenes. The stakes were very high but I loved the way the author pulled it off and pulled it all together. There were some slow moments. The narrators did a wonderful job with this title. I loved listening to them and enjoyed the way they brought this story and its characters to life. They made this story an even more delightful experience. I definitely recommend this book.

Do yourself a favor and READ this book!!!

I listened to the audiobook and am OBSESSED! Beautiful story with amazing narrators!! Honestly this romantasy has become one of my all time favorites!!

I highly recommend the audiobook which I usually don’t for romantasy books because the world building is usually hard to comprehend in audio format for me. But this book had world building that was slowly built throughout the book that was so easy to follow!

I love the dual timelines and how the story unfolded beautifully 😍

10/10 recommend reading this!!!♥️

It was absolutely amazing to hear Randi Garner’s story come to life. The narrator did a fantastic job portraying Naia. I cannot even put into words how amazing this audiobook is!! Highly recommend!!

I would give this a 3.75! I feel like there were a few times the book could’ve ended but then it dragged on a bit. The end then all of a sudden seemed rushed. I know there’s going to be a second book but I feel like it still shouldn’t have ended the way it did. Other than that the story was really interesting. The narrator did a great job making it intriguing and alternating voices!


I think if you’re a fan of City of Gods and Monsters by Kayla Edwards then this would be a similar pick.

Thank you for the ALC Dreamscape Media and Netgalley 💚

ALC Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
EBook Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The narrators were wonderful- emotional and engaging. I could easily tell the different characters apart (Naia's sister and mother have similar names and it is easy to mix them up as the listener).

Dark, tragic, and fantastic. The world building is done in a wonderfully easy manner. Painting a detailed and intricate power dynamic based society. Including wonders and dangers of this magically empowered world.

Pay attention to the triggers, because this sorry doesn't shy away from the darker edges of selfishness and abuse of power.

This was one heck of a journey. I cried, I laughed, and screamed in frustration. I read the ebook along with the ALC and it was such a great experience.

A beautiful love story and I CANNOT wait to see what happens in the next book.

4🌟

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

This took me longer to get into than I was expecting, but once I got into the story I was hooked. The backstory for our FMC is tragic, and the revelation at the end was incredible. The characters really came to life and the world Randi Garner built is beautiful. There were parts of the story where the characters annoyed me, the FMC is an 800 year old goddess, but she acts like shes 18 - a little too naive and innocent for the amount of life and trauma she's lived. I hope in the coming novels in the series our FMC digs into her power, she is a powerful goddess and I want to see that! Overall a lovely refreshing read and an interesting modern, urban take on ancient gods. Definitely recommend!

Even In Death 💕 Randi Garner 🎧

4.5⭐️

Oh Naia, sweet Goddess that you are. Longing for her mother’s love, to be wanted in her family but finding so many lies hidden underneath. I felt so broken for her with what has happened in her past and angry for what she had to endure in the present. Her mother only used Naia for her own sick undoing. But when she finds Ronan, oh how things unfold.

I don’t want to give too much away because you need to do yourself a favor and read this book (or audiobook like I did) and immerse yourself in such a beautiful story that Randi has created. Literally balled my eyes out while driving because the twists at the end had my stomach in knots and I wanted to nothing more than for Naia to be this badass Godess she is and to see herself for what she is (it’s not all sad I promise, happy tears!)

I’m very picky about audiobooks, but I ABSOLUTELY loved this one!!! The narrator did a FANTASTIC job—seriously, perfection.

I had just read the book a week before starting the audiobook, and honestly, the experience was chef’s kiss.

Her mom was as brutal as ever, and my heart broke all over again for her. This story hits.
I’d recommend this to everyone—both on booksta and by word of mouth—because it’s just that good!!!

This was a unique and really interesting story. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the world and the characters who were all richly complicated.

Had I researched the trigger warnings ahead of time, I might not have chosen this one, as I'm typically not a fan of stories that are quite so heavy. There were several times where I had to pause listening to it as parts were quite upsetting. Despite that fact, I did find myself enjoying the story overall.

Abigail Reno did an exceptional job narrating the story. The voices for each character were distinct and she did a wonderful job conveying the emotions.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Gods and goddess and mages oh my 🩸

Thank you to @randimgarner for providing me a copy of this to read in preparation for the release of its sequel early next month cuz it finally bumped it up my tbr. I also have @kars.fictionalreality to thank as well for hyping this series! This cover drew me in, cuz how gorgeous, but within a the first few chapters I was hooked.

Naia is the daughter of a sea goddess and the least favourite lol and my god is her family … complicated. You think your family is bad? This family of gods and goddess will blow them out of the waterrrr lol. When the day of her arranged marriage comes up, she decides to run rather then be tied to the god and that place.

After she escapes and washes up on the shores of what I THINK is this worlds version of Japan? Don’t quote me on that but it’s the vibes I got. And this is where she meets Ronan 🥹 sweet and secretly a fricken baddieee, Ronan.

