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The Hollow Covenant #1
The Gods Below
The series is set in a world ravaged by ancient magic, where precious gemstones bestow magical abilities on the few individuals able to harness their power. Full of clandestine power struggles and the battles between gods, the story follows Hakara, a young woman searching for her missing sister and who will do anything to find her — even lead a rebellion against the gods themselves.
544 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2024
263 people are currently reading
28896 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Stewart
33 books2,301 followersAndrea Stewart is the Chinese American daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Her parents always emphasized science and education, so she spent her childhood immersed in Star Trek and odd-smelling library books. When her (admittedly ambitious) dreams of becoming a dragon slayer didn't pan out, she instead turned to writing books. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 783 reviews
October 20, 2025
one thing about andrea stewart? she’s going to give us a funky guy with a cat
thank you to orbit books for providing this review copy.
Read my full review here
Bookstagram | Blog
thank you to orbit books for providing this review copy.
Read my full review here
Bookstagram | Blog
October 31, 2024
ARC provided by Orbit - thank you so much !!
this start of a brand new series from andrea stewart was truly such a treat for me. the basic premise is that we are thrown on to a planet that is about to be remade by the gods. And when a world is remade, or shatters, half of the population instantly disappears like a thanos snap, and the other half are remade with alterations to help them navigate this new world. yet, if you have enough money, you are able to flee from the planet and try to live a new life on another planet. and we follow five very different, very differently impacted, points of view trying to navigate this world, but i would say that our main povs are from two sisters who start the book during this shattering. and you all will always know that a story centering a sibling bond, and an older sister doing anything to keep her younger sibling safe, will always hit for me.
i really don’t want to give much away, because i went into this story knowing nothing, and i think it really benefited me, but i just loved reading about this world, and all these different places, and different people’s perspectives on what is going on in this world. and this is for sure an sff book (aka - i wouldn’t classify this as romantasy), but i truly think andrea stewart wrote some of the best romance i’ve read all year within these pages. and without question, she gave me a new favorite sapphic ship to completely lose my mind over.
but, to me, this story also really highlights displacement, and being forced to live in a world that people in power will never allow to even begin to cater to any of your basic rights or needs. while those people in power are also using all of the planet’s resources without a care for any repercussions, and hurting the world beyond repair for everyone in the process. this is also a story about trauma, and learning to fight back, and learning to heal, and how those paths can look so very different to everyone. and ultimately, this is a story about survival and realizing you are willing to do anything for it, regardless if this survival is for you or a loved one.
this was a great start to a brand new series, i highly recommend it, and i can’t wait for book two. (also, andrea starting her first series with crab catching, and this new one with snail catching ;__; perfection)
trigger + content warnings: a lot of talk of loss of loved ones in the past (mom, grandmother, partner, child, friend), death, murder, blood, war, battle, gore, violence, colonization, abandonment, vomit, kidnapping, drugging, talk of illness, talk of physical abuse, insinuated self harm for a magic bond, and maybe cannibalism
blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon
♡.) The Bone Shard Daughter ★★★★
“How strange, to have someone forgive me when I could never forgive myself.”
this start of a brand new series from andrea stewart was truly such a treat for me. the basic premise is that we are thrown on to a planet that is about to be remade by the gods. And when a world is remade, or shatters, half of the population instantly disappears like a thanos snap, and the other half are remade with alterations to help them navigate this new world. yet, if you have enough money, you are able to flee from the planet and try to live a new life on another planet. and we follow five very different, very differently impacted, points of view trying to navigate this world, but i would say that our main povs are from two sisters who start the book during this shattering. and you all will always know that a story centering a sibling bond, and an older sister doing anything to keep her younger sibling safe, will always hit for me.
i really don’t want to give much away, because i went into this story knowing nothing, and i think it really benefited me, but i just loved reading about this world, and all these different places, and different people’s perspectives on what is going on in this world. and this is for sure an sff book (aka - i wouldn’t classify this as romantasy), but i truly think andrea stewart wrote some of the best romance i’ve read all year within these pages. and without question, she gave me a new favorite sapphic ship to completely lose my mind over.
