Daughter of Kali: Awakening

Demon Slayer #1

by Shiulie Ghosh

Monsters are real. And I might be one of them.
Kaz Deva definitely has her demons. She’s a half-Asian teenager with a chip on her shoulder and a home life she desperately wants to escape. But then she witnesses the impossible – her mother killing a monster without breaking a sweat. And suddenly her world is turned upside down.
Kaz discovers she comes from a long-line of demon-slayers stretching all the way back to the Goddess Kali herself. An ancient deity who seems to have plans for her.
Kaz is dragged right into the middle of a supernatural war, and everything she thought she knew turns out to be a lie. Except her feelings for a guy she can never have.
As she learns the truth of who she is and where she comes from, something awakens inside her. Something cold and ruthless. It could make her almost invincible. But it could also drive her to darkness.
With the battle between Warriors and demons becoming ever more deadly, Kaz must find a way to survive her destiny and save the people she loves.
Can she embrace her power and become the Warrior the world needs?

Feisty heroines, epic action and a touch of romance - Buffy meets Shadowhunters in Book One of this thrilling and diverse young adult urban fantasy series 'Daughter of Kali'

Praise for the 'Daughter of Kali' series:
‘Fast-paced, sometimes gritty, demon slaying fun’
Earik Beann, author of ‘Killing Adam’

‘What starts out as just an ordinary world follows into the rabbit hole of magic and mythology which is also cleverly linked to the Hindu faith’
Lee Hall, author of ‘The Teleporter’

‘This book is simply incredible… a solid five stars’
Kitiera Morey, author of ‘Edge of Dystopia: Maelstrom’

‘Redolent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with demons and devils replacing vampires, combined with the darker, sacrificial elements of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom’
Amazon reviewer

Genres: Young Adult

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 29, 2020

About the author

I'm the author of several fantasy and paranormal books for young adults. Download a free fantasy novella by visiting my website shiulieghosh.com/author.

Reviews

[Espai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daughter of Kali was surprisingly entertaining, a fast-pacing read with especially compelling characters. I did not really expect to like it that much, and I ended up wanting for more. The Hindou mythology is a nice original touch. Received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Français :

J'avoue avoir choisi le livre un peu par hasard, attirée par l'utilisation de la mythologie hindou (Kali est quand même assez badass). Eh ben ce fut une très bonne surprise : une lecture distrayante et de meilleure qualité que ce à quoi je m'attendais.

Ce qui m'a le plus surpris, ce sont les personnages. Bien que nous soyons dans de l'urban fantasy à la limite du Young Adult, et donc avec une intrigue rapide basée sur l'action, j'ai trouvé les personnages détaillés, vivants et intéressants. Ils semblent tous avoir une personnalité distincte (ce qui n'est pas toujours le cas : combien de romans peut-on lire où tous les personnages parlent exactement de la même manière ?) et cacher une complexité intéressante. J'ai surtout beaucoup apprécié Di, qui pourtant n'apparait que vers le tiers/milieu du bouquin (ce qui est généralement trop tard pour que je puisse m'investir dans un personnage).

De même, les relations entre personnages m'ont parues moins "clichées" qu'habituellement. Par exemple, la relation mère/fille entre Mari et Kaz va au-delà du teenage angz, et j'aime beaucoup l'amitié entre Kaz et Em, qui fonctionne malgré leur personnalité très différente. On a le droit à un espèce de triangle amoureux, mais pas au sens premier (et agaçant) du terme, qui a complètement fonctionné avec moi (alors que ce genre de situation a tendance à m'agacer).

L'univers, sans être particulièrement original, est sympa, surtout avec l'utilisation (légère) de la mythologie indienne, et on sent qu'il y a d'autres choses à découvrir dans les prochains tomes, des questions dont on a reçu que la moitié de la réponse. La fin reste tout de même satisfaisante, fermant l'intrigue principale.

