This was a really fun read, and I am thoroughly looking forward to reading book two! Piper CJ did a great job creating a really unique world, and a spin on religious pantheons I hadn't seen before. This might have been five stars if the pacing was a *little* bit faster, and there was a little bit more spice, but it wasn't enough that I ever wanted to put the book down. I really enjoyed how sex-positive this story is so far, and I absolutely LOVE Luna Rey as a narrator.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGally for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Okay--this is my first novel by this author, and maybe my experience was hindered by it being via audio instead of on page/screen, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd expected? Granted, I might not have been AS MUCH in the mood for fantasy as I would have hoped, and coming off of the CC3 train a few weeks ago, this may have been a bit *too* close for me. However! I enjoyed the writing, the atmosphere was enjoyable, and I will definitely give the next book a shot (maybe physically). If you enjoyed CC by Mrs. SJM, I think you should at least give this one a shot.

Would recommend

Thank you so much to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the audio arc. All thoughts are my own.

I was super hype on this good at the recommendation of Apothecary 19 and wasn’t disappointed. There is just a whole lot going on and a lot to keep track of. Different Gods, 3 different names for the main character, etc.

Some spoilers below!

Marlow is a best selling author of the Pantheon series. She’s had a “guardian angel” her whole life, but more the shadow variety. She was raised by her devoutly religious parents and ran away to become an escort until she had enough money to follow her dream of writing a book series. She made the mistake to of telling her guardian angel to leave her alone, and so we take the rest of the book trying to get him back.

Fauna is introduced as a Norse God and her demon boyfriend Azraemus (which I didn’t really love their whole relationship dynamic?) Marlow has Norse ties so Fauna acts as her guardian as they try to refind Kaliban. Separated lovers is my least favorite story line and that’s what this all is. This ends on a cliffhanger, and I’ll definitely be continuing the series.


Editing to add that I loved the narrator. The different voices were great and helped me get fully immersed in the story. A few words were pronounced strangely but didn’t fully throw me off.

This was an incredibly conflicting listen. First, this narrator was AMAZING. I can't tell you why she was so engaging for me but the sensual nature of her voice and the variations she used for the other ladies just all worked (I'm not usually a big fan of female narrators).

This book may only be interesting in audio format though. The pacing is a bit weird and there was, what felt like, a lot of self insert. There seemed like a lot of down time in the plot. For me I could feel the places where I would have had to force myself through the pages.

**Minor spoilers***

Not having the MMC in most of the book was frustrating and the fact that no one would explain to the FMC the rules of literally anything. And Fauna, Goddess love her, why did she become a mean girl all of a sudden?

Were there trigger warnings? This probably needs trigger warnings. Nothing made sense at the end and the cliffhanger was obnoxious.

This is such a great concept but I think it needed more time to be developed. I'm not sure if I'll pick up Book 2 just because I don't want to struggle through book one again to get to what *might* be a really good plot.

Thank you so much to Tantor Media, Piper CJ and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this title. I received an ARC copy of this audiobook and am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly .

I couldn’t get into this book. The narrator was annoying and wouldn’t admit to anything and only wanted this god. The writing wasn’t great either.

They say write what you know it’s seems like Piper took that to heart with this one. Overall, a fine read (or listen, in this case). This is the first of a series and ends on a cliff so if that’s not something you’re ok with, reader be warned.

The story follows Marlow as she comes to the understanding that the world around her is not what it seems and her imaginary friend is in fact a prince of hell. There is queer rep, SW positive. Basically if you’ve seen any of CJs posts of her personal life, you can guess what this book is about. Not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.

The narrator was solid, I enjoyed the voices for some of the minor/side characters more than the voice for Marlow but that’s entirely personal preference and i listened on 1.5 speed which warps things a bit. Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of this audiobook.

This was such a unique fantasy! I don't think l've read anything like it. I was so interested in the idea of this book from the moment I saw it that I HAD to request it on @netgalley. I DO NOT REGRET IT! I did initially think the pacing was a little bit slow, but the time it takes to get to know Marlow is so necessary. The mythology and folklore is top tier as this story unfolds into a war of worlds. The narration by Luna Rey was just perfect. I preordered a copy of this book just a few chapters into it. I need book 2 !! It's absolutely haunting me!!

Yeah this wasn’t for me. This was my first time reading this author and I hated the style of writing in this book.

I listened to the audiobook and I couldn’t tell if I hated the narrator or if it was the authors writing style… but the narrator definitely didn’t save the story either.

