Deity's Soulmate

The Goddess Training Trilogy #1

by Angelina Kerner

From author Angelina Kerner (Seven Hours: Challenge Accepted) comes an all-new fantasy series about Gardenia, a daughter of Athena, and her 100 years of coursework on how to create whole new worlds and subjects of her own.

A sheltered schoolchild in a realm of condescending gods and goddesses, Gardenia goes to Earth on a dare to witness the unsavory side of mankind for herself. Believing she can do better, she undertakes the formation of an entire galaxy, but without permission from Zeus.

Zeus disciplines her by assigning an epic 13-fold creational lesson destined to take her a century to complete. But he is taken aback once more when she makes an odd choice. She vows to fulfill this knowledge quest by tracking down a lost race of dragons, and discovering the secrets they’ve kept since time began.

Searching the universe to meet even one dragon may be a fool’s errand, but that’s the least of her worries. For ancient wartime resentments linger between the nations of dragons and deities, and some dragons would attack Gardenia on sight!

Yet she ventures out undaunted, learning unexpected things about nomadic life, tender love, and mortal peril along the way. The biggest surprise of all, though, goes by the name of Ri. Ri may be the man of her dreams, the voice in her head, the dragon she’s seeking, or all these things and more...

Meanwhile, the Fates brew sordid plans of their own and Hera jealously sets traps and trials for Gardenia at every chance. What’s a young goddess to do? Flight or fight?

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Dragons, Young Adult

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2015

About the author

ANGELINA KERNER is an author of unforgettable, sassy, and tantalizing stories. She’s the wife of a photographer and the mother of a cute little toddler, but she’s also been a dancer, a psychologist, an anthropologist, a geographer, a dreamer, and an adventurer. She does her best writing while being bothered by her cats in sunny California. Angelina loves to play goddess-dragon matchmaker, transporting readers to a place with carefree romance where one can finish reading with a smile. However, with light there’s darkness.

Reviews

[Didi Oviatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deity's Soulmate has the most uniquely modern twist on mythological aspects I've ever read. It's different, and I love different. Gardenia is the daughter of Athena and Zeus. She has a bit of a temper, and often makes rash decisions. She lets her family and the fates press her buttons, and she's known to act on emotions rather than thinking things through.

Her stubborn bull-headedness isn't all bad though. After breaking the rules, checking out human kind in war without permission, and listening to some negative comments of belittlement from her family and one of the fates, Gardenia makes a split decision to create a Galaxy of her own. Such a task usually requires years of extensive training. It's extremely taxing on the body and soul, and the complexities of creating life is far to overwhelming for a teenage goddess to understand.

Luckily Gardenia survives the first step. But, for punishment Zeus places her creation in a limbo state and requires her to train for quite an extensive period of time. Everyone is expecting her to fail. After her choice to seek out the help of dragons as her trainers rather than the obvious choice of her family, they all seem to stand against her even more. Gardenia uses the lack of faith in herself by her family to feed her determination. She seeks out the help of dragons to train her for the task at hand. What she finds in her journey is far from what she expected.

I really enjoyed the style of this story and am excited to read the next books in the series! I enjoyed the fates. They're deceptive and weave a path of destruction. It's kind of like they are irritating in a perfect way. I love the approach Angelina took with Dragons! I felt like Gardenia was a bit juvenile. A part of me felt like that was necessary to the plot, and part of me not so much. Ultimately I really enjoyed the read, and will definitely be reading the next in the series!

[J.B. Trepagnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little modern twist on Greek mythology. Here, Mother Universe gave birth to Zeus and the gods instead of the Titans and dragons and the fates were the first beings created. The dragons are content to be cast out by Zeus and live in other universes created by the Gods, but the fates plot in the background.

The story is told from the point of view of a young goddess, Gardenia. There are no demi-gods or gods sleeping with mortals in this version of Greek Mythology. Gods have to ask permission from Zeus, who consults the fates before permission is given for a child, and it's had with another god. Gardenia is the child of two gods.

Gardenia is a little immature at first because she is very young for a god. She has to learn the 7 days of creation, but since time moves differently for her, she learns them over 100 years from many teachers. She chooses to learn them from the dragons instead of her family, who she both dislikes and thinks dislikes her.

Her adventure goes from there as she learns parts of her destiny and grows up a little. The story is well written and flows well. Some of the repetition of how the 13 days of creation work maybe could have been skipped by the dragons teaching instead of having Gardenia repeat it almost word for word with 2-3 different dragons across several different chapters, but other than that the story was a good read.

