Divine By Choice - A Classic Tale Of Partholon [Paperback]

P.C. Cast (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Luna Books; 1st Trade. edition (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778303586
• ISBN-13: 978-0778303589
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,075,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

P.C. Cast was born in Watseka, Illinois, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. Since her tour in the USAF, she has been speaking and teaching professionally.

Ms. Cast is an award winning fantasy and paranormal romance author. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers' Best, and the Laurel Wreath.

Ms. Cast writes the popular Goddess Summoning Series for Berkley Publishing. The forth book in the series, GODDESS OF THE ROSE, A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast, is a Feburary 2006 release.

In December 2004, LUNA (Harlequin's single title fantasy imprint for women) released ELPHAME'S CHOICE, the first of five epic fantasy novels set in the world of Cast's popular first book, GODDESS BY MISTAKE. BRIGHID'S QUEST was her December 2005 release, with two more installments in the world of Partholon scheduled for release in 2006 - including a special LUNA edition of GODDESS BY MISTAKE, under the new title DIVINE BY MISTAKE, and it's never before published sequel, DIVINE BY CHOICE, which will be available December 2006.

P.C. Cast is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. If your organization is interested in information about her workshops or presentations, please contact her publicist, Sherry Rowland of Siren Promotions at 918-625-6526 or [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happily Suprised, April 13, 2007

By 

Melissa Henstra "Glittersparrow" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Divine By Choice (Mass Market Paperback)

I am always leery of continuations of books that I have enjoyed, often I end up wishing that the author had left well enough alone. However, I didn't find this to be the case with DBC, I was pleased to find that the people/horses whateever that I came to know in DBM where themsevles in it's sister novel. That is to say, there was nothing that made me go wait a minute, Shannon wouldn't say or do this or that, no out of left field plot twists and nothing that felt out of place. I liked Divine By chioce quite as much if not a little more then Divine By Mistake. A thing for which I am greatful because now I can eagerly awiat Divine By Blood(September, 07)without worrying about the quality of the novel. Though there were difficult sequences in the story, an unexpected confrontation, two rather brutal deaths, and a look into the past of a major character that was a little hard to read. these only add to the richness of the book and are a credit to Cast's writing ability. In case your curious and didn't know. The Partholon Saga is ordered like this.

Divine By Mistake which is an improved reprint of Goddess By Mistake

Divine by Choice

Divine By Blood( not yet released)

Elphame's Choice

Brighid Quest

Happy Reading:)

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Feelings, January 3, 2007

By 

Beverly Diaz (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Divine By Choice (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to put my feelings for this book squarely in the middle of the other reviews. I loved "Divine By Mistake" and felt the author wrote a woman who was real in body, emotion, and personality. Shannon speaks to all of us with her good nature, silly jokes, and real sensuality. I felt Partholon was a well developed and unique place with characters that really separated themselves from other fantasy authors.

I was not pleased to feel that was missing from "Divine by Choice." Because the experience Shannon has returning to Oklahoma really only takes up about a week to a week and a half in book time, the action moves from event to event to event with a rapid pace that misses some of the narrative moments and human relationships of the previous book. We get one moment of something with her old friend Suzanna, and only briefly longer with her Oklahoma father. We also only have review glimpses of her relationship with Alanna and ClanFinton in Partholon and for anyone that doesn't read the other book first, it will make them wonder why she bother wanting to return at all. There is little of the background and setting that made the other book so full.

However, the magic in this book is much more real. Although the Goddess speaks to Shannon in the previous book, through the dream visions, and through instruction, in this book magic is a much bigger tool. Especially the dark magic, which I thought the author did an excellent job writing. Yes, it was perverse, but it's supposed to be. What Shannon witnesses and how she comes to understand Rhiannon is very well crafted. I was nonetheless confused by an incongruous lack of horses in Shannon's magic. The keys to Shannon's power in Partholon is intimately connected to horses and her status as a warrior Goddess incarnate. As such, I was really expecting her to rely on animals for her power as opposed to trees, for which there was no development in the previous book.

Lastly, I want to comment on the thing that upset me the most, as it did in other reviews listed here on Amazon. She should not have slept with Clint. Her relationship with Clint is not written well, and it really seemed out of character for the way both Shannon and Clint were described. I find it hard to understand how a man who was written like a hero, could have so completely been unable to respect that she was off limits, and I also find it hard to believe that while Shannon did not take her decision lightly, she gave in to it with so little reflection. I guess we as readers were supposed to understand the magnetism and confusion of being faced with the mirror images, but I didn't. I didn't feel sympathy, I felt betrayal. Shannon was distinguised as a character from Rhiannon repeatedly by being described as having had more discipline and a better upbringing, which in turn allowed her to make better choices, but this is not evidence of it. I'm disappointed in her and I'm disappointed with the story.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another "Divine" Novel by P.C. Cast!, January 19, 2007

By 

Laura S. Rowland (Broken Arrow, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Divine By Choice (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book. It was totally different than I expected. The introduction of Clint was a surprise to me, though I don't know why based on the mirror image phenomenon we were introduced to in "Mistake". But I thought he was well written.

I also liked that Cast explained the history behind Rhiannon. I don't think she was excusing Rhiannon's behavior in any sense, just giving us a more insightful look at some of the choices she had made.

I am puzzled by the comments regarding Shannon's sexual interlude with Clint. Shannon repeatedly refrained from furthering a relationship with Clint during the majority of the book. Even though she was afraid that she might never make it back to Partholon, she wanted to remain true to ClanFintan. Clint looked like ClanFintan and the similarities didn't stop there. She thought she might actually be unable to return to Partholon and would most probably spend her life with Clint, but she continued to refrain. It was not until Epona asked Shannon to "love him tonight" that she made that move. Is Shannon not Epona's Beloved? Is she not to do as the Goddess asks knowing that Epona is guiding her? I felt that Shannon needed to help heal Clint and that was the whole purpose of the night. Clint was a Shaman and the spirits guided him as well. It seemed there was more at play here than the individual wishes of two humans.

Overall - I was very pleased with the story and I'm eager to see how she resolves issues in the next book. Cast is never afraid to have her characters enter into conflict and high drama. It makes her one of my favorite reads.