I found myself eye rolling to several parts. The are several times that brands are name dropped in the story, which just kill the overall fantasy aspect for me and felt like an ad. It was incredibly hard to root for the romance plot when he is MIA for the entire story and the author didn’t really do a good job of filling in those gaps. Also the spice was cringe.

There was no character development throughout the entire story. Literally no likable characters… this story had nothing going for it.

I honestly just found myself not caring wtf was happening in the book. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone… I should have DNF’ed but it was an audiobook so I just increased the speed and powered through.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with an ALC. My opinions are my own (obviously lol) 💖

Thank you NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Piper CJ for an ARC of this audiobook! We follow Marlow, a former sex worker turned best-selling author (Piper CJ clearly pulling from her own lived experiences for most of Marlow’s backstory) whose novels are focused on the “mythology” of various pantheons around the globe. Little does Marlow know that it’s all real, tucked away behind a veil that most people cannot see through. I loved the way this book challenged Marlow’s ideas of reality and morality, and forced her to confront the restrictions of her religious upbringing time and time again. I’m hoping we get more exposure to the various individual gods and pantheons as the series continues. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure where this book was going for the first 20%, but then it hooked me and I couldn’t put it down.

This sounded like an interesting new paranormal romance. The cover and synopsis sounded intriguing. I honestly have nothing positive to say. I dnfed this book at 30%. The narration wasn't awful but neither did it grasp my attention. Marlow as a character gave off such dislikable "not like other girl" vibes that it was a struggle to even care about her. Calliban wasn't developed at 30% for me to even find him appealing. This just wasn't my thing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced listening, copy of The Deer and the Dragon. I will start this off by saying I am very conflicted about this book, however, that it no way has anything to do with the audio performance. Luna Rey provides a great single narrator performance covering a wide variety of accents, emotions, and range.

This book has so much potential. I love the premise and as soon as I heard about it, I thought this is what Neil Gaiman’s American Gods would be if it was a romance. Taking the commandment, “thou shalt have no other gods before me” to its extreme implies that all of those other gods do exist. Every pantheon is real. However interpretation and reality differ depending on who is telling the story. I like most of the supporting characters, and by the end was invested in where their stories were heading.

Beyond what it had the potential to be, there are issues. Mostly to due with the protagonist, and I will elaborate after making one point/raising a warning.

I don’t know if this is the case in the physical book, but the audiobook did not have trigger warnings. While I am personally privileged enough to not typically need them, there are definitely topics that this book touches on or that are heavily involved in the plot that could be triggering.

These include:

– Religious trauma
– Sex work
– Psychological abuse
– Sexual trauma
- Mental illness
- Graphic violence

And I’m sure there’s others that I haven’t thought of.

In addition to the lack of warnings, my biggest problem with the novel is that the female main character is incredibly unlikable. From what I know of the author from her own social media presence, this seems to be a very thinly veiled self insert situation. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if the characterization actually made sense. How can I believe that someone well read and knowledgeable enough to write an incredibly popular mythology based series actually knows so little beyond the Judeo-Christian canon that every word out of her mouth and decision she makes gets her in trouble when encountering anything beyond the Christian god or his angels? The same character also finds the supernatural in a Christian context to be completely believable, and everything else must mean she’s insane. She believes this to the point that a presence that has physically been in her life and influencing it for 20 years she assumes is in her head.

I don’t have a problem with the main character who has to learn from their mistakes and who changes over the course of their story. In fact, I think this is necessary to crafting a good story. The main character here did not feel like she grew in understanding, empathy, or experience, despite having the impetus, opportunity, and means to do so. I’m glad that the love interest admitted to easing her path because the advantages she achieved would make no sense otherwise given her own actions and abilities, but I can’t see her appeal to him even if he tries to explain why she’s different. Their connection is not believable.

I plan to continue this series with the hope that the female main character grows and earns the reverence that the supporting characters seem to attach to her. The premise remains interesting enough to convince me to give it a chance to improve, and I will read for the mythological angle rather than the romance. The bones of a really fascinating story are here and I hope will be worth sticking with it.

The Deer and the Dragon by Piper CJ is an interesting combination of folklore of fantasy encompassing both of this author's big strengths. As the first installment of a series, it does an excellent job of setting up the world and characters. I particularly appreciated the way Piper CJ represented our main female character dealing with religious trauma. While the pacing was a bit uneven with exposition being given very rapidly in the start I feel the story did come together really well by about the 20 percent mark. I do think this book will be a great read for those who are already fans of Piper CJ's previous series but this will also be an excellent entry point for those new to the author's work.

True Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Stepping into the world of "The Deer and the Dragon" by Piper C.J. was an intriguing experience, albeit one that took some time to fully immerse myself in. As a newcomer to the author's work, I found myself initially grappling with the rapid introduction of Marlow's background elements, which felt somewhat rushed and disorganized. However, as the story progressed, these elements gradually began to coalesce, making more sense and adding depth to Marlow's character.

What truly captured my attention, though, were the vibrant side characters that populated Marlow's world. Among them, Fauna emerged as a standout, her infectious personality adding a delightful dynamic to the narrative. Once the story pivoted towards their interactions, I found myself fully invested, eagerly anticipating each new development.

Despite the initial hurdles, once the plot gained momentum, it became virtually impossible to put the audiobook down. The fast-paced nature of the story made it incredibly binge-worthy, pulling me deeper into its fantastical realms with each passing chapter. By the time I reached the one-third mark, I was completely ensnared, unable to resist the urge to keep listening late into the night.

Narrated by Luna Rey, "The Deer and the Dragon" offers a captivating blend of fantasy, mythology, and character-driven storytelling. While Rey's portrayal of Marlow's emotions is generally strong, there are occasional moments where the tone feels slightly off or unrealistic. However, these instances are rare and do not significantly detract from the overall listening experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

W wasn’t sure exactly where this book was going at first, I feel like it was a slow build up, but I couldn’t stop reading once I started. Seductive writing had me hooked. Will definitely have to read again now that I know how things match up and make sense. Can’t wait for the next book!…there has to be another book!

The Deer and the Dragon was fun and sexy - check the triggers, including dub-con and discussion of religious trauma. I enjoyed the mythology mixed with the modern world - but I wish I had a bit more world-building. Marlow, our main character, is an uber-wealthy former sex worker who has been in a relationship with the Prince of Darkness for over a decade. She does not believe that he is real, but was real enough to have a sexual encounter with! There is a lot of queer rep, which was done throughout and in a seemingly effortless manner. The supporting cast/found family supported the story so well. I'm excited to see where this story goes next!

Luna Rey did a masterful job narrating!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4.2

Excellent performance by Luna Rey through the words of Piper CJ. I was pulled into this world and story as our FMC grapples with unlearning and accepting a reality she had staunchly denied her whole life. FMC is hardly the star of the show, as the rich side characters carry the story and make you wonder what might exist beyond the veil; I want to see an on-screen adaptation of this book. Chapters 37 and 38 bring a spice I had to stop working for. Cliffhanging ending that leaves the reader begging for more.

I received an audiobook arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I haven’t read Piper’s TNAIM series, so I don’t have her previous writing to hold this up to; however, I was very impressed by the thorough world building, the character development and the easy differentiation between all of the realms and deities. This is a unique take on the battle between heaven and hell, and it was a very fun ride! And that cliffhanger!!!!!!! I was dying when I got to the end and realized it would probably be another year before the next book in the series comes out!

I am incredibly thankful for being given the opportunity to receive an ARC to read of The Deer and the Dragon (the first in the No Other Gods/NOG series), and also I thank NetGalley and rb media for also being able to listen to the ARC of the audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not think I could love characters more than I did in Piper's first 4 book series (The Night and its Moon/TNAIM is book 1). I was WRONG! I absolutely devoured this book, then yelled when I read the last page, not realizing it was the last page. Have you ever had to mourn a book that's part of a series ending so bad that you just had to sit in the quiet and stare at the wall? I'll be telling my therapist about this! (Any details shared below that seem like a spoiler are all in the description or on Piper's social media. Trust me...it's hard to not spill everything about this book.)

As the description of the book says, "The deities you call on aren't always the ones who answer." As someone that grew up in the church and deconstructed, I related to the main character, Marlow, so much. She grew up in an incredibly religious home, where her mother and grandmother had what the church calls "the gift of sight". Basically believing you can see angels and/or demons. Well, what if that's not all there is? Marlow isn't so sure that what has been passed on to her is a gift or not. Has she lost her mind? Well, that is yet to be determined until this is all over. Turns out, she's fallen for the Prince of Hell. Umm...a demon? Cue church kid guilt all dredged up.

Marlow is a best selling fiction author with a book based on mythology and gods. All fiction, right? Just like what she now believes about heaven and hell. Then, my new best friend, a Fae from the Nordic Pantheon walks in to her living room and acts like it's any other day. Including letting her know she could cause a war. What?!

