When my copy of The Fifth Goddess arrived I thought ,"oh my goodness another massive and boring book for me to review". I must be honest, I was put off by the mere size of the book. Once I started reading I was intrigued with the main character's life struggles which would explain why I continued reading this 360 page book.

As I read the book I saw the lives of some of my female friends, the struggles with weight, men, relationships, and finding themselves amidst the confusions of life. If you're looking to read a book about happy ever after this is not the book. This is the book to read if you want to see a woman's thinking transform with the help of some ancient goddesses. This is the book to read if you want to see the seed of empowerment sprout roots and grow.

Somehow, Staci Backauskas managed to use four ancient goddesses in her storyline as Rena the main character's unconscious. Without these mythological characters arguing among themselves on what Rena should do next there would be no real understanding of this woman's inner turmoil. Brilliant Staci, just brilliant.

By the end of the story it wasn't just Rena who was starting to ascend in her thinking, the goddesses were transforming as well. Like I said this is not a happy ever after story, rather, it's Rena's evolution from being the epitome of dysfunction to a woman learning to face her shortcomings. This was the first book I had read featuring people dealing with so many vices. Sex, drugs, alcohol, and food. By the time I reached the last page I was sorry there wasn't more to read but I was relieved to know Staci would be giving us more at a later time. Had Rena reached a point of truly knowing herself by the last page of the book? No, but she was on the path to reality, hmmm so was the goddesses.

I would recommend this book because it has something we can all cling to, a need to stop running from our fears and discomforts. Usually books with explicit language and behaviors are not reviewed by me and are returned to the authors. This time I bent the rules. Why? There was a lesson to be learned. The sex scenes were key to Rena's flaws and healing. Unfortunately, in this story she used the act of sex and eating as a way of not dealing with problems in her life. I can almost bet you will see a friend or maybe yourself in Rena's struggles to free herself from low self-esteem, abusive relationships, and food addiction. BUY THIS BOOK!!!

Staci Backauskas is a writer, speaker, and teacher. She is currently working on a study guide for The Fifth Goddess and developing workshops to further the understanding of the voices that guide our lives. Miss Backauskas lives near the beach in New Jersey.