'Our Divine Mischief' crafts an enchanting YA fantasy, drawing inspiration from Scottish history and folklore. The trio of voices—Áila, Hew, and the mystical Orail—embark on a captivating journey of self-discovery, friendship, and unexpected connections. The narrative beautifully explores themes of identity and belonging, weaving together a tale that is both magical and heartwarming. A delightful read that transports readers to a world where the mundane and the mystical collide with heartfelt resonance. ( )

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes of violence, war, death, and betrayal. The village has a strict class system where those deemed unblessed by the Gods are shunned completely by society. The themes of religious zealotry and control continue throughout.

Each time Aila undertakes an Ordeal she is offered the chance to avoid the Ordeal by sacrificing something to the Gods. These sacrifices vary depending on the Ordeal, and are often horrific in nature.

There are scenes of animal abuse and this book contains animal death.

I picked up Our Divine Mischief by Hanna C. Howard on a whim, the gorgeous cover catching my eye and leading me to a synopsis that intrigued me further. I am so glad it did as this book is one of my favourite reads of the year! I adored it so much I had to share as much on GoodReads in the form of a temporary review, which is most unlike me!

A unique combination of mythology, history and fantasy, Our Divine Mischief offers a story of adventure, romance and, of course, mischief. The Gods are not only real they play an active role in the people’s lives. On Fuiscea the Goddess Yslet shapes lives through the Goddess Trial that villagers take during their youth. Alone they row out to Yslet’s Isle to meet the Goddess, and return with one of her medallions. The medallion tells them what apprenticeship they have an aptitude for; sea glass for fishers, polished hoof for shepherds, and so on. Then there’s the plain gold medallion given to the unblessed, a gift from Yslet for them to buy passage to find their true path elsewhere.

Aila has finally persuaded her mother to let her take her Goddess Trial, and she’s excited to meet the Goddess. She has dreamed of meeting the Goddess on her Isle and being handed a medallion, of starting an apprenticeship at last. But when she gets to the Isle it’s dark and empty, no Goddess awaits her. There’s no medallion not even the dreaded gold one. Instead, she finds a golden eyed puppy who follows her back to her boat.

Returning to the village with the puppy and no medallion, the leaders have no idea what to make of the results of Aila’s Goddess Trial. After consulting records, they find that Yslet has been absent before but never has a dog been found in her place. In those situations the person was tested further to see if they are blessed by the Gods or not. Aila is set five Ordeals, if she passes she will be allowed to take the Goddess Trial for a second time. If she fails, then it will be taken as a sign that she is unblessed. Offered the chance to take the Ordeals or leave her village, Aila chooses to take the Ordeals rather than leave the only home she has ever known.

Until her status has been confirmed, it’s decided that Aila must live alone on the outskirts of the village. She must be chaperoned if she wishes to visit with any friends and family, and a young unblessed man Hew is given the task of acting as chaperone and seeing to Aila’s needs. As an unblessed he is an outcast, ignored and dismissed, considered only good enough to shovel peat. His new assignment provides him with the chance to prove that he can do more.

Aila has been kind to Hew from the start, and as her only confidante, the two grow closer. They both begin to notice when strange things start to happen around Orail, the puppy Aila brought back from the Island. It is just the beginning of a series of secrets that will lead the threesome into mystery and danger that reaches further than they could ever imagine.

I love animal companions in books, so there was a fairly good chance that I would fall in love with Our Divine Mischief and Orail. Then Hanna C. Howard had the marvellous idea of making the animal companion a narrator! Orail’s narration is written in poetic verse and this works very well for an animal’s voice. I’m not a huge poetry fan, so if that’s not your jam either don’t worry; Howard has judged just the right length for these chapters. They’re whimsical and interesting without being too much poetry for those of us who are not interested in that form.

Our Divine Mischief would be a wonderful book if it just focused on the relationship between the three narrators, and mythology. With Scottish history woven into the story it becomes an incredible book. Telling an alternative tale of history with fantastical and mythological elements, Howard’s writing jumped off the page and captured my heart. I was captivated from start to finish by the lives of Aila, Hew and Orail and while I’m sad to leave these characters behind, the story wrapped up in a satisfactory fashion.

This is a rich tale with so many layers, and clearly written by an animal lover which gives it an added depth. If you loved Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, especially the scenes with Oberon, then this is a book for you.

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