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Legends of Andelan #1
Godspeaker
"By my estimation, I have about five days left to live, so I must write this quickly."
Alone in his cell as the world breaks around him, Silas of House Olen scratches out a desperate biography. He has walked with queens, run from a shattering city, watched a great shadow swallow the sun. He has met a god and fallen in love with him — and now he is going to die.
"I never pictured myself ever writing an autobiography, though that may be due in large part to the fact that I never really considered I might have a life worthy of one. But here at the end of all things, alone in my prison cell, while the very world crumbles around the city, I understand the urgency of giving this dreadful sundering a narrative and context."
Silas is a Godspeaker, a single mortal chosen among thousands to be the mouth and the hands and the will of a god — in his case, the Night Father, Umbrion. It’s a tremendous position for awkward, anxious, stuttering Silas, but no sooner had he taken up the mantle had his patron god killed the queen and broke the city in twain.
Now he is an unwilling footsoldier in a war between the gods, as great demons rise up from the sea, and as all of Andelan fights to survive.
Alone in his cell as the world breaks around him, Silas of House Olen scratches out a desperate biography. He has walked with queens, run from a shattering city, watched a great shadow swallow the sun. He has met a god and fallen in love with him — and now he is going to die.
"I never pictured myself ever writing an autobiography, though that may be due in large part to the fact that I never really considered I might have a life worthy of one. But here at the end of all things, alone in my prison cell, while the very world crumbles around the city, I understand the urgency of giving this dreadful sundering a narrative and context."
Silas is a Godspeaker, a single mortal chosen among thousands to be the mouth and the hands and the will of a god — in his case, the Night Father, Umbrion. It’s a tremendous position for awkward, anxious, stuttering Silas, but no sooner had he taken up the mantle had his patron god killed the queen and broke the city in twain.
Now he is an unwilling footsoldier in a war between the gods, as great demons rise up from the sea, and as all of Andelan fights to survive.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2016
5 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 13, 2018
this is the third absolutely excellent book i have read IN A ROW, and i honestly don't think my heart can take a fourth.
this was absolutely stunning. i'm going to fling myself into the sun now.
January 6, 2018
After reading so many positive reviews here I was really excited to read this book. It turned out to be the greatest disappointment since I have a Goodreads account.
It´s started great, I liked the world building and the characters before they started to seem a bit dumb to me for not figuring out what was going on. Then after the plot twist it started to drag and got quite boring. The characters´ actions started to seem illogical and unrealistic.
The end tried really hard to be deep and touching but it simply didn´t work for me, maybe because by then I had already lost all interest and sympathy for the characters.
On top of that, the book needs some editing, the typos were distracting.
Great concept poor execution.
It´s started great, I liked the world building and the characters before they started to seem a bit dumb to me for not figuring out what was going on. Then after the plot twist it started to drag and got quite boring. The characters´ actions started to seem illogical and unrealistic.
The end tried really hard to be deep and touching but it simply didn´t work for me, maybe because by then I had already lost all interest and sympathy for the characters.
On top of that, the book needs some editing, the typos were distracting.
Great concept poor execution.
July 22, 2016
ACTUAL RATING - 4 1/2
FIRST OF ALL: I do not rate 5 stars easily. My scale goes like this: A 4 star rating is really, really good. A 4 1/2 is AMAZING. A 5 star? Life changing.
I started this review before I finished the book, which was a mistake, because I did not realize the extent of how much my feelings toward this book would change. I am typing this blurry eyed from the tears this book caused. And let me say one thing: I do not cry easily.
Here is my more coherent review before the last pages that destroyed me:
I feel like traditionally published books just aren't cutting it for me anymore. They're good at following a tried-and-true formula and I've had enough girl-loves-boy drama to last me lifetimes. Which means that I had to look elsewhere to satisfy my hunger for good, diverse fiction, and self published books is where it's at!
I've been a fan of Tessa Crowley ever since her extremely popular fan fiction Chaos Theory, but I always felt that original fiction suited her better. And I was right!
Let's just get the negatives out of the way; I didn't like the insta love, and Silas's stutter felt a little bit exaggerated.
