Vessel – Book
Review
Sarah Beth Durst
YA Fantasy
Synopsis:
Liyana has trained
her entire life to be the vessel of a Goddess. She will dance and summon her
tribes deity, who will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the
desert. But when the dance ends, Liyana is still there. Her tribe is furious –
and sure that it is Liyana’s fault. Abandoned by her tribe, Liyana expects to
die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a God
inside his vessel, and a trickster God at that. He tells Liyana that five other
Gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other
vessels. The desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their Gods. But
the journey is dangerous, even with a God’s help. And not everyone is willing
to believe the trickster God’s tale.
The closer she grows
to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her Goddess. But
she has no choice – she must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster God
can help her to trick fate – or a human girl can muster some magic of her own…
Review:
I had never heard of Sarah Beth Durst before and knew
nothing of her books. Yet when someone recommended this story to me, I knew
instantly she was an author I needed to check out. Being a big fan of fantasy,
I enjoyed all the magical elements hidden within the pages and found the story
to be both different and ultimately gripping. A really, really great read.
When Liyana steps into the sacred circle, she knows she will
not walk out of it alive. She has had sixteen years to come to terms with her
fate, and although fear lurks in her heart she is determined to carry out her
destiny. If it means the survival of her people, she will gladly give up her
soul so that the Goddess may inhabit her body and bring life and prosperity to
her village. Yet when the music stops, Liyana finds her destiny has changed.
She is still alive. Her Goddess never came. And now her people will die.
In an angry mob her village turns on her, leaving her alone
in the desert, to perish under the scorching sun. Accepting that perhaps death
is, after all, to be her fate, Liyana is surprised when from the vast dunes of
sand a boy emerges. Claiming to be Korbyn, the notorious trickster God, he
explains how the Gods and Goddesses of the desert have been captured. Now together
they must set out on a mission to free the trapped deities and rescue the other
Vessels before its too late… but just how much can a trickster God be trusted…?
I really adored this book. I thought that the concept for the
story was simply stunning and I love the world Sarah Beth Durst has created. A universe
of sand and desolation, where life and death is ruled by the magic of the Gods,
it is a place where no one can be trusted and each tribe is only looking out
for themselves.
Furthermore the sand wolves and glass dragons particularly
captured my imagination, yet despite the fantastical elements the magic came
with rules and limitations, all of which combined together to make a very real
and intriguing read.
The story is told
mostly through Liyana’s eyes, and she was a refreshingly strong character from
the start. Smart and intuitive, she trusts her instincts and each new trial and
danger only makes her stronger.
The one part of the book I disliked however was the romance
that kindled between her and another character – for while I understood the reasoning
behind it I thought it made Liyana seem very fickle in her feelings, for while
I wouldn’t say there was a love triangle there was change of heart that I couldn’t
relate to in anyway. And while it served to make the story unpredictable, I
still couldn’t help but be disappointed when the two characters I wanted to be
together parted ways.
Yet the romance aside, I really loved everything else about
this book. The plot moved at a fast pace, each of the secondary characters was
unique and charming – especially the other Gods who where rather selfish and
childish in comparison to their human vessels. And to top it all off, I liked
that it was hard to read peoples agendas which kept the plot a mystery and me
turning the pages.
So overall, a four star read! VESSEL is great YA fantasy and
one that I would recommend to any Tamora Pierce or Maria V Snyder fans, and I
can’t wait to check out more books by Sarah Beth Durst. If anyone has any
recommendations please let me know! This is definitely a book for the keep
shelf J
