Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst ISBN: 9781442423770
Published by Simon and Schuster on August 27, 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 432
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This atmospheric fantasy is, “from the gripping first line, a fast-paced, thought-provoking, and stirring story of sacrifice” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.
The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.
Sarah Beth Durst is an author I’ve consistently enjoyed, and Vessel was no exception. The world was engaging and well imagined, allowing me to easily envision the nomadic dessert tribes at its core. The characters are driven by their own needs, though obligation to your community is a central theme for both the humans (Liyana being the MC) and the gods (Korbyn in particular). A myriad of interpretations to the established central tenants of the Goat Tribe are encountered during the story, which gives Liyana and the reader parallel growthful moments of understanding.
As an MC, Liyana is resourceful, stubborn, and pragmatic- all great traits for a tale. I did feel like the supporting cast (the other vessels, gods, and the Emperor) weren’t nearly as well developed, which made it difficult to care. But the world-building was engaging enough for me to finish this in 3 days.
SPOILER AHEAD!
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I appreciated the Korbyn/Bayla storyline, which introduced an impossible choice (I do love a trickster god), but there was no reason for Liyana and the Emperor to have a rushed romantic subplot. It was steeped in instalove (a trope I despise) and served no plot purpose whatsoever, and it also framed the Emperor’s entire personality around being a stoic love interest. For this reason, I took a star off.
Read for the ClearUrSht and Magical Readathons.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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