This is a good beginner fantasy book for MG or younger YA readers. It has a good concept and is interesting overall, but doesn't really do anything new for the genre and it has some pacing issues. I've read so much fantasy that it didn't particularly stand out, but for newer fantasy readers it could be a good stepping stone!

This is a captivating tale of magic, political machinations, and the indomitable spirit of its protagonist, Ora Widogast. The narrative unfolds with a promising premise, yet it carries both moments of brilliance and aspects that left me wanting.

Ora's character is a wild and stubborn force, and I admired her determination to navigate the complexities of the fae realm after her brother's fateful mistake. The story kicks off with a captivating setup as Ora finds herself ensnared in the intrigues of the fae realm, held captive by the cruel mage Tyg Marigen. The tension escalates as Ora discovers her latent magical abilities, setting the stage for a unique and potentially powerful narrative.

The positive aspects of the book include the intriguing blend of powerful women, complex magic systems, and the political undercurrents that add depth to the story. Ora's resilience and determination make her a compelling protagonist, and the exploration of her newfound magical abilities adds an exciting layer to the plot.

However, as the story progresses, I found myself wishing for more in terms of character development and world-building. While Ora's journey is filled with potential, some aspects felt underexplored, leaving certain plot points and character motivations less satisfying than I had hoped. Additionally, the pacing at times felt uneven, with certain events unfolding rapidly while others seemed to lag.

Despite these reservations, "Ora and the Old God" is a tale that held my attention and showcased Sarah Day's skill in crafting a world of magic and political intrigue.
For readers who enjoy stories featuring strong-willed protagonists and intricate magical systems, this book offers a unique perspective.

I revived a copy of this book to read and review from Netgalley,
An intriguing story with basis in Norse mythogy. It started off promisingly but felt like it lost its way by the end. The writing is good but I felt like there was too much forced into the last third, making it feel cluttled and rushed.

Sarah Day's "Ora and the Old God" is a tale of magic and wonder, featuring a memorable cast of characters and a beautifully crafted world. It's a story that will resonate with fans of fantasy and those who appreciate imaginative storytelling. While the pacing might not be to everyone's taste, the overall experience of reading this book is enchanting. I give it 4 stars, as it's a commendable addition to the world of fantasy literature and showcases the author's undeniable talent in creating immersive, mystical worlds.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This was a fun middle grade novel! There were some humor in this story! I liked Ora. I found her to be a feisty protagonist. The world-building was also well-developed. The only thing I did not like about was that sometimes the story moved at a slow pace. Still, I recommend this for young teens!

This was a quick read and a simple premise. The characters were likeable enough and the plot was somewhat interesting although a little predictable on places, this is after all a saturated market.

This was the kind of read to get you into the genre maybe or an in-between trilogies book. Sometimes it is nice to read something simple and short.

Author Sarah Day packed her debut novel, Ora and the Old God, full of action and adventure, suspense and intrigue, family bonds and character growth. It is beautifully written, deeply fascinating and a complex world developed in just a couple hundred pages. Ora Widogast finally convinces her mother to allow her to join her brother, Hademar, on the hunts. But one misstep ends the hunt with Hademar transformed into a pig. Ora is taken to the fae realm as a name bound captive. She is bound to Tyg Marigen and her husband Callum, who are less than pleased to have a lowly human around them. Tyg is a powerful fae war mage and is a fascinating character with her own motives and goals. She may be the protagonist but she certainly isn’t a villain. She is a complex contrast to Ora’s brash and reckless nature. Tyg is ambitious and duty driven. She is cold and calculating, while Ora is fiery and bold. Ora needs to escape and rescue her brother, but discovers that she has her own powers.
The world Day created is deep and complex, full of politics, folklore and legend and a whole race of Fae with rich history and culture. It’s impressive what she managed to do within the pages in such a short amount of time and knowing there are more books to come will allow for even more exploration of this world. Her writing is vividly descriptive and can be appreciated by both young readers and adults. Ora is a fantastic main character, determined, slightly stubborn and trying to find her way in the world. She is growing up and a character that young readers will connect with. She is discovering who she is and what she is capable of, while trying to break free from her family as her own person.
Despite being a YA, mature middle grade readers will absolutely love this. There is one overtly violent scene but nothing extremely graphic or scary. This one is a must read

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. The below opinions are my own.

Ora and the Old God is the first book in the Of Ether and Silver series. The cover is really pretty and the book is pretty short. So, I was able to read it quickly. This is about Ora who gets captured into slavery after her brother kills a fae creature unknowingly on a hunt. He gets turned into a pig as punishment.

