How would it feel if you really became a character you created; blessed with immortality, stunning good looks, powerful magics or warrior skills and a Goddess selected hunky consort? When the nine members of the "Daughters of Reyah"; a fan club devoted to "Domain" (the hottest TV show ever) meet for the first time at the Atlanta Dragon*Con, they actually encounter the Elder Goddess Reyah, and with the help of a wishstone, find themselves transported to the real Domain with the beautiful faces and skills of their fictional cyber characters. We have:
Thea - a magic user able to assume the form of any cat; from a household tabby to a sabre toothed tiger
Liz - a Mind Mage with powers of telekinesis, telepathy and mind control
Marisol - an Elemental with power over the weather
Brigid - a magic staff toting warrior
Anna - a Sorceress with an interesting approach to spell casting
Sarah - a whip wielding Lara Croft type warrior
Kait - a swordmistress who becomes possessed by the Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet on the battlefield
Pandora - Mistress of Mayhem: what can go wrong will go wrong when her magic flows
Frieda (Free) - an Elemental with power over all flora
The Goddess Reyah of Domain has grown somewhat concerned over her sons' antics. After deciding suitable mates will curb their behaviour, she selects a group of women she meets at the Dragon*Con on Earth. Unfortunately she fails to consider several problems. Firstly, two of her sons are certainly not marriage material; Deryk is completely ruthless with a sadistic streak miles wide and Theron, well uptight is not strong enough a description. And what of the other men of Domain? We have the rest of the Vanyr (the immortal and powerful sons of Reyah) Jagger, Roarke, Hawke, Conlan, Fynn and Aleks and we also encounter Reyah's Chosen (mortals she has granted immortality to) including Vallenius, Alfred, Gareth, and Willem amongst others.
When Deryk resurrects Megeara the Demon Witch, in the form of Lydia Jambon (the bitchy actress who portrays Megeara on Earth's TV show) Reyah turns this to her advantage. Like the rest of the Earth women, Lydia has no control over her magic and risks raising an unbound demon, a creature that could potentially destroy Domain. Cue Reyah's test, sending the "Daughters of Reyah" off on a quest to prove they are truly worthy to be matched to the sons of a Goddess.
With so many characters possessing so many skills, this book would certainly have benefited from a glossary containing some sort of character reference. The wealth of detail contained in only 350 pages is far too overwhelming and I found myself constantly back tracking to recall who had transformed into who, what their abilities were and who they were attracted to. I have now discovered JMWs website contains brief synopses of each character; a helpful guide I should have printed out for instant reference prior to finishing this book. There is also quite a lot left unexplained in WNYGV; namely "The Power of the Two" a rare magic both Thea and Roarke possess and what Reyah intends to do with her spare; after all she's summoned nine women to be matched to her eight sons. Also, considering she's an omnipotent Goddess she certainly buries her head in the sand concerning Deryk, determined to believe his hideous actions are actually for the greater good of Domain. That said, this is still a marvellous book if one can keep a firm grip on who is who, with plenty of original concepts and action scenes as each woman takes centre stage. Whilst investigating the possibility of a sequel to WNYGV, I was saddened to learn that TW passed away last year and can only hope that JMW intends to continue with this series, despite the world of fantasy romance losing a bright, shining star.
