Dark Goddess (A Devil's Kiss Novel) [Hardcover]

Sarwat Chadda (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 25, 2011 | Grade Level: 7 and up | Series: Devil's Kiss | Lexile Measure: 650L (What's this?)

Still reeling from the death of her best friend, Kay, Billi's thrust back into action when the Templars are called to investigate werewolf activity.  But these werewolves are like nothing Bilil's ever seen. 

They call themselves the Polenitsy: man killers. The ancient warrior women of Eastern Europe, supposedly wiped out centuries ago. But now they've come out of hiding and are on the hunt for a Spring
Child — an Oracle powerful enough to blow the volcano at Yellowstone —  and start a Fimbulwinter that will wipe out humankind for good.

The Templars follow the stolen Spring Child to Russia, and the only people there who can fight the supernatural are the Bogatyrs, longtime enemies of the Templars.  To reclaim the Spring Child and save the world, Billi needs to earn the trust of Ivan Romanov, a young Russian soldier whose suspicious of people in general, and of Billi in particular. 

 
Dark Goddess is a page-turning, action-packed sequel that spans continents, from England to the Russian underworld and back. This is an adventure of folklore and myth become darkly real. Of the world running out of time. And of Billi SanGreal, the only one who can save it. 

 

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-In this sequel to Devil's Kiss (Hyperion, 2009), Billi SanGreal the only female member of the Knights Templar, discovers a powerfully psychic child. A pack of all-female werewolves kidnaps her, and Billi and crew must head to Russia to face them and their goddess, Baba Yaga. There they are assisted by the Bogatyrs and their leader, Ivan, a descendant of Anastasia Romanov. Ivan and Billi quickly develop a bond when she saves him from a ghul (vampire). While still maintaining her tough edginess, Billi gradually becomes a more sympathetic character in this installment. The action is fast paced and scary, while still allowing time for character development. The plot is steeped in lore from multiple cultures and religions. Given this, it is puzzling that no one remarks on the fact that all of the Templars just happen to have Arthurian names. Sadly, one can not help but notice that the cover is heavily white washed. It portrays Billi, who is described as favoring her Pakistani mother, as Caucasian. Boys will enjoy the story as well, but will likely not be interested in carrying around a book that looks like a paranormal romance. That said, Billi will appeal to those who appreciate tough and independent heroines, and the stories have broad appeal to anyone who enjoys horror stories.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

Mythic, funny, violent and fast-moving Guardian --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition (January 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423127595
• ISBN-13: 978-1423127598
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.1 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic, Action Packed Series February 4, 2011

By Mundie Moms/Mundie Kids

Format:Hardcover

Dark Goddess is a fantastic, action packed sequel that completely blew me away. Be prepared to fasten your seatbelt when you sit down to read this book, as Sarwat's talent for story telling will introduce you to more fantastic characters, as he unravels his richly detailed story, full of history and folklore. This time Billi and the Knights Templar leave London behind for the city and woods of Russia to protect Vasalisa, a Spring Child that the witch Baba Yaga wants.

Billi is a character who continues to amaze me. The heartache she dwelt with at the end of Devil's Kiss hardens her up a bit in Dark Goddess, which I completely sympathized with. Not wanting to fall victim to a broken heart again and feeling responsible for the lives lost in war with Michael, Billi loses herself to the cause of the Knights Templar. That's until she meets her match with Ivan (Tsarevich Ivan Alexeivich Romanov), who has a lot in common with her and is a character I loved getting to know. Together, Billi and Ivan help each other in ways no one else is able to and I loved their scenes together. Their chemistry is an added bonus to this story.

This is such an intriguing story, as Sarwat merges together the Knights Templar with the Russian lore, mixing together the history of Tsar Alexei's family with that of Baba Yaga, throwing in paranormal characters set in modern day. The scenes are so vivid that at times I felt like I was watching a movie. There is some amazing action scenes between the Knights Templar, the werewolves (who have a rich history all their own tied to Baba Yaga), and the Bogatyrs.

