Review and Giveaway: Priestess Dreaming

Priestess Dreaming (Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon - Book 16) by Yasmine Galenorn

Publication Date: 09/30/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Jove
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 336
ISBN-10: 051515475X
ISBN-13: 978-0515154757

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Jove)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Yasmine Galenorn on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon

O.5. Etched in Silver
   1. Witchling
   2. Changeling
   3. Darkling
   4. Dragon Wytch
   5. Night Huntress
   6. Demon Mistress
   7. Bone Magic
   8. Harvest Hunting
   9. Blood Wyne
9.5. Ice Shards
 10. Courting Darkness
 11. Shaded Vision
 12. Shadow Rising
 13. Haunted Moon
 14. Autumn Whispers
 15. Crimson Veil
 16. Priestess Dreaming

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Priestess Dreaming, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

We’re the D’Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. Menolly is a vampire married to a gorgeous werepuma. And me? I’m Camille, a Moon witch married to three hunky husbands, and I’m about to journey through the veils to search for a long lost legend…

With the war in Otherworld raging, the Queen of Shadow and Night summons me to her court. Aeval orders me on a quest through the mists to find an ancient ally of hers. I am to seek out The Merlin and wake him from his long sleep. Surrounded by danger on all sides, with Morgaine and Bran along for the journey, I must pray they are allies rather than enemies, as we undertake a perilous search through the labyrinth of time…

Thoughts:

The D'Artigo sisters are back in Yasmine Galenorn's sixteenth book in the Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon series, Priestess Dreaming. This book is a work of art from the gorgeous cover illustration to the strong female characters and sexy men who love them. Galenorn once again thrills readers with an action packed story that will keep them on the edge of their collective seats. Camile, the Moon witch is the main protagonist in this one and fans of the series will love her search for The Merlin and the nod to the legends of King Arthur. A good addition to the series!

What I liked:  

I was a little skeptical the first time I read a Yasmine Galenorn novel. I mean let's face it, she is a little intimidating. Especially, with a series that is sixteen books in. But after reading Crimson Veil the book that comes before Priestess Dreaming, I at least felt like I had a good understanding of the world building, the important relationships and an overall grasp of the story arc. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to jump into this book and feel good about where I was within the story. I'm not a big proponent of starting a series that is this far along, but I might make an exception for this one.

One of the things that I really like about Galenorn's writing is the strong female characters that she writes. All three of the D'Artigo sisters have a strength that is born of adversity. Camile, is a Moon witch and is the lead character in Priestess Dreaming. She has a tough skin and has been through a lot. But she knows who she is and is comfortable in her own skin. She has three sexy husbands and somehow still manages to make it look easy. But she also has a vulnerability about her that makes her endearing and intriguing at the same time. A very well written character.

I love the interactions between the characters in Galenorn's books as well. In this book, we don't see a lot of the interplay between Camile and her husbands because she is on a quest that does not require them to all be together. But we do get to see how she works around people she trusts and those she doesn't. While she is trying to find The Merlin to bring him Earthside to help her destroy a new foe that has been unleashed, Camile is still learning about herself and growing. I thought her character was expressive and easy to like and her attitudes towards others and her life was interesting.

Most of the action in the book begins closer to the middle of the book, than in the beginning. Galenorn goes to great lengths to inform readers who may be reading her books for the first time about what has gone on before and how we got to this point. So, there is an inordinate amount of backstory in the beginning, but once the quest to find The Merlin begins the action picks up to a frenzied pace. 

When The Merlin finally returns Earthside to take on the wyrm, the showdown is over very quickly. I wasn't quite sure how to take that. It seemed like the resolution was a bit too easy for my tastes. This is supposed to be one of the most villainous foes they have ever faced, but it only took a few pages to take him out. I was expecting a more formidable bad guy and to feel like the characters were really facing mortal danger.

Galenorn does bring the conflict in The Otherworld a little closer to home and the sisters face some loss in this book that was unexpected. Galenorn, thankfully, is not one for cliffhangers and the book does come to a good ending point. I do think the overall story arc has veered a little bit off course. This book didn't have a whole lot to do with Shadow Wing and the war going on in the Otherworld, though it does touch the subject here and there. We'll see what happens I hope we get back to that. I want to know where this is headed.

Bottom Line:

I had my ups and downs with this one. I loved the character building and the world building was fantastic as usual. But I felt that the resolution was a bit too easy and that it did not stick very close to the overall story arc. I still liked it a lot and want to read more. Definitely a great series for Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance readers. 

Priestess Dreaming is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Yasmine Galenorn is the New York Times bestselling author of the Otherworld series (Crimson Veil, Autumn Whispers, Haunted Moon) and the Indigo Court series (Night Veil, Night Seeker,Night Vision).

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Priestess Dreaming by Yasmine Galenorn.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, November 10th.

1. Please leave a comment. The D'Artigo sisters are a very eclectic bunch. If you've read the series, which sister is your favorite and if which do you think will be?

2. Please fill out the FORM.