The Musings of a Muse: Forgive or Forget

by Neesha Ofori-Atta

People always wanting your help? Well, it's not a-muse-ing… Far from it, in fact!

Kanadra, a muse from the realm of Callowdon, hates her life. She hates being a muse, she hates helping people and, most of all, she hates the Muse Council, the pinnacle of the muse hierarchy. And after what they did to her, who can blame her?

Sent to Earth on the orders of her merciless bosses, Kanadra is saddled with her first charge and tasked with ‘Inspiring them with a solution to an impossible problem.’ Reluctantly, Kanadra accepts and embarks on a pursuit to find answers for her charge, only to be thwarted by enemies from both this world and her own.

Can Kanadra put aside her deep-seated grievance long enough to help her charge overcome theirs… and can she do it with her immortal life slowly slipping away

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2022

Reviews

[M.W. Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's premise caught me from the start. It begins with the current goings on of a young Muse who has yet to even complete her first job! We hear a lot about her current surroundings and the world in which she lives, and the audience follows as she is dumped into a job on earth. a simple task of "help a girl get over a loss" turns into a mystery/whodunnit that Kanadra eagerly follows and brings us along for the ride. Flashbacks to her past fill us in on what makes her tick, all the while telling us her story.

The prose flows nicely with this book, though it can get bogged down with information, and the occasional black-and-white dialogue. There is a lot to take in at the start, but if you catch on quickly, you'll find yourself enveloped in a story filled with different characters, backdrops, and subplots. Your imagination won't have trouble filling in the picture Ms Charlery paints for you in this novel.

[sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘An obedient muse can never lose. An obedient muse is a good muse’.

This book follows a muse named Kanadra as she embarks on the wild journey that is her first musing: to inspire Ariyah, a girl from earth, to "make peace". It is extremely well paced as it's two narratives are interwoven beautifully. One paints the frame of Kanadra's life, telling the story of her life on Callowdon, while the other follows her assignment on earth.

She struggles with her powers, as well as with what it means for her to be a muse and to help Ariyah navigate her mother's death. This story describes grief, love and rekindled happiness masterfully, and it also incoroporates wonderful descriptions of characters, feelings and stricking landscapes.

[Kendra Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

***I received this book from the author as part of a giveaway***

I really struggled to get into this book, but I pushed on and I'm glad I did. The beginning was hard for me to follow, but as the world, characters, and plot developed it became easier. I have a lot of questions and hopes that I am excited to follow up on in a sequel (which I am hoping will be soon)!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciated the world-building that went into this, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I had difficulty following the writing, and I wasn't really sure what was going on most of the time. I couldn't connect with any of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked to review this book by NetGalley

This book follows Kanadra a muse as she goes on her first musing to impres Ariyah who is from earth. There is one life in Callodon and the other on earth.

This story explores grief, loss, love and happiness

Interesting story