Georgina Kamsika

The premises of this novel seem to be based on a concept expressed by Neil Gaiman in "American Gods", namely that peoples, in their migrations, bring their gods with them. As E. Fuller Torrey's "Evolving Brains, Emerging Gods" also says, the power of a god lies in the devotion of its worshippers: the greater the devotion, the greater the power of the god. Gods that nobody prays to any more leave the altars and end up in museums. This explains why Sara Nayar, a Hindu goddess who has moved in show more one of her aspects to modern England, has very little power and has to solve her assigned cases as any other police inspector would. All is well until a man is stabbed to death in the town where she lives, and at the same time a micro-earthquake occurs...
The book is really funny until well past the halfway point, then a catastrophe happens: the main character falls in love and a very boring back-and-forth begins, unbelievable and tacky as a Bolliwood movie. A real shame. show less

Detective Sara Nayar is the Hindu goddess of order who has been in England since Queen Victoria's reign. She knows that Sheffield is a city that contains many gods, but they typically stick to themselves and don't cause trouble. When she witnesses a murder, she knows immediately that the murderer is of the divine variety. She knows that she has to solve the crime before the killer makes their next move, but having lived as a human for so long has left her extremely weak. Sara works show more throughout the novel to not only continue to live the mortal life she is used to while also being an immortal being. With time ticking down, Sara feels the pressure more than ever. Can she find the killer and save the city of Sheffield before it's too late?

Police procedurals typically highlight the locations where they are set and Goddess of the North is no different. Kamsika definitely creates an engrossing world separate from our reality, but ultimately totally on point.

I enjoyed a lot about this book, but there were definitely pieces that could have used some more development. One of my favorite things about this book was that Kamsika features divine beings from multiple cultures, it created a delightfully enrapturing world. I think that one of my only complaints about this book is the pacing. There were certain pages where it was just descriptions that didn't really further the plot. Overall, I do think that this book is worth reading. Sara is a delightful character and I hope readers get to see more about her life and adventures in future books.

Overall rating: 3.5/5 (rounded to 3)

Goddess of the North will be available for purchase on August 4th. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf and see where it's available to buy here. Also, be sure to check out Georgina Kamsika's website here!

I was lucky enough to be able to read this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less