but, to me, this story also really highlights displacement, and being forced to live in a world that people in power will never allow to even begin to cater to any of your basic rights or needs. while those people in power are also using all of the planet’s resources without a care for any repercussions, and hurting the world beyond repair for everyone in the process. this is also a story about trauma, and learning to fight back, and learning to heal, and how those paths can look so very different to everyone. and ultimately, this is a story about survival and realizing you are willing to do anything for it, regardless if this survival is for you or a loved one.
this was a great start to a brand new series, i highly recommend it, and i can’t wait for book two. (also, andrea starting her first series with crab catching, and this new one with snail catching ;__; perfection)
trigger + content warnings: a lot of talk of loss of loved ones in the past (mom, grandmother, partner, child, friend), death, murder, blood, war, battle, gore, violence, colonization, abandonment, vomit, kidnapping, drugging, talk of illness, talk of physical abuse, insinuated self harm for a magic bond, and maybe cannibalism
blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon
♡.) The Bone Shard Daughter ★★★★
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November 18, 2025OH WE ARE SO BACK BABY. Review to come, it’s currently after midnight.
December 8, 2024
unfortunately, i have very few good things to say about this one. but some positives: the writing flows well, it's fairly easy to get into. the worldbuilding with the gods living in a magical underground world is pretty cool. i like the ecological fantasy premise, with the concept of humans having destroyed the natural magical forest and in response, a god rising up to shatter the existing lands to remake and restore them. basically, good concepts and ideas, beautiful gowns, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
my biggest gripes: poor character building, poorly written dialogue, utterly uninteresting plot. it's all well and good to have unique fantasy concepts and i can tell the author put a lot of effort into these ideas, but without good characters and an engaging plot, it's all useless. all the characters were so frustratingly single-minded that their POV chapters quickly became unbearably repetitive - i had to read them having the exact same thoughts and the exact same conversations over and over and over again (funnily enough, a problem i had with the author's previous book the bone shard war).
hakara and rasha's relationship as estranged sisters on opposing sides of a war was supposed to be the emotional core of this story but it made me feel nothing. at most, i felt mildly annoyed but also i just didn't care much. they didn't feel like fully rounded characters and frankly, they just weren't compelling enough for me to be invested in them. same goes for the other relationships in the story - none of them felt developed or genuine. there are a couple of potential romantic connections being made (one f/f and one m/f) but again, both were shallow and unconvincing. only one side character stood out to me....and i don't know if i can forgive the author for writing a story with prominent women characters and giving the most interesting backstory to a man.
overall, everything about this book is just surface-level and underdeveloped and boring as hell. i was bored out of my mind the whole way through, right to the very end. there aren't even any strong themes here - something about how the world isn't what the characters think it is, religion as propaganda, etc, but they're only touched upon. there's literally no depth to this book.
anyway, let's end with some recs: if you want an actually good ecological fantasy about climate disasters and magic, read the fifth season instead. if you want a story about doomed sisters actually done well, watch arcane instead. if you want to read a fantasy about religion as propaganda and how the world isn't as it seems, check out blood over bright haven instead.
thank you to netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
my biggest gripes: poor character building, poorly written dialogue, utterly uninteresting plot. it's all well and good to have unique fantasy concepts and i can tell the author put a lot of effort into these ideas, but without good characters and an engaging plot, it's all useless. all the characters were so frustratingly single-minded that their POV chapters quickly became unbearably repetitive - i had to read them having the exact same thoughts and the exact same conversations over and over and over again (funnily enough, a problem i had with the author's previous book the bone shard war).
hakara and rasha's relationship as estranged sisters on opposing sides of a war was supposed to be the emotional core of this story but it made me feel nothing. at most, i felt mildly annoyed but also i just didn't care much. they didn't feel like fully rounded characters and frankly, they just weren't compelling enough for me to be invested in them. same goes for the other relationships in the story - none of them felt developed or genuine. there are a couple of potential romantic connections being made (one f/f and one m/f) but again, both were shallow and unconvincing. only one side character stood out to me....and i don't know if i can forgive the author for writing a story with prominent women characters and giving the most interesting backstory to a man.
overall, everything about this book is just surface-level and underdeveloped and boring as hell. i was bored out of my mind the whole way through, right to the very end. there aren't even any strong themes here - something about how the world isn't what the characters think it is, religion as propaganda, etc, but they're only touched upon. there's literally no depth to this book.
anyway, let's end with some recs: if you want an actually good ecological fantasy about climate disasters and magic, read the fifth season instead. if you want a story about doomed sisters actually done well, watch arcane instead. if you want to read a fantasy about religion as propaganda and how the world isn't as it seems, check out blood over bright haven instead.
thank you to netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2024
I read fast. I started this a month ago. I had to start binging it with Zana in order to get myself to finish this. I found The Bone Shard Daughter mediocre. I don't think Andrea is for me.