I also really wish there were more Silas/Umbrion interactions!
Now for the good stuff! And there are a lot of good stuff!! The characters were all very real and showed realistic reactions to the events happening around them. I LOVED watching Prenor's and Silas's relationship as brothers growing stronger after years of cold distance, which really warmed my heart, because I feel like platonic relationships in fiction are always neglected for the sake of the romance BUT NOT HERE the platonic relationships develop beautifully and realistically, none of the i am your BFF forever and id never doubt u! And I loved how the other godspeakers showed empathy towards Silas, which honestly just felt really great when everyone else was turning against him.
ALSO THERE IS A LOT OF BADASS FEMALE CHARACTERS!!!! THATS SUCH A RARITY IN M/M FICTION! AS WELL AS YA!!!! BAMF FEMALES THAT ARE STRONG AND INDEPENDENT IM SO HAPPY!!!THAT WAS GREAT!!! SO GREAT!!!!
This book was really something different. I'm not sure yet if I will read the upcoming volumes when they come out, but I know that this book will remain very dear to me.
FIRST OF ALL: I do not rate 5 stars easily. My scale goes like this: A 4 star rating is really, really good. A 4 1/2 is AMAZING. A 5 star? Life changing.
I started this review before I finished the book, which was a mistake, because I did not realize the extent of how much my feelings toward this book would change. I am typing this blurry eyed from the tears this book caused. And let me say one thing: I do not cry easily.
Here is my more coherent review before the last pages that destroyed me:
I feel like traditionally published books just aren't cutting it for me anymore. They're good at following a tried-and-true formula and I've had enough girl-loves-boy drama to last me lifetimes. Which means that I had to look elsewhere to satisfy my hunger for good, diverse fiction, and self published books is where it's at!
I've been a fan of Tessa Crowley ever since her extremely popular fan fiction Chaos Theory, but I always felt that original fiction suited her better. And I was right!
Let's just get the negatives out of the way; I didn't like the insta love, and Silas's stutter felt a little bit exaggerated.
I also really wish there were more Silas/Umbrion interactions!
Now for the good stuff! And there are a lot of good stuff!! The characters were all very real and showed realistic reactions to the events happening around them. I LOVED watching Prenor's and Silas's relationship as brothers growing stronger after years of cold distance, which really warmed my heart, because I feel like platonic relationships in fiction are always neglected for the sake of the romance BUT NOT HERE the platonic relationships develop beautifully and realistically, none of the i am your BFF forever and id never doubt u! And I loved how the other godspeakers showed empathy towards Silas, which honestly just felt really great when everyone else was turning against him.
ALSO THERE IS A LOT OF BADASS FEMALE CHARACTERS!!!! THATS SUCH A RARITY IN M/M FICTION! AS WELL AS YA!!!! BAMF FEMALES THAT ARE STRONG AND INDEPENDENT IM SO HAPPY!!!THAT WAS GREAT!!! SO GREAT!!!!
This book was really something different. I'm not sure yet if I will read the upcoming volumes when they come out, but I know that this book will remain very dear to me.
June 2, 2016
This book is really something else. I love the characters and the diversity - amazing worldbuilding. I just wish there were more Silas/Umbrion interactions.
December 7, 2016
Honestly, this book was one of the best things that I have read ever. I have never been able to say what my favorite book is, but if someone were to ask me I would for sure say this one.
What made this book so enjoyable for me was that the romance was not a main focus at all. And the fact that it had LGBT elements wasn't relevant at all. It was put into the book as if it were just a normal part of society, which is nice when most novels with any LGBT characters focus on all the hardships of being gay.
I also loved all of the moments shared between the two brothers. It was nice to see how their relationship grew as the book went on. It isn't often that you can see a really strong sibling relationship grow in books.
And the way the best friend to the main character was very real. She didn't just willingly accept everything that Silas told her. She had obvious doubts, and she pushed those doubts out of her mind and was a friend anyway. This was a nice change of pace from the normally flat supporting character best friends that are so often in books. It was more realistic, and easier to believe.
And the world building was amazing. The more I read, the more the world unfolded.
I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It was just plain awesome.