If you're looking for a book that has it all, then Dark Goddess is a book you need to pick up! All I can really say is WOW! I was completely blown away with this face paced, sequel to Devil's Kiss. Dark Goddess has a riveting, twisted plot that makes me want to go re-read it again. There are some scenes who's action/gore may be a little too much for sensitive readers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed but lacking character development, 2.5 stars January 31, 2011

By Neutron Lurver Reviews VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

In Dark Goddess (A Devil's Kiss Novel), author Sarwat Chadda returns to the world of the Knights Templar and their youngest and only female member, Billi SanGreal. After the harrowing showdown between good and evil in Devil's Kiss, Billi is trying to recover, but reports of werewolf activity thrust her and the other knights back into action. The werewolf hunt takes them to Russia, where an ancient power is searching for a Spring Child to bring about the demise of humankind. In Russia, Billi meets the Bogatyrs and the arrogant but attractive Ivan Romanov. In a race against time, the two must learn to trust each other in an effort to save the world.

Even more than Chadda's first book, DARK GODDESS is packed with action and gritty scenes that don't flinch at violence. This installment mixes together real Russian history, folklore, and legend to create an imaginative conflict. The mythology also expands to include demon hunters similar to the Templars, which made the existence of the Templars themselves more believable, and the references to Arthurian legend become more pronounced. While I wasn't impressed with the character development overall, this book includes a slightly better relationship between Billi and her father, and it touches on the emotional aftermath of Kay's death. The book also wraps with a conclusive ending that has a finished feel.

Despite these potential strengths, the book didn't come together to me. Even though there was constant action, character development suffered for it. None of the characters showed much change or growth, and the storylines regarding Kay's death and Billi's relationship with Ivan were presented in ways that felt inconsistent with Billi's character. The main plotline also felt slightly repetitive, because it dealt with another type of Oracle that immediately became associated with the Templars. Even with her training, Billi again comes off as less competent and weaker than expected. The villains also sometimes seemed ineffectual, and the battle scene descriptions often felt choppy or disjointed.

For those who love an action-filled book with folklore and fighting, this book will be a perfect fit. For me, however, I couldn't enjoy it because I didn't observe any authentic development in the characters. In future books, I hope Chadda continues to bring his gritty edge to the action, while also incorporating greater character development and a more believable romance.

Note: This review refers to an advance reader's copy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Killer Series! January 27, 2011

By Reading Teen

Format:Hardcover

Well, once again Chadda delivers. I really enjoyed this book as much, if not more than the first one!

I loved that it was mostly set in Russia, I love the Russian accent.

Did you know I can read with a perfect Russian accent in my head?

Billi saves a little girl from nearly getting slaughtered by a werewolf (deep, deep down she's sorta a softy). The child turns out to be an oracle, the Spring Child. And everyone wants the Spring Child; the Bogatyr (Russian mob types) and the Polensity (man-killin' werewolves). I love the fact that there were werewolves in this book. It just made it so intense, and believe me when I say man killers, all the werewolves were woman. Intense, strong, dangerous, not-so-feminine woman.

So, of course, Vasilisa gets kidnapped and that's what takes Billi to Russia. Once the book was set in Russia, it was such a fun read. Before Russia, Dark Goddess was just intense. Now it's fun and intense at the same time. Russia is were Billi meets mysterious, handsome, strong, Ivan Tsarevich and let me just say... WOW! I just loved their chemistry and how they worked together. They made a great couple. Yes, yes, there was more kissing in this book. So double whammy for me! Werewolves & kissing = one great book!

Chadda describes the palace were Ivan lives right down to what the murals on the ceiling looked like. I just love the description in this book. I love when the author just paints a picture for me, in my head. The clothes Billi wore in this book were so beautiful. The cars the Bogatyrs drove were amazing. I could just smell the money that was dripping off the Bogatyrs.

I enjoyed the fact that Billi and her father seem to have more of an understanding in this book. They get along pretty well, like some healing has taking place or maybe Billi has grown into her duty as a Knights Templar. There was more Templar action, romance, double-crosses, gun battles and many other things to look forward to in Dark Goddess.

Let me just say, if a third Devil's Kiss Novel was coming out today, I would drop everything (hopefully, I'm not holding a child in my arms at the time), to stand in line and wait for hours to get my greedy, little hands on it!

-Amy [..,]