I am on a very long journey to find enjoyable diverse fantasy. It is quite few and far between. While this started with promise, it quickly fell flat. At first, I enjoyed sisters Hakara and Rasha. When the time jump occurred, and more POVs appeared, their stories became lost against the whole. My favorite POV is in the past, pre-Shattering, with many cats.
📱 Thank you to Goodreads and Orbit
I am on a very long journey to find enjoyable diverse fantasy. It is quite few and far between. While this started with promise, it quickly fell flat. At first, I enjoyed sisters Hakara and Rasha. When the time jump occurred, and more POVs appeared, their stories became lost against the whole. My favorite POV is in the past, pre-Shattering, with many cats.
📱 Thank you to Goodreads and Orbit
October 16, 2024
« If suffering made us strong, then I would be stronger than all of them »
What I love about the months before the end of the year (aside from Christmas, obviously) : is that I can finally say with conviction a book is my favourite in a category.
I’m happy to say that this is the best Epic and High Fantasy I’ve read this year. It really had this Noble Bright Fantasy vibe going on and I devoured it.
>500 pages and I wanted more. This never felt too long. I thought I had been smart and guessed a plot twist but I was SO WRONG. My jaw dropped. It was unpredictable and so original. I’ve never read anything like this.
The stakes are incredibly high, and the characters are so imperfectly human. It’s a multi POV that was well done. They each had their flaws but they were all so lovable. When I started this, I only felt drawn to Hakara, Thassir and Rasha but I ended up loving them all.
« Oh, to be one of Thassir’s cat » 🐱
« It’s the ones like you. The ones who would throw themselves into a storm to scream at it, believing that would make it stop » 💗✨
What I love about the months before the end of the year (aside from Christmas, obviously) : is that I can finally say with conviction a book is my favourite in a category.
I’m happy to say that this is the best Epic and High Fantasy I’ve read this year. It really had this Noble Bright Fantasy vibe going on and I devoured it.
>500 pages and I wanted more. This never felt too long. I thought I had been smart and guessed a plot twist but I was SO WRONG. My jaw dropped. It was unpredictable and so original. I’ve never read anything like this.
The stakes are incredibly high, and the characters are so imperfectly human. It’s a multi POV that was well done. They each had their flaws but they were all so lovable. When I started this, I only felt drawn to Hakara, Thassir and Rasha but I ended up loving them all.
« Oh, to be one of Thassir’s cat » 🐱
« It’s the ones like you. The ones who would throw themselves into a storm to scream at it, believing that would make it stop » 💗✨
September 4, 2024
With The Gods Below Andrea Stewart once again delivers an engaging fantasy story with fascinating world-building. This was a strong start and I am incredibly excited to see where the series goes from here.
My favorite thing about Andrea Stewart's writing is her world-building. I was immediately hooked by the rich and complex world of The Gods Below. This story explores a broken world that was once home to gods, mortals, and magic. One god promises salvation but the cost of restoration is steep and the result may not be worth it. Through many different POVs, we explore many different sides and layers (literally) of this world and different perspectives on the god and his path of restoration. There is so much to discover in this world and I cannot wait to explore it further in future installments.
Though this is a comparison that carries a lot of weight and expectations, the world of The Gods Below really reminded me of The Fifth Season. If you liked some of the themes that are explored in The Fifth Season—including separated family, morally questionable institutions training people in magic, climate change commentary, and rebellion—then I would highly recommend giving this a try as well.
I was really impressed by how well this book balanced the different POVs. Not every character gets the same amount of page time and the way that the story is divided works really well. The POVs that happen more sporadically slowly build up to reveals that help support the world-building and leave you on the edge of your seat. I found myself, for the most part, equally invested in all of the POVs.
