Astania Reviews

Kae | The Council of Gods

Aries: He comes off as a mystery initially, and I think by the point where I stopped, he still was. I get the sense that he's afraid to commit to anything because he thinks he's going to hurt Gemini like he did with her aunt, but I'm not really sure. There's definitely potential for him to be a complex person which are characters I usually enjoy. I do think that just like Gemini, I want to know more about what he wants and what he's like too.

World

This is a world where the gods are real, and even further than that, they are the Zodiacs. I like that aspect of lore—the statues, the museum that used to be alive—those are all very cool details. I think I've seen the Zodiacs as characters before, but not as deities! I don't personally know much about the zodiac stereotypes, but I didn't feel like they were just zodiac signs. I think it goes beyond that, and I could see that comes through in the side characters as well.

There are some really great descriptions peppered in, which I liked. I would add more descriptions throughout scenes to ground a reader and draw our attention to the specifics of this world you've crafted. Since they have museums and books, I assume the setting is more modern, but I'm not entirely sure. Weaving in setting details drip-feeds us story as well as character—say, for example, Gemini loves roses, so she notices those before extravagant buildings—that tells us something.

The lore gets detailed throughout, which I think was enough for me to feel like I understood what was happening. It didn't overwhelm me with too much information at once. We learn about mentors, and then we meet Gemini's mentor—so the information was placed in ways that made sense narratively.

General Thoughts I Had While Reading

Chapter One:

I am curious what backstory Aries had. Did he mentor someone who died? Was it Aries' fault?

Gemini seems like she has a supportive family around her. That is wonderful to read, especially in a fantasy story where I expect her to be thrown into chaos and war. I hope that continues to be the case.

Chapter Two:

I wonder how old the council is.

Why aren't Aquarius and Leo allowed to be together? The other Zodiacs have established relationships, so is it something about their star signs not being permitted to have a relationship? I'm not sure.

There's some great sensory detail at the end of the chapter with the scent being described as well as the moonlight.

Chapter Three:

I think it's interesting world-building that there are statues to past gods. It makes sense, and shows the fact that these used to be real people at some point.

I like that Gemini doesn't know the full story of what happened to her aunt. I'm not sure yet if her mother lied to her or not, but it does make for a good reason for both her and Aries to have a different perspective.

Truthfully, Aries not showing up to the funeral makes me believe him that he feels like he failed. That's an understandable reaction to losing someone he loved—he couldn't bear to go, so he didn't.

How much older than Gemini is Aries?

Showing kindness is the first trial. It's not deadly, but it is a good first test. I think drawing attention to the fact that Gemini helped a human woman is a good choice narratively. It helps me like her more as a character.

Chapter Four:

What kind of illness could affect a god?

Gemini probably should have researched past trials before, if they were so accessible. Consider maybe making it harder for her to access this information, since this makes me think she's not as smart as I'm sure she is.