Gardenia is visiting an amusement park on a universe created by Aphrodite. She sees a mystery man she feels an instant attraction to. She hitches a ride on a space ship to another planet while searching for dragons to teach her. While she's exploring relationships with boys, she's kissing one and hears a mysterious voice that this boy is not for her. There's some romance and mystery men in here for romance fans as well

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story of a feisty, young goddess; I guess you can call it a coming-of-age story, just not in the typical human sense. We join Gardenia, daughter of Zeus and Athena, on an eventful journey as she learns to create her own galaxy; once this is complete she will no longer be considered a child by her fellow gods and goddesses. This particular journey is unique from any other “lesson,” as Gardenia has decided to learn from dragons, rather than her own elders. Her community is insulted and outraged by this choice; which leaves her shunned and denied by her peers. To make matters even worse, she falls in love with one of the dragons she chose as a teacher; dragons are sworn enemies to all gods and goddesses. However, throughout her adventurous lessons, Gardenia discovers not all things are as they seem and learns of truths that may enlighten what is publicly known about the history of the gods and goddesses. Will this hurt her even further, or save her from the consequences of her rebellious actions?

Deity’s Soulmate is well written, with beautiful imagery and developed characters. It was cute and funny at times, but I didn’t feel it was a smooth or easy read at times. There were several parts throughout the series that read a little slowly, causing boredom while reading. There were several editing errors, and this caused quite a few bumps in the read as well.

Overall, I liked Deity’s Soulmate; however, the boredom while reading means it could have been better, this typically earns a rating of 3 Boundless Stars....Beth

http://www.boundlessbookreviews.com

https://www.facebook.com/BBReviews

[Darque Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deity’s Soulmate was such a fun, intriguing story! For being a short, quick read, it really packed a punch! I loved the uniqueness and imagination of it all. Angelina did a great job with pulling me in to the story and helping me visualize the universe and all the places Gardenia traveled.

Gardenia was the goddess that befriended dragons. I loved her spunk and stubbornness! I enjoyed traveling with and her watching her learn and grow as a person and goddess. I loved watching her blossom in to woman hood and test the waters with love.

I really enjoyed Angelina’s twist on mythology and creation. She took the stories of old and created gods and goddesses that were almost human. Deity’s Soulmate read like one of those exciting soap operas that you just can’t stop watching! It had fun twists, passion, and creativity.

I think what I enjoyed the most was the fact that Gardenia went against everything she was forced to be and took fate in to her own hands. She tried to learn on her own terms and tried to be a good goddess, unbiased from the lies and prejudices her family fed her. And, in doing so, she befriended some incredible dragons, and found a new family. I’d rate it 3.5-4 stars and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something fun and unique to read.

[D.C. Triana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Goddesses and their dragons!

This is a book full of mythological creatures that intertwine with gods and goddesses to create a magical new world. Imagine a teenager’s rebellious nature, times it by a hundred, and maybe you’ll understand the goddess Gardenia. Deciding to go off by herself to create her own galaxy she gets into major trouble and Zev(Zeus), her father, puts her into 100 years of punishment, making her go through training before she can go back and create her own galaxy. Enter the dragons, mystical beings that can travel through space and time. The dragons are the best part of this fantasy world, did I mention they can also take human form. There has been animosity between dragons and the gods for years, ever since Zev destroyed their planet. Gardenia promises them a new galaxy as long as they help and teach her build her new galaxy. After a few years Gardenia meets Ri and Ra, young brothers and fun loving dragons that become Gardenia’s teachers. Soon after, Gardenia finds herself falling in love with Ri. This story was definitely an original read that kept you guessing. I really loved the mystical world Angelina Kerner created, and look forward to the rest of the series.

[Scott Spotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly a very unique story and refreshing, introducing ideas I've never thought of before. It's almost like a "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" as experienced instead by a young, naive goddess who among other things, goes to amusement parks and gets pranked by a teenage guy! It's light and breezy, where the powerful gods and goddesses of Greek legend get to have family squabbles, threaten and bluff each other with indignant entitlement, and blend in with mortals in simple pleasures like riding on a tacky amusement park ride like all of us, plus do some real cool stuff like create planets and separate light from darkness.

Although this was repeated many times in the story, I did enjoy the concept of thirteen steps to creation, and that was because each story-teller of these thirteen easy steps put a different spin on the oft-repeated fable, using special effects with magic. (Although I was left scratching my head why the very essence of creating a planet gets only one step, but mermaids and centaurs each get their own step?)

