Small Miracles

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Oh, goodness, you had to make me choose. Well, I think Gadriel is probably my favourite character. Gadriel is the Fallen Angel of Petty Temptations. She’s not really out to damn humanity—she just thinks people need to enjoy the little pleasures and stop being so hard on themselves. She’s also got lots of questions about the Rules, and the more straight-laced angels really don’t like that.

Small Miracles charmed me with its simple, effortlessly funny story and likable characters. It's whimsical, often amusing, and there is hardly a dull moment. You know, that’s hard to say! In a lot of ways, I don’t fit neatly into my own setting. I’m not Christian anymore, so the angels and demons in the story wouldn’t be able to affect me. Some days I’m spiritual in a general sense and some days I’m agnostic and some days I feel atheist. So I guess for the most part, I’d drift along completely unaware of all the people being tempted or inspired around me. Whimsy and satire is employed in highly effective fashion by Atwater to convey some fairly stark and challenging themes in the book. Love, loss, grief, death, forgiveness, redemption, family. Atwater shows a very deft hand in handling these issues. Small Miracles captures the reader's attention with its engaging writing style and witty humor. I especially enjoyed the author's writing style, which is easy to read and captivating throughout the book. Atwater has a talent for creating vibrant, likable characters who are easy to root for and who draw the reader into their world.The book shares DNA with Good Omens and The Good Place, so it shares the flaws of those works as well. I’m not going to critique the point system and Christian-centric ideology, though I did like Gadriel’s exasperation/cynicism with the system. If you analyze the worldbuilding too much, it’s easy to find cringe aspects but I wasn’t too bothered by the Celestial Bureaucracy structure. Olivia Atwater writes whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn’t what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson. Of course even a gentle chocolate infused story such as Small Miracles requires a villain and a threat, and there is more at stake for Gadriel than losing face with Barachiel. Those who have dabbled in C.S.Lewis’s The Screwtape letters may be familiar with the name Wormwood (or indeed if they have perused the Book of Revelations). Suffice to say the character is not a positive one and their arrival in the midst of Gadriel’s mission significantly ups the stakes, without losing the gently whimsical nature of the narrative.

In 1990, two iconic fantasy authors, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, collaborated to write the famed novel “Good Omens” (full title: “Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch”. Burkhardt, Joanna M. (December 1, 2022). "Ten Thousand Stitches". Library Journal. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023 . Retrieved March 5, 2023. a b Hamilton, Jenny (July 26, 2022). "How to (Not) Fit In: The Misfit Heroine and Olivia Atwater's". Tor.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022 . Retrieved March 2, 2023. The writing is what I found most impressive. It is so hard to carry this kind of a tone without going too far and overworking and overburdening the prose. I think it’s so ambitious to try and be Good Omens adjacent, but create something unique to you and your voice, and not fall on your face. Wilson, Nigel Robert (October 21, 2022). "Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater". The British Fantasy Society. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023 . Retrieved March 2, 2023.Gadriel is our main character. A fallen angel of petty temptations, they really mean no one any harm despite their job.. satisfied instead with nudging mortals here and there into tiny transgressions that tend to lead to happier lives than futures of damnation. Honestly, they're absolutely charming and they break my heart a little in this book. I read (or listened to, actually) this as one of the SPFBO8 finalists, and while giving all titles a fair shot, I'm not going to pretend that this one won me over. I thought it was absolutely terrible, but that big caveat is there to say that this is absolutely not to sort of book I would ever read under my own steam (hence no rating), so there's every chance that if you like this sort of thing, it will at least work for you. Nielsen, Rune S. "Author Interview: Olivia Atwater". runesnielsen.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022 . Retrieved March 2, 2023. Half a Soul was about the evils of too much politeness and not enough kindness… so readers who find that lesson resonates with them might think for a moment about what subjects they’ve been politely evading lately. Small Miracles is about the secret wonder of mundane, everyday things—so I hope readers come away from it with a new appreciation for the small things which make them happy. Small Miracles is Team Queen's Book Asylum's SPFBO 8 finalist. Our group review can be read on Queen's Book Asylum, and our overall rating was 8.3/10.

While the story delves into substantial themes of love and grief, it does so lightheartedly. There's always a sense of hope that things will turn out okay somehow, though there are times when it exists solely because Gadriel or their angelic bookie, Berachiel are desperately clinging to it. The endearing, smart, yet somewhat naive and slightly fumbling and flawed Gadriel was a wonderful main character. Once she finds out she’s out of her depth in provoking Holly to acquiesce to sin, she resorts to something different, but Holly’s intractability also leads to Gadriel and Holly forming a great relationship, as they get to know one another better. Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater was touted as “If you like Pratchett, you’ll enjoy Atwater!” As I’ve read exactly one Pratchett book, years ago, I can’t speak to that comparison, although the cover certainly evokes the design of Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman. So, that’s nice. I’m sure other reviewers will speak more eloquently about the similarities and differences between Pratchett and Atwater. I’m not that person. There are numerous witty footnotes spread throughout the book, again like Pratchett, that amusingly prompt the reader to keep their own personal tally of the sin lost or virtue gained on the balance books. I loved this feature of the worldbuilding, and laughed out loud at some of the footnotes. Ten Thousand Stitches". Publishers Weekly. May 6, 2022. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023 . Retrieved March 5, 2023.I also loved the footnotes and the humour within them; it takes a good author to do these well and Atwater does homage to Pratchett (Jay Kristoff did quite well in Nevernight) in pulling these off. I must admit to some muffled laughter and nose snorting giggles on the morning commute whilst reading them. I think my favourite one was… This is NOT a review of that book. Yet unavoidably, there will be comparisons between “Small Miracles” by Atwater, and that seminal work by Gaiman and Pratchett. Holly’s gruff niece Ella was also a fabulous character, and her teenaged life at school provided more exceptional opportunities for character development for all three: Gadriel, Holly, and Ella. Both Holly and Ella are dealing with emotional and psychological pain, and the bond between the three becomes one of catharsis and healing, in unintended ways for all of them. I read this book as a Judge with Fantasy Faction blogging group. My personal opinion and rating. Other Judges have their own.

There weren't a lot of things I disliked about Small Miracles, but there were even fewer that I really liked and that sums up my experience for this.. This is a very low stakes, heart warming read. It's at times funny and the characters with their everyday struggles are interesting and likeable. I admit, Small Miracles was one of the books in our batch that instantly caught my attention. When I reached the “fallen angel” part in the blurb, I was sold. Mentioning angels is a sure way to perk up my attention. I’ve never read Olivia Atwater‘s books before, although I’ve heard a lot about Half a Soul and intended to read it at some point.His/Her purview is minor transgressions. He’s/she’s not really evil despite the fallen angel status, but rather mischievous, and his/her agenda is not really sinister. What Gadriel does is prod humans to succumb to minor temptations, and thus achieve overall increased happiness and satisfaction with their lot in life.