I am so interested in goddesses that when Goddess with a Thousand Faces popped up on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to review it and I am so glad that I did as I have picked this book up and read it all within a few days - which me is very good.

Jasmine Elmer has done such an amazing job with this book, she tells the backstory of each goddess and the myths behind them. The author writes really well and really held my attention as she takes you on the journey of each of these incredible goddesses.

Highly thought provoking and immensely interesting, I am so glad I got the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting and easy read, with each of the chapters about the ten goddesses telling a version of their story, and then a deeper look at them after this introduction. The author is clearly passionate about her subject matter, and it was interesting to read about goddesses I had never heard of, as well as some more well known ones. Overall though, I couldn't get on with the narrative style, which was more conversational, and I found it distracting. I did learn some interesting information from the book, but at the cost of some irritation. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

GIven how much I like mythology and history, I was surprised when I could not get into this book ... so rather than leave a negative review, I will attempt to read it after a break. Maybe is was just bad timing on my part ...

I am not a non-fiction person, unless the topic is interesting, which this was!

I really enjoyed reading about different goddesses from a span of different cultures. Lately a lot of the market, non-fiction and fiction, are predominantly based on western mythology, so it was refreshing to read about goddesses like Rangda (the Balinese goddess of Evil, Black Magic and Balance), Inanna (the Sumerian goddess; Queen of Heaven and Earth, War and Sexuality) and Mawu-Lisa ( the Vodun goddess of all creation, the sun and the moon).

The mix of both fiction and non-fiction worked well at keeping my attention focused but admittedly the non-fiction sections dragged a little in places. I am not a non-fiction person, so that is my fault if I struggle to stay focused on something for a while.

I could tell a lot of extensive research and time went into this novel and to be inspired by turning 40 reflects how you can write and publish something no matter how old you are.

In the beginning, Elmer says, "Because if goddesses could garner such adoration in the past, perhaps by restoring their stories, I might restore parts of myself", and I really hope she achieved this, as it's such a good piece of work!

I absolutely flew through this book! The retellings which open each chapter were gripping, compelling, and brilliant. At the end of each it felt like I was resurfacing from a different world and trying to recalibrate to reality - in the most amazing way.
This is a work of non-fiction, though, not a fictional retelling. The historical or cultural detail was engagingly written and absolutely fascinating. It is so welcome that this book includes cultures beyond ancient Greece and Rome. The move away from Eurocentrism is refreshing and I learned so much about different cultures. It was wonderful to see threads which ran through goddesses from across the globe.
The writing was warm and inclusive, complex and sensitive issues were dealt with deftly and with grace.
The cover and illustrations are absolutely STUNNING. I will be gifting this book so widely! I cannot recommend it strongly enough!

Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I loved this informative and interesting book. Some of these goddesses were known to me, but it was great to learn more about their legends and the meaning behind them.
Others were unknown, and I enjoyed getting to know them.
When I first heard about this book, I thought it was a novel about the goddesses, but it's more an educational tool. I was not disappointed by this as it is well presented, with each chapter dedicated to a different woman. In each, I found something interesting and somehow familiar, and I loved this about it.

I really enjoyed this book but even more enjoyed the voice (and great feisty comments and of Jasmine Elmer). She just said so many things that I have thought for such a long time. This book is going to be a great buy for my daughter in law, and possibly my teen grandaughter.

I can see what the author is trying to do in this book, with modern retellings of classical and ancient tales of goddesses from around the world, contrasted with light historical detail; but the title, while harking back to Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces, results in a book that is a lot less expansive, focusing on ten specific goddesses. Whether it succeeds as a feminist re-centring of these goddesses, I am not the best to judge, but I felt that there is a deeper book that lives up to the title of Goddess With A thousand Faces, that explores the feminine in the divine, and vice versa, for which this is a first sally.

Goddess With A Thousand Faces was an interesting book, and I enjoyed the concept and the different myths included. However, I expected a different approach in the structure, with more (re)telling and less bibliographic information. The latter was a bit too much and dampened my reading experience.

Goddess With a Thousand Faces pays a tribute to The Hero with a Thousand Faces while challenging male dominance.
As a concept and study, it is promising. Elmer introduces us to the goddesses with a narrative story followed by a non-fiction section on the context.
The range of goddesses covered is good.
Unfortunately, the crisp, brief sentences and the overall writing style distracted me, and overall, I expected a more layered and nuanced book, because this is such an important and interesting topic and idea.
There is indeed a better-suited target audience for this book, and I hope they enjoy it more than I did.

This book is both an introduction to goddess mythology and an encouragement to look at the ways these goddesses can inspire women today. The author focuses on 10 goddesses from around the world. Each chapter begins with a story about that goddess, based on the information and stories the author found in the course of her research. Then each goddess is put into context with a short overview of the culture in which the stories originated. She acknowledges that there were often cultural differences between the groups these stories developed in, but it would be impossible to get too deeply into that in a book like this. Finally, Elmer muses on how the stories and goddesses can inspire women today, arguing that although the stories are old, they still have relevance for women. The goddesses she includes in the book are: Freyja (Iceland), Artemis (Greek), Rangda (Bali), Inanna (Sumerian), kali (Hindu), twins Mawu-Lisa (Vodun), Sedna (Inuit), Hine-nui-te-po (Maori), Huitaca (Muisca-Andes Region), and Isis (Egypt). There is a selected bibliography at the back for people who would like to delve deeper into any specific culture/goddess.

This book is a good introduction to goddess mythology. I like that it includes many goddesses from many different parts of the world. As someone who has no background in this subject, I enjoyed reading the book and learning from it. The resources listed in the bibliography serve as a good starting point for those who wish to learn more than it was possible to include in this book. The author's writing style is almost conversational, which makes the book very readable. Her love of this subject shines through on every page. If you want to learn more about any or all of these goddesses, this is a great place to start.