Due to this very unique set-up, I am giving this four stars. I thought around the halfway point after the novelty of the goddess needing to learn the days of creation and finding thirteen teachers (by the end of the book we had covered only four of them!) dragged a little as it focused on her touch-and-go relationship between her and a guy, both teenagers. (It's stated that she's around thirty-three at the end of the book, but that's in goddess years, and they act like teenagers, so I'm guessing it's like dog years -- you divide the number of years by a certain factor to get a true age that's comparable to ours). I didn't see this relationship going anywhere really (although the fictional couple definitely think it does) and it distracted from the excitement of being all-omnipresent and the thrill of creating new life. I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a romance book or a road trip story. It's good to cross genres, but the romance really took place in an awkward position in the story and dragged out what should have been a bang to the end of the story.

It's a very interesting story, and in terms of style and content unlike many other books I've read, so I think you'll enjoy it too. Despite the weighty topics of gods and all-powerful responsibilities, this feels like a young adult read, and sometimes there was great depth, sometimes there was frothy and inconsequential banter.

[RhondaJoBriggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gods and dragons... can they get along?

Gardenia is a goddess, the daughter of two gods, and has recently reached her eighteenth birthday. When a goddess comes of age, she is taught the creation process. The process is similar to the biblical creation story in some ways (on day 1 God created _____, up to day 7), but some worlds take up to ten days to create. Gardenia learns of the betrayal and lies of the gods and decides to find her own path and teachers to create her world. She decides to find dragons to be her teachers. Dragons came before the gods. Gods took everything that once belonged to the dragons, thus creating a deep seated hatred between the species. In order to find the dragons to be her teachers, Gardenia must navigate multiple galaxies created by her family members because the dragons hadn't been seen in years. She needs to find one teacher for each of the days of creation. What will Gardenia learn about herself, the gods, and dragons on her quest? Will she find enough dragons willing to teach her the creation steps?

I recommend this book to anyone who has read Lily's Rebirth because they share some mythos. I decided to read this because Angelina Kerner paints wonderful pictures with her words and pulls me right into her stories.

[James Hockley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting concept – certainly not akin to anything I’ve read before. And strangely, this is the second book in a row that I've read with gods at the core. But more than that - here we have dragons too; and lots of other classic fantasy creatures to think about. Almost all of them in fact. This is certainly a far reaching concept.

I would say that this is a peaceful and sedate read. However, darker sub-texts do reveal themselves and are ultimately unveiled just enough to lead into the second novel, where it sounds like things are about to get a bit nastier. Great! Most of the book is told from Gardenia's perspective, and being an adolescent goddess, the tone and the trajectory of the story feel very young adult to me.

Now, I'm not averse to a YA book, but for me, this was perhaps a little too young – the tone just a little too immature. And for me this jarred against the scale of the perceived world. But then who am I to say that goddesses are mature and don't have juvenile fun? In fact, the author has since confirmed that the immature tone is designed, and will mature through the series – great! This may well therefore be perfectly suited to the YA market, and it will certainly appeal to a younger audience (and perhaps the older audience too).

So, what's this all about? Well, as mentioned earlier, this is about gods and dragons and just about every other fantasy creature in-between. But mostly it is about gods and dragons. We have a young goddess who rebels against her 'family' and goes off to find her own way in the big wide universe – searching for her own way to create in her godly image. Ultimately she ends up learning how to create worlds from dragons, and comes to recognise the deeply retrenched animosity between gods (her family) and dragons; which puts her in an awkward position because she sympathises with the dragons. And the Fates are woven into the story too: there is a deeper sub-text cooking away.

Now, there is a lot in this book that is very good, the highlights being as follows:
1. Although the voice is generally immature, the last chapter switches perspective to a much older Fate, and the language seems more mature as a consequence. This suggests good writing by the author;
2. As already mentioned, the premise is very interesting and certainly unique in my experience;
3. There were also nice touches in here, and fine nuances built around the established universe. For example, time takes on different qualities in different circumstances, which adds realism to the ideas;
4. The story maintained clear pinch points, and it was never entirely obvious where the story was going, which kept you guessing as a reader;
5. There are some really nice turns of phrase in here which brought a smile to my face;
6. And there is some nice artwork littered throughout the book.

However, there are also some weaker aspects which deterred me a little. Probably the most serious of the these was that the book needs editing. There were just too many simple mistakes that rattled as I read through, the most severe ones being as follows:
1. The use of the word android in place of asteroid (I think this is a simple translation mistake because the author is Russian [or Russian-German-Ukrainian to be precise], but it would be an easy fix);
2. There are a few instances of loose instead of lose;
3. There are a few instances of repetitive and unnecessary words which draw you out of the prose;
4. And there were occasions where the speech of two people occurred in the same paragraph.

