Book Review: The Hidden Goddess by T.M. Kohl

Genre(s): Fantasy / Epic fantasy

Content warning: There are a number of fight/combat scenes in this book, as well as themes of mind control.

Disclaimer: The Hidden Goddess is book four in The Warriors of Bhrea series, and I was fortunate to get an advanced copy prior to the book’s release in exchange for an honest review.

If you haven’t read the previous three books, don’t worry. I don’t make a habit of adding spoilers to my reviews. If you’d like to read my thoughts on the rest of the series, there are links included to those posts at the end of this review.

Bhrea is a world in turmoil, as a nefarious “goddess” (Astrin) plots to seize control. There are a handful of individuals, gifted with unusual powers, that may be capable of standing against her and securing their freedom. Lauren, Val, and Vadin were introduced in the first book, and they’ve remained fixtures throughout the series.

I was really excited to see how much the characters grew during this fourth book. Val is beginning to prove himself a true leader, Lauren has gained confidence, and Vadin has begun to mature. There are several others on the journey with them, but since they weren’t introduced until later books, I don’t want to comment too much on them here. Let’s just say they’ve all grown and are beginning to finally work as a true team—and I think Radaman is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

But teamwork isn’t enough to stop Astrin and her crew from wreaking havoc. While all of the enemy characters are bad, Astrin is their leader, and she is ruthless. Thanatos isn’t far behind—I have to say, in terms of awful villains that I really want to see meet an end, he’s on par with Joffrey Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire. And if Thanatos ever gets what’s coming to him, I will throw a party. Long story short, he’s a great villain. (And there was a bit of a surprise at the very end regarding Thanatos – one I was not expecting.)

I think the last half of this book was almost non-stop action. The action scenes are done very well, whether it’s an escape from one’s enemies, direct combat, or infiltrating an enemy’s stronghold.

It was a wild ride, and one I didn’t want to see end. The Hidden Goddess is not the final book in the series – and I will definitely be reading book 5 once it’s available, however long that might take. The story has grown in complexity since the first book, and I can’t wait to see where the next installment will lead.

If you like epic fantasy with adventure, action, and a number or unexpected plot twists, I recommend you check out The Warriors of Bhrea.

My reviews for the previous books can be found here:

• Book Review: The Lost King by T.M. Kohl
• Book Review: The Master of Night by T.M. Kohl
• Book Review: The God of Forgotten Things by T.M. Kohl

Author website: tmkohl.com