Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep - and silencing the kingdom's gods.
Born with a miraculous gift, Lia's destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god - or die.
To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her.
This book begins where Sleeping Beauty usually ends, with someone breaking the spell on the briar-enclosed palace and awakening the royal family and servants. As is so often the case with Rosamund Hodge's tales, there is only one place where the connection to a traditional fairy tale is obvious before the story unfolds to become something completely different and original.
On the surface, this is an exciting adventure into an imaginative world. Below the surface there are many layers to ponder for those who are so minded.
In my case, I pondered the intricacies that connect us to the original story's title for several days after I finished it. Where do we see sleepers who need awakening? What do they find after they return to consciousness? What happens when those who were always awake find that they have perhaps been sleepwalking? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what happens when the beholder "wakes up" and sees a previously hidden truth?
This book doesn't come out until March 2024 so I don't want to say anything else that might spoil the book. Readers have something special to look forward to. I'm a big Rosamund Hodge fan and am happy that What Monstrous Gods proves once again that she is a master fantasy novelist. Highly recommended.
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