That being said, I was the least interested in Rasha's POV and I started to lose interest in her storyline a bit as the book went on. I wanted a bit more nuance from her character, though I see a lot of potential for future character development. There is also a romance subplot introduced in her part of the story that came out of nowhere. I found it really hard to believe and it was oddly important to the story for how underdeveloped it was.
Thank you Orbit for the ARC
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
My favorite thing about Andrea Stewart's writing is her world-building. I was immediately hooked by the rich and complex world of The Gods Below. This story explores a broken world that was once home to gods, mortals, and magic. One god promises salvation but the cost of restoration is steep and the result may not be worth it. Through many different POVs, we explore many different sides and layers (literally) of this world and different perspectives on the god and his path of restoration. There is so much to discover in this world and I cannot wait to explore it further in future installments.
Though this is a comparison that carries a lot of weight and expectations, the world of The Gods Below really reminded me of The Fifth Season. If you liked some of the themes that are explored in The Fifth Season—including separated family, morally questionable institutions training people in magic, climate change commentary, and rebellion—then I would highly recommend giving this a try as well.
I was really impressed by how well this book balanced the different POVs. Not every character gets the same amount of page time and the way that the story is divided works really well. The POVs that happen more sporadically slowly build up to reveals that help support the world-building and leave you on the edge of your seat. I found myself, for the most part, equally invested in all of the POVs.
That being said, I was the least interested in Rasha's POV and I started to lose interest in her storyline a bit as the book went on. I wanted a bit more nuance from her character, though I see a lot of potential for future character development. There is also a romance subplot introduced in her part of the story that came out of nowhere. I found it really hard to believe and it was oddly important to the story for how underdeveloped it was.
Thank you Orbit for the ARC
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
September 16, 2024
As a fan of Andrea Stewart's The Drowning Empire series, I was excited to dive into The Gods Below. While this book felt vastly different from her previous work, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There were elements that I thoroughly enjoyed and a few that I didn’t enjoy.
The Gods Below is about a world ravaged by humanity’s actions, with one god stepping in to “save” it one realm at a time. However, the god’s intervention comes at a heavy cost. Each time he “saves” a realm, half of its citizens are destroyed, and their essence is used as energy to restore the realm. The survivors, transformed in the process, return with altered forms that are stronger, with horns and wings. So, he essentially goes all Thanos on the poor citizens (Marvel fans will understand this reference) 😂💀.
I really enjoyed the history of the gods and the unique magic system, immediately drew me in. I loved learning about the lore and the intricate details of the world such as the powers the Gems gave the user. I can’t help but get flashbacks to the infinity stones from Marvel when they mentioned that each colour gem gives different powers. The multiple POVs in the story were a mixed experience for me. While the perspectives of Hakara and Rasha, two sisters separated and yearning to reunite, provided an emotional element to the story, some of the other POVs weren’t that engaging to me. The plot twists kept me engaged, especially the plot lines that set the stage for the next book. Though I didn’t love The Gods Below as much as I had hoped, I don’t hate it either. Book one was a solid start, and I’m hopeful that the characters and world will feel more fully fleshed out in the sequel. I’ll definitely be picking up book two to see how the story continues.
Thank you so much OrbitBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Gods Below is about a world ravaged by humanity’s actions, with one god stepping in to “save” it one realm at a time. However, the god’s intervention comes at a heavy cost. Each time he “saves” a realm, half of its citizens are destroyed, and their essence is used as energy to restore the realm. The survivors, transformed in the process, return with altered forms that are stronger, with horns and wings. So, he essentially goes all Thanos on the poor citizens (Marvel fans will understand this reference) 😂💀.
I really enjoyed the history of the gods and the unique magic system, immediately drew me in. I loved learning about the lore and the intricate details of the world such as the powers the Gems gave the user. I can’t help but get flashbacks to the infinity stones from Marvel when they mentioned that each colour gem gives different powers. The multiple POVs in the story were a mixed experience for me. While the perspectives of Hakara and Rasha, two sisters separated and yearning to reunite, provided an emotional element to the story, some of the other POVs weren’t that engaging to me. The plot twists kept me engaged, especially the plot lines that set the stage for the next book. Though I didn’t love The Gods Below as much as I had hoped, I don’t hate it either. Book one was a solid start, and I’m hopeful that the characters and world will feel more fully fleshed out in the sequel. I’ll definitely be picking up book two to see how the story continues.
