I have liked both of Sarah Beth Durst's previous novels, but with Vessel I think she has moved from being a writer whom I enjoy, to a writer for whom I wait with anticipation.
Vessel tells the tale of a young woman chosen to die for her people. Her sacrifice is a willing one, as she knows it will bring water, in the form of god-given magic, back to her drought-stricken people. She dances to call her goddess to her, to allow Bayla to possess her and drive her soul from her body, and use it as her tool, her vessel, in the act of providing for her people. But when Bayla does not arrive, Liyana is forced to re-evaluate everything she knows, believes, and wants.
Soon, Liyana finds herself on a quest, to rescue her lost and possibly kidnapped goddess. But will the rescue mean that she must, in turn, die? What does it mean that when she looks upon Korbyn, the god who loves Bayla, that her heart stirs?
Liyana is a marvelous heroine, strong in her beliefs and in her cause, certain of her own rightness, but willing to see that others may have views that, while different from hers, are also right. She grows and changes over the course of the story, but never strays from her original sense of right and wrong. Liyana's tale of grief, trust, love, faith and ultimate sacrifice is beautifully told; her world is believable and I was thrilled to live in it for a while. I hope that we will share other tales of the desert clans, or at least of the world connected to the Dreaming.
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