Trust me, you want to go on this adventure of finding out what realms there are to discover, and how preconceived notions (or those forced down your throat) may not be what you thought they were. However, I'm going to advise you to have some gummy bears, gummy worms, pastries, or basically any sweet snack with you for this joy ride. You are going to laugh out loud so much, cry, get angry, feel that deconstruction guilt poked at, and then have the room get really warm with the spice in this book. If you've read Piper's other books, you know you can't finish a book with your heart in tact. ;)

The character development feels so sensory. You can feel the emotions, smell the descriptions, and I felt like I was in the middle of the scenes as I watched them play out in my mind. Waiting on the rest of this series is going to be painful. Even the characters we are just quickly introduced to, I can't wait to learn more about them, and go even deeper with the MC's stories.

I absolutely love the dedication, but won't spoil it. It won't resonate with everyone, but whew, yes it did with me. Absolute truth!! Thank you to Piper for representing various parts of the LGBTQIA+ community (and being one of us), introducing the topic of a polycule, s*x positivity, s*x work positivity, as well as distinguishing between the work being an empowering independent choice vs it being not a choice and/or for the gain of someone else. Purity culture, the patriarchy, and past ways of thinking always need to be challenged and drive out shame. I've seen some say that Piper "glorified the experience" of SW. I can't spoil, but I'm pretty sure one experience that happens is not glorious. It's more about you reading about someone being a SWer and accepting them as they are and not judging them or not respecting that people to choose SW as a way to make money. Also, religious trauma and the judgement of a parent after you have deconstructed really speaks to a lot of us.

I truly enjoyed Luna Rey as the audio book narrator. I've never really been an audio book person. I blame my attention span. I was also worried how I would feel after reading the print book first. Luna filled it in and put me right back in the middle of the book. I was hooked immediately. I look forward to more audiobooks with Luna as the narrator. She must do the rest of the books (looking at you hard Bloom., because we NEED the rest of these books).

This book is to be released on May 7, 2024. HOWEVER, only pre-orders will have teal sprayed edges. So, get those orders in if you see this before then! On Piper's website, she has links to major retailers, as well as a link where you can select a local indie bookstore to support (yay local)! There are wonderful options to support indie bookstores for ebooks like librofm. Also on her site, if you select Books from the menu, you can read Trigger Warnings for any of her books under Trigger Warnings, as well as immersion information under each series. What's immersion information you ask? There is amazing official character art (the talented Helena Elias outdid herself on the NOG art), as well as playlists for several of the characters. Be sure to check it out!

Firstly I’d like to thank NetGalley/tantor audio for allowing me to listen to an arc for this book.
I’m going to be honest, I had a hard time with this book. I have really enjoyed all of Pipers other books immensely and was super excited for this one but something about it just wasn’t hitting for me. I really enjoyed all the lore and mythology in this book but I really didn’t like Marlow at all. I had a very time connecting with any of the characters except Fauna who I adored. At one point I found myself yelling out loud “we get it Marlow you’re a best selling author whose books have been read by everyone including the gods.” That’s when I knew Marlow was on my last nerve lol plus she’s a really bad friend to the very few friends she has and is very self absorbed. At first I was like hmm maybe she’s neurodivergent and just forgets but then she blatantly ignores them and doesn’t respond and doesn’t even seem to care. It’s giving self absorbed and I can’t stand that in a MC. I enjoyed the writing style and when my preorder copy gets here I will give it a shot by physically rereading it

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook arc of this potentially intriguing book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐
Spice: not determined

A short synopsis of the book 📑
Marlow, a character who can see supernatural entities like angels and demons, initially believes she's losing her mind. However, her life takes a dramatic turn when an entity reveals a startling truth: she's been involved with the missing Prince of Hell. This revelation drives her into a centuries-old war between powerful mythological beings from different pantheons. To emerge victorious, Marlow must confront her deepest fears, embrace her true identity, and embark on a personal journey to uncover the mystery of the missing Prince.

My thoughts 💭
Although the synopsis of the audiobook I listened to seemed promising, I needed motivation to maintain interest in the story after the second chapter. While Marlow, a central character, was initially intriguing, I found her focus on sex work uninteresting. Despite the author's attempts to build tension with her relationship with a demon, I could not become invested in the story. Although disappointed, I appreciate the author's effort and creativity in their work. I hope to find another title by them that better suits my taste.

(I uploaded my review to my Goodreads account and will share it on my socials)