Review: The Return of an Oracle

The Return of an Oracle by D. Rose Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars I received this book for free from Amazon thanks to being friends with the author's mother who was helping to promote it. I was then hesitant to read it because what if I didn't like it and my friend asked what I thought?

This is a really hard book to review. Because I own it, it was one I kept setting down to read other (i.e. book club) books and then picked up when I was between other books. So while it took me nearly 7 months to read, it wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it; it was because I had to prioritize other books ahead of it.

My understanding is that it's self-published and that was pretty evident throughout. It would definitely be a much stronger book with some editing help and that did effect my overall rating of the book, though in time I did get used to Taylor's style and that did help the book flow better.

As for the story itself, I loved the premise! In a nutshell, the Greek gods have been laying dormant all these years, reincarnating as humans until they are needed to step back up as gods and save the planet from humans destroying it. That time has come, and Portland State University student Celeste learns she is the oracle destined to find all the gods and return their memories (and therefore their powers) to them.

I generally don't read fantasy novels so perhaps this has been done before. However, it is definitely not a premise of a book I have read before and I was greatly intrigued by it. There were times I wasn't sure if the audience was meant to be young adults or adults, as the writing tended to go back and forth in places, but overall, I really enjoyed the story and found myself wondering which god (or goddess) would be found next and what would happen once they'd all been assembled. And I give props to Ms. Taylor for her research - having been to a monastery in Kalambaka, Greece, I was impressed by how spot on her depiction was.

There was a section towards the end where I felt the book did go a little sideways, though I can't put my finger on exactly what I felt was weird and how it didn't quite jive, but then it seemed to right itself again. It was a fun read, both full of imagination with just enough information about the Greek gods to introduce readers to them (or remind them about!) without it becoming a history book.

My understanding is this is the first book in a trilogy and the cliffhanger at the end definitely had me wanting to message my friend and see if the second book is in the works. Even though I absolutely hate cliffhangers, I loved how this one was written. But given it was late at night, I refrained from asking and now I'm almost afraid to ask out of fear I'll be told there won't be a second book!

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