Goddess Crown

by Shade Lapite Narrated by Maria Gbeleyi

Overview

Galothia has grown up in the shadows of her kingdom, hidden away after her parents were outed as enemies of the king. Raised in a forest idyll by a few kindly adult caretakers, Kalothia has no firsthand knowledge of the outside world. But when assassins attack her home on her sixteenth birthday, she must flee. Her journey takes her to the king's court-a beautiful but lethal nest of poison, plots, and danger. Guided by the Goddess, can Kalothia navigate this most worldly of places to find her own role and her one true love?
This first book set in the kingdom of Galla offers adventure, intrigue, and romance to those who dare enter its lush, dangerous world.
“Opulence, beauty, and danger-Goddess Crown sweeps readers into a sumptuous new world that they won't soon forget and introduces an unstoppable heroine in Kalothia. A magnificent and triumphant debut.”-Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times best-selling author and chief operating officer of We Need Diverse Books

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 09/25/2023

A sheltered teen who longs to find her missing parents must contend with a patriarchal society and dangerous political machinations in Lapite’s thrilling debut. Kalothia, who is almost 16, has grown up isolated in the kingdom of Galla’s Faledi forest with her caretakers, Aunty and Teacher, and a rotation of royal guards. Her parents’ whereabouts are a mystery; when she was a baby, they were ousted from King Osura’s court for supporting the purportedly treasonous queen, and forced to flee the kingdom. They delivered Kalothia to Aunty and Teacher, and haven’t been heard from since. After assassins destroy her home on her 16th birthday, Kalothia must depart with only her vervet monkey, Yeye, and the head of her personal security, Nahir, intending to leave the kingdom. When Kalothia makes a life-changing discovery, she determines to infiltrate the Gallan court seeking justice for her family—and find out who is trying to get rid of her. British Nigerian author Lapite delivers an engaging African-inspired fantasy replete with pulse-pounding action sequences, dramatic revelations, and an affecting developing romance spearheaded by a clever, headstrong heroine that readers can’t help but cheer for. Characters read as Black. Ages 13–17. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

The story’s well-timed action and tenacious protagonist make for page-turning thrills, and a lovely romance tucked away within its pages will make readers’ hearts flutter. However, the underlying theme of young women building reliable, strategic alliances in addition to friendships while living in patriarchal kingdoms is equally important. . . Lapite’s debut is a strong addition to the genre and a fine introduction to an enchanting world that is worth exploring. A punchy story radiating zeal and filled with suspense.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A sheltered teen who longs to find her missing parents must contend with a patriarchal society and dangerous political machinations in Lapite’s thrilling debut. . . . British Nigerian author Lapite delivers an engaging African-inspired fantasy replete with pulse-pounding action sequences, dramatic revelations, and an affecting developing romance spearheaded by a clever, headstrong heroine that readers can’t help but cheer for.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

An exhilarating, plot-driven romantic Afro-fantasy. . . Lapite brings this Afro-fantasy to life through descriptive, lyrical text. . . . Goddess Crown is a majestic, enlivening adventure that should appeal to fans of Tamora Pierce, Lloyd Alexander, and, yes, even Shakespeare.
—Shelf Awareness (starred review)

Teeming with betrayal, secrets, and power struggles, Lapite’s debut will have readers on the edge of their seats. . . . Kalothia’s determined spirit rings true, and her uphill battle will endear her to readers. . . . Readers looking for an inviting fantasy or who want a grounded experience will love Kalothia and root for her through her plight.
—Booklist

Opulence, beauty, and danger—Goddess Crown sweeps readers into a sumptuous new world that they won’t soon forget and introduces an unstoppable heroine in Kalothia. A magnificent and triumphant debut.
—Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times best-selling author and chief operating officer of We Need Diverse Books

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2023-07-13
After being raised under heavy surveillance, a teen girl determined to locate her long-missing parents enters a powerful, patriarchal court with deep-rooted secrets and political drama.

Kalothia, who has dark red hair and “coffee-rich skin,” concocts a covert plan to flee the remote forest of Faledi, the place she calls home. She’s been reared by dedicated guardians under tightly coordinated supervision, but the 16-year-old desires to find her parents, who fled in exile from the kingdom of Galla when she was a baby after supporting an allegedly treasonous queen. As Kalothia attempts her getaway plan, things go awry almost immediately as mysterious, violent assailants appear on the grounds of her hidden, fortified residence. Led by her instincts and the divine Goddess herself, Kalothia goes on a winding, adventurous trek to the infamous royal court, seeking the key to her parents’ whereabouts. The story’s well-timed action and tenacious protagonist make for page-turning thrills, and a lovely romance tucked away within its pages will make readers’ hearts flutter. However, the underlying theme of young women building reliable, strategic alliances in addition to friendships while living in patriarchal kingdoms is equally important. There’s also an emphasis on women’s autonomy that offers an incisive, urgent critique of the real-life consequences of political gender oppression. Lapite’s debut is a strong addition to the genre and a fine introduction to an enchanting world that is worth exploring.