Thank you so much OrbitBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2024
Rated 3.5/5 stars
October 6, 2024
3.0 Stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/OwmDitabVpI
I really enjoyed The Bone Shard Daughtee, so I was eager to read another book by the same author. However I quickly learned that this one has a different tone and style so fans of one series won't necessarily love the other.
For me, the strength of the Drowning Empire series was the characters and unfortunately I found these characters to be flater in comparison. This story is vast and ambitious and certainly has potential to turn into a compelling series. Yet judging this book alone, this one was not as compelling or memorable as I wanted it to be. I am still interested in this series but this wasn't the home run I expect from this author.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review https://youtu.be/OwmDitabVpI
I really enjoyed The Bone Shard Daughtee, so I was eager to read another book by the same author. However I quickly learned that this one has a different tone and style so fans of one series won't necessarily love the other.
For me, the strength of the Drowning Empire series was the characters and unfortunately I found these characters to be flater in comparison. This story is vast and ambitious and certainly has potential to turn into a compelling series. Yet judging this book alone, this one was not as compelling or memorable as I wanted it to be. I am still interested in this series but this wasn't the home run I expect from this author.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 25, 2024
The Gods Below is a new series from the author of The Drowning Empire Trilogy.
Two sisters become separated by a magical barrier, each joining opposing factions. A young clan member tries to save her family’s standing and livelihood. Another embarks on a dangerous journey to save his friend. All set in a world where ecological instability is rampant and magical gems provide godlike strength.
I loved The Drowning Empire Trilogy, so I thought this would be another great series from the same author. This book had a good start, but it seemed to drag on and on. It felt like an overlong introduction.
The characters were not as well sketched as in the other trilogy. One character is supposed to be a honed weapon in both body and mind, with the ability to change her persona as the situation demands. But I don’t think that translated onto the page all that well. Hakara and one of the gods had the best character development.
The magic system involving the gems was fairly unique but seemed a bit ineffective. One punch to the stomach and it’s over for the magic user.
I’m curious to see where this story will go, so I’ll probably still read the next instalment.
Thanks to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
Two sisters become separated by a magical barrier, each joining opposing factions. A young clan member tries to save her family’s standing and livelihood. Another embarks on a dangerous journey to save his friend. All set in a world where ecological instability is rampant and magical gems provide godlike strength.
I loved The Drowning Empire Trilogy, so I thought this would be another great series from the same author. This book had a good start, but it seemed to drag on and on. It felt like an overlong introduction.
The characters were not as well sketched as in the other trilogy. One character is supposed to be a honed weapon in both body and mind, with the ability to change her persona as the situation demands. But I don’t think that translated onto the page all that well. Hakara and one of the gods had the best character development.
The magic system involving the gems was fairly unique but seemed a bit ineffective. One punch to the stomach and it’s over for the magic user.
I’m curious to see where this story will go, so I’ll probably still read the next instalment.
Thanks to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
November 15, 2024
This took me way too long to read.
Rating: 3 ⭐️
There’s nothing wrong with this book. It had all the makings of being an all-time favorite. For some reason, though, it just never clicked. I actually found a lot of it to be really interesting. Andrea Stewart always creates really compelling worlds, villains, and heroes. I just don’t know why I didn’t love it.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
I went FERAL for The Bone Shard Daughter so I have high hopes
Rating: 3 ⭐️
There’s nothing wrong with this book. It had all the makings of being an all-time favorite. For some reason, though, it just never clicked. I actually found a lot of it to be really interesting. Andrea Stewart always creates really compelling worlds, villains, and heroes. I just don’t know why I didn’t love it.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
I went FERAL for The Bone Shard Daughter so I have high hopes
July 6, 2024
Gods below, this was good.
The mortals broke the world. As the skies filled with ash and the air grew hot, the mortal Tolemne made his way down into the depths of the world to ask a boon of the gods.