What made this book so enjoyable for me was that the romance was not a main focus at all. And the fact that it had LGBT elements wasn't relevant at all. It was put into the book as if it were just a normal part of society, which is nice when most novels with any LGBT characters focus on all the hardships of being gay.
I also loved all of the moments shared between the two brothers. It was nice to see how their relationship grew as the book went on. It isn't often that you can see a really strong sibling relationship grow in books.
And the way the best friend to the main character was very real. She didn't just willingly accept everything that Silas told her. She had obvious doubts, and she pushed those doubts out of her mind and was a friend anyway. This was a nice change of pace from the normally flat supporting character best friends that are so often in books. It was more realistic, and easier to believe.
And the world building was amazing. The more I read, the more the world unfolded.
I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It was just plain awesome.
June 29, 2016
the stress ulcer-inducing adventures of a stuttering prophet and (i) his asexual warrior brother (ii) his aristocrat bff who just wants everyone to stop dying and leave her alone (iii) the vengeful god who chooses him, tries to make out with him, and p. successfully ruins his life.
i.e., loved it a LOT.
i.e., loved it a LOT.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2016
Heartstrings
Wonderfully written book. These are very real characters, with very real flaws. This is a tear jerker, but very worth it.
Wonderfully written book. These are very real characters, with very real flaws. This is a tear jerker, but very worth it.
August 1, 2016
I haven't been this bowled over by a book in quite a while.
August 22, 2018
This is not much of a review. I basically put on "paper" my feelings for this book, which are many, so I may have something to go back to when I want to remember how I felt in the future.
Do not read if you haven't read the book, because I spoil everything.
WOW. This book broke me.
I was not AWARE that this was a TRAGEDY.
And O, man, it hit hard.
I've sobbed my heart out, ugly crying all the way.
It hurt so BAD but so GOOD. But IT HURTTT.
Like, I can't even make a proper sentence.
Future me, this is what I liked:
I liked how Silas got to bond with his brother again. How he got closure from both his mother and his grandmother. I liked how his grandmother wasn't portrayed like the ultimate evil bitch who should just die and without redemption. I don't like when things are done this way without seeing the reasoning behind everything, and the closure her explanation gave me was very important.
Everyone here was flawed, and it felt so real and so RAW.
It hurt me a lot––this book hit HOME, the my core, because of how raw and honest the emotions were, the flaws. I could relate to them because I got to see how everyone was aware of their own mistakes and weaknesses, and they were mostly acknowledged, or it felt like they were. Everyone had done wrong. Everyone could/should have done something else and it could have been different. But it wasn't.
The gods were flawed, too. The Mother was, the Siblings were. Umbrion was. And what made me sob my heart out the most was the fact that Silas and Umbrion didn't get a way out of their own pain. I could see how Umbrion was so deep in despair, at the lowest, and he just couldn't get out. He knew nothing else but revenge, and hurt.
And I loved how their love (Silas' and Umbrion's) wasn't supposed to happen. I thought this would be a sort of romance, and it wasn't, and I'm not mad at all. In the end, I feel like Silas sacrificed himself not only for the world and his family, but also for Umbrion. This is all my perspective, but the last sentences from Umbrion make me cry even now. Like, these letters are blurry, I'm crying again.*sobs* I'm sad and I'm glad that at least he got something to hold on to. There are so many what-ifs, about what could have been between them, if they had been in a mildly better place when they met and they could have helped each other get out of their pain.
As I was saying before, I'm glad Silas could talk things out with his mother and grandmother. They both died for him, like Perenor, and they did so loving him. He died knowing he was loved, as flawed as that love had been.
It was hard seeing how Soya hated herself for not believing Silas. I hated her for being that way and twisting everything, but I also couldn't help but understand her. She was in charge, she had to look for the people as a whole, and things looked very bad from the outside. Silas wouldn't (couldn't) defend himself, and she wanted so badly that he would.
I liked that the other Godspeakers were on Silas' side and treated him well.