A punchy story radiating zeal and filled with suspense. (Fantasy. 12-17)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160363356
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	12/12/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

The Forest

The sun wouldn’t set for another few hours, but evening came quickly in the forest, and Aunty had made Kalothia promise to be back at a decent time so they could enjoy her age-day meal. This last one and I am done here, she promised silently.
   The scent of loamy earth filled her nose and the warm air bathed her skin. It had been a beautiful day. As though the forest knew she would be leaving in a few hours and had put on a show to wish her well.
   She braced her feet, sighted her arrow, pulled the rawhide string back, and released. The arrow sliced through the air. The hare keeled over, dead before it knew it had been hit.
   Kalothia strode over to the body, whispered a prayer to the Goddess, thanking her for the blessing, then added the hare to a hunting bag that already contained two squirrels and a grouse. Her vervet monkey, Ye-Ye, swung down from a tree branch and landed in his favorite spot on her shoulder. She’d rescued him after his mother was killed by a snake when he was only a few days old. Under her doting care, he’d matured into a mischievous creature who never listened and never left her side.
   “Are you done?” Clarit called from her perch on a boulder. She slapped at a mosquito and sighed.
   “I am.” It comforted Kalothia to know she’d be leaving Aunty and Teacher with a fully stocked provision room. Though Aunty clicked her tongue and grumbled about the unseemliness of Kalothia hunting, they all knew there’d be little meat on the table if she didn’t. Teacher was unskilled at anything beyond his books, and Aunty’s simple traps only caught the smallest forest animals. Kalothia was glad to use her weapons training to supplement their meals, Goddess knew she’d never had to use the training to fight off intruders. She knew she was worrying unnecessarily; Clarit could also hunt when she was gone. In their practice combat sessions, her bodyguard wielded her cudgel with lethal precision. Kalothia had no doubt the woman could provide game for the table.
   Except there’d be no reason for Clarit to remain in the forest once Kalothia was gone, she reminded herself. Clarit would rejoin her army unit wherever they were stationed and probably breathe a sigh of relief that her annual three-month tour of duty protecting a minor royal in the middle of a strange forest was finally over.
   “This way!” Kalothia called to Clarit, deciding on a shorter route back to the house.
   Clarit grunted unhappily but followed.
   When she’d been younger, Kalothia had enjoyed teasing her bodyguards by choosing the most difficult routes whenever she was allowed out of the house. She knew every log, every bush, every beehive, every alcove—it was impossible for her to get lost. The delight of that had waned eventually. She’d grown tired of the forest she’d been forbidden to leave and that she was not allowed to traverse without an escort. She longed to visit the towns and villages she knew were nearby, but they were off-limits. “Only if you’re attacked, and then you run and don’t look back.” Nahir had made her repeat the rule so many times.
   Sixteen harvests and they’d never been attacked. Sometimes a brave outsider would venture into the forest, shaking and fearful, braced to encounter the dead souls that were said to live there. Most of the time it was just her, Aunty, Teacher, her bodyguard, and Nahir on his occasional visits.
   Nahir.
   Thinking of Nahir made her kick mindlessly at a tuft of grass and sigh. Would she see him before she left? He never forgot her age day, but there’d been so much trouble on the eastern border recently, he might be unable to leave. It was better this way.
   She kicked at another cluster of grass. If he came, he’d ask probing questions and look at her with those eyes that saw too much. Clarit would tell him about the strange hunters who’d ventured so much deeper into the forest than usual a moon ago, and Nahir would start making paranoid sweeps of the forest and putting her through fighting drills. He took his job as head of her security under his father, Lord Godmayne, painfully seriously. It was actually ridiculous, as she’d told him many times. He was only three harvests older than her. She could still remember the lanky boy of thirteen harvests who’d accompanied the series of stern-faced army men sent to manage her rotation of bodyguards. He’d tried to imitate his unsmiling seniors, but she could see his pleasure when they’d gone fishing and she demonstrated how to spear fish in the lake, or when they’d laid hog traps and caught one of the fat, fierce creatures.
   Nahir had changed when he had passed the combat tests and become a captain at seventeen. By the time he was made head of her security, he had become quiet and sober with the weight of responsibility. She found she couldn’t read him the way she once had. His world was so much bigger than hers, his concerns so numerous. She missed the boy he’d been and felt victorious whenever she managed to tease him out. But the last thing she needed on this age day was Nahir sniffing around, seeing far too much.
   “You should be happy on your age day.”
   Kalothia jumped at the sound of Clarit’s voice. The woman rarely started a conversation. Kalothia looked back at her.
   “You’ve been quiet today,” Clarit observed. “I can listen if you want to talk.”
   “I’ve reached sixteen harvests. I’m supposed to be reflective at such a milestone.”
   Clarit grunted again. Kalothia summoned up a smile. She did not want to trigger Clarit’s concern. Kalothia began prattling about how they were running low on salt and how she hoped Nahir would bring some if he managed to make her age-day celebration so they could preserve the game she’d caught. She kept the steady stream of words flowing until they reached the compound gate.

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