Beautifully Written Debut Novel - Among the Lesser Gods by Margo Catts

by by Susan Roberts

“Tragedy and blessing. Leave them alone long enough, and it gets real hard to tell them apart.”


Amazon affiliate links are used in this post. A free book was provided for an honest review.

About the book:

May 2017; Arcade Publishing;9781628727395
ebook, print (336 pages); women's fiction

Elena Alvarez is living a cursed life. From the deadly fire, she accidentally set as a child, to her mother’s abandonment, and now to an unwanted pregnancy, she knows better than most that small actions can have terrible consequences. Driven to the high mountains surrounding Leadville, Colorado by her latest bad decision, she’s intent on putting off the future. Perhaps there she can just hide in her grandmother’s isolated cabin and wait for something—anything—to make her next choice for her.

Instead, she is confronted by reflections of her own troubles wherever she turns—the recent widower and his two children adrift in a changed world, Elena’s own mysterious family history, and the interwoven lives within the town itself. Bit by bit, Elena begins to question her understanding of cause and effect, reexamining the tragedies she’s held on to and the wounds she’s refused to let heal.

But when the children go missing, Elena’s fragile new peace is shattered. It’s only at the prospect of fresh loss and blame that she will discover the truth of the terrible burdens we take upon ourselves, the way tragedy and redemption are inevitably intertwined—and how curses can sometimes lead to blessings, however disguised.

My Opinion:  

Among the Lesser Gods is a beautifully written debut novel by Margo Catts. The characters are so well written that I found myself really invested in their lives. It’s more than a coming of age novel – it’s a novel about a 20ish-year-old girl who is trying to live her life based on past mistakes instead of trying to figure out the best path for her to follow in her future.

Elena has just graduated from college and has no idea what to do next. Her choices are all being made based on her younger years when she set a deadly fire, when her mother abandoned her and when her father started to distance himself from her. She made a lot of unwise decisions in college and now finds that she is pregnant with no plans for the future. Her grandmother offers her a place to stay in a small town in Colorado where she starts taking care of two young children who have recently lost their mother. Taking care of the children lead her to examine her life and her reasons for the decisions that she’s made and to start making plans for her future.

This book started a little slow but I quickly got pulled into Elena’s life and problems. It’s a beautiful well-written novel about forgiving yourself and learning to move on in your life. It’s also a story about love and redemption and family. I look forward to future books from this author.

Buy Among The Lesser Gods at Amazon

About the Author:

I'm a writer rooted in Colorado because I can't be everywhere else at once. My first novel, Among the Lesser Gods, comes out in May 2017. You can read about my life in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere abroad at http://www.margocatts.com/foreigngirl. You can find more adventures from extraordinary global-citizen women (plus one of mine) in Once Upon an Expat.

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling.  She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends.  She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with her on Facebook.

Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.