Vessel

I was drawn to Vessel by the promise of a well-crafted world and unique mythology, and I'm happy to report that the book really delivered in those aspects. I also found within its pages an absolutely captivating and realistic main character, despite the fact that she resides in a purely fantastical world. Throw in a struggle for survival in a seemingly inhospitable land, and this was an interesting cross between something dystopian-like (it's not the end of the world, here, nor is this a post-apocalyptic tale) and high fantasy that had me immediately intrigued. While I do have to admit that the book took me far longer to read than it should have - like, five library renewals too long - I ultimately came away from this book extremely show more satisfied and glad that I stuck with it.

Liyana is probably one of my favorite female protagonists ever, and I don't make that claim lightly. She is resourceful, stubborn, and so incredibly caring and loving that you pretty much start rooting for her right from the first page. When Bayla, her goddess, fails to come inhabit her body, she's thrust in a whirlwind of events that forever changes her, and ultimately she comes out all the stronger for it. Some people shrink away from danger and difficult times, but Liyana really embraced them and did all she could so that she and those she cared about would survive. I loved her quick wit, her intelligence, and - most of all - her ability to always have a story handy when it was most needed. As a librarian, I couldn't help but love that she's a storyteller!

I also want to give mad props for the mythology used in this book. From the background on the gods, to their shared memories and stories, to their unique personalities, every single thing about them was so wonderfully and carefully crafted that it wasn't hard at all to imagine the world in which they exist. I loved how Korbyn - while still being a god - was very much humanized during his journey with Liyana, and I loved their shared interactions and the way their relationship developed. I'd wax on even more about this, but don't want to give too much away! Just, trust me, if mythology is your thing, you will LOVE this portion of the story!

So, considering I've had nothing but praise for this book, you're probably wondering at my final rating. The truth is that I did have a bit of a slow time getting through the book, and even set it aside for nearly two weeks in order to read something else. While I ultimately enjoyed the story a lot, there were moments where I wasn't really compelled to pick it up, despite how much I enjoyed all the things I just mentioned above. This, for me, warrants a bit of a ratings drop, even if that slowness is my one and only fault with the story.

Despite the time it took me to read this, Vessel is still a really wonderful book. Whether mythology is your thing, or you just enjoy reading about strong, stubborn, steadfast main characters, this book is sure to have something that almost everyone will enjoy. If you find it moving more slowly than you'd wish, my advice is to just stick with it; the last half really picks up and makes the whole thing extremely worthwhile. show less

This is such a perfectly drawn world I was completely enthralled from beginning to end. Each time I picked it up I had a very hard time putting it down when the time to do so came. The environment, the culture, the relationships among the tribes and between the people and their gods, the history, all so well done. I loved all the stories within the story that tell of the history and the gods. This story and the characters will stay with me for a long time, I have no doubt. It affected me similarly to Bitterblue and was one of the top dozen or so stories I've read in the last couple years or more.

Liyana spent years training to be the vessel of her clan's goddess. The years of training culminate with the ritual dance that will call the goddess Bayla to walk among her people. Liyana dances . . . but Bayla does not come. Is Liyana an unfit vessel, or has Bayla turned her back on her people? Either way, Liyana no longer has a place in her clan. Left behind in the desert, Liyana prepares to struggle for survival, knowing that she will probably die soon. But then Korbyn appears, looking for her. Korbyn is the trickster god, summoned into his own clan's vessel, and he explains to Liyana that Bayla and several other gods have been trapped somehow, summoned into false vessels, unable to come to their people. Liyana and Korbyn set out show more across the desert to find the other vessels whose gods have been taken, and then to find out what has entrapped the missing deities.

This book has a wonderful setting and fantastic characters -- Liyana's no-nonsense attitude works so beautifully with Korbyn's lighthearted demeanor, and the other vessels are also distinct and interesting. I thought the plotting was mostly strong, though the romantic subplot, especially the way it worked out, was less than satisfying to me. That minor criticism aside, I still completely enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to readers who like YA fantasy, particularly fans of Tamora Pierce and Rae Carson. show less

It's been a long time since I picked up a book that moved me and captured me as much as this one did. And by the end of it I just felt complete.