Kluehnn could not restore all the world at once, but he could manage it one realm at a time, until the whole world was restored and the land could finally be healed.
Half of the population would be remade. Half of the population would disappear, their matter used to remake the realm.
Hakara and her younger sister Rasha are separated between borders when the restoration sweeps through their realm.
Desperate to be reunited, Hakara is an illegal refugee and aligns herself with the Unannointed who want to gather gems hoarded by Kluehnn and fight the god.
Hakara is feisty and doesn’t know when to give up. She pushes herself past breaking point and regularly also pushes away people, not willing to let herself form attachments only for them to be ripped away.
”Aren't we all here to be consumed? To be looked at, to be judged as savory or sweet, to be licked and swallowed and converted into fuel for others' ambitions?"
Rasha, left alone and changed to suit the new landscape becomes a godkiller, one of Kluehnn’s favoured to hunt down the other surviving gods.
She has always relied on her older sister but now she must fend for herself in a world where only the fittest survive.
”Saplings are always pliant before their roots dig deep, and the strongest trees grow in the harshest conditions. It has always been so."
Pitting sister against sister unknowingly was tense and fraught with anticipation.
Okay, so some of the characters felt a little flat or archetypal of the fantasy genre. However, I had such a blast and I trust that Stewart will develop them in the future.
Bearing in mind this is book one balancing five point of views, I think Stewart handled it well and had quite a firm grasp on her world’s history and how she wants it to play out.
In that sense, the secrets and peeling back slightly reminded me of The Book that Wouldn’t Burn.
Thank you to Orbit for providing me an arc in exchange for a review!
Bookstagram
The mortals broke the world. As the skies filled with ash and the air grew hot, the mortal Tolemne made his way down into the depths of the world to ask a boon of the gods.
Kluehnn could not restore all the world at once, but he could manage it one realm at a time, until the whole world was restored and the land could finally be healed.
Half of the population would be remade. Half of the population would disappear, their matter used to remake the realm.
Hakara and her younger sister Rasha are separated between borders when the restoration sweeps through their realm.
Desperate to be reunited, Hakara is an illegal refugee and aligns herself with the Unannointed who want to gather gems hoarded by Kluehnn and fight the god.
Hakara is feisty and doesn’t know when to give up. She pushes herself past breaking point and regularly also pushes away people, not willing to let herself form attachments only for them to be ripped away.
”Aren't we all here to be consumed? To be looked at, to be judged as savory or sweet, to be licked and swallowed and converted into fuel for others' ambitions?"
Rasha, left alone and changed to suit the new landscape becomes a godkiller, one of Kluehnn’s favoured to hunt down the other surviving gods.
She has always relied on her older sister but now she must fend for herself in a world where only the fittest survive.
”Saplings are always pliant before their roots dig deep, and the strongest trees grow in the harshest conditions. It has always been so."
Pitting sister against sister unknowingly was tense and fraught with anticipation.
Okay, so some of the characters felt a little flat or archetypal of the fantasy genre. However, I had such a blast and I trust that Stewart will develop them in the future.
Bearing in mind this is book one balancing five point of views, I think Stewart handled it well and had quite a firm grasp on her world’s history and how she wants it to play out.
In that sense, the secrets and peeling back slightly reminded me of The Book that Wouldn’t Burn.
Thank you to Orbit for providing me an arc in exchange for a review!
Bookstagram
May 13, 2025
I really enjoyed The Drowning Empire series, especially the author’s rich imagination and immersive world-building. In The Gods Below, she begins a new series that takes a slightly different direction. While the world is intriguing, it takes a bit too long to fully unfold, and the ending feels somewhat rushed—perhaps to avoid a cliffhanger. I also found the character development in The Drowning Empire more compelling overall.
That said, I loved Nioanen and Irael—their story was captivating, even though it remained mostly in the margins. I also wish we had seen more of the gods themselves; they were fascinating characters, and the twists involving them were some of the most imaginative parts of the book.
I see The Gods Below as a promising start to what could be a strong new series, and I’m interested in continuing with The Hollow Covenant.
Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Gods Below. This is my honest review.
That said, I loved Nioanen and Irael—their story was captivating, even though it remained mostly in the margins. I also wish we had seen more of the gods themselves; they were fascinating characters, and the twists involving them were some of the most imaginative parts of the book.
