Blog Posts

Book du jour: Vessel

by Sarah Beth Durst

On the day she was to die, Liyana walked out of her family’s tent to see the dawn.

I love when fantasy authors make a metaphor literally true, then play with the results. In this case, desert dweller Liyana has been training for years to be “possessed” by her clan’s patron goddess. But what if the ritual takes place and the goddess doesn’t come? Or does come, when the “vessel” is not so ready to surrender herself?

This novel sets up tough choices for the heroine, and she grows beautifully to deal with the results. An interesting desert culture, romance, humor, lots of twisty plot turns—another definite keeper from Sarah Beth Durst.