Published: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Bloom Books
Series: No Other Gods #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 445 (Kindle)
My Rating: 2 Stars
Synopsis:
The deities you call aren’t always the ones who answer. Marlow needs to believe she’s crazy. The alternative would mean embracing the gift―or curse―shared by her mother and she can see angels and demons, including a dark and haunting entity who’s been with Marlow her entire life. At least, she believes that’s all he is until a fae from the Nordic pantheon strolls into her life and informs her that she’s been sharing a bed with the Prince of Hell. A Prince who’s now gone missing. Before she knows it, Marlow is deeply entangled in a centuries-old war, stumbling straight into a battleground between mighty beings of myth and legend from powerful pantheons around the world. And who will come out on top may just depend on her and the love she never dared to believe in.
This book was the biggest mess I’ve ever read. I love a good romance book and I’m fine with “smut” content so long as there is a plot to be found amidst those scenes. The Deer and the Dragon unfortunately was not a good romance book. The premise is interesting and had potential, but it was squandered by an idiotic main character, a limping plot, and almost zero romance at all.
The main character, Marlow, has a serious case of religious and parental trauma, substance abuse issues, and she thinks she’s crazy because she’s been seeing this guy (both literally and uh, intimately) for years that no one else can see. In the present she’s a wealthy romance author who is now living in a posh apartment building full of other discreetly wealthy people. Oh, and she did a stint as an escort after meeting this random pretty girl on the street of Rio de Janeiro and made loads of money and learned soooo many secrets from dumb wealthy men. It was just that easy with almost no risk! Hah! For a character with such worldly experience and a degree in mythology and folklore, she continually presents herself as both weirdly shy about the topic of sex and also completely ignorant of basic folklore concepts like the importance of names.
The side characters, even the bad ones, are somehow more likable than Marlow. Fauna, a minor Nordic deity, rather rudely barges into her life and insists that these other worlds are real and that Marlow herself has some Nord blood. Fauna is ridiculously beautiful and has even Marlow panting after her despite her extremely rude treatment. Honestly, this treatment is exactly what Marlow deserves after being so shitty to her human friends who tolerate her strangeness and treat her like family. The love interest, Caliban, happens to be the prince of Hell and he might be interesting but Marlow ran him off because she was tired of being ‘crazy’ and he spends most of the book elsewhere.
There were some good parts – the discussion of religious trauma and Marlow’s backstory were done well. Her family issues are relevant in the present day setting of the story as well and that drama worked with the flashbacks. I even think the idea of the story is really cool. I love a good star crossed lovers story, I love the intersection of the various pantheons, and I love that everyone seems to be after Marlow, whether they realize it or not. Very cool stuff. Unfortunately, the lackluster plot, pacing, and main character couldn’t bring this idea to life in a way that worked for me.
Overall, this was a dud and I wouldn’t recommend it. I kept reading simply to find out if it ever got better or if it would manage to hook me at the end, which it didn’t ever manage to do. It’s unlikely I’ll pick up other books by this author unless I see some seriously good reviews from trusted sources.
Powder & Page 