I see The Gods Below as a promising start to what could be a strong new series, and I’m interested in continuing with The Hollow Covenant.
Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Gods Below. This is my honest review.
June 25, 2024
Picture, if you will: you and your family are eking out a living in a country where resources are slim. One day, the government is overthrown, and you are presented with two choices: you become a refugee, fleeing to another country with no knowledge, connections, or ideas on how to survive; or, you can risk staying--but those who remain only have a 50% chance at survival. And if you do make it through the transition alive, you and your land will be changed forever.
Many nations have fallen under these circumstances, and their citizens have had to decide which is the lesser of two impossible choices. This is the allegorical basis for the first book of Andrea Stewart's new trilogy, The Gods Below, an engaging tale of survival and rebirth, filled with rich lore and well-crafted characters set in an ever-changing, fascinating world. In a shattered nation populated by mortals, gods, and in-betweens (known as "altered"), we bounce between five POVs to tell the tale of a pair of sisters, a shrewd politicker charged with keeping her clan relevant, an ancient elder god, and an inventor/explorer on a quest to the center of the world. Bit by bit, the storylines begin to overlap until we're left with a stunning mural of a world on the precipice of material and spiritual change.
As with her previous series, The Drowning Empire, Stewart effortlessly switches between first and third-person views in the chapters' POVs. It takes a bit of getting used to, but the characters have such a strong, distinct voice that it was easy to immerse myself in these varying perspectives. I have some character favorites, but truly all the characters -- especially some key supporting ones -- were brilliantly defined by their actions and dialogue. Ten-minute chapter lengths kept the story moving quickly, and my eagerness to return to everyone else's plot threads made this a very difficult book to put down.
While there is a great deal of mystery to this story, Stewart is generous with her world-building, providing useful chapter epigraphs that tell its history over a 600-year time frame. Yet we must also take into account the possibility of it all being propaganda, while the real truth has yet to reveal itself. One particular quote stood out as pertinent in our world as it is in this story:
"These days, truth is meaningless because truth is a choice."
I tore through The Gods Below, and if I had the sequel in my hands, I'd start it immediately. It will no doubt end up as one of my top reads of 2024.
5/5
Many nations have fallen under these circumstances, and their citizens have had to decide which is the lesser of two impossible choices. This is the allegorical basis for the first book of Andrea Stewart's new trilogy, The Gods Below, an engaging tale of survival and rebirth, filled with rich lore and well-crafted characters set in an ever-changing, fascinating world. In a shattered nation populated by mortals, gods, and in-betweens (known as "altered"), we bounce between five POVs to tell the tale of a pair of sisters, a shrewd politicker charged with keeping her clan relevant, an ancient elder god, and an inventor/explorer on a quest to the center of the world. Bit by bit, the storylines begin to overlap until we're left with a stunning mural of a world on the precipice of material and spiritual change.
As with her previous series, The Drowning Empire, Stewart effortlessly switches between first and third-person views in the chapters' POVs. It takes a bit of getting used to, but the characters have such a strong, distinct voice that it was easy to immerse myself in these varying perspectives. I have some character favorites, but truly all the characters -- especially some key supporting ones -- were brilliantly defined by their actions and dialogue. Ten-minute chapter lengths kept the story moving quickly, and my eagerness to return to everyone else's plot threads made this a very difficult book to put down.
While there is a great deal of mystery to this story, Stewart is generous with her world-building, providing useful chapter epigraphs that tell its history over a 600-year time frame. Yet we must also take into account the possibility of it all being propaganda, while the real truth has yet to reveal itself. One particular quote stood out as pertinent in our world as it is in this story:
"These days, truth is meaningless because truth is a choice."
I tore through The Gods Below, and if I had the sequel in my hands, I'd start it immediately. It will no doubt end up as one of my top reads of 2024.
5/5
September 15, 2024
The Gods Below
by Andrea Stewart
The Hollow Covenant #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Sep 3, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
The people's greed used up all of the world's resources, and to end their suffering one of them struck a deal with Kluehnn, the only God who said he would help restore the world, but it would cost the mortals: Each of the lands would be transformed but only some of the people would also change, only some. But for the mortals who are in the unchanged lands and have not changed, the passage into the changed lands are blocked by a wall of magic, and if they got lost and breathed in too much of the air, they would die.