Even though she doesn’t trust anyone, Naia and Ronan travel into the city together to find her brother, Finnian. She hopes that her brother can help her continue to hide from the rest of her crazy family lmao.

Naia really tries to not care about Ronan but it’s futile. The more they are together and help one another, the more their lives intertwine 👀 and I’ll leave it at that because I want you all to read this lol.

and you have timmeee!

Again thank you to @randimgarner for this masterpiece and for @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the chance to listen to this one as an audio! It was beautifully narrated!

the story wasnt my favorite, but i really enjoyed the narrator on this book. thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this!

<b>AUDIOBOOK VERSION (FEBRUARY 2025)</b>
What an absolute honor to be able to listen to an early copy of this audiobook. This book (and series!) is one of my absolute favorites. Abigail Reno did a beautiful job handling all the different voices, as this was a single narrator but duel POV story. I love the flow of the narration and will cherish the ability to relisten.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
<b>KINDLE VERSION (JUNE 2024)</b>

5/5⭐️
2/5🌶️

Naia is the firstborn to the High Goddess of the Sea and the High God of Nature. Unloved by her mother yet doted upon by her father, Naia’s upbringing is marred by torturous interactions with her younger siblings, pocketed by brief reprieves of peace with her father. Promised to the High God of Fire on her 800th birthday, Naia risks a bargain with the High God of Death and Curses in order to free herself from her imprisonment under the sea with her mother.

Upon her escape, she meets Ronin, who promises to help her find her estranged brother, while providing her safety and an entrance into the modern-day world. Naia is soon suspicious of Ronin… how he lives his life, coupled with his denouncement for all deities, has Naia on edge that her identity will be revealed. The threat of Naia’s family and scorned fiancé attempting to drag her back home continue to plague both Naia and Ronin. Will they be able to trust each other enough to fight together for Naia’s freedom?

WOW. JUST, WOW! I was completely and utterly enamored with this story, and was completely hooked the minute I started. The creativity behind the magic of the world Garner builds had its hooks latched into me from the drop. I absolutely loved our FMC Naia, and grew to be completely besotted with our MMC Ronin. The ending had me crying — it was so beautiful and touching.

I recommend this book to lovers of deities, the potential of magic in modern day and those eager to find love in a hopeless place.

Tropes in this story:
✨Goddesses & gods
✨Dual timeline
✨Magic in modern day / urban fantasy vibes
✨Fated mates / star-crossed lovers
✨Touch him AND touch her & perish

The Goddess Of is the first installment of the Fragile Divine series. I cannot wait to continue reading!!

🌶️🌶️
A wonderful and interesting take on the lesser talked about sides of divinity and immortality. Dark, beautiful, romantic and gory. This story exceeded expectations set by the blurb. I loved the inclusion of different cultures, cooking, food and polytheism. Great banter, emotional twists and top-tier world building await you as you journey with Naia through the whole range of emotions and life with the modern mortals. It's hard to not adore the main and supporting characters. They're all well-fleshed out, interesting and unique, even the vile villains. The small details were everything in this book. If mythology meets urban fantasy interests you, then you cannot sleep on this book, especially with book two coming out very soon in March 2025.

🌊Goddess among mortals
🍧Witches
🌊Arranged Marriage
🍧Curses
🌊Prophecy
🍧She's never seen modern technology
🌊He washes her hair
🍧Steamy romance

Abigail Reno was a fantastic narrator and I really appreciated her proper pronunciation of Japanese food and clothing. She was a joy to listen to and really helped with my immersion. Benjamin Crow was a great surprise and I really hope he is in the audiobook for book two. His voice really fits his character and I would enjoy hearing more of him.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC.

✨𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
🎧:The Goddess Of (The Fragile Divine Book 1)
🎙️: Abigail Reno, Benjamin Crow

“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.”

Despite being a goddess, Naia never exhibited powers and was ostracized by her family. Desperate to escape her painful past and the bleak future planned for her, she bargains with the High God of Death and Curses without knowing the terms of the curse. Soon, the time comes for her end to be fulfilled.

Tropes:
✨ Star-Crossed Lovers
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Found Family
❤️‍🩹 Hurt/Comfort
💗 Mental Health Rep
💫 Magic & curses
👥 Older MCs
🚫 Touch her & 💀
🌶️: Mild - Moderate

The Goddess Of was one of my favorite 2024 reads and this audiobook brought this story and characters to life beautifully. Abigail embodies Naia’s vulnerabilities, insecurities, and courage and Ronin’s adoration, tenderness, and fierceness with how he protects Naia.

The depiction of the dark themes, levity, and romance is sublime. The Goddess Of weaves an emotional and wistful tale of grief, sacrifice, and the power of love.

Thank you Randi, Dreamscape media, and Netgalley for the ALC opportunity. This is my honest and voluntary review.