Howard, Hanna C.  Our Divine Mischief. Grand Rapids, MI: Blink, 2023.

Guide to Categories: YA Review – review of books for teens

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Summary

A sweeping YA fantasy inspired by Scottish history and folklore, Our Divine Mischief takes readers on a journey told in three voices: a determined heroine, an outcast young man, and a wish-granting canine. Their adventure spans an island fishing village to the king’s court in a story about identity, belonging, and the love between a human and her dog.

The Goddess Trial is designed to push young people to their edge and mark their coming of age, but Áila LacInis is ready for whatever it brings. She sets sail from her small fishing village to the island of the goddess Yslet, fully expecting a divine encounter, but what she finds is … nothing at all. The goddess is completely absent, and the only thing on the island is a dirty, mangy dog. Suddenly, everything Áila has ever known and believed is upended and her future becomes shrouded in uncertainty.

Hew already completed the Goddess Trial and received the designation of Unblessed. He is an outcast in the village, until he is tasked with assisting Áila through a series of Ordeals the town elders designed to compensate for her failed Trial. For the first time, he has hope he can make something of his life.

Orail isn’t quite sure who or what she is. She remembers little before Áila’s arrival on the island, and now all she knows is that she’ll never leave Áila’s side. But as she begins to realize and remember, she discovers powers—and an identity—she never could have imagined.

Told from three perspectives, Our Divine Mischief is an epic fantasy inspired by Scottish history and mythology that includes political intrigue, a sweeping love story, and an exploration of the powerful bond between dogs and humans.

Our Divine Mischief is:

• A YA fantasy adventure for fans of Rebecca Ross’s A River Enchanted, Garth Nix’s Abhorsen books, and the Outlander series.
• Told from three points of view, one of which is a mysterious, poetic canine.
• Perfect for readers 13 and up.

Purchase Our Divine Mischief on Amazon

My YA Review

Hanna Howard is a new-to-me author. Our Divine Mischief is a fantasy novel about accepting others for who they are and finding your place in this world.

Aila and Hew live in a community where young people must undergo a trial in order to determine their place in the community. These trials take place on an island in the presence of a goddess. She gives the participants a medallion which signifies their place. To some she gives a blank medallion which the community views as being “unblessed,” giving those people the menial jobs of the community. Hew is an unblessed. Aila goes to the island for her trial but never finds the goddess. She finds a dog instead. The leaders of the community decide that Aila must be isolated and complete several trials to determine her worthiness. Hew is assigned to be her chaperone to make sure she stays isolated. 

As in most fantasy novels, there is evil at work. The characters need to figure out what is evil and what is good. They also need to decide how to best overcome the evil – which means learning to trust. 

I really like the theme of Our Divine Mischief – that everyone has worth. There is an effort in the book to change the views of the community.

There were a couple areas of concern. There are multiple gods in the story, both male and female. The word “damn” is also used as a swear word several times throughout the book. I mention these items because they are not acceptable to all audiences. 

Because of these concerns I would caution K-12 Christian school librarians to read the book for themselves to determine if the book is appropriate for their audience. 

I received a complimentary copy of Our Divine Mischief.  This is my honest review.

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