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A review by rachel_faerie
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First l’d like to thank NetGalley and Orbit for an early review!
I have been a fan of Andrea Stewart’s since The Bone Shard Daughter. I love the way she writes complex characters and this book proved no different.
In this world there is something called Restoration. Which is a great black wall of magic/ smoke that greatly heals the barren landscape it touches (enacted by a God), however it has consequences for living beings. They either die, or become altered. If you are altered you gain horns or wings or scales or claws. Sometimes multiple things. And you live in the new restored area. But there are those who want to escape restoration, or want justice for what they lost.
As we follow Hakara and Rasha as they navigate their life on different sides of a war, we see the consequences of the actions of both sides. We see both good and bad on either side as well. It’s hard to root for just one!
The magic system is also really cool in this world as well. There are gems infused with magic that lives in the core of the earth. And these gems can help people do special things, depending on size and color.
I found my time reading this flying by. At first I did struggle to get into it JUST because there was so much in scope of the world for me to learn but once I got into the meat of the story I devoured the pages. And I know this is one of those stories that, upon reread, I would see so much foreshadowing I had missed and so many clues and hints that I can’t wait to read this again already.
There was a romance I found that moved a bit too quickly for my taste, but likewise there was a romance that was barely just so. Super slow burn and lots of build up to a barely there romance. So there’s something for everyone in that regard if you like insta love or if you prefer a slow burn.
Also if you love cats, there is a grumpy dark winged guy in here who is essentially a cat hoarder lol he was my favorite character throughout the book for sure!
I can’t wait to see where this story goes!!! The ending was WILD and I had to read the last chapter 4 times because there’s a revelation there that is… heartbreaking and also kind of insane and jaw dropping lol
I have been a fan of Andrea Stewart’s since The Bone Shard Daughter. I love the way she writes complex characters and this book proved no different.
In this world there is something called Restoration. Which is a great black wall of magic/ smoke that greatly heals the barren landscape it touches (enacted by a God), however it has consequences for living beings. They either die, or become altered. If you are altered you gain horns or wings or scales or claws. Sometimes multiple things. And you live in the new restored area. But there are those who want to escape restoration, or want justice for what they lost.
As we follow Hakara and Rasha as they navigate their life on different sides of a war, we see the consequences of the actions of both sides. We see both good and bad on either side as well. It’s hard to root for just one!
The magic system is also really cool in this world as well. There are gems infused with magic that lives in the core of the earth. And these gems can help people do special things, depending on size and color.
I found my time reading this flying by. At first I did struggle to get into it JUST because there was so much in scope of the world for me to learn but once I got into the meat of the story I devoured the pages. And I know this is one of those stories that, upon reread, I would see so much foreshadowing I had missed and so many clues and hints that I can’t wait to read this again already.
There was a romance I found that moved a bit too quickly for my taste, but likewise there was a romance that was barely just so. Super slow burn and lots of build up to a barely there romance. So there’s something for everyone in that regard if you like insta love or if you prefer a slow burn.
Also if you love cats, there is a grumpy dark winged guy in here who is essentially a cat hoarder lol he was my favorite character throughout the book for sure!
I can’t wait to see where this story goes!!! The ending was WILD and I had to read the last chapter 4 times because there’s a revelation there that is… heartbreaking and also kind of insane and jaw dropping lol