Title: Maiden
Author: Teresa A. Harrison
Genre: Fiction/ Fantasy/ YA
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3/5

Favourite Quote: “You must always be prepared for the unexpected. We seldom know where the path of our life will take us. From our place on the earth, we cannot see any farther than the next bend in the road.”

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.*

Marta and Jayme have been friends for so long that they don’t remember a time they weren’t in each others lives. They know each others secrets, expressions and dreams, that is until a group of black-coated priests make themselves at home in their village and pull Jayme into their new religious ways. Marta would rather follow her heart and celebrate the earth in ‘pagan’ ways with her aunt Elaine and friends.
Jayme is worried for Marta’s soul, so he believes he’s doing the right thing by telling the priests of one of their celebrations for Marta and of the planting season and new beginnings, he had no idea it would end in bloodshed. Jayme snaps out of his self-righteous new ways and instead sacrifices everything to save Marta and the other women.

‘A thought bubbled to the surface and then rolled off her tongue. “You think I’m less than you. After all, the new priests claim women are inferior. You’re afraid I’ll stain your soul. Aren’t you?” Marta sniffed in disgust, but her heart quickly softened at the sight of Jayme’s fallen gaze.”‘

Firstly, I would like to thank the author for providing me of a copy of her book. I really got into the story and felt the journey was a great way of introducing her first book in her Lightwalker series.
The book is told from two perspectives, Marta and Jayme. Marta is determined to follow her heart and live for what she has always trusted and believed in, she tries to convince Jayme to do the same as he once did. The priests have brought too many unwanted rules to their once peaceful free village, and now Marta must keep her beliefs a secret from the black-coated newcomers. When Jayme unintentionally puts her life in danger, Marta has no choice but to escape from the village to avoid being caught by the priests or their soldiers. This new heartbreaking journey brings Marta to a world between worlds full of magic, purpose and destiny that she didn’t think possible.

The story itself plays with religion in various perspectives, the means of listening to your heart, the guardians of the world who keep the balance and the beliefs of the new religious priests who view any early celebration as a sin that must be overthrown and overpowered. For someone who is not religious personally, it opens your eyes to the world and it’s beliefs with it’s pleasing recollection and detail with the supernatural twist.

‘The only constant in life is change. The warmth of the sun is beautiful, but without the cloudy skies and nourishing rains, the crops won’t grow. Even the warm days of summer must give way to harvest and the sleepiness of winter. The earth must rest and prepare for the next growing season.” 

The scenes were really nice, you could place yourself in the setting whether it was getting lost in the forest, the Little Mans home or in the mountains during Marta’s journey to discover who she is meant to be. I have to say though, for a journey of discovering who you are, not much really happens between the characters besides realising they are both destined to be something more.
Marta travels through the forest, discovers the Little Man who guides her to Old Mother in the mountains, she spends months learning how to use herbs to heal the sick and then goes back to the Little Man to stand a trial for her LightWalker destiny.
Jayme experiences a bit more, he works hard to become strong and controlling his emotions with the help of Little Man and his own traveling guardian Gorenth. He uses his new strength to find the stolen women who were not killed in the massacre and return them home before confronting the black-coats. It didn’t feel very powerful or compelling but his path was clear in his actions to becoming a LightWarrior.

‘There is a reason the two of you connected and found friendship where it might not have been expected. The light within you both shines brightly. You must walk your own paths, but in the end, they lead to the same place.’

Goodreads Review:
Marta and Jayme are old friends with different beliefs. Marta dreams of becoming a healer. Jayme has been schooled by the black-coats, a group of priests who claim women are inferior, and he fears Marta is jeopardizing her eternal future.
Despite a heated debate over Marta’s soul, Jayme betrays her to the priests. The consequences of his betrayal change Marta’s life forever.
After a brutal massacre, Marta awakens deep in the forest overcome with grief for her lost sisters, but the world will not let her rest. The tragedy has changed her. She hears the call of nature, eventually steering her toward a small cottage in the wilderness. There she learns of nature’s magic and what it means to be a Lightwalker. The path is there for her to follow. If she’s strong enough to embrace it…