Leanne Olson

by Jacqueline Holland, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

Released March 7, 2023 from Macmillan Audio

I read The God of Endings a week ago, and I’m still thinking about how to write the review.  There’s a lot I enjoyed about this one, and a lot that frustrated me, so I recommend checking it out yourself if the story sounds interesting.

The book follows Ana over several centuries and across continents. In the present, it’s 1984 and she’s living in the United States as a preschool teacher named Collette, dealing with a young boy named Leo, who might be from an abusive family.  In the past, she’s a young woman named Ana, who has been turned into a vampire-like immortal being.

Ana/Collette struggles with her unwanted immortality.  What’s interesting about this story is that Ana isn’t burned out and full of ennui, but instead hates being immortal because of her compassion.  She especially loves children and wants to protect them, and has seen too much death over her life.  Her hunger is growing and it scares her.

It’s a very different take on the reluctant immortal trope.  The writing is also quite lovely and bittersweet at times.  I did have an issue with one major plot point (about Leo’s mother), and I think the book could have used a bit more editing — at times, it gets repetitive, and it loses some urgency as it goes on.  Overall, though, it’s a lovely, thoughtful story.  I’m excited to see what Jacqueline Holland writes next.

Saskia Maarleveld’s narration added so much to the novel, and I really recommend this one as an audiobook.  She handles accents and characters in an immersive but subtle way, and I kept forgetting it was only one person telling the story. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy of this audiobook.