Review: Poison by Megan Derr

Poison (The Lost Gods #4) by Megan Derr
Less Than Three Press
Novel: 236pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Nine gods ruled the world until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved.

Verde is ruled by the mortal reincarnations of their Lost Gods: the Faerie Queen, the Pegasus, and the Unicorn, slain nine centuries ago at the base of their Sacred Oak. Every one hundred years, the tragedy repeats itself, plunging Verde ever deeper into despair.

Now, the Tragedy of the Oak draws near and Gael, the Unicorn, grows increasingly afraid because of a dark secret kept by the Three: If he cannot find a way to break the tragic cycle, the Twelve White Beasts and his secret lover are cursed to die right alongside him.


Review:
I am going to call this one and say this series is turning out to be my fave this year. There is so much to love about the Lost Gods; I believe it should be on everyone's radar (if you love a good fantasy series). Though, Poison isn’t a fave of mine it’s still an excellent read, which should tell you a lot about the other books that came before this one.

Poison brings the return of Aillill who we first met in Treasure, and then in book two, Burning Bright where he was poisoned (tada) while on a mission to return the royal jewels to the Faire Queen of his homeland Verde. So I was happy to see him return healthy, and fulfilling his duty as a white beast. Being noble is not something Ailill wants to be, but he has a duty to fulfill and he will see it through. He will play a part in restoring the mortal reincarnations of the gods, the Pegasus, the unicorn, and the Faire Queen. For 900 years, the ritual has failed and this time they are hoping to finally restore the gods. Seem that someone has other plans and Ailill is smack dab in the middle of it. Because someone is poisoning all the white beasts and Ailill knows in due time he will be next.

Then comes Ivan, a mercenary Ailill met on his travels and a man he brought to his bed. It comes as a surprise when Ivan shows up at his home no longer a merc, now a duke. Together they try to solve the mysterious poisonings, so close to the ceremony of bringing the gods back to Verde. With no idea of where to start or where to look, Ailill can only look on as his brothers, sisters, and his home perish in a state of anger and hatred.

Seems that the gods of Verde have built a home on lies and betrayal and 900 years of history has been repeating itself. The unicorn, Prince Gael has a secret lover he hides from his siblings and use to be lovers. The story follows the two couples as they try to keep their relationship flowing in an up heave of violence and destruction. Whoever is poisoning the white beasts is someone close to them but if only they could figure out who would want to destroy them when they are close to bringing all three gods back.

All right folks, I really enjoyed this story but I did it find it frustrating and a little drawn out. It was so easy to figure out who was behind the poisonings and for the life of me; I just could not understand why it took so long for everyone else to. Yeh, it’s hard to see something when you are close to the problem but... gawd they took forever. Upside, lots more loving in this one and that made me happy. This one lacks the adventure and roller-coaster story line that I liked so much about the books before, but seriously, Poison is no disappointment. The ending kind of fell out in a rush but I always look forward to the endings in this series, I get to read, if only a little about the gods from the previous books.

Should You Read It? Yes! I believe this series is for all the fantasy lovers out there and should not be missed. Every story is so intricately woven together that I found myself going "oh I remember this".  I freaking love all the colourful characters, and it is never a dull moment with the Lost Gods. Fantastic!

4 Pants Off

Review:
 Book #1 Treasure 
 Book #2 Burning Bright
 Book #3 Stone Rose

Review: Stone Rose by Megan Derr

Stone Rose (The Lost Gods #3) by Megan Derr
Less Than Three Press
Novel: 77,000 words
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Nine gods ruled the world until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved.

The Kingdom of Piedre has been torn apart by feuding since the Basilisk was found dead. The Brotherhood of the Black Rose seeks to ensure the Basilisk is destroyed forever, while the Order of the White Rose searches desperately for a way to restore him.

The latest mortal incarnation of the Lost God of Death is Prince Culebra, the Basilisk Prince. Plagued by assassins, one lover dead and the other gone, Culebra spends his days in despair, painfully aware that his predecessors died only one of two ways: murder or suicide.

Review:
I once again don’t have the words to describe the amazingness of this series and the excellence of this book. Megan Derr has again created a wonderful book filled with adventure, hot loving, and some of the most amazing characters I have ever read. There is never a dull moment and before you know it, the book will be over far sooner than you wanted it to.

Prince Culebra lives a lonely existence, as the reincarnation of the Basilisk god; he is both feared and revered. He is also blind, his eyes hid behind bandages because for him to see the world many will have to die. In all factuality, he has a kill stare. There always are assassins out to get him and they have failed miserable because how can you mess with someone who has an affinity for snakes. Let’s, just say that Culebra is one protected prince. Doesn’t mean he’s unreachable it just means it takes the best to finally get to him.

The story then moves by introducing us to many characters whose life somehow intertwine. I think this is the where the authors skill lies. She can wield an intricate story line that always manages to come together with a bang. I really do not want to give anything away because the fun lies in finding out everything about this series, and with each book a bigger piece of the puzzle finally comes together but there are still always smaller pieces missing (leads to anticipation for the next book).

As I said, a very character driven series, and this one had some of the most exciting characters yet. I really am in love with everyone, even the slithering scaly beauties. A female lead has a strong presence in the book, which I am just jumping out of my pants for. I am very happy about the ménage relationship because it works and makes me happy, and I am completely bias to it. This leads me to the loving. The sex scenes are never explicit, and there aren’t that many but don’t worry you wont miss them *gasp* did I just write that.

I know this wont really count as a review, but I am singing Stone Rose praises so... it definitely means you need to check this serious out. Every book plays like a movie in my head, and I am just in love with the The Lost Gods world. Another wonderful story by the very fabulous Megan Derr.