But let's begin with the first thing we see here, the cover. I don't know about you but whoever designed the cover for Vessel didn't do a good job, he/she did a marvelous and stunning job. The second I saw it, the second I loved it and promptly added it to my wishlist.
This was just one of those books that I HAD to possess, as simple as that.

Then of course we have the plot. I think what amazes me most is the fact that the author shows us so many aspects like art, religion, clans and environment. The world building is just plain awesome, she covers every aspect with a lot of insight and that helps show more us understand more the society Liyana, the main character, lives in.
The scenario for this story is the dessert, and maybe it sounds boring, but it isn't. The complexity of the situations the different clans have to go through and the love they profese to the dessert makes it unique and as interesting as a character itself.

The most strong component in the book is the religion, of course. You see, every hundred years each clan welcomes its god/goddess that comes from the Dreaming to nourish the oasis they live in, bring rain and, all in all, help them survive another hundred years.
But the thing is, every time a god fills the body of the vessel (like Liyana) the soul inside that body fades in order to leave space for the god's soul.
And just like that, when the chosen ones are selected they have to consecrate their bodies to be nothing but perfect.
When the day comes Liyana dances for hours, but Bayla (goddess of the Goat's Clan) never comes and Liyana is left in the dessert, by her own people, to die as they assume she is not worthy of the goddess.
When everything turns to the worst and Liyana thinks she is just going to die a silhouette appears in the horizon... Korbyn, the trickster god, has come looking for her in order to save the other gods that have been kidnapped.
And here is where we learn that Liyana is strong, resourceful and ready to do whatever it takes to survive and save the gods. Even speak her mind in front of an Emperor.

Because this book has a love triangle, but it isn't the main thread and it's well developed. By the end of the book I wasn't really happy but it made sense so it didn't ruin the book for me.

And one thing I'm really happy about? The author made me fell in love, care and think about the characters as if they were real people and I during the whole book I felt that I was there, with them, living each adventure and misfortune.
The fact that Vessel is a standalone book makes it even more fascinating and perfect, it proves that it's possible to tell a story so deep and rich without falling in the long series that are normal nowadays.
A book that makes you consider things like sacrifice, free will, faith and the importance between the life of one person for the survival of an entire group is a treasure.

As a bottom line all I can say is that I'm a huge fan of Sarah Beth now. Go pick up this book if you haven't already, it deserves all the attention it can get because it's perfect. show less

Gorgeously imagined world with rich and flavourful cultural tapestry, characters you will root for, a seemingly impossible quest of epic proportions, and a conclusion that will leave you breathless and heartbroken - Vessel has all that and more! This sweeping tale mixes adventure, romance, drama and enough eye-popping sorcery to earn this book a place on every fantasy fan's shelf. It's definitely one of 2012 must-reads!

Once every hundred years, the goddess of the Goat Clan (Bayla) is summoned from the dreaming to ensure that her clan survives the next century. Her soul fills a human body - a vessel - to work the magic that brings rain to the dessert, increase the herds and make the oasis green again. Without the help of her magic, show more people wouldn't be able to survive in the ruthless, desolate desert that is their homeland.

For centuries, people of the dessert have been summoning gods and goddesses and for centuries they've been following the same sacred ritual: the dreamwalk would chose the vessel for the goddess, preparations would be made and, finally, the ceremony would take place during which the goddess would take over the vessel's body, killing the vessel's soul in the process. Chosen to be Bayla's vessel, Liyana is ready for her sacrifice. For years she's been training in preparations for this moment. The goddess does not come, though, and Liyana - accused of being unworthy of the deity - is abandoned by her clan and left to die alone in the dessert. Heartbroken and desperate, she is found by Korbyn (a trickster god inside of his vessel), who tells her that her goddess did not, in fact, abandon her, but was captured and imprisoned. And five other gods shared her fate. To free them, she'll have to join Korbyn and the other vessels on their dangerous journey across the desert. A journey both physical and spiritual, that will make Liyana question her readiness to give up her life.

