Psyche's Gate in Writers Without Borders

Jul 10, 2010 Dani Julian rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-ve-written

What Joyfully Reviewed says about Psyche's Gate:

"Long ago, warrior angel Alexius was banished from heaven and brutally stripped of his wings. Now he has a chance at redemption. He must stop a powerfully talented human artist from being used by a demon to to create something that can bring forth the most deadly of evils. However, after seeing Psyche, the woman whose life he cannot spare, Alexius knows that he cannot go through with his task. Instead, he will do all in his power to keep Psyche fro ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2010 Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance, horror

Angels, demons, horror, unforbidden love. If you love anything on this list then this is definitely down your alley.

Alexius is a fallen angel sent on a mission to get his wings back. But there is one problem, he has doomed his task with his love of a mere mortal.
Psyche is a struggling artist who desperately needs commission to make ends meet. Until an impassable offer comes her way. What she doesn't realize is her wealthy benefactor is one of the most evil beings on the earth planning to use Ps ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2010 Krisi Keley rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, paranormal, romance

A struggling artist about to give up on her amazing talent suddenly gets a chance at all her dreams when a mysterious art collector commissions her to paint him a vast, but frightening mural. A fallen angel, willing to do almost anything to redeem himself and regain heaven, is set upon a vital, but frightful mission.

These two lost souls of sorts, the artist and the angel, are the protagonists of Danielle D. Smith’s dark urban fantasy, Psyche’s Gate, an unusual paranormal romance that is difficul A struggling artist about to give up on her amazing talent suddenly gets a chance at all her dreams when a mysterious art collector commissions her to paint him a vast, but frightening mural. A fallen angel, willing to do almost anything to redeem himself and regain heaven, is set upon a vital, but frightful mission.

These two lost souls of sorts, the artist and the angel, are the protagonists of Danielle D. Smith’s dark urban fantasy, Psyche’s Gate, an unusual paranormal romance that is difficult to describe and, in some ways, for me personally, to review. Trying to explain my ambivalence without writing a novel about the novel adds yet another challenge – which, some might suggest, speaks to its quality, in that shallower entertainment doesn’t frequently inspire much deep sentiment positive or negative.

Novelist and artist Danielle Smith is a very talented writer. Her character development is exceptional, her description of time and place marvelously draws the reader into the scene, and her writing style and use of language often borders on poetry. Without exaggeration, I found her prologue to be like a work of art made of words and the contrast of its ethereal quality with the very down-to-earth opening line of Chapter One a brilliant stroke of genius, when one considers a key element of the story is an angel’s attempt to re-ascend to heaven from the gritty punishment of earth. Even her earliest portrayal of Psyche - her sense of hopelessness and failure - creates a character to which no one who has ever struggled with self-doubt can fail to relate. As a writer and a reader, I couldn’t be more impressed with the author’s imagination and gift with words.

The difficulty arose for me when, a few chapters into the story, I began to realize that the novel is predominately a theological one, fiction or not. This theology, or mix of theologies, was not always easy for me to comprehend or, sometimes even, to appreciate. Because I’m a writer with a degree in Catholic theology, as well as one with a very Catholic worldview, the author’s attempt to combine frequently opposing concepts from a wide scope of real historical theological thought, often left me with the impression, however mistaken, that she considers them all fascinating fictions, rather than sacred beliefs which speak truth to those who hold their tenets. Angels who sometimes harshly criticize the traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and practices from which their stories and names were taken, yet from a dualistic or neo-pagan perspective, will be disturbing, even offensive, to some readers, despite the fact that this is a fiction novel, and there are several suggestions made about the nature of God in the story that are controversial, to say the least.

For those who read a story only for its literary merits, looking for creative and original entertainment or escapism, Psyche’s Gate will most likely be a favorite. For those with more traditional beliefs or those who look more deeply to find meaning and message in a story, this is a novel that may provoke both a positive and negative reaction, as it did for me. It is most definitely a well-written novel that offers much food for thought, but it can also be a disturbing one, due to its ideas and premise, as well as some raw language and graphic scenes. I would give it 2.5 stars if Goodreads had such a rating because, though I loved the author’s beautiful style of writing, her imagination and her obvious research into many theological ideas, it is still difficult for me to say I out and out “liked” a story that I found troubling on a personal level. I give it 3 stars, however, realizing that “liking” a story is subjective and, from a technical standpoint, Psyche’s Gate deserves a high quality rating.
...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Dani Julian rated it really liked it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-ve-written

From Joyfully Reviewed:

"Long ago, warrior angel Alexius was banished from heaven and brutally stripped of his wings. Now he has a chance at redemption. He must stop a powerfully talented human artist from being used by a demon to to create something that can bring forth the most deadly of evils. However, after seeing Psyche, the woman whose life he cannot spare, Alexius knows that he cannot go through with his task. Instead, he will do all in his power to keep Psyche from harm. But a romance bet ...more

Like · see review