5 Pants Off

Review: Burning Bright by Megan Derr

Burning Bright (The Lost Gods #2) by Megan Derr
Less Than Three Press
Novel
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Nine gods ruled the world until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying, and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved.

In the land of Pozhar, the people fear the return of Zhar Ptitsa, the god of souls and rebirth who nearly destroyed them nine hundred years ago in a terrible rage. To prevent his rebirth, the people hunt down and sacrifice Vessels, those born with a piece of Zhar Ptitsa's soul within them.

The Sacred Texts say that one thousand such Vessels will be born and all must be sacrificed to destroy Zhar Ptitsa once and for all. Now, only two pieces remain in the bodies of two thieves who will not go to the Flames without a fight.


Review:

Megan Derr has done it again with a wonderful and exciting read. The second book in The Lost Gods series takes to the streets of Pohzar and introduces us to its fire children. For many centuries, they have been making sacrifices in order to finally rid themselves of the god Zhar Ptitsa so he will not come back and burn the country to ruins. Seems Zhar Ptitsa souls was scattered to a 1000 vessels, and so 998 vessels have been sacrificed and now only two remain. Priest Dym is in charge of the daunting task of hunting and removing the vessels and with only two vessels remaining his anticipation is high but also his trepidation.

Raz and Pechal are thieves and they are best, a couple of street rats whose only dream is to make enough money to one day own a home with a garden. Seems their small dream will never come to completion when Pechal becomes sick and it becomes clear that he is the next vessel. Raz will not give up his friend easily, and is willing to got to the gallows if it guarantees that Pechal will remain alive. When both boys are cornered by the hunting party, two things become clear that Raz is the last vessel and he is more Zhar Ptitsa than those before him. A history becomes known that both Priest Dym and Raz share. Seems Raz isn’t just some street rat after all.

The storylines and characters are so intertwined, that when it all comes together you will do a *fist pump*. I am just so impressed by how the author pulls it off; the entirety of the plot just comes together effortlessly. The characters are so wonderfully diverse, and you will just be rooting for all of them; they provided me with such merriment (ha, I wrote merriment).

I was a bit put out in the story and found myself a blubbering mess when certain things happened. I found myself cursing Priest Dym to Hades and back, but as the story progressed my heart when out to him. He is by far the most depressing character that carries such a huge weight on his shoulder. So kudos to the author for sharing background on Dym’s life because otherwise he would have just been the bad guy with no redeeming qualities.

The story is not a romance but it does contain romantic themes, and gives you enough sweetness to make you smile. It really is an action packed, adventure fantasy story with such awesmazing world building. I thought I couldn’t fall in love with this series anymore after reading Treasure, and folks I was very wrong. The Lost Gods is gonna be spectacular, and I am saying this after only reading the first two books.

I was surprised by many happenings in the book, and I always like to keep things spoiler free but I will say this ‘a happy ending was for all’. Loved how everything came together and left me satisfied and anticipatory for the next book.

If you are looking for an adventure story filled with twists, turns, and intrigue. Then I would recommend this wonderful series. There is just so much to love, even without sexy naked time (I wanted sexy naked time T_T) Yep, I love this book.

5 Pants Off

Treasure by Megan Derr

Treasure (The Lost Gods #1) by Megan Derr
Less Than Three Press

Novel: 250pages

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Blurb:
Nine gods ruled the world, until the ultimate betrayal resulted in their destruction. Now, the world is dying and only by restoring the Lost Gods can it be saved.

Nine hundred years ago, the Dragons of the Three Storms, gods of chaos, tried to destroy their land of Kundou. Only by rising up and slaying the Dragons and stealing their power was Kundou saved. Now, that power resides in the royal family and grants them the right to rule.

But that power comes at a terrible price, and Prince Nankyokukai is determined that he will be the last to pay it—even if it means surrendering his chance with the man he has waited for his entire life.

Review:
It took all of 51 pages for me to get into this book. I honestly thought it was going to be a very slow read and one I would not like very much. I now know better than to underestimate Miss Derr, because she sure knows know how to write a great fantastical story.

This is the first book in the Lost Gods series, and it brought the awesome and some serious ass kicking mermaids. The objective of restoring the gods is to bring chaos to order, because you just can’t have too much order. Prince Nankyokukai (but lets get real, you can’t say it and I can’t say it) so he will be called Kyo. Kyo is to suffer a terrible fate, so his family can retain their power, but Kyo decides he’s going to suffer that fate his way. He brings his secretary and friend Taka, and they voyage out to sea, but Kyo is keeping secrets and everyone wants to know why.

We also meet Kin, the captain of the ship that Kyo and Taka will be using for the journey. Raidan, the rich merchant with his flamboyant clothes and equally flamboyant personality. Together the four men will journey, and become closer than expected. Kin and Kyo share a past, a past both men haven’t forgotten and Raidan will find the ultimate treasure in Taka. This story equally belongs to all the characters, and man they are seriously kick ass.

As I said, slow going in the beginning but it does pick up with some great fight scenes with kick ass mermaids. The richness of the characters and their history also adds something great the story. I enjoy a solid world building, and Treasure has a fantastic one and it never feels like information overload, the right amount at the right time. I find that with books I have read by Megan Derr, there is so much going on that it would be a crime to write about all in a review. It’s just too fantastic to sum up, too fantastic.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one and have me anticipating a pants losing for book two. I loved all the characters; I am a serious sucker for pretty men with all sorts of coloured hair. It’s as if a Japanese anime kicked me in the face with awesomeness. If you are a fan of fantasy, gods, and magic? Then look no further this book is probably for you. Treasure was a fantastic read.
 

4 1/2 Pants Off