Now, a lot of this can be forgiven given the author's roots, but I'd recommend an editorial to polish these issues out as it may turn off certain readers. There were also a few formatting problems with the version I read, but this could just be a consequence of reading a CreateSpace template on Kindle, so I will reserve judgment on this.

In terms of other weaknesses, I thought the prose lacked some depth. A lot was conveyed through speech and italic first person thoughts, but there didn't seem to be the scaled depth for my liking - though I think first person is notoriously hard to do, and the depth may have been more natural in third person. Again though, this may well be entirely appropriate for a YA audience. I also wasn't keen on the 21st Century casual language used by Gardenia and (to a degree) by the dragons. It seemed out of place to me, though to a different audience this may not be a problem.

And there were some scientific references in here which jarred for me as someone who follows (loosely) the scientific world – for example references to the Big Bang. Then again this is fantasy, so what is right? And for that matter, do we know that science is right? So again, one for the individual reader to pass judgment on.

Finally, I personally thought that things were perhaps a little too easy for Gardenia; she always seemed to pick up the challenge easily with only a limited struggle – though she is a goddess so maybe this is right! It meant that there never seemed to be a real 'danger' moment where we were turning pages to see what the outcome would be, though it’s fair to say that the danger does ramp up towards the end of the book.

All in all, I did enjoy this book as a concept, though the leisurely pace and the editing errors pulled me away from the story. As mentioned earlier though, the darkness does build, and we are left with a sense of danger and conflict right at the end of the book. So perhaps the real challenge is still to come? We’ll have to find out in the second volume.

3 stars because of the errors in the prose, but I could objectively push this to four stars if it was more polished. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

http://www.jhockley.com/epic-fantasy/...

[**Elle**Bee**Double U** · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was actually surprised that I enjoyed reading this story as much as I did.

Gardenia has been punished by Zeus to do a 13 day creational lesson that will take her a century to complete. Instead of choosing among her family for her teachers, she chooses to seek out the first race, the dragons.

By the end of this story, Gardenia has completed 4 days of her lessons.
Found her soulmate, a dragon nonetheless and not everyone is happy that the universe would bless a union between enemies.
Now she's got to hide out among her new mates race because the Fates have a plan brewing that puts Gardenia right in the middle of a war.

I can't believe this story ended the way it did. But I can see the need, because from the looks of things, there's going to be so much going on and a new war between the Gods/Goddesses and Dragons as well as the Fates plans that it would make for a L A R G E book. I can't wait until the second one releases.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard one to rate/review. I liked the story. I liked the tasks Gardenia needed to complete and the dragons and the Gods/Goddesses and Greek Mythology. I do think this story was kind of all over the place. Things came too easy for Garden it seemed. She was a little selfish, arrogant, and petty. She calls her family liars and greedy among other things. To give her the benefit of the doubt she grew up the same way somewhat. Yes, she is a little different but she's shown the same traits in the book. I liked her but not all that much. I did feel for her because she was singled out because she thought a little different. She's young but isn't a child but surely acted like it at times. There was an abundance of telling in this book but not necessarily showing the readers much. Garden has to get through 13 days and she's mastered a slow 4. So, obviously each book will be 4 days. These dragons' personalities took me awhile to understand and like. They grew on me though. I think I would like to read book 2 at some point.

[Teri Ditchman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have read a few of the other books by this author and decided to take a chance on this one. I couldn't put it down. Written well and the story flows and does a very good job of explaining the Gods and Goddesses in the story and their relationship to each other. Also includes a very cool and different love story. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

[Staci Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite perspective on the old Gods.

What better than the rebellious youngster to stir the plot. So many old stories told of monumental feats. Yet here is a fresh new start. A love story combined with just what the egotistical hierarchy needed.

[Amber Kestner · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 20%
That is how far I could get. I just can't get into it. No fault of the Author, she writes amazing stories this one just didn't grab me in like the rest of her stories have. It could be just my taste too. I love fantasy stories especially with dragons but this one just wasn't it.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting take on Greek mythology and nice twist to make it into something new. I've read a few books by this author and she's great at making you feel like you're right there in the story. Very descriptive and interesting. Would love to read more about this

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall rating: 4

An interesting look into the education of gods and goddesses as well as their creations. The main character, Gardenia, plays a spoiled youngster to a tee. She is exhausting but I do realize she is exactly as this author wants her to be. Having her reach out to dragons for assistance opened up many questions for me, which in turn kept me reading. This book is entertaining and can be read in an afternoon.

