Astania Reviews

Kae | The Council of Gods

TITLE: The Council of Gods

AUTHOR: Dark_Ghostie

GENRE: Fantasy

CHAPTERS I'VE READ: Eight

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Fair warning, I discuss spoilers in this review. Also, content warning: I mention subjects the story handles in this review, these being character death (I touch on this briefly) and kidnapping/guns (I discuss these in a bit greater detail).

Plot

The plot follows Gemini, who is competing to have the chance to be a god under the council of the Zodiac. The story jumps right into the plot as Gemini heads off to the competition and meets her mentor, Aries, who was also the mentor for her aunt a long time ago... and that mentorship didn't end well. Gemini must therefore work with Aries in order to complete her trials and become a God.

The story is very plot-focused, and it knows exactly what it wants to do and where to go. It jumps right into it which makes it feel very straightforward. As I say in the below section, I wanted to know who the characters are, and I think that's partially because the plot moves at the pace that it does. There's nothing wrong with this pace, of course, since it lends to the story keeping its tension very well. It's something to consider though, if you ever decide to expand it, whether there are places where the characters can have levity.

When I stopped reading, Gemini had some time with her family for a chapter, which I was looking forward to since the characters around her seem like they're on her side, and I liked that element. The trials start up again just after she fights with her sister, however, so while the tension returns at the perfect moment (especially since she never resolved things with her sister, there's a punch there), I was looking forward to her having downtime.

I think you have a great idea on your hands, and it certainly kept me reading just to see what happened. The short chapters were well-chosen, since it makes the reading process lighter, and it pushed me to keep going. I liked the sensory descriptions early on in the story and the supportive family unit around Gemini. Focusing on these and bringing them forward would benefit it even more, but at the end of the day, this is your story, and you know it better than anyone. My opinion is merely that, and it is subjective. I perceived it a certain way and you do not have to agree, since it mostly comes down to my preferences.

Characters

Gemini: I liked that she has a good, supportive family. I feel like the other gods are rooting for her, except for maybe Aries, but I think that was a nice decision. I don't feel like she's set up to fail, in a sense, but that they want her to pass her trials so she can be among them. That's an interesting concept.

As for Gemini herself, I'd like to know more about her as a person. I know she's kind since she saves the woman in her first trial. I also know how she acts when she's nervous (and that's a good thing). I do think I'd like to know her hobbies and more about who she is. I get the sense she knows history from the second trial, and she feels very passionately—but I want to know more. Why does she want to be a god? What motivates her? Stuff like that.