Blurb
Book Review: Hesper by Obasi Naomi.
Disfigured, and despised by everyone she knew, Jolene always believed fate was against her. That was until Lord Aiken, whose appearance changed her life for the better. At a point she began to think that perhaps, fate was finally on her side.
Alas, it was all a lie.
But in the deepest moments of her despair, the universe bestowed upon her strange powers in the form of an artefact, an object rumored to be capable of destroying the whole world.
Jolene however, would rather take revenge on those who had hurt her, even if it meant fighting fate itself.
Book Details
Book Review: Hesper by Obasi Naomi.
Format: 178 pages, ebook.
Published: April 11, 2023 by Self-Published.
Language: English.
Original title: Hesper (The Artefact Series, #1).
Buy the book here
My Review of Hesper by Obasi Naomi.
This is a story about a young maiden, Jolene, who has always been on the harsh side of life.
After losing her parents at a tender age, she would go from place to place seeking for employment, a house help employment.
Sometimes she would be successful in her quest, other times, she won’t. But at all times, she has constantly been on the wrong side of fate.
There are people who have it easy in this world. They are beautiful, rich, powerful and smart.
They don’t always work their butts off to make a living. Then, there’s the second category. Those that would never survive any other way than work their butts off. And that category is where our dear Jolene belongs.
Book Review: Hesper by Obasi Naomi.
She would finally get a job in Manor, a rich woman’s abode, but still won’t have it easy.
She works as a maid with other maidens, and some days they are given food to eat, other days, they are starved.
And even on the days they eat, the food is not worth it. But what can she do? Since fate has vehemently refused to settle its vendetta with her, she would continue to live her life as each day goes by, with the hope that one day it would be better.
Our dear Jolene has an ugly scar on her face, which will become the root cause of her insecurities.
Her fellow maids despise her because of the scar, and make fun of her. And so when it is announced that Lord Aiken, the master’s son would be coming home, the maids would ridicule her more.
One of them says to her,
The master’s son is coming… I hope you will do us a favor and avoid him for our sakes. We do not want to be punished because the master was frightened upon seeing your hideous face.
Obasi Naomi, Hesper.
But things would take an interesting turn when the young master comes home, and then makes Jolene his personal maid. I really loved this part. I rooted for them, I wanted them to fall in love, to be happy.
I am a sucker for romance, and I thought I was going to get a beautiful dose of sweet romance, but the romance was cut short before it even had the chance to start.
And then the plot changed from my favorite trope, boss to lover, to an unexpected trope, lovers to enemies. It would all happen too fast.
What to expect from this book…
Anyway, that’s the reality of life. How many times do bosses fall in love with their employees and they live happily ever after, in real life? So I wasn’t really expecting the love story to last.
What I also didn’t see coming was the transition to magical realism. A lot of changes would happen to our dear Jolene, and one of them would be transiting from an ugly, suffering maid, to an undisputed avenger who wields magical powers.
Jolene’s life isn’t easy. She would suffer a lot of pain, abuse and hardship from his employers and others in her life.
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Final Words
Book Review: Hesper by Obasi Naomi.
If you are looking for a thrilling, romance fantasy book, then here’s your clue to pick Hesper up. Jolene is all of us, the abused, the poor, and the powerless. But would Jolene simply accept her fate and crumble because the world is unfair to her?
No. Jolene would fight back. One by one, she would take her revenge on everyone who had stepped on her in the past. And you know what they say about revenge being served hot?
Jolene’s story is pleading to be read, she’s begging to be heard, to be seen for who she is. She is a full-fledged human, and deserves to be treated as such.
This is the first book in the Artefact series, and since this one is this good, I can’t wait for the sequels.
When Jolene meets Jidenna, who would reveal her kinetic, supernatural power to her, and who would also teach her how to navigate it, I felt like they have the kind of connection Mu Deok and Jang Uk have in Alchemy of Souls.
Please buy this book, read it, discuss it with your friends. It’s a beautiful book and you won’t regret it. I enjoyed reading it and I’m sure you would, too. I would rate it as 4/5.
Have you read the book? What do you think about it? Please share your thoughts with me in the comment section, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on all social media platforms. Thank you for visiting Bookish Pixie.