Vessel is slow-going (and it's a good thing!), reflective, emotionally engaging and visually stunning. It invites you to ponder issues such as sacrifice, putting the well-being of a group over the individual, and - most importantly - the meaning and importance of faith and free will. It's also a fascinating examination of a deeply religious society, its priorities, social structures and behavioural patterns. It's a meaningful and multi-layered book, but also one that is charming, entertaining and simply very enjoyable to read. I can't say that I devoured it in one sitting, but I loved coming back to it, slowly savouring every scene and dialogue.

With her magical, evocative writing style and intelligent observations about life, love and family, Sarah Beth Durst captivates the reader and draws them in. Her prose is honest and convincing, but also very elegant and fairy-tale like. Dreamy and mesmerizing. The characters, as well as the settings, are gorgeously fleshed out and authentic. You can almost hear the hypnotizing rhythm of the drumbeats, feel the scorching sun on your skin, and smell the exotic spices. It's almost too easy to lose yourself in this world.

Liyana is an absolutely fascinating character. Torn between duty and desire to live, she carries the weight of the tribe on her fragile shoulders. She knows what is expected of her and - while she's not overly enthusiastic about it - she has accepted her fate with remarkable grace and courage. She doesn't want to die, but she puts her family and her tribe before herself and therefore she's willing to give up her own happiness to ensure their well-being. Giving, caring and thoughtful, she's a wonderful and inspiring character. I absolutely adored her. As she gets closer to Korbyn, she begins to realize that she doesn't want to die. Her conflicting feelings are tormenting her, and the inevitability of her death weighs heavy on the reader's heart. I found myself emotionally invested in her story, cheering for her and hoping - against all odds - for a happy ending to her journey.

Overall, this book is about mythology mixed in with religious beliefs, shaman magic and deities, but it's also - perhaps even most of all - about one girl who sacrificed everything - her life, her dreams, her future - for her family and tribe. It's about faith, love, dedication, honor, hope, persistence and making one's own fate. It's about fighting for the things worth fighting for and never giving up. It's a beautiful, thought-provoking and enthralling story and, while I'm very satisfied with the ending, I am also totally heartbroken to say goodbye to all the amazing characters.

I absolutely loved Vessel. Fans of fantasy and epic adventures won't be disappointed! show less

Prelim Review: Durst has, by in large, always pleased me with her writing. I refer mainly to [b:Ice|7899897|Ice|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348535662s/7899897.jpg|6507271] (which I adore) and [b:Enchanted Ivy|8940240|Enchanted Ivy|Sarah Beth Durst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328351597s/8940240.jpg|10682445] (which I was mostly pleased by). During her talk at the signing I attended, she mentioned that Tamora Pierce was a large inspiration for her. That reading the Alanna books and seeing how a girl fought to become a knight inspired her to write. I can see that most clearly in this book (which was blurbed by Pierce!) and influence the character of Alanna must have had on Durst's creative process.

The world show more that Durst built for the Desert Clans is one riddled with superstition, tradition and blind faith in their religion. For many of the clans, and vessels, everything begins and ends with the God/Goddess of their people. Moreso then what it means as a way to carve out a life in the harsh, unforgiving, barely habitable desert, the summoning is almost a validation that the sacrifices they continually make are important. Like the deities the varied clans each have a separate way of living, but they are united in they can't survive without their respective god or goddess.

And as at least three characters point out, this is highly problematic when things go wrong.

Liyana is an easy character to feel emotion for. She's young, she's deeply devoted to saving her people despite the hostility she encounters when her summoning fails. She confused by the changes in her life, in how she views the Gods she's been told to revere all her life, in the abrupt turn things take when her carefully laid out path is pulled away. Despite the fantasy trappings these are all things that could easily happen to anyone in the real world. Loss of identity, rebuilding something from the ashes of old, even a crisis of faith--who hasn't gone through this?

Interestingly consequences in the book weren't often delivered upon the one who perpetrated the problem. For instance when Korbyn and Liyana arrive at the Horse Clan (worshippers of Sendak, a kind of frenemy to Korbryn), Korbyn's levity causes Liyana harm. Similarly later when Liyana overrules Fennick, he pays the price.

