Shattered Sacrifice (The Shattered Trilogy #0.5) (2024)

Would you give in to the temptation of revenge?

Glisenia’s anger intrigued me. Yes, she had been horribly mistreated, but I also found myself wondering how she was planning to learn to control her rage in the future. It overwhelmed her so easily that I could see how that could be a problem under the wrong circ*mstances. This was something that popped up almost immediately in the storyline which only further piqued my curiosity. It’s not every day that a character reveals their biggest fault in the opening scene!

I did find myself wishing for a little more world building in this novelette. While I’d never expect to see as much of that in a shorter work as I would in a full-length novel, there were some aspects of Glisenia’s background that were confusing to me. For example, the reason why she was chosen to be sacrificed never quite made sense to me. It was vague enough that it seemed like it could have been applied to many other girls in her community. I would have appreciated more details about how it all worked and would have gone with a full five-star rating if that information had been included.

The horror themes were handled nicely. Human sacrifice is a terrifying subject no matter who the victim is, but the fact that Glisenia was a child only added an extra layer of fear to it all. The descriptions of how she was murdered made me shudder, especially when the narrator hinted at how many other girls had suffered the same painful fate in the past.

Shattered Sacrifice was an exciting read.

Shattered Sacrifice is a short introduction to Emily Huffman’s Shattered Trilogy, but it packs a LOT of story into not a lot of pages! Here, we’re introduced to Glisenia Tideborn, the girl chosen as a sacrifice to the Kraken. She was nobody special, no gifts, nothing to recommend that she live. She expects to die. But…she doesn’t.

The book opens with Glisenia realizing she’s still alive. As she tries to decide what to do next, she realizes that she’s hearing a voice in her head. This voice is the god of magic, Helm. She’s caught his attention, and he’s got a task in mind for her.

Glisenia is an intriguing character. She has every reason to want revenge on her parents and her community. They wanted her dead. She survived, and now she has a choice. Listen to the voice in her head that claims to be a god seeking her help? Or not? I think Helm considers her an easy mark for doing what he wants, but I’m not so sure she’s going to be his pushover.

This novella gives the reader loads of atmosphere and action in a short space. And now I have questions. Does Glisenia let it all burn? What does Helm want from her? Are her powers from Helm, or has she had them all along, and they were somehow overlooked by those who wanted to sacrifice her? This bite-sized book is a perfect introduction/teaser for the larger trilogy, and I’ve got to read the trilogy now.

Thanks to the author for a review copy. All opinions are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.

Wow! What a quick but intriguing read! In the span of 90 some odd pages, we get the backstory of Glisenia Tideborn - a girl who was sacrificed by a cult and her family in the cult to the Kraken... but instead comes back with far more than she expected.

The story was quick but quite interesting. Glisenia went through a lot before she came into her own (I still can't get over the fact that this novella was able to cover so much good information). She lives beyond the sacrifice, realizes how strong she is and is being helped by someone. (that's all I'm going to say)

The characters were well thought out and the descriptions were great too. I could definitely see the ocean, the cave, the town. Everywhere she went was described beautifully and I am quite impressed by Emily Hoffman's world building.

"Ocean air greeter her face with soft winds as she emerged from the caverns to the docks. Twinkling lights shot across the sky, falling through the air like rain drops. The night shimmered with life, and Glisenia had never seen anything so beautiful."

This is definitely a quick read but a worth it one for some backstory (which is what I'm imagining it is, since I haven't read the other books) and I definitely added the other books in the series to my to-read list!

Thank you to Emily Hoffman for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This short novelette provides a really cool introduction into a world where a young girl, Glisenia, is sacrificed to the Kraken by the cult her family belong to. She awakens after her supposed sacrifice, with a new voice in her head and breath in her lungs ... neither of which she expected.

I really loved the writing style, the main character was compelling and it definitely got me excited for the upcoming trilogy. I felt her pain and honestly wasn't sure where the story would go exactly - this felt like a character introduction, an origin story, and one which I think was incredibly well executed. Very interested in the world-building, of which I think we have seen but a fraction.

It is in third person narration which ordinarily isn't my favourite but I think it was done really well and possibly an exemplar of what third person narration can achieve. Really quick and easy read with dark themes, which I would recommend.

I was provided with an ARC of this novelette in exchange for an honest review, which I provide voluntarily. Many thanks to the author!

This is a quick read, a novella, about Glisenia who is a young girl that is nothing special. She has no powers, nothing special to her family or their people and so she is chosen to be the one who is sacrificed, or attempted to be sacrificed, to their people’s Kraken god by her own family. After thinking she has died, it turns out she’s saved by another god called Helm who helps her recognize her own powers and that she IS special, and what she’s capable of with these powers.

Like I said, this is a quick read, but I love reading origin stories of characters that will make an impact in a series, and this one is a great introduction to what to expect in this series. It’s a terrifying start for Glisenia and I look forward to seeing more of her and this world, and to learn more about the magic system and how these gods come into play amongst humans.

