Oath of Fire

by K Arsenault Rivera

Overview

This lush and gripping sapphic retelling of the Psyche and Eros legend combines Greek mythology with a fae court feel.

All Psyche ever wanted to do was help people, whether it's in her job as a therapist or online as an influencer. So when a mysterious invitation arrives from the most captivating man she's ever seen, asking for her assistance, she can't refuse. But Psyche soon finds herself in a world of Courts, full of debauchery and treachery, where her only option for survival is to swear a strange oath to a mysterious masked woman named Eros. 

Now Psyche has to figure out how to fulfill her end of her bargain with Eros, while trying to navigate having a flame-winged goddess show up in her tiny Brooklyn apartment. Uncanny vistas, a spacious mansion, and decadent experiences are all Psyche’s for the taking—so long as she helps Eros, and so long as she never looks under Eros’s mask.

But how long can she keep her curiosity at bay when Eros makes her heart tremble?  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538756737
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	08/13/2024
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	969,562

About the Author

K ARSENAULT RIVERA was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and has been living in New York since the age of three.

At a compact four foot nine, K is a concentrated dose of geekery. She’s incredibly passionate about her interests, some of which include Greek myths.

Editorial Reviews

06/03/2024

Riviera (the Ascendant trilogy) brings a fae aesthetic to this chaotic sapphic reframing of the Eros and Psyche myth. After therapist Psyche loses her clinic job, her long-distance gaming friend Bondi convinces her to accept a mysterious party invitation hiding in her Instagram messages. She ends up in another world, at a debauched revelry full of masked gods who cannot lie, but are still far from straightforward. Zephyr, her patron for the night, requests that Psyche help his friend Eros, the goddess of passion. Though Eros refuses Psyche’s attempts to act as her therapist, she binds Psyche to her as an Oathsworn, sealing the deal with a fiery kiss before sending her home. While Psyche researches a way to see Eros again, people on both sides of the veil take issue with her involvement with the Wine-Dark Court of Gods. Real-world aspects of the story—like Psyche’s longing to escape her sisters’ shadows—get lost before the end, while on the mythological side, the worldbuilding feels fuzzy. Despite some mature themes, the story often reads like a YA quest novel. Still, the thrill of encountering the unknown comes through clearly, and Psyche’s emotional arc gets a satisfying resolution. It’s rocky, but there’s plenty here to appeal to fans of Sarah J. Maas. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Rich, expansive, and grounded in human truth...simply exquisite.”—V. E. Schwab, New York Times bestselling author of the Shades of Magic series, on The Tiger's Daughter

"Rivera’s immense imagination and finely detailed worldbuilding have produced a series introduction of mammoth scope."—Publishers Weekly, starred review, on the Ascendant series

"K Arsenault Rivera turns many of the standard conventions of fantasy on their heads...A love letter... lavishly chronicling how two women fall in love.... thoughtfully rendered and palpably felt."—The Washington Post on The Tiger's Daughter

From the Publisher

06/14/2024

Psyche Dimitriou loses her job as a therapist, just the latest in a string of dismissals on her résumé. While updating her best friend during one of their regular calls, Psyche comes across an invitation to a mysterious gathering. Unwilling to miss this once-in-a-lifetime event, Psyche arrives at a garden in the East Village, only to find herself transported to the Wine-Dark Court. The Court is dangerous for a mortal, and Psyche must swear an oath to Eros, the ruler of love and passion, in order to escape unharmed. Set in New York City, this sapphic retelling of the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros is a luscious and erotic story about the transformational power of love. Psyche's motivation for spending time with Eros seems muddled at times, vacillating between a romantic and professional relationship when Psyche treats Eros like a patient instead of a lover. But while Psyche's personal growth sometimes overshadows the pair's developing relationship, the passion between the two is hard to deny. VERDICT Rivera's ("Ascendant" trilogy) combination of urban fantasy and fae-esque elements will appeal to romantasy readers who enjoy legendary love.—Maria Martin

Library Journal