[Sarah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goes down as another off my 2018 Bookworm Bingo Challenge – A book that made you laugh out loud. Closer to the end that is when pranks start to play a part in the training. Seems karma has a way of coming back around as Gardenia gets a taste of her own medicine.

Gardenia is the youngest goddess at 18 and is soon to start her training in creating worlds, something her mother is Athena is proud of. She always thought Apollo was her father but due to the Fates being able to see more – and because they like to meddle – she finds out that Zeus is really her father. She is none too happy about that fact; neither is her mother. With her training about to start, and thinking her own family now corrupt, she wants different teachers, dragons to be specific. The dragons came first so she thinks they will give her a better view on creation. She just needs to find some to teach her the 13 days of creation – a different dragon for each day. Finding one is hard enough but 13 might be asking for trouble. Lets see how her plan plays out and 100 years of training begins.

So the task has begun to find a dragon and she has multiple universes to search. She just needs to go to one where people have at least heard of them. Her search isn’t in vain as she comes across a human who knows where a dragon might be hiding on his planet. Villam is an Earth dragon who likes to take things at a relaxed pace. Note to self, a dragon’s nap is a lot longer than you might think, but hey at least you would be rested. Seems when the lessons start for day one she figures out how useful wings could be. Time for some creative magic it seems.

Gardenia has the handy ability to be able to change her appearance no matter the planets race – the better to blend in. After completing day one she sets off for another planet, one her aunt created. It’s just going to take six months to get there so she might as well make some friends and more along the way. But a silver headed man with green eyes keeps popping into her mind and dreams. Someone she is destined to meet perhaps?

New planet and new teacher called Wind. It seems they like getting her to recite the 13 days of creation. Unlike Villiam, Wind just needs to say certain words to create the stages in a mini galaxy display for her. Villiam gave her knowledge but it seems Wind wants her to work things out herself as day two is about creating life. So he’s just going to watch so she doesn’t die – nice cheery teacher then! Learning by sleeping seems like an interesting idea but be weary of what you learn. Her family really doesn’t have her best interests at heart – Hera being top of that list! A lesson learned and as a reward it seems dragon racing is the event of the day. Racing round Saturn’s rings sure sounds like fun.

Years seem to pass by quickly with each days training but with only two down she needs to pick up the pace. Having a set of dragon twins, silver this time, Ri and Ra helping her out for days three and four seems just the ticket. Love the back and forth conversations they have, almost as if Gardenia isn’t there. She might be learning more than just the days with these two, her history and Fates plans coming into play. She also learns something new in that dragons have the ability to shift to human state. Once Ri does she gets the feeling she has met him before. Before the day training begins it seems her physical training needs to improve first – hello bootcamp. It also seems that living with these two while training brings pranks coming in thick and fast, karma is a bitch but amusing to see. Trouble is that the longer she views Ri in his human form the more she forgets what he truly is – a dragon. Does she follow her heart or hide it?

Ra’s training isn’t much of a walk in the park either but that’s going to be the least of Gardenia’s problems when the Fates start sticking their ore in. Them and the Gods don’t mix. They seem to have an end game but are they really a step ahead? Trouble might be brewing with her family but it seems dragons were always meant to be apart of her life. Can they help in the days to come? Could a war be brewing? Will she ever get to finish her training? Those, and many more, questions hopefully will be answered in the books to come. It definitely picked up more when she aged as a character. It was good to see the distinction between naive teenager to a more knowledgeable adult. I like the drawings throughout, gives a little visual idea of what everyone is talking about. Fun fantasy read that keeps you hooked till the end. Will be interesting to see where things go from here on out.

I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.
https://readingnook84.wordpress.com/2...

[Twocutescotties · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was an intriguing read and fun to see the different worlds that the Gods made.
Greek Gods and Dragons, love it!

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

This was quite an original read. The author has a unique take on the Greek Gods, she changed their names a bit, ie Zeus is now Zev. In this tale the Gods are in charge of creating their own galaxies and beings to worship them. Gardenia is the daughter of Apollo and Athena and she is head strong and stubborn and trying to resist her fate. Gardenia doesn't want to create a galaxy of her own, it makes her nervous, but when she feels like she is going to fail anyway she decides to just go an do it, without permission.

Zev, of course, gets pissed that Gardenia went behind his back to begin creation out of turn. Gardenia finds out Zev is her father and reacts badly. In fact I had a hard time warming up to Gardenia, she's kind of a spoiled brat, almost Mary Sue. Though she's 16 so maybe she's just acting like a normal annoying teenager. She also speaks like a modern woman, which a little explanation would have been nice, since she is a Goddess. Example: She calls Zev a prick at one point.

