I'm excited to see that according to my quick Goodreads search I am the unpopular opinion on this book! I'm so glad everybody loved it, I'm not sure what didn't click for me. This might be a good book - bad time situation. I refuse to admit that this wasn't for me because the concept is BEAUTIFUL. Reading all the reviews filled me with hope that I can revisit this later and fall in love with it.

Mona struggles to overcome the issues she developed following a childhood tragedy in order to aid the ailing King and his frustrating, handsome Master of Practitioners with the god-given ability only she possesses. Violent threats against Mona, the lack of trust from most of the King's council, and strange developments with the gods and their plane of existence (which Mona can access) all compound the very unlikely odds that things will end well. Yet Mona's unique abilities, as well as her unexpected developing friendships, push her to look for answers.

I found this book very original and the imperfect, sometimes irritating characters very real. The relationship of the gods, their home, and their magic to the people of this world was unique and I'm eager to see how the plot moves forward in that regard.

I really wish I liked this book more than I actually did. It had such a strong concept, but it fell flat in execution.

The prologue was an explosive start, but the pacing afterward felt a bit off. It felt like we were thrust into the middle of a story. And while it wasn’t very hard to follow the lore, or any of the plot points, the lack of world building made it hard to feel grounded in the story.

It didn’t help that I also had very little connection to any of the characters. I think the most interesting part of Mona’s character is that she is an agoraphobe. I didn’t sense any chemistry between her and the MMC. It was all very flat and underdeveloped.

The best part of this book was the murder mystery/intrigue going on. But even that got an unsatisfying tie up in the last 5%.

Mona has agoraphobia. She hasn't been able to go outside in years - not since a cliffside argument with her beloved older brother resulted in his untimely death. But when her brother's ghost suddenly resurfaces and attacks her, she lets the king's maddeningly persistent best friend lure her to the palace and into a web of political, magical, and godly intrigue.

This book has fantastic world-building, well-rounded characters, and an interesting plot that does end on a cliffhanger. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series when it comes out!

An anxious, agoraphobic FMC with imposter syndrome like crazy, is torn between the real world and the afterlife. With magical world-building that doesn't do too much too fast, it is easy to be transported into Opalville as you read, and for a book about soulmates it is refreshing that the romance is more of a side plot than an "in-your-face" plot point.. As someone who always tries to guess the twist, and no point could I get it right and every twist and turn was exciting. The end leaves enough of a cliffhanger that I can't wait for a sequel.

I liked the sense of foreboding that informed this book’s system of magic. Our compelling central character is courageous and flawed, a loner with a traumatic past who gets dragged into a magical political murder mystery. The vibes here reminded me of Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning, or A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos.

This was a really engaging fantasy. The only reason I put it down was because we were in the middle of moving and I didn't have the time to read. If we weren't I wouldn't have set it down until it was finished. That being said, it wasn't perfect - especially the ending.

I know the ending isn't supposed to be perfect, since this is a series, but really? The MC chooses the equivalent of the "more people tied to the tracks" option from the trolley problem and it's posed as the correct and "good" choice? She doesn't even agonize over how neither choice is good, or even acknowledge that neither choice is good? She just immediately chooses the option that will cause more suffering?

Anyway.... I'll definitely read the next one, if only to find out how on earth she's going to fix this. Even though I do not understand some of the author's choices, I really did enjoy the plot as a whole, the characters, and the magic system.

After losing her brother in a tragic accident, Mona is god blessed by the god of love. She is able to fortell people's true love and does so from her home where she has secluded herself since the accident. When the king is the last of his line and has an illness that only gives him a year to live, the handsome Master of Practitioners persuades Mona to leave her home, go to the castle, and fortell the king's true love to ensure the continuation of the line. However, not everything is as it seems. Mona gives a false name when the reading shows her as the true love and her life becomes at stake. Will she give in to the threats or hold firm in not wanting to be queen?

This book is rated as YA, but I would put it more toward new adult due to the intimate scene in the story. The world building and characters are good, but it took a bit to get into the story after that I enjoyed it every much.

This is an amazing read for anyone who enjoys young adult/new adult fantasy. Great mix of world building and plot, and characters you actually care about. Recommended for fans of One Dark Window

Thanks to NetGalley & Disney Hyperion for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 25% of the way through.

The protagonist is insufferable and annoying as hell, so that didn't help. It's a shame she couldn't carry the book because the magic worldbuilding involving mythical gods was really cool--but I couldn't stand her.

This book felt like it wasn't Young Adult but meant for ages 25+ and up, but the characters were all really immature. If you like fast-paced dialogue and an annoying protagonist like "Fourth Wing" you'll like this. I didn't like "Fourth Wing" and this book for almost the same issues.