J'ai trouvé quelques maladresses, surtout au début (un pacing un peu off dans le premier tiers, un premier chapitre un peu awkward), et une utilisation de quelques phrases en français avec des fautes (sérieusement, payez-vous un relecteur bilingue quoi !), mais rien qui ne fut rédhibitoire pour moi.

Je pense qu'il faut vraiment juste prendre Daughter of Kali pour ce qu'il est : un roman d'aventure, rapide et distrayant, une série qui promet d'être basée sur ses personnages et leurs relations et les défis auxquels ils feront face, sans promesse d'un worldbuilding à la Game of Thrones ou d'une intrigue complexe à la Brandon Sanderson. Et parfois, c'est exactement ce qu'il me faut.

Bref, ce n'est peut-être pas un chef-d’œuvre, ni mon coup de cœur 2019, mais c'est pour l'instant l'une des lectures les plus divertissante que j'ai pu lire cette année, qui m'a fait tourner les pages sans regarder l'heure, et je me lirai la suite avec plaisir quand elle sortira.

[Hélène Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I thank Netgalley and Peach Publishing for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review)

I'm sorry to say that I decided against losing more reading time with this book, which wasn't bad, but not good either, and didn't offer me what I'm looking for in Urban Fantasy.

The setting is interesting and original but after a good beginning is quickly lacking in subtlety. The relation between the heroine and her mother was promising, but not enough to make up for the poverty of characters' development in general (the bestie, who's supposed to be a "genius" and has no personality to speak off, behave stupidly girlie most of the times and is a lame geek stereotype!).

What finish me off was the abondance of tools used: demons, gods, magic, pseudo science-fiction, reading-minds beings, and so on. Nothing is impossible, everything is possible, no strict framework where to weave a solid story; what makes an imaginary world interesting and credible is its limits, if there aren't any, the sense of wonder is null: to much wonders kills the wonder.

I was waiting for adult UF (not in terms of violence and sexe but of general tonality) ; this book sounded to me YA, very young adult, and not the kind which can fascinate and enthusiasm adults (like Jonathan Stroud series for instance) but the kind which can't face up to more exigeant readers.

Still, some seasoned reviewers as Espai (see below) have liked this book, so it's just maybe my expectations that are unreasonably high...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

If we don’t stop them, the demons will create a permanent hellhole in two days’ time. The same night as the prom. [p. 214]

Kaz is determined to be British, never mind how much her mother clings to Indian culture. Kaz's dad isn't around, and Kaz and her mum argue a lot. They've always had an intense relationship: when she was younger, Kaz had hallucinations, brought on (according to the doctor) by the stress of being the only child of a single parent. Now, as a teenager, she's starting to see things again: mysterious shadows clustering around some people, such as the new supply teacher. And Kaz's mum.

She does not experience these hallucinations whilst looking at the new kid in school, Ed. When Kaz looks at Ed, she experiences attraction. Unfortunately so does her best friend Em.

This is a readable and well-paced novel about identity, mental illness, teenage friendship and romance, and demon-fighting. The tension between Kaz's Britishness and her otherness -- the supernatural aspects as well as her Indian ancestry -- is well-drawn, not laboured but very clear. There's a strong Hindu influence, and a council of old white blokes who need shaking up. Luckily we have just the heroine to do that.

First in a series, this novel establishes a cast of characters and sets up challenges for future books in the series.

Read for the 'YA novel by a woman of colour' rubric of the Reading Women Challenge 2019 on Goodreads.

[Kitiera Morey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This! This book is what I’ve been searching for, for a long while now. If not apparent, I adore supernatural stories that aren’t romance oriented, and Daughter of Kali sure did deliver. Yes, there’s some sexual attraction the main character feels for another, but it doesn’t distract from the main story. The author gives exactly what they promised, and I couldn’t be happier.