The dragons in this novel appear kind of out of no where and it takes a bit before we're given information on them. However once they show up they are pretty cool, the author does a great job of of getting the powerful, larger than life feel of a dragon. She writes them as a truly mystical being. She aldo makes it so dragons can fly in space and between planets and dimensions, they can shift into human form too. The dragons planet was destroyed by Zev and Gardenia promises them a place in her new galaxy if they teach her the 13 steps of creation.

The author's first language is not English, there are times this is pretty obvious. But for someone writing in their secondary language the author did a great job, the book reads well and is very descriptive and has a decent grasp of grammar.

There is a lot in this book and it takes place over a very long time. When Gardenia meets her first dragon teacher Villam she is with him for six years. There is also a ton of information in this book, it's half way through by the time she meets Wind and gets to work on Day two of the creation of her galaxy. She spends a good amount a time with him then takes a six year memory nap and still isn't done with day two. She talks to Dragons, people, Gods, Phoenixes and all matter of creatures, many with their own names. It's creative and interesting but a little too much. Like so many stories all thrown together.

I had an issue with the magic in this book as there seemed to be no rules to the world building or magic using. All the places she visits are the same, but are supposed to be made by different gods, but they are all humanoid and speak the same. I also never quite took to the main character, she didn't seem to have any depth outside of the aggravating teen persona.

There was also some original and interesting art work in the novel done by the author's older sister, which did make the reading more involved.

The romance between Ri and Gardenia is sweet and takes a while to get going, which is nice to see since YA is over saturated with insta-love. Ri and his brother Ra are dragons who teach Gardenia about creating day three and four. When they finally confess they love one another their "union" is a little quick and weird, but romantic. However, she doesn't tell any of her parents and her family finds out by accident or coincidence, which was odd seeing as how Gardenia talks about how much she loves her mom and dad (Apollo not Zev). I liked Ri a lot and his brother Ra was pretty adorable, some of my favorite parts involve these two fun dragons.

This novel ends on a cliff hanger, so be warned.

This book was a mixing bag for me. I liked a lot of it, especially the parts that linked Greek mythology with the story line. I did have a few issues as well. But I recommend giving this novel a try, particularly if you enjoy fantasy and dragons.

[Bookmafia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Age: 15+

Recommendation: Not as it currently stands. The ideas are great but this book could use a bit more TLC. See the review below.

Type: Series, this is book one in the Goddess Training Trilogy.

Pages:250

Summary: +interesting plot with original ideas - needs some serious editing -confusing time-table +interesting main character +cute romance -no real sexual chemistry between mains -/+cliffhanger ( but not one that stresses you out.)

Full Review:

Ok, let me start this off by referring to my comment on editing. Most copies that I am given are advanced and prior to editing, totally get that right? This particular book is from Kindle Unlimited so that is the copy I am using to complete my review. The writing in the book is confusing. Not because the story line isn't interesting but because there are mis-used words, incorrectly spelled words and other grammatical errors that made it actually hard to read. Even the description is mildly confusing to read, but once you get past that portion of the experience the book itself is actually pretty good.

Deity's Soulmate follows the goddess Gardenia, the daughter of Apollo and Athena. In this world, gods and goddesses are solely responsible for creating universes and life. Tested as a young teen of sixteen, each god and goddess get one chance to successfully create their universe and if they fail, they are made to wait one hundred years before attempting again. This is a pretty big deal because that is literally all they do. They are responsible for creating life and then managing it.

After finding out her family ( the rest of the gods/goddesses) harbors a hate filled past and the truth of her heritage comes to light, Gardenia decides to look towards those that came before the gods to learn how to correctly build a world: the dragons. This book follows Gardenia on part of her path to not only locate dragons who are willing to teach her but also the budding romance that is created between herself and the last person she expected. I really enjoyed the way the author wove both mythology and fantasy together to create a truly original plot. Gardenia is an interesting character, and so are each of the dragons she meets. Unfortunately I didn't really feel anything in regards to her romance. There wasn't very much chemistry between her and the focus of her affections but the chemistry that is there is sweet. Another thing to mention is that the way time passes in this book is kind of random. The heroine sleeps for months at a time sometimes, even years without purpose.

I am hoping that with the next installment the editing improves so that it doesn't take away from the book. There are a lot of great ideas behind this and with a little work it could be wonderful.

Disclaimer: I was asked to review this book and complete an honest review. I obtained my copy from Kindle Unlimited.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixteen year old Gardenia is a goddess. The daughter of Athena and Apollo, she is disheartened when she visits Earth and sees the uproar and disharmony in a universe that her mother had created. Determined to try and build a better world, Gardenia tries to create a new universe, almost dying in the process. On her way to Hades in the afterlife, Gardenia overhears the shocking news that Zeus is her real father and not Apollo, which awakens her. Punished for 100 years, she has only that time to learn all there is about the thirteen days of creation. Gardenia shuns all offers from the gods and goddesses to become her teachers for this challenge, choosing instead to have dragons teach her, as they were the original beings, older than the deities themselves. In doing so, the gods and goddesses see Gardenia with disdain. With each dragon teaching her, Gardenia finds herself gradually transforming into a dragon, initially just growing wings. As each day passes, she learns more and more of the horrors which Zeus had inflicted upon the dragons, making Gardenia loathe her biological father even more. Upon her full transformation, Gardenia and her fourth teacher, Ri, fall in love and marry. When news reaches Gardenia’s biological father, bloodlust and vengeance take hold and Zeus vows to destroy her.

In the first book of The Goddess Training trilogy, Gardenia learns only of the first four days of creation, leaving the rest of the series open for her to continue her studies. The imagination of Angelina Kerner to create such an amazing story with the mighty Greek deities is fun, and filled with the determination of a teenager to learn from only the best to ensure that she passes in her next attempt to create a universe. While in need of polishing, Deity’s Soulmate’s characters and locations are well described and easy to picture, akin to watching a film rather than reading a book, and very few authors can master such a task. I enjoyed that all three of her parents check on her well-being, with Athena and Apollo visiting her for emotional support, whereas Zeus visits only for a status update. It shows the difference between Apollo’s and Zeus’ feelings for Gardenia, with Apollo treating her as every loving father should treat his child. I enjoyed the first instalment of The Goddess Training trilogy and recommend it to those over the age of 12 who enjoy action, adventure, comedy and drama in this unique mythological tale of teenage determination.

- Rosie Malezer for Readers’ Favorite

[L. S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deity’s Soulmate is an interesting amalgamation of Greek mythos and modern storytelling. Modern in that it takes place with current amenities, so to speak. While the deity’s can go anywhere and to any time, the story itself feels like it takes place in the year 2017. Gardenia, Apollo and Athena's daughter, starts her journey creating her very first universe. Like all her relatives before her. She is in fierce competition with Harvest, daughter of Hera and Zeus. Both women are always trying to one up each other. As a result, it pushes Gardenia to make the most important decision of her life.

I can say without a doubt that I don’t like Gardenia’s character. Based on her familial background, I know the readers supposed to sympathize with her. I can’t. The more the story progresses, the more we see that she’s the same as everyone else. Demanding, rude, self-centered, and petty. Read: everything a Greek deity’s described as. So, while her personality is canon, I don’t find her likable. Or relatable. Negative traits in a character are good things, usually. Not very many people seem to grasp that fact that they’re needed for a full personality. Unfortunately, Gardenia’s outweighs her good traits. And it feels so over the top it’s like she’s trying to show off. Trying too hard.

There isn’t much in the way of character development. Gardenia does everything with relative ease. Magic is what she relies on. It does everything for her. No limits in sight. This gives her an unnatural advantage during her quest. Cheapens her victories, if you will. There’s a vague idea that somewhere, somehow, she’s struggling to fulfill her task. I have yet to see it.

The writing style was very fast-paced. It suited the story…for the most part. There was a lot more telling than showing. Telling can be useful. This case was very overdone.

The pacing of the story itself felt off. Every so often Gardenia would do something, only to have years pass. Except it doesn’t feel like years have passed. It feels like Gardenia is vomiting her story out. That everything is happening one right after another. The fact that her character stays the same from beginning to end doesn’t help. Generally, with the passage of time, people change. Gardenia didn’t.

Deity’s Soulmate has potential. It’s hard to find Greek mythology that hasn’t been overdone, and this novel can do it. It would take some work. Still, it’s a step in the right direction.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gardenia is the daughter of Zeus and Athena. She has gotten herself into trouble and is challenged by Zeus to make a universe of her own. But she has to follow a guideline that will take her 100 years to complete. Once she does this she will be considered to have passed her rites of passage. But she defies her teachers and decides to learn from the dragons instead of her family. This causes great strife in her community. When she falls in love with a dragon she finds herself in deeper trouble. But the main thing she learns along the path of her quest is that there is a huge amount of things to learn.

I really enjoyed this story. It is a fresh retelling of Greek mythology that has been cleaned up some. I liked the concept of creation and the dragons and the god’s interactions. Gardenia is different from the other gods and goddesses and I love her approach to her challenge. Ri and Ra were great instructors and I was excited when Gardenia started falling for Ri.