This novel was okay. The plot wasn't anything new and it is too predictable at times. However, the writing style of the author is commendable. The word building is very atmospheric but the characters felt one dimensional to me.

There is potential here for future improvements. If you read a lot of YA fantasy, then this book might feel juvenile and not for you. Otherwise, it is an okay book which can be improved upon by the forthcoming sequels.

This book was really undeveloped. The characters were one-dimensional and not fully-fleshed (for example, we didn't see any motivation for the actions of the main antagonist, except that she's supposed to be mean and prideful), and the story basically could not make me care about what happened to either of them. Also, the pacing was terribly erratic and made it hard to read.

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

A wonderful story about personal growth and overcoming adversities. Loved the cast of characters & the magical aspects as well.

This was a fun debut! It was fast-paced with great world building and character development. Highly recommend!

Sadly I kept putting this off as I had read far too many bad arcs lately, but luckily this turned out to be a exception. Perfect for fans of Sarah j Maas, but without the smut.
Excellent world building

It was super easy for me to get into the book. Both plot and characters were quite straight forward so I knew right away what was happening. I also think the start into the story was chosen well, there is some world building, just enough to understand everything, but not enough to distract from the essentials.

But here comes my main problem with the book. While I definitely enjoyed Ora and the Old God, the pacing felt a bit off to me. As I said, the beginning gave us a bit of world building and that was great because that way I basically fell into the story. The problem was, that there wasn’t that much world building later either. I wish there would have been more, especially when it comes to human/fae relationships and how their worlds came together and then apart.

It was the same problem with most of the characters, they all fell a bit flat. Except for Tyg and Ora they lacked a certain depth. I feel like Ora was only well developed because she was the protagonist. I really enjoyed Tyg as a character, though. Not her being or action, but how she was written. She was cruel and selfish and ambitious and not making a secret out of it. I really liked seeing her going forward and going after her goals without any remorse. It was quite refreshing, actually. Even though Tyg is kind of horrible, she might have been my favourite character. I guess I just love those highly ambitious women.

I also liked Ora, though with her it was the other way around. She was a likeable character who’s nice and passionate about the things and people she loves and she is a fast learner. Maybe too fast.

The „maybe too fast“ can be added to most things in the book, unfortunately. I think a few more pages really would have made this book better when it comes to depth of the world building and the characters.

What I really enjoyed about this book, though, was the magic and the magic system(s). There are different kinds of magic that all work differently and on different peoples. I can’t wait to see more of that and to delve deeper into all forms of magic.

This was a good, solid start into a series and I’m very intrigued about what the story will bring. There were a few things left unexplored that I hope will get more page time in the sequel and I’m excited to see where Ora’s way is going… and what the gods will do.

I loved the concept of this book-- Ora and her brother venture into the woods, where he gets turned into a brush pig and she gets captured and taken to the fairy realm.
While I liked everything about it, I wanted more. Of everything. Descriptions of setting and people were lacking throughout, and I would have liked to see all of the characters (with the possible exception of Ora) fleshed out more. Every time a character appeared that I wanted to love (like Maol) or hate (like Tyg), I felt like I was missing a few pieces to really elicit strong emotion.
In my opinion, Ora and the Old God could have used maybe 20k more words, all spent on physical description and development of all characters. It was a quick and easy read, and read more conversationally than I'm used to due to the lack of details, so there's a silver lining there.
I don't have much more to say except that it had a ton of potential that it didn't quite meet BUT that I am looking forward to reading the next book. It could have been more, but it was enough.

This book was so great, but there was some part of it which was slow. The story about Ora was written well. The description of the characters and places are done well too. It took me a while to get into this book for various reasons and one of them was that i felt the story was not moving fast at time. But others then that i loved this book, cant wait for part two

Thanks to the author for sending the ARC after not being able to download it from NetGalley!

I enjoyed this story to the fullest. It's creative and very unique in its genre. The story was interesting and kept me thinking: 'what will happen next?'. Besides that, the characters are very human-like. They have a real personality, show a certain character in the storyline. Also the setting was very cool! It had such a fairy tale feel, which I loved.

This was a good story full of adventure and excitement. Ora finds herself trapped in fae territory and her brother has been turned into a pig. She then goes on a wild adventure trying to make things right. I very much enjoyed this book. I thought the characters and plot were well thought out. I just wish it was longer and more time had been put into character development. Overall I recommend this book to people who enjoy light YA or middle grade fantasy.

Thankyou to Netgalley, the author and publisher for providing an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

Fae lovers rejoice for i have found another showstopper! With a reckless and lovable protagonist, incredible world building and attractive fae realm, you can't look last this book.