Divine Mortals

Starred review from August 15, 2024
The mortal world's fate hinges on one magical, snarky, introverted teen girl. Eighteen-year-old Mona Arnett hasn't left her room in 10 years, preferring its familiarity and the comfort of whiskey due to her debilitating guilt in the wake of the death of her beloved older brother. But Irinorr, the crow god of love, selects Mona, bestowing upon her the power to divine a person's soul mate and the ability to travel to the Flood, or realm of the gods. When handsome Delmar Whitman, the master of practitioners of magic for King Isaac, calls upon Mona to discern the ailing king's true love so he can maintain the royal line of succession, she finally leaves home. When Mona divines Isaac's soul mate, she discovers a shocking answer that she tries to hide from Whitman and new friend and fellow seer Bernadette. The deeper into the palace's intrigue and politics Mona delves, the more she finds that deceit runs rampant: Not only the future of the monarchy but the fate of the entire mortal world hang in a precarious balance. Debut author Helander's series opener is finely wrought and intricate in its worldbuilding, populated with characters who are sure to inspire an eager fan base and filled with smoldering enemies-to-lovers scenes replete with swoonworthy banter. Fans of Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas need look no further for their next big read. Mona and Whitman are cued white, and Bernadette reads Black. Sexy, thrilling, and utterly unputdownable. (dramatis personae)(Fantasy romance. 14-adult)

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October 1, 2024

Gr 10 Up-Hand this to romantasy fans of Gina Chen's Violet Made of Thorns and Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing. A childhood fight ended with her brother dead and Mona with the power to divine soulmates. The last 10 years have kept her in her room; drinking, entertaining those who want her services, and tending the altar for her brother, unable to rise out of the grief and guilt. Now the king requires her services to secure the royal line, and Mona divines his soulmate only to discover it's her. Vehemently uninterested in a royal marriage, Mona must hide the answer from the handsome Delmar Whitman, the master of magical practitioners in the kingdom, as well as other diviners. As scheming gods get involved in court politics, Mona learns the fate of the whole world hangs in the balance. Mona and Delmar's banter-filled romance adds tension to the intrigue as well as some sexy scenes later in the book, though it's not quite an enemies-to-lovers arc. Helander has constructed a world where gods play favorites and magic is mysterious enough to let the unscrupulous get away with almost anything. Mona is a complex heroine, whose public and private personas differ greatly as she struggles to trust herself and process the grief of her brother's death. Mona and Delmar are white, with some diversity in the supporting cast. VERDICT A melting pot of everything BookTok loves, this feels destined to be a hot title this fall. A first purchase.-Emmy Neal

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Mona Arnett has inherent magical talent; while others need tools and tricks to make magic work, she can simply name anyone's soulmate. Ever since her brother died 10 years ago, she's hidden from the outside world. Unfortunately, the king's Master of Practitioners seeks her out, thrusting her from the secluded wing of her home and into the world of the royals. Mona finds the king's castle surprisingly welcoming, though she is shocked when she divines the dying king's soulmate to be none other than herself. As she sorts out how to hide her fate with the king, friends and enemies arise. Bernadette Byers, another magician inherently blessed to know truth from lies, is willing to help Mona, but only to better surmise information on a cult stirring in the background of the castle. A promising debut with many moving parts, Helander's first of a planned series offers entry into an exciting magical world, with more interesting tales surely to come.

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