Title: The Gods Below
Author: Andrea Stewart
Published: 5th September 2024
Publisher: Orbit UK
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Hollow Covenant #1
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
After a divine war shattered the world, humanity struck a pact with the god Kluehnn: in return for regular tribute of magical gems, Kluehnn would restore the world to its former glory. But as each land is transformed, so too are its people changed into strange new forms – if they survive at all.
Hakara is not willing to pay such a price. Desperate to protect herself, and her sister Rasha, she flees her homeland for the safety of a neighbouring kingdom. But tragedy strikes when they’re separated, and Hakara is forced to abandon Rasha to an unknown fate.
Yet when Hakara discovers she can channel the power of the magical gems, she’s invited to join a clandestine plot to destroy the God Pact. To win Hakara to their cause, the conspirators reveal a startling secret: Rasha is alive – and they can help rescue her.
But only if Hakara goes to war against a god.
The Gods Below begins an epic new fantasy series from Sunday Times bestselling author Andrea Stewart, where two sisters find themselves on opposite sides of a war against gods.
Waterstones
A huge thank you to Orbit Uk for sending me an eARC of The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart to read and review.
I am ashamed to say that despite owning the first two books in Stewart’s first trilogy, this is the first of her books that I have actually read! I will be rectifying this ASAP because I loved The Gods Below! This novel is everything I love in epic fantasy; Gods, magic, danger and lots of angst!
The Gods in this novel are all but destroyed apart from one, who rules over humanity. We learn more about this world as we read, chapters flashback to the war that destroyed them, giving us clues that maybe not everything is as it seems?? I love a fantasy with Gods, honestly the more the merrier, and I’m very intrigued to see where Stewart takes this element of the novel through the series!
The Gods Below focuses on two sisters who have spent 10 years apart after being separated as children. I loved this element of the novel. I love a sibling relationship in a fantasy novel, and despite the fact these sisters are apart in this novel, I still enjoyed it immensely. Hakara, the older sister is dealing with some serious guilt, which I thought the author explored very well. I loved seeing this motivation behind her decisions, and her actions. Rasha, the younger sister spends her time trying to forget her sister and trying to prove to herself that she doesn’t need her. I thought the comparison between them and their chapters was so well done!
We have one of my favourite tropes, the found family, not once but twice in this novel! Both Hakara and Rasha find themselves in teams, where they have to rely on each other to survive, which obviously I adored! All the side characters in this novel are very well crafted. There was a sprinkling of romance which I enjoyed, it seemed very well developed and made perfect sense in regards to the characters themselves.
Stewart uses a mix of perspectives in the novel, separate chapters for separate characters, and this really works! There wasn’t a single perspective that I didn’t love, and I was desperate to keep reading to find out what happened next to each of them!
Overall I really enjoyed this novel a lot. The characters are awesome, and I can’t wait to find out what happens in book 2. This novel is perfect for fans of Shannon Chakraborty, C.L. Clark and Hannah Kaner!
Huge thank you again to Orbit UK for the eARC of The Gods Below!
Pre-order The Gods Below from Waterstones or Bookshop.org (*both affiliate links*)
