Viridian Gate Online: Schism

The Heartfire Healer Series, Book 2

By: James A. Hunter, E.C. Godhand

Narrated by: Eunice Wong

Priest or not, Liset is a healer, and she's here to save their ass, not kiss it.

After rescuing a holy relic from Darklings, Liset the Blessed learns no good deed goes unpunished. The Temple of Areste has given her a day and a half to make a choice: be excommunicated for turning in the quest item or excommunicated for stealing it. Either way, she risks losing her hard-earned class as a Priestess of Gaia, and with it, her ability to heal the people of Viridian Gate Online.

But the world has other plans, and her temple is the least of her worries. Between the return of the Darklings, an ancient Hvitalfarian evil, and a brewing civil war in Rowanheath, there's plenty of need for a healer.

As a former physician, she has more tools at her disposal to heal people than magic. Even if she must go to war with her own temple, she won't let her faith be ripped away without a fight. Not when so many people depend on her.

©2021 E.C. Godhand and Shadow Alley Press, Inc. (P)2021 Tantor Media

Great story and characters

Love this series and can’t wait for 3 to be recorded! I hope it’s very soon. The characters are engaging and I love hearing their journey in the world of VGO. Ms Wong does a great job voicing it! She really brings the characters to life.

EDIT: My review after reading the final book:

The Heartfire Healer series is a masterclass in character-driven fantasy, and EC Godhand proves herself not just a skilled storyteller, but a deeply attentive steward of the people she creates.

What struck me most is the emotional realism. These aren’t archetypes moving through a plot—they are complex individuals navigating impossible circumstances with imperfect information. Godhand allows her characters to make nuanced, sometimes messy choices that feel grounded in lived experience. Motivations conflict. Loyalties strain. Good intentions collide with unintended consequences. The result is a cast that feels startlingly human, even in the midst of magic and warfare.

Her care for her characters is evident in the quiet moments as much as the climactic ones. She gives them space to doubt, to grieve, to laugh, and to grow. Development never feels rushed or engineered. It unfolds organically, shaped by prior wounds and evolving relationships. That level of narrative patience pays off in powerful emotional beats that genuinely land.

The banter is another standout strength. The dialogue is sharp without feeling forced, witty without undermining the gravity of the stakes. It provides relief in tense moments while simultaneously deepening character dynamics. You learn who these people are not through exposition, but through the way they spar verbally, tease one another, or hold back what they’re afraid to say.

Combat scenes are equally compelling. Godhand writes action with clarity and sensory detail—every clash, spell flare, and desperate maneuver feels visceral. The pacing keeps momentum high, yet she never sacrifices emotional stakes for spectacle. Each battle advances character arcs as much as it advances plot.

Most of all, the series excels in presenting difficult moral terrain. The choices her protagonists face rarely have clean answers. There are trade-offs, sacrifices, and long shadows cast by decisions that seemed right at the time. That moral complexity gives the story weight and credibility. It respects the reader’s intelligence.

The Heartfire Healer series is thoughtful, emotionally resonant fantasy with heart, grit, and sharp wit. EC Godhand’s storytelling balances intensity with tenderness, and spectacle with introspection. It’s a rare series that entertains deeply while also trusting its audience to sit with ambiguity—and that trust is richly rewarded.

An exceptional amount of dumb.

I really wanted to like it but the story can only progress when everyone one involved is dumber than is reasonable. I would have liked to have seen the MC succeed through use of her observations and intuition but it is always summed up your divine intervention. Disappointed.