And most of all, I related to Silas a lot. I related to his weakness. Though my anxiety and my fears are not as bad as his, I do have anxiety, I am at a time in my life where I've become fearful of so many things, so much so that I'm barely capable to do what I want to do to live the way I want. I feel trapped in fear, and although I'm working on it, I saw myself in Silas and his pain when people couldn't or wouldn't understand him.
I want to re-read this again in the future, though I know time will have to pass, because it's hard. And it will be hard knowing what will happen.
I loved this book, at times more so than others, but it holds a special place in my heart.
Do not read if you haven't read the book, because I spoil everything.
WOW. This book broke me.
I was not AWARE that this was a TRAGEDY.
And O, man, it hit hard.
I've sobbed my heart out, ugly crying all the way.
It hurt so BAD but so GOOD. But IT HURTTT.
Like, I can't even make a proper sentence.
Future me, this is what I liked:
I liked how Silas got to bond with his brother again. How he got closure from both his mother and his grandmother. I liked how his grandmother wasn't portrayed like the ultimate evil bitch who should just die and without redemption. I don't like when things are done this way without seeing the reasoning behind everything, and the closure her explanation gave me was very important.
Everyone here was flawed, and it felt so real and so RAW.
It hurt me a lot––this book hit HOME, the my core, because of how raw and honest the emotions were, the flaws. I could relate to them because I got to see how everyone was aware of their own mistakes and weaknesses, and they were mostly acknowledged, or it felt like they were. Everyone had done wrong. Everyone could/should have done something else and it could have been different. But it wasn't.
The gods were flawed, too. The Mother was, the Siblings were. Umbrion was. And what made me sob my heart out the most was the fact that Silas and Umbrion didn't get a way out of their own pain. I could see how Umbrion was so deep in despair, at the lowest, and he just couldn't get out. He knew nothing else but revenge, and hurt.
And I loved how their love (Silas' and Umbrion's) wasn't supposed to happen. I thought this would be a sort of romance, and it wasn't, and I'm not mad at all. In the end, I feel like Silas sacrificed himself not only for the world and his family, but also for Umbrion. This is all my perspective, but the last sentences from Umbrion make me cry even now. Like, these letters are blurry, I'm crying again.*sobs* I'm sad and I'm glad that at least he got something to hold on to. There are so many what-ifs, about what could have been between them, if they had been in a mildly better place when they met and they could have helped each other get out of their pain.
As I was saying before, I'm glad Silas could talk things out with his mother and grandmother. They both died for him, like Perenor, and they did so loving him. He died knowing he was loved, as flawed as that love had been.
It was hard seeing how Soya hated herself for not believing Silas. I hated her for being that way and twisting everything, but I also couldn't help but understand her. She was in charge, she had to look for the people as a whole, and things looked very bad from the outside. Silas wouldn't (couldn't) defend himself, and she wanted so badly that he would.
I liked that the other Godspeakers were on Silas' side and treated him well.
And most of all, I related to Silas a lot. I related to his weakness. Though my anxiety and my fears are not as bad as his, I do have anxiety, I am at a time in my life where I've become fearful of so many things, so much so that I'm barely capable to do what I want to do to live the way I want. I feel trapped in fear, and although I'm working on it, I saw myself in Silas and his pain when people couldn't or wouldn't understand him.
I want to re-read this again in the future, though I know time will have to pass, because it's hard. And it will be hard knowing what will happen.
I loved this book, at times more so than others, but it holds a special place in my heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2018
One of the best books I have ever read. The characters felt so real, the dilemmas so well executed, the lore so believable. The love between the two was so well depicted. The ending really didn't go like I expected it to, but I love it. Best possible ending.
I came to love all the characters, something i wasnt expecting at all.
This book was just so good I am crrushed
I came to love all the characters, something i wasnt expecting at all.
This book was just so good I am crrushed
July 11, 2019
I picked up this book not expecting it to be as dark as it was and HECK did it make me feel things. I loved the characters and the diversity, and the world itself was so incredible and interesting! Also, I cried a lot. That's not super relevant, I just wanted everyone to know
July 17, 2020
One of my favorite books in the world, Godspeaker wove a wonderful, diverse story without including bigotry into the fantasy. Admittedly, it is still incredibly sad and I've cried for hours over this book, but I love it.
