Book Review | The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart

Hey all! Today I’m sharing my review for The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart, the start of a new trilogy with fabulous world-building.

I’d been looking forward to it for a while and it didn’t let me down, read on for my full review!

Proof Copy of The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart

About the Book

Title: The Gods Below
Series: The Hollow Covenant #1
Author: Andrea Stewart
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: September 5th 2024
Pages: 528
Source: ARC provided by the publisher (this in no way affects my review which is honest and unbiased) Finished copies purchased by myself!
Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis

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.

Review

The Gods Below starts off with us meeting one of our main characters, Hakara, who is caring for her little sister as much as she can in a world where parts are being remade bit by bit, by a god to apparently save it. We get various points of view throughout but with Hakara, I couldn’t help but absolutely adore her throughout. Sadly, very early on she ends up being taken away from her little sister, Rasha, whose fate was either to be disintegrated or made anew (with a host of evolutionary “advancements”).

Fortunately, she’s remade and we have an additional point of view. Her love for Hakara keeps her waiting for her to return for a long while, and though Hakara is trying… she has no way of getting back to her in good time. After a time skip, Hakara is desperately trying to raise money to go back to the remade land, while Rasha has decided to become a godkiller.

Godkillers are essentially remade humans who are then tasked with tracking down any remaining gods, as Kluehnn (the one who is slowly remaking the world) wants to be the only one. They have to go through gruelling tasks to become a godkiller, adding to the drama substantially.

We get additional points of view, including: a god who is in hiding, just trying to live his life; a man desperate to help someone he cares for, on a mission to go request their health from the land of the gods; and a woman who is trying to save her family from reputational ruin (mostly by learning how to influence and control).

There are rebels along the way and no perspective leaves you wishing for more action, as each chapter is either serious build up or full on fighting of some kind.

I’ll definitely be picking up book two as soon as possible!