Parts of Vessel definitely needed more fleshing out. Durst intersperses the Liyana and the others travels to save their way of life with chapters from following the young Emperor of the Crescent Lands struggle to find the answer to his people's problems. I would have liked to see the Crescent Lands, or at least learned a bit more about how they lived. How they founded their way of life and how their stories--the only form of history anyone in the novel has--diverted so fundamentally from the Desert Clans. The mythology nut in me wondered if any of their tales overlapped--what gods the Crescent Land once had and if the Desert Clans gods knew them.

I have my reservations in regards to the ending, while I understood where Durst was going and even agreed with the overall results, it was too much crammed into too little page space. One character in particular, and their actions which could have devastating to the world at large and not just to either the desert clans or the Crescent Lands, are not given the justification I think they deserved. The Emperor freely admits to ordering his Magician to imprison the Desert Clan Gods in their diamond prisons. Other then some disgust and 'I understand you did it from a good place' sort of comment, it just...vanishes and we are given to assume Liyana married him.

Regardless this book held me enthralled and I can't recommend it enough. show less

I really don’t understand people only giving this book 4 star reviews. Sarah Beth Durst has hit her mark once again with Vessel! I found this story to be unique and completely immersive. I didn’t want to stop reading it!

The first thing I noticed about Vessel was the amazing world building that Sarah Beth Durst is so famous for. She didn’t disappoint with Vessel. The first page is so descriptive that it sucks you into Liyana’s world before you even realize it. In fact, I used the first two paragraphs to show my students the “power of sensory details.” (Hope the author doesn’t mind.) It was great timing that we were discussing building your setting and using descriptive details to make your writing more interesting, and show more then I opened Vessel and viola: perfect example! The opening page’s example was a huge hit with my students (who are also reluctant readers). I booked talked the awesomeness and now they all want to read it. J

If you’ve read any other books by Sarah Beth Durst, hearing that the world she creates for her characters in Vessel is like none you’ve ever read about won’t surprise you. She seems to have a knack for developing unique settings.

The mythology she used throughout Vessel was great. I’m a huge mythology nerd, so anything even loosely based on myth will grab my attention. With Vessel, I could recognize the trickster tale elements, but I had a hard time pin-pointing which culture the myths truly came from. Were they borrowed from many cultures or were they a product of the author’s divine imagination? Hard to say. What I can say, though, is that it was flawless. The way the mythological elements were woven into the characters’ every being was fantastic. From battling glass sky serpents and sand wolves to saving your gods/goddesses from an unknown threat—Vessel had it all! I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved it.

The mythology element in the book also plays a HUGE role in the plot. (Loved it!) It’s rather hard to explain the intricate plot, but I can safely say there were numerous surprises along the way. I usually figure out plots midway through a book, but not with Vessel. I can honestly say I was surprised by the ending. While I was a little disappointed with the turn of events in the resolution, it was still a fulfilling ending.

The characters were also pretty spectacular too. It was hard to make a connection with them because they were so different, but I certainly found myself invested in them. Liyana was the epitome of a strong female lead, and I loved her. She was resourceful and stubborn. Korbyn was mischievous (which makes sense since he was the trickster god). I could just picture the twinkle in his eye! Loved him. Team Korbyn FTW! The other characters that you meet along the way were equally impressive. They were each unique and brought something special to the plot.

I really wish I would have wrote this review the moment I finished reading Vessel instead of waiting two weeks. I feel like now I can only capture the superficial elements that I enjoyed, instead of the overall impact I had when I read the final words. Since this is the second book by Sarah Beth Durst that I’ve read—and I loved it—I’ve decided that I need to read everything else she has written. Vessel was so different from Drink, Slay, Love, but it still managed to find a place on my shelves as a favorite. (For the Record, Drink, Slay, Love is my favorite, non-sparkling vampire book of all time.) I also think it should be noted that truly talented authors (like Sarah Beth Durst) are able to make each book they write unique and special. Vessel was nothing like DSL—seriously. It was as if I was reading the author for the first time, and I appreciated that.

So, for all the mythology fans out there, you need to read Vessel. It’s like nothing you’ve read before! show less