Thank you to NetGalley and Watkins Publishing for the ARC of this absolutely stunning book!
Folk legends and mythology are explored from almost everywhere in the world throughout this book. With 26 modern retellings of bad ass, beautiful, and sometimes scary Goddesses, there is a story for everyone!
The artwork at the beginning of each story was stunning and set the scene, and the personal reflections at the end were refreshing and summarised the stories perfectly.
I really enjoyed all of the stories in the book, however I found some of it a little bit disjointed as we went from one end if the world to the other, and then back again. My only criticisms of the book would be to tell us, under each name, where the goddesses come from (some did, but most didn’t). And the other would be to group them together by country or region. Africa, Asia, Europe, American and South American etc. this would have created a bit more flow throughout.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed myself and know that others interested in the divine feminine or any folklore would love this book. I will be adding this to my wish list!
4.5⭐️

An atmospheric formula diving into the stories that inspired the darkness in various goddesses across cultures. V. Castro features both popular goddesses while making space to give the podium to lesser-known goddesses. The inclusivity is impeccable with an incredible amount of research written into a brief space. I enjoyed the format with the beautiful art of each goddess and the origins of their lore that describe their essence. I appreciated the variations that were mentioned and the imaginings of the kind of wisdom these goddesses intend to instill in our lives. A riveting insight into the stories that give life to the goddesses above and below.
What is the dark feminine? An essence of embracing your femininity so unapologetically that masculinity seeks to redefine your strength. That is the theme amongst the various goddesses V. Castro chooses to introduce to readers familiar and new. There were moments I would argue that it is almost too positive in the V. Castro’s words of wisdom from the goddesses – but she is shedding light on how to redefine how we see these “dark” figures. The narrative takes away the demonized version of the goddesses that Catholicism has done to damage these divine ladies reputations. Come into this with an open mind to learn the lore and take away a perspective beyond demonized ideals. Thank you Netgalley, Watkins Publishing, and V. Castro for this advanced digital copy.