The Daughters of Men

The Nephilim Universe, Book 1

By: Carole McDonnell

Narrated by: Josephine Hall

In the year 2255, Ellie Ovis finds herself in the unenviable position of being loved by Woden, the Nephilim prince of the New York region, staring lovingly into her eyes. A member of the Creed, Ellie wants nothing to do with this being, whom she considers demon spawn. She is already fighting her attraction to his best friend, the Nephilim rebel Siddhart. But the upcoming annual Balance ritual and an incomprehensible prophecy declares that a stubborn Scarred Woman will bring disruption to the Nephilim community.

Ellie prides herself on her integrity, but marriage to a Nephilim prince would excuse her from the ritual and probable death. There is no one more stubborn or scarred than Ellie. But could she really be the one who is fated to save the various humanoid populations of Earth? And would she really give up her faith and religion in order to bring salvation to the descendants of demons?

The Daughters of Men is a fantasy novel about:

• Four types of humans - the clones, the biogenetically engineered chimeras, the semi-demonic Nephilim, and "normal" humans.
• Three lovers - Woden, a Nephilim prince; Siddhart, Woden's captain and rebellious best friend; and Ellie, the human black woman they both love who may be fated to bring disaster or salvation to the Nephilim.
• Two prophecies - the prophecy of the stubborn Scarred Woman fated to bring disruption and the prophecy of the Beautiful One who will bring peace and salvation to the Nephililm.
• And one decision - Should Ellie marry Woden? Why does she resist? Why is she being so stubborn? Could it be that she is indeed the prophesied one? You bet she is.

This is the first in a dystopian series about the Nephilim-ruled universe.

©2016 Carole McDonnell (P)2018 Carole McDonnell

KIND OF DEEP!

It took a while for me to get into this story but once I did, I started to enjoy this book. This story is filled with mythical beings, Greek Gods, prophecies and add in uprisings and rebellions and it reminds you of a fantasy type civil war. Woden and Ellie makes you continue reading just to find out were their relationship ends up. The narration was good. This was my second book by this author and I find her writing style to be on a deep and spiritual level. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A Beautifully Designed Story

This was an important book. It told an important story from a completely different perspective. It weaves a story in so many different layers of what might have been. The tale is complex and doesn't spare the reader from the cruelty of man or of good intentions gone horribly bad. It explores the many shapes of love and faith and delves deeply into the consequences surrounding all decisions.

The author made a bold choice to tell this story from the middle and in my case, suffered the consequence of this in that I was taken out of the story often to wonder if I hadn't started with book one of the second trilogy. I kept wondering what I might have missed. It wasn't that she didn't cover the important details, but specifically with regard to relationships and all that went on outside of the framework of the story, I feel like I missed out on the character development that would make me care about what the characters are facing in this story.

It was a bold choice given the story that she wanted to tell, and I don't think it paid off for me and it resulted in the book taking much longer for me to care about it.

That said, the story was interesting and beautiful in a very stark way that was compelling. Josephine Hall's narration really helped add interest in the story. I think her addition to the team was a big plus for this story.

The future is a world of Prophecy.

This was a pretty wild story with Gods, Giants or Nephilim and humans all mixed together. Centers around Woden who is a Nephilim Prince who falls for a human female. This female, Elise, is a great character who has several adventures. Enjoyed listening to the story. I received this Audio book free, in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank You!!