In addition, at the beginning, each character had a single life incident that set his or her character. Generally, people - and good characters - are more complicated than that. That either smooths out later in the book or the effect of the action improves the characters. Either way, it is not a distraction by the time of the climax. The main characters are likeable people.

On the bright side, the enemies are pure evil. Given the supernatural overtone, the enemies have to be evil. What Smith does remarkably well is to make them evil, yet believably human. The key word there is believably. You will see someone you know in at least one of them. Yet, the familiarity evokes no sympathy for the bad guys. While most books flesh out the heroes and leave the other characters flat, Smith has fleshed out that darkness.

What I liked most was the descriptions of Sumeria. We do not know much about that time and place. Smith shares much of what is known and speculates through her characters on what may be in the blanks. The civilization is so unique that we, the entire world of we, do not have the resources to interpret what we have found. That leaves ripe fodder for the imagination and Smith does a fine job of tickling that imagination.

More on The Goddess of Sumer:

Dea Ex Machina: The Goddess of Sumer by Jenna Smith