Thank you to the author for a free digital copy to read!

Shattered Sacrifice is a Novella set in the world of the Shattered Trilogy by Emily Huffman. This was my first excursion into Huffmans work and, I can happily say, I’ll be reading absolutely everything else she writes 🤩

This is a quick read, that totally astounded me. I had no idea what I was in for, and I was shocked! The author writes violence in a graphic but poetic way that really resonated with me. I was genuinely concerned for the MC, but not in the way I expected. It was so well done.
This is a dark and visceral novella and I am really excited to dive deeper into Huffmans library. I have to know more about this world and these characters! I was shocked at how intense this short story became. I can’t wait to read the series!!!!

This is a good one to check the TW for before you read. But I love a lengthy TW and this novella packs a punch!

🗡🐙🌊🔥🩸

A haunting tale of a young girl running from an unjust sacrifice. Shattered Sacrifice has all the elements I love-fantasy, spookiness, and the rising of a dark hero, or villain, depending on how you look at it. Glisenia is reminiscent of Maleficent in all my favorite ways, she’s been beaten before but rises up against the tides (get it?) of the cult who tried to sacrifice her. This has the dark, seaside atmosphere of another YA fantasy/horror, The House of Salt and Sorrows, combined with the fire and independence of Arya Stark from Game of Thrones.

It’s a 5-star from me.

This is the spooky afternoon escape you need. Trust me!

Glisenia was sacrificed by her family, killed for the Kraken. But she's not dead. Running away, she finds she has not only new powers, but had attracted the help of the god of magic, Helm, and he wants her help.

This was a great prequel to the Shattered series, bringing in more insight into Glisenia and the trials that she's already faced. While this is a prequel and the rest of the series will bring in more details, I would've liked to see more information on Glisenia and the backstory she has with her family.

Really unique and interesting premise, with clear, high stakes that got me engaged in the world right away!

The magic system was super interesting. I've never read anything like that before.

Overall, the writing was strong, though at times I felt there was a bit too much info-dumping. At other times, though, it was really lyrical and lovely. Glisenia's evolution towards the end is believable, not to mention a little scary! Really enjoyed this read.

3.75 stars. I received this book as a freebie for signing up for the author's newsletter.

Short as this story was, it packed a punch. A lot happened - and I mean a LOT. We have betrayal, the discovery of power, magic, revenge, brutal deaths... It was a ride from start to finish. The writing was decent, and the pacing moved well for such a brief story. My interest was peaked, and I am curious about the rest of the series, meaning this sneak peek sure did its job!

This is a short little prequel to the Shattered Souls series that centres around Glisenia Tideborn and the pain and betrayal she faces at the hands of her family and community and the power and freedom she gains from her experiences.

To me it came across as more of a villain origin story but I’m interested in seeing how it ties in to the Shattered Souls series.

All in all an interesting start to the series 😊

This was an interesting story that follows Glisenia as she tries to escape the clutches of her Kraken who demand her sacrifice. The story is fast paced and quite interesting. I received a free copy of the book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

I love a book where the good guys go a little bad, especially when it is the FMC. I cannot wait to continue reading this series and finding out if she redeems herself. I did not see that cliffhanger coming....ready for the next one!

Such a great novella!! It was very captivating and exciting. I loved getting a little back story on this character and it was so well written. I loved that it kept me very interested and wanting to know more!!

This short novella is the introduction to a new trilogy by author Emily Huffman. In this story we are introduced to Glisenia who was sacrificed by a cult. This story covered a lot of ground in a few short pages. I have to read the trilogy to see how everything works out!!

Um—WOW!!

Holy crap, I am SO intrigued! I can’t wait to see where this story goes. What an incredibly interesting premise.

5 stars for the potential this plot holds, for the character, and for the magic.

The premise of this story is right up my alley! I can't wait to see how things are further fleshed out.

This is an introduction to a series I feel more people should definitely check out!

Quite different.
Glisenia is sacrificed to Kraken by the priests and her parents but she turns the tables on them all.

This prequel made me so excited to read the rest of the series. So good. Great writing and the story held my attention the entire time.

In this short novella Author Emily Huffman introduces us to Glisenia. Born to be a sacramental offer to the Kraken, whom figures out she is destined for more. With the help of Helm, god of Magic, she regains her life and finds out she has Magic of her own. This page turner is definitely worth the read. 10/10. 5 ⭐️s!

Be sure to also check out Shattered Souls (First book of the Shattered Trilogy) by Emily Huffman as it continues some of Glisenia’s story through Blaine’s eyes!

Shattered Sacrifice was a grabbing novelette with an engaging writing style. It's a quick read that gives you a premise of the story and the magical world you're about to enter in the trilogy. I mostly enjoyed Glisenia's transformation in the end as it was both scary and exciting.

Great introduction into the world Emily is creating. Fast paced, interesting storyline and world building. Can’t wait to see more!