Kaz, the MC, is a lot of fun. She acts like a real teenager with a chip on her shoulder would. She can be loud and brash, but she does understand her limitations. Kaz is tough, but not a super badass because she hasn’t gotten any training yet. I would have chucked this story out the window if the main character was as amazing as her mom right from the start.

My favorite character is Em, though. She’s not just the nerdy sidekick that gets in the way more often than not. No, she’s awesome! What she’s able to do with magic is just incredible, and I believe that she’d be able to do what she does. I really sense her and Kaz’s relationship, and they play off one another so well. I could read a story just with the two of them, or just with Em. (I may have a tiny crush on this character.)

I’m a huge mythology fan. I know more about Greek mythology since it’s the first mythology I read and fell in love with, but I couldn’t get enough of the Hindu mythology. It was easy to follow without being info-dumpy. I’m eager to see more of it, especially the demons. Those were really cool and creepy.

I have three qualms. The first is the presence of Kali. At first, she seemed to be more of a manifestation of Kaz’s subconscious as a way to cope with what happened to her mom, but then Kali relayed information that Kaz could no way know. So, was Kali actually there? Why? What connection does Kaz have to Kali, if any? Will Kali become relevant in the next installments?

The second I can’t go too much into without going into spoiler territory, but it deals with Em and her love interest. I really, really hope the author doesn’t take it in the direction I’m thinking. The way it is right now, it’s incredible. I’ve never seen it before (not saying it’s never happened, but I don’t read a lot of YA anymore), and I’d like it to continue. Em deserves it, damn it!

I did notice a few technical issues toward the end of the novel. These would have been caught with one more edit. The mistakes didn’t take away from the story, though, but they did smack me in the face a little since the rest of this novel is perfectly constructed.

I’m really, really eager to read the next book. This story has a great amount of action, magic, world-building, plot, and emotion. If you’re into those type of stories, this is definitely the book for you. I give this a 4.5!

[Lee Hall]

Original page turning action with a powerful voice that speaks of prophecy, coming of age and warriors...  

On the surface 'Daughter of Kali' would appear to be just another teen/young adult story but in reality it is so much more and carries a level of sophistication that gives it a much wider appeal.

We are introduced to 'Kaz' who is a feisty and likeable main character, she carries the story as a girl who stands out from the very beginning. She's the only Indian girl in an English school and is toughened by the fact. The opening chapters serve as an introduction to what is an ordinary seeming world of school for 'Kaz' and her best friend/computer whizz 'Em' only for them to realize there is a whole other world below the surface. That world being one of demons and a warriors guild who fight said demons. 'Kaz' discovers that her own mother is in fact a warrior and so her journey of discovery begins, which involves finding out about her past, eventually becoming a realization of power story. 

This warriors guild has been historically fighting demons for generations and is cleverly linked to the Hindu faith; a concept I found intriguing and original. There's plenty of action and suspense throughout along with many other original concepts and characters that delve into the world of magic and mythology. 

Overall I enjoyed reading what is a well written and clever tale that I found to be un-put-down-able in the latter chapters. 

[Earik Beann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend not to read too much YA fiction, mostly because I get tired of the teen-angst/coming-of-age/etc themes that are so prevalent in that genre. I also find that YA tends to be a little sanitized compared to adult fiction, with no swearing, killing, or the general mayhem that I enjoy in non-YA genres. After the first chapter or two, I was lulled into the belief that this would follow my stereotypes and just be another Percy Jackson-esque story, only with Hindu gods. And that's right around the time when the author threw down the gauntlet and had a demon rip the tongue out of a dog, then bite through the skull of its owner to suck out his brains. Holy crap!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fast paced, had lots of action, and the author gave you enough crumbs to keep you really interested to find out more, but not so much that you could predict everything from the beginning. Ironically, it was the theme of family and lineage that was the most interesting to me, and there were some really awesome hints dropped about the protagonist’s ancestry that I hope will be developed more in book 2.

