Flight of the Godkin Griffin

Mistress Cmdr. Angharad Godkin is hours away from retiring after decades of army service when she’s reassigned to active duty as the new governor for the recently acquired province of Shraeven. With her ex-lover Silfia as her second-in-command, Angharad takes her troops and heads for her new post. However, Shraeven is a restless territory, and the native beliefs in purebreeding conflict with the Godkindred way of interbreeding, leading to dangerous ideological and physical conflicts. Angharad’s devotion to duty is soon at odds with her desire to do the right thing, causing her to question her loyalties. Like many titles by Hogarth (The Admonishments of Kerishdar), this anthropomorphic military fantasy was originally released as a crowd-funded online serial where the donors could influence the course of the story, and it retains a slightly disjointed, episodic feel. Intriguing world-building and solid storytelling don’t make up for the uneven pacing, the abrupt ending, or a deeply jarring story line about a gang rape and its aftermath. (June)