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Small Miracles

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Let me start by saying I was amused and entertained throughout Small Miracles. The idea of a Fallen Angel of Petty Temptation who fell from grace because of their own gambling problem is quite charming. Gadriel, said fallen angel, is in deep with their bookie, Barachiel, the Angel of Good Fortune.

Just as God created the platypus out of spare parts, Lucifer created the original chihuahua out of spare spite…one would be hard-pressed to find a more concentrated form of evil that the average chihuahua.” Ten Thousand Stitches". Publishers Weekly. May 6, 2022. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023 . Retrieved March 5, 2023.

Also, I just have to note that this book is a whole lot gender. Which ended up in one of my favourite, long-running jokes. (nodnod. So terribly gauche.) Gadriel is a fun and interesting character, and a flawed one as you might expect from a fallen angel. At first, I found it weird that everyone took it in stride when one moment he appeared male, then female, without asking questions much, then again, who are we to question how others want to appear? Ultimately, I liked that Holly, her niece and everyone else around them just accepted Gadriel as they are. Which is one of the messages of this book, although probably not the main one. Still.

I admit, Small Miracles was one of the books in our batch that instantly caught my attention. When I reached the “fallen angel” part in the blurb, I was sold. Mentioning angels is a sure way to perk up my attention. I’ve never read Olivia Atwater‘s books before, although I’ve heard a lot about Half a Soul and intended to read it at some point. Kudos to how Atwater approaches gender fluidity in the novel! As per many interpretations of Angels from a Christian perspective, which denotes them as not being assigned a gender in the way humans can comprehend. Atwater notes in her work, casually, There were components of the plot that I felt weren’t fleshed out enough, particularly regarding the math teacher interactions. Overall, that is the main reason my enjoyment wasn’t higher, I just wanted this book to be longer. The other component I felt that took me out of the story at times were the points tallies at the beginning of each chapter. Things like lying or eating chocolate are negative points but helping elderly people cross the street or holding open a door give you positive points. It just took me out of the story a bit as the math is presented in the footnotes that are especially challenging to read on a kindle and I ended up just ignoring them at times. Nevertheless, I am glad I read Small Miracles and did truly enjoy the story. The stakes aren’t earth shattering but are very real to the parties involved. The power structures are new and interesting. The ending is very, very well done. Atwater sold the English rights of the Regency Faerie Tales to Orbit Books, who re-released all three novels in 2022. [7] That same year, she published Small Miracles, [2] an homage to Good Omens (1990) by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. [18] Writing for The New York Times, Olivia Waite recommended the novel, likening it to Pratchett's work. [19] Small Miracles won the eight edition of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. [20] Writing style and technique [ edit ] Atwater was influenced by Terry Pratchett ( pictured).

Blog Archive

a b c Abbott, Alana Joli (November 24, 2022). "New Life for Old(er) Books: How Reprints at New Houses Find a Wider Audience". Paste. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022 . Retrieved March 2, 2023. An uncomplicated plot but with complicated, conflicted characters that were so relatable. Over the years I've either been or met people like the humans in this story. The angels too also reminded me of some non gender specific friends and when I read excerpts of this book to them they too were impressed with the way Atwater smoothly writes of gender fluidity. No showing, no info dumps or "telling" it just was. I quote one paragraph that I particularly liked… Wilson, Nigel Robert (October 21, 2022). "Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater". The British Fantasy Society. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023 . Retrieved March 2, 2023.

Of course even a gentle chocolate infused story such as Small Miracles requires a villain and a threat, and there is more at stake for Gadriel than losing face with Barachiel. Those who have dabbled in C.S.Lewis’s The Screwtape letters may be familiar with the name Wormwood (or indeed if they have perused the Book of Revelations). Suffice to say the character is not a positive one and their arrival in the midst of Gadriel’s mission significantly ups the stakes, without losing the gently whimsical nature of the narrative.Utz, Judith (June 30, 2022). "Ten Thousand Stitches". Booklist. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023 . Retrieved March 5, 2023. Utz, Judith (June 1, 2022). "Half a Soul". Booklist. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023 . Retrieved March 5, 2023. Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater was touted as “If you like Pratchett, you’ll enjoy Atwater!” As I’ve read exactly one Pratchett book, years ago, I can’t speak to that comparison, although the cover certainly evokes the design of Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman. So, that’s nice. I’m sure other reviewers will speak more eloquently about the similarities and differences between Pratchett and Atwater. I’m not that person.

The book shares DNA with Good Omens and The Good Place, so it shares the flaws of those works as well. I’m not going to critique the point system and Christian-centric ideology, though I did like Gadriel’s exasperation/cynicism with the system. If you analyze the worldbuilding too much, it’s easy to find cringe aspects but I wasn’t too bothered by the Celestial Bureaucracy structure. Overall, this is a very different but enjoyable take on the fantasy genre, with its entertaining examination of the everyday struggles of ordinary folk, all heroes within their own complicated and unexpectedly spicy lives. As one of the many footnotes points out God may show mercy, but capsaicin does not. While companionably meeting up over a coffee, Gadriel becomes indebted to his/her non-fallen angelic bookie and sibling, Barachiel, after losing a friendly wager. Barachiel is the Angel of Good Fortune. The plot of the novel appears simple and fun, at first glance. Described as eminently unremarkable and plain-looking, Gadriel, the chocolate-loving, gambling-addicted main character, is the Fallen Angel of Petty Temptations. But he/she has “fallen” more over policy violations than any real horrific sin. Being set in modern-day London, there isn’t much worldbuilding per se, and a lot of that happens in footnotes. Some might find that insufficient or annoying, personally, I enjoyed the added tidbits and religious references.I have a strange love/hate relationship with Anne McCaffrey. I also devoured the Dragonriders of Pern… but I felt unaccountably betrayed when I realised she had hidden science fiction behind her dragons! I’m one of those people who eats my mashed potatoes and my vegetables separately, instead of squishing them together—so the idea of dragons in science fiction just offended some irrational, compulsive part of me, and I’ve never been able to forgive it! Although there is no impending, world-ending disaster lurking in “Small Miracles” – this is considerably lighter fare. But its lightness doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile, intriguing book. It’s just that… I could swear that you were… weren’t you a woman before?“ Gadriel blinked. “Oh!” he said. “I forgot entirely. I suppose most people don’t just change that when they feel like it?”🖊️ a b c d "Feature: Interview with Olivia Atwater, Author of 'Half a Soul' ". betwixtthesheets.com. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023 . Retrieved March 5, 2023.

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