If you like demon fighting, hand to hand combat, magic, and the discovery of dormant supernatural powers, you'll like this book. It took me less than two days to finish the whole thing, which says plenty about how engaged I was while reading.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Ashley McCartney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an advanced reader of this new and upcoming book I am leaving my honest review.

Not knowing much from the cultural background of this book I can’t speak to it’s validity. I felt the author did a good job of getting the story moving quickly as well as moving the pace along through the book.

There were a few places where I found a mistake or two. Nothing of any major caliber. The twists and turns through the book were more than enough to keep interest. Looking forward to book two.

[Kyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice change

It is so nice; as a US reader to see different voices as protagonist. And Kaz is wonderful. The mythology fresh to my learning; the twisty bits not quite as easy to workout as I expected.
The pace does drag at some points. Some stereotypical YA tropes thrown in but nothing that detracted or distracted for long if at all. Well worth reading.

[Ailyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had received the book for a fair review. Kalpurna "Kaz" had a normal life as a teenager with an over bearing single mother. That changed when she starts seeing things. First it was her teacher, then it was more mysterious monsters popping in and out. While Daughter of Kali might have a lot of similarities with other teenage fantasy stories, I love the fact that this can actually hold its own when it comes to story and character. Kaz is a strong minded girl with loads of courage, and I think it is special when a book can pull you in and keep you there. Awakening is the first book that starts with a bang and whack, and makes you yearning for more.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great supernatural fantasy read! Well written with a fab storyline this just grabs you from the first chapter. Fast paced, tons of action and demon slaying , great characters and twists and turns, I cannot wait to read the next book!

[Kali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book here on goodreads.I liked it it was a great story.the characters in the book where we'll written. It was an overall great book

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaz Deva is English but her mother Mari decorates their home with Indian gods and keepsakes, cooks Indian foods, and uses incense. Kaz is mortified her mother will not forget the land Mari knew as a child. Kaz does not rank very high in classes so she is lucky to have Em, best and only friend. Em is precocious; virtual, digital, mechanical science keeps her looking and finding new challenges the will eventually save her friends from a dark future. Mari, working nights as health aide to elderly wheelchair bound patient so the mutual times Kaz and Mari spend together is dinner. Kaz feels her mother is neglecting her and she grows resentful. Em is daughter of policeman so she has always had a strict upbringing and tells no lies. Enter a new student both girls find attractive and friendship makes decisions difficult. Kaz had nightmares in her childhood so severe her mother took her to psychiatrists; eventually Kaz taught herself that she doesn't see strange things. That is until a new teacher shows up at school and she centers her anger on Kaz. A ghoulish face and black mist show on the teacher as Kaz accidentally touches her hand after class. She confides in Em who is supportive, her nightmares return and she falls in the middle of an ancient cult of Kali, a Hindu goddess. She finds her mother's biggest secret. What are the warriors and what does Kali demand? Why is Kaz kept secret and her mother so mysterious?

[L.J. Bus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love mythology but don’t know a lot of Indian mythology so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Given I don’t know much of it, I can’t say how accurate the mythology is displayed in this book.

Most YA books these days have an “instant action” sort of start. This book builds up a bit slower than those fast paced books, which isn’t to say this book is boring, far from it in fact! But the slow build up is more suitable for this storyline. Kaz has a history of hallucinations (and therefor a had a lot of doctors apointments and therapy) but lately there seems to be more at play. She is seeing things and lately those things trigger some forgotten memories. Slowly she’s paying more attention to details and puts things together that, after checking certain things out with her best friend, they end up in one big and dangerous mess.
Although it starts rather slowly compaired to other books, I was hooked from the first page till the end. Like I said, it isn’t boring and the build-up suits the story better than the ‘instant action’ thing. I have to admit I did expect a little bit more mythology with certain aspects that I won’t specify as to not spoiler anything but there is a lot of mythology in there as it is so I wasn’t dissapointed. Yet another previously unknown author that I will be following, love when that happens! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next instalment!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting little world we get a look into with this introductory book! There's demons and warriors and all sorts of mythological awesomeness jammed into this story.