August 1, 2024
4.5 stars
Emotionally Moving. Heart wrenching. Tear jerker. Tragic.
After a long time i love a book this much. Great writing sytle. Great dialogs. Unusual story.
The ending i still don’t understand what happened but it was beautiful. Which it was explained a bit more.
Emotionally Moving. Heart wrenching. Tear jerker. Tragic.
After a long time i love a book this much. Great writing sytle. Great dialogs. Unusual story.
The ending i still don’t understand what happened but it was beautiful. Which it was explained a bit more.
January 27, 2018
WELL I CRIED A BUNCH
(4.75)
(4.75)
July 29, 2024
4,5 ⭐️ WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK
January 1, 2025
this book destroyed me in ways I can't even describe. One of my fave books
April 27, 2017
Really great, I really enjoyed how it was written and it was just real nice. Gives lots to think about.
May 28, 2016
This is a book I stumbled upon by chance, but needless to say, I am so glad I did.
I loved this book. The writing had the kind of depth to it that had me going back a page to reread a passage or five, which lengthened the time I took to actually read the book.
The characters never fell flat. Their motivations and emotions made them real. They brought so much to the story and I particularly loved the scenes with Soya and Perenor in them. Not only that, but they showed so much growth even through Silas' point of view. And Silas himself - I am so, so sorry for him. He was a good person stuck in the worst circumstances. Another set of characters that didn't show up much but stood out to me were the other Godspeakers. Seeing them show empathy for Silas after a hundred pages of the general hatred for him made me happy, even though the outcome turned out the way it did.
The plot itself took twists and turns that I didn't expect it to. By the time I figured out what was going to happen I was already on the last few pages. I'll avoid spoiling any future reader, but it tugged at my heart.
Having gone through Silas' point of view, I can't even say I blame Umbrion for feeling the way he did. The parallels between them was heartbreaking, but the last scenes made more of an impact because of it.
Overall, I can see how much care went into this book. My review does it no justice at all - I tried to be as coherent as possible without falling to the inevitable keysmash I want to do thanks to this story. I'll most likely reread it in the near future so I can fully appreciate it from start to finish. Many thanks to Tessa Crowley for choosing to share her novel with us. This was one hell of a ride.
I loved this book. The writing had the kind of depth to it that had me going back a page to reread a passage or five, which lengthened the time I took to actually read the book.
The characters never fell flat. Their motivations and emotions made them real. They brought so much to the story and I particularly loved the scenes with Soya and Perenor in them. Not only that, but they showed so much growth even through Silas' point of view. And Silas himself - I am so, so sorry for him. He was a good person stuck in the worst circumstances. Another set of characters that didn't show up much but stood out to me were the other Godspeakers. Seeing them show empathy for Silas after a hundred pages of the general hatred for him made me happy, even though the outcome turned out the way it did.
The plot itself took twists and turns that I didn't expect it to. By the time I figured out what was going to happen I was already on the last few pages. I'll avoid spoiling any future reader, but it tugged at my heart.
Having gone through Silas' point of view, I can't even say I blame Umbrion for feeling the way he did. The parallels between them was heartbreaking, but the last scenes made more of an impact because of it.
Overall, I can see how much care went into this book. My review does it no justice at all - I tried to be as coherent as possible without falling to the inevitable keysmash I want to do thanks to this story. I'll most likely reread it in the near future so I can fully appreciate it from start to finish. Many thanks to Tessa Crowley for choosing to share her novel with us. This was one hell of a ride.
August 18, 2025
I have no words...
October 25, 2016
This book was so very good. The world was so intriguing and the characters were so very amazing. It broke my heart a little, but without making me angry.
December 9, 2016
Interesting and different but NOT a romance. Not really. I feel like there should be more to this story.
January 7, 2017
I'm screaming
This book was so good, I could not put it down. Ough, honestly I'm really mad because it was perfect.
This book was so good, I could not put it down. Ough, honestly I'm really mad because it was perfect.
December 17, 2017
Definitely the best book I've read in 2017! This book made me suffer and cry and I loved every second of it. I look forward to reading more books written by this author.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews