Once again, I am both delighted and nervous to be joining my second book tour! Thank you to Escapist Tours for the opportunity to read and review Leslie Griffin’s Of Water and Dance.
Synopsis:
The forest is impenetrable. Mortals do not dare enter and the ancient Gods residing within cannot break free. In this stagnant, earthen prison they’ve waited, and one-by-one they’ve suffocated. But when a Leviathan is found slumbering deep inside a mountain and a Priestess’ destiny is fulfilled, her decision between four different fates ricochets through time and leaves a crack in the wall that separates the realms of mortals and Gods.
With this fissure an unlikely web of people have found themselves intertwined.
A pair of golden colored siblings born with an ancient, forgotten magic in their veins.
A middle-aged Prince dying from the poisoned blood of his family’s false rule.
A Sergeant whose abilities on the battlefield unwittingly released a dark, immortal secret from within himself.
At the core of their improbable alliances is a secret long buried in stone. A secret that could change the bleak landscape of their home back into the fertile land it once was. But every secret has its price, and in order to expose this one time must shift, and one of them will have to die in consequence.
Content warnings:
Shown on page:
- Consensual sexual relationships (mature)
- Explicit sexual relationships
- Violence
- Gore
- Drug use
- Explicit language
- Discussion about human trafficking
- Depictions of sex workers
- Seizures
- Physical disabilities
- Homophobia
- Sexism
Things mentioned in passing or hinted at:
- Sexual violence
- Suicide
- Self harm
- Vomit
- Feces
My thoughts:
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 stars)
I have to admit it was a combination of blurb and cover that drew me to this particular book. First of all, the cover is really pretty and I love the artwork. Secondly, I quite like stories that feature fate and destiny as plot points, and I was intrigued to see how they would feature in Of Water and Dance.
Of Water and Dance was an interesting one. On one hand, I read this in huge chunks – the plot moves along at a fairly quick pace and it is one of those books where you can easily read huge chunks in one go. On the other hand, I did find elements of this quite jarring and they often took me out of the world that had been created.
One of the things I did like about Of Water and Dance was the world building and the idea of a world that has something intrinsic missing from it. I found that element really interesting and I wish more time had been dedicated to it. I would have loved a bit more history or lore just to flesh that concept out a bit more and provide a bit more context.
I also liked the multiple plot lines (with a couple of exceptions). Multiple plot lines or P.O.Vs don’t bother too much in fantasy and I think it is something that worked quite well here. I like it when multiple plot lines and P.O.Vs expand the world building and add to it, and I felt that was the case in Of Water and Dance. If I did have to nitpick, there were a couple of plot lines and character arcs that I didn’t quite understand how they fitted into the overall story. Given that Of Water and Dance is only the first book in the series, I’m hoping some of these plots are expanded a bit more in the sequel(s).
While I did have a couple of issues with the pacing and characters, I’m hoping that the next book in the series starts to bring together all of the different plot lines and makes the story a bit more cohesive. There were some really interesting ideas that I was intrigued by and I’m definitely very curious to see where they go next.
About the Author:
Leslie Griffin has a B.A. in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and a minor in English from the University of Kansas. Over the years she has completed courses on herbalism, Seichim Reiki, and Registered Behavioral Technician training. She is passionate about early childhood development and education as well as teaching others about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Of Water and Dance is her first published piece of fiction, and she’s previously written articles on herbalism, gardening, self-sufficiency, and traditional medicine in Mother Earth Living Magazine.
Leslie is an avid PC gamer who first fell in love with Fallout 1 when she was in middle school. Currently you can find her playing Kynseed, Medieval Dynasty, Anvil Saga, Sacred Fire, and Ambition. She has two small children, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, two guinea pigs, three chickens, and a husband whose ADHD has brought home dozens of guitars and speakers, medal smithing equipment in the shape of lathes and smelters, enough art supplies to fill a museum, and more DIY solutions than she thought possible.
Their family motto is: Sharesies! & “It takes as long as it takes.”
Finally: Leslie Griffin is a hat-stall between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, eventually landing her in the Hufflepuff House.
Author links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeslieDianeG
Instagram: https://instagram.com/LeslieDianeG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeslieDianeG
Website: https://www.lesliedianegriffin.com/
apagefull.wordpress.com 