Kaz is a typical high schooler. Sure, her mom is a bit of an embarrassment and she's super duper broke all the time, but as a daughter of a single mom, Kaz manages to have a relatively decent life for herself. All of that gets turned on its head when she sees her mom do something impossible. From there, all her "hallucinations" from years growing up start to make sense. She's seeing demons, and they are a little too close for comfort.

Also, what's a good YA read without some love triangle action, right? There's a new boy in school who is everything both Kaz and her BFF could want in a guy, although he's hiding his fair share of secrets, too. Roll all this together and you've got the makings for lots of drama. There's apparently been a secret organization taking kids off the street and training them to defend normal folks from demons. How do we know that? Well, something big is going down and somehow Kaz becomes a key player in this showdown. This book really set this world up nicely and has definitely got me hooked for installment #2!

[lostinabookbrb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daughter of Kali gave me a bit of nostalgia for the days when I watched shows like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer or I read what I can safely dub "magical girl" series. I loved those types of stories and still do. So, thank you, Daughter of Kali for letting me feel the same way as I did then.

Kaz is the main character in this book and she's different than a lot of characters I run across. For one, she's Hindu and a second generation immigrant. She stands out in her school due to this and has to deal with racism. She's at odds with her mother for many things but one of them is due to her not wanting to really be immersed in Hindu traditions or lifestyle.

And all this tension is before the magic happens!

The magic system is pretty well explained in the book and there are good limitations placed. (For example and one that shouldn't spoil anything for you: weapons did to be purified to kill demons so if one is to use a gun, they'd have to purify every bullet you use. So, it makes sense when people use swords over a revolver or machine gun).

The plot, all the plots, are easy enough to follow and they felt fairly concluded by the end of this book. There is room for sequels as well.

The reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is really because of the last couple of pages. While the stories did feel complete the last part of the book seemed rushed. Like someone coming into the room and saying "Wrap it up, people! WRAP IT UP!"

Overall, I loved this book and can't wait until the next! I hope there is a next!
--
This review I also posted on my site: thereturncart.com (should you want to check it out because I also do things like podcasts.)

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This was an interesting tail. I have always loved mythology and stories that mix that to the storytelling. Kaz is a very bold and outgoing character and her friend Em is amazing. This was an unique story of warriors, demons, and goddess playing in the background. I don't want to say too much for I don't want to post spoilers. I might have to read more by this author. 

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something Different.

I chose the rating because it's a good book nonetheless. I loved the whole mysterious aspect of the book. I wished it kept going. I guess I'll be reading more of the series sometime.

Note: I did received this through Goodreads Giveaway.

[Jade Reeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Daughter of Kali isn't your average urban fantasy book as it beautifully ties in Hindu methodology.
There was a lot to love about this book, it was fast paced, well written and the characters had depth but I just wasn't feeling it.
It's frustrating because I can't pinpoint what I didn't like about the book, only that I kept putting it down to read something else.
Maybe I was a little confused about the story line at times: why is she a daughter of Kali when she's half demonic? Where's the Kali half?
What's going on with Darius and Kaz? How does Em really fit in to the supernatural side?

That all said and done, I would probably read the sequel.

[DeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one but wanted to read it based on the synopsis. This was a really fun read that moved at a good pace with serious Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes. Kaz as a character definitely had a lot to adjust to and deal with which is not always an easy thing - but was very compelling, even when her behavior wasn't the best. The side characters also had depth and felt dimensional, which was great to see, especially in a debut. The writing style kept the book moving at a good pace and felt very polished. Overall it was a fun and fast read.

[Dallass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t enjoy this.

I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. It’s as simple as that. Plus although the premise sounded interesting, it was slow and it just didn’t grab me.