This is a great story, essentially a coming of age story for a young goddess. I like how Gardenia was willing to step out of the trodden path and look for her answers in the unconventional way.

I received Deity’s Soulmate from Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

[Carrie Westmoreland Kurtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have gone back and forth about this book. I liked it, I didn't really care for it, it was good, it wasn't exactly my taste, and then it was back to good. Now I'm back to not really knowing how I feel about it. I think mostly liked it.

I enjoyed the Greek mythology aspect. I haven't read any Greek mythology books until this one so it opened my eyes to a whole new category of books. The story line was interesting but it seemed to be a bit confusing at times. The timeline wasn't what I expected. There were times when six years would pass. There just seemed to be a ton of information in this one book.

Deity's Soulmate does end on a cliffhanger so you'll probably want to read the next book when it is available. If you like fantasy YA books then you will probably like this one. I think I give it a 3.5 to 4 stars.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[C. Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Author who knocked my socks off! When reading a new author for the first time I am always skeptical, but Angelina Kerner has really managed to meld my favorite aspects of a book. I highly recommend this one to any Young Adult junkies like me!

It is a Young Adult Novel and themes of this book are quite advanced and unique for this genre.

I think that overall this is a very interesting concept and the execution of both the plot and the compelling characters were very well done. Fast Paced and Fun fueled.

[Gina Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how universal this novel was. It is a great theme and setting and manages to appeal to both adults and young adults.
There were many surprises and the way that Angelina Kerner was able to keep the pacing just right really helps everything flow naturally.

Get ready to be immersed in the world and captivated by the characters she has created.

[Windy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the story focuses on Gardenia who is a rather feisty teenage daughter of Athena and Zeus from Greek myths and much like her legendary parents before her, she shows interest in the humans and much like her legendary parents, she gets into trouble for it. being the rebellious and stubborn girl she is she gets tasked to make a place of her own as a punishment meant to teach and humble her but she has no idea where to start and goes to the one place that she knows has the knowledge that she seeks...to the dragon's sworn enemies to all gods and goddesses. perhaps it's her feisty nature or perhaps it's fate that she falls in love with one of them.
The interaction between Ri and Gardenia is hilarious and the combativeness they both bring makes you FEEL the eye rolls and the sass.
The book is written in such a way that it seems almost as if it's maturing with our main character which I find utterly brilliant.
I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series as I feel it will hold far more twists and turns for our Gardenia in more of a complex and dare I say mature manner. It absolutely gets 5 stars from me.

[K.D. Hilt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a paranormal romance with dragons and gods. It uses Greek and Roman Mythology and is such a good read. Gardenia is a deity and in an act of rebellion sets out to create her own galaxy. When Zeus finds out he tries to stop her, but she completes it before her can. She finds herself being punished by Zeus by having to learn about the ten days of creation over fifty years. If she fails she has to relearn. She even gets to pick her teachers so what could go wrong? Right?

There is always the rare chance that the fates have chosen one of her teachers as her soulmate. Nothing too bad about that. Well except the fact that she chooses all dragons and guess what. That’s right the gods and dragons hate each other. Will everything work out for Gardenia or will fate have a different plan.

[chesirern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeking Dragons (The Goddess Training Triology #1) by Angelina Kerner is an amazing and unique book based on dragons and gods. I mean who would ever think that those two ideas would work well in a story BUT they do and the story is excellent!

Gardenia is an adolescent Goddess and is spoiled. Basically she decides to rebel and is punished by Zeus to relearn creation. Instead of learning it from the gods and goddesses she picks to learn it from the dragons. The adventure goes from there.

This book is just fun, interesting and a great way to incorporate the Greek gods and goddesses. There was even the start of a romance mixed in. I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading the rest of the trilogy!

[The Literary Chimera · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Trigger Warnings:
Infidelity
Attempted murder
Favoritism
Magic
Mentions of sexual acts

Enchanting

Seeking Dragons is a wonderful novella. It is a bit of a coming of age romance with gods, goddesses, fates, dragons, and so much more. I devoured it quickly. As always, Angelina does a wonderful job with character and world building and there are so many worlds! It definitely left me needing more.

[Ashley C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garden’s story is fascinating. She is mad at her family for lies. She begins her journey to learn about creation from the dragons. She finds her destiny. She makes friends with her dragons teachers. Her relationship with her family and dragons has twists and turns. I love how the dragons under there wings. She evens her mate. Can Garden and dragon family over dangers from every corner. I cannot wait to read more