Divine Mortals, by Amanda Helander, is a fantasy, romance novel; but I would never recommend it as a Teens & YA novel. The sexual content is quite graphic. As an adult, I found it enjoyable and easily finished it one afternoon/night. I'm looking forward to future books in this series.
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I had a hard time getting into this one. It read a lot like a YA but it felt like a lot of the content was intended more towards new adult rather than a YA audience.

First and foremost, this is not a YA. The intimate scenes are quite graphic.

I liked the writing of the book, however, it was a bit lacking in the story department.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was out of my usual realm of historical fiction. The world building was amazing and the author did a great job with that. I found the pacing to be a bit slow overall.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I started and stopped this book three times before finishing because I kept losing interest.

The concept is really engaging. I love the idea of Gods picking favored mortals and providing gifts because of it. However, being that the magic and the world was underdeveloped, it was hard to really get a grasp and understanding of what was happening. I think this plot really suffered from editing. There were many different lines that needed to be followed and I don't feel any of them really settled well. I also feel like the sexual aspects were not paired down enough for a YA book. A few of the scenes were still pretty spicy.

There also weren't any characters to cling to. Our main character was frustrating for most of the story, her best friend in the story didn't really like her, and the love interest was lackluster too. There were many side characters to follow with little to build on or really care about.

If there weren't so many loose ends being tied up in the last 5-10% of the book, I may have felt differently, but I just did not enjoy this the way I hoped when it started.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! I had trouble forcing myself to finish this, but I don’t like to DNF an ARC. I loved the cover and was intrigued by the premise, but this one fell flat for me. First, I can’t stand a wishy washy and overemotional girl. Feelings are fine and human, duh,, but losing your crap over everything? Sheesh. Next, I felt the main character was inconsistent. Like, she’s weak and timid, but then she’s gonna do something about such and such… but then she’s weak and timid again? She can’t go anywhere new in a building or outside, but then she can go here or there… but then can’t go anywhere again. Ugh. Also, this book description said it was something like a sizzling romance. Um, there’s no chemistry, and I felt like the sexual content wasn’t even needed and didn’t add anything to the story or those characters. I didn’t care if they kissed and honestly didn’t think they cared much if they did either as long as it was a warm body. There was also some insta-love, which I really struggle with in books. Please don’t say your characters are in love after days when we haven’t even seen them really connect. Then they’re heartbroken? Over what? I think I’ve known a cashier at Target longer than you’ve known the “love interest” you just lost. On a positive note, there are a couple decent characters, but they’re not the main ones. The mystery element was kind of interesting, but it wasn’t interesting enough that I’m even concerned about book 2. I always feel bad giving a negative review to someone’s hard work, but I really feel like this one needed workshopped and strengthened more. I wouldn’t put this in the hands of my student readers or recommend it. FYI profanity and sexual content

Our heroine (almost an antiheroine), Mona, is highly favored by the Gods. She can divine soulmates. A non-believing yet dashingly handsome court minister recruits her to come and identify the king's soulmate to ensure the royal line continues. A mysterious plot surrounds Mona and threatens the kingdom's safety. How will she and a few trusted and not-so-trusted confidants uncover who is behind the plot? This book has been an enjoyable read. After a slow start, this book picks up. There is a bit of a learning curve regarding the mythology and magical world, but it becomes more apparent as the novel progresses. Some "spicy" scenes make this book less appropriate for younger (middle school) audiences.

I would say this is more upper ya than ya and I feel like that is important to acknowledge. I enjoyed the premise perhaps more than I enjoyed the delivery. There’s a lot going on and I feel like it’s not all unpacked. Which is fine because there’s still another book but idk. I also don’t know how this book is compared to SJM’s writing because I do not see it. Overall I enjoyed it and it was a quick read for me. But something was definitely missing. I will definitely be completing the duology because I’m intrigued to see how things come to an end.

Divine Mortals by Amanda Helander delivers a captivating blend of mythological intrigue and modern fantasy. Helander's imaginative world-building and dynamic characters create an engaging narrative that keeps readers invested. While the pacing can be uneven at times, the novel’s creative premise and rich storytelling offer an enjoyable reading experience.

This one got off to a somewhat slow start for me, partly because of the references to "The Flood" and me not being able to fully understand what that was from the context. (The rest of the world-building was fine and clear.) But once I worked out Mona's abilities and the basics of the court politics, I sped through the rest of the book. I was baffled by Mona's reading since it was so clear that could not actually be what was supposed to happen, and I'm happy to say that I didn't figure out what was going on there until a good long ways into the story. Although I feel clever when I guess a plot twist, it's more fun if I'm kept waiting for it to be revealed. There are several scenes that are way too spicy for middle school, in case you were thinking about it for that level, but they are quite a way into the book so only your dedicated readers are going to get there anyway.