Harkara was not willing to pay the price and with her sister, they tried to stay ahead, but they are separated and they each find themselves on different sides. Hakara is forced to mine gems for Kluehnn for ten years while not knowing if her sister lived through the change. But after she finds she can use those gems to channel magic, she falls in with rebels who are plotting to destroy the pact made with Kluehnn, and her sister lives.
The above 'blurb' is only a small part of this book. Besides the sisters, there are 3(?) other characters who get their own chapters. And those chapters are either first or third-person POVs. While it is a good way to keep the characters separate, it is also confusing, as are the chapter titles, other than the name of the character who is talking, they are also all titled the same thing, the year after the change that affected Harkara and how many years after the deal with Kluehnn. They each also had a 'history' of some type of the world and the gods. That was ok, but the repetitive chapter titles was irritating. I felt as if it was a waste and took away from when there was a real change in the timeline, as one of the characters was in a different time, but only had a few chapters. Title those with the 'time' would be more powerful and bring more attention to those chapters.
It was an ok story, a little slow as Harkara and another character rambled about how bad their lives were. I got that she was heartbroken and the other character was overwhelmed with the demands put upon her, but... yeah it got boring. (And the 'adult' scene was not needed in that much detail. Not all books need to be added to that bandwagon. STOP already! I take away stars for too much yuck! Plus now it's only suitable for readers 18+.)
As it looks to be the first book of a series, luckily it did not leave off as a cliffhanger, but it is left open enough for the next book, but I won't be reading it.
The cover is sweet and grabs your attention, but the story is not even half that good.
2 Stars
by Andrea Stewart
The Hollow Covenant #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Sep 3, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
The people's greed used up all of the world's resources, and to end their suffering one of them struck a deal with Kluehnn, the only God who said he would help restore the world, but it would cost the mortals: Each of the lands would be transformed but only some of the people would also change, only some. But for the mortals who are in the unchanged lands and have not changed, the passage into the changed lands are blocked by a wall of magic, and if they got lost and breathed in too much of the air, they would die.
Harkara was not willing to pay the price and with her sister, they tried to stay ahead, but they are separated and they each find themselves on different sides. Hakara is forced to mine gems for Kluehnn for ten years while not knowing if her sister lived through the change. But after she finds she can use those gems to channel magic, she falls in with rebels who are plotting to destroy the pact made with Kluehnn, and her sister lives.
The above 'blurb' is only a small part of this book. Besides the sisters, there are 3(?) other characters who get their own chapters. And those chapters are either first or third-person POVs. While it is a good way to keep the characters separate, it is also confusing, as are the chapter titles, other than the name of the character who is talking, they are also all titled the same thing, the year after the change that affected Harkara and how many years after the deal with Kluehnn. They each also had a 'history' of some type of the world and the gods. That was ok, but the repetitive chapter titles was irritating. I felt as if it was a waste and took away from when there was a real change in the timeline, as one of the characters was in a different time, but only had a few chapters. Title those with the 'time' would be more powerful and bring more attention to those chapters.
It was an ok story, a little slow as Harkara and another character rambled about how bad their lives were. I got that she was heartbroken and the other character was overwhelmed with the demands put upon her, but... yeah it got boring. (And the 'adult' scene was not needed in that much detail. Not all books need to be added to that bandwagon. STOP already! I take away stars for too much yuck! Plus now it's only suitable for readers 18+.)
As it looks to be the first book of a series, luckily it did not leave off as a cliffhanger, but it is left open enough for the next book, but I won't be reading it.
The cover is sweet and grabs your attention, but the story is not even half that good.
2 Stars
July 29, 2024
This was such a unique and refreshing fantasy read. Stewart again shows us just how imaginative her worlds are with a gripping story and characters you root for! This was such a cool concept for a fantasy book. Two sisters ripped apart by the whims of a tyrannical god.
Way back, one of the original gods decided he didn’t want to share power with the others so he took it upon himself to destroy them. He then went on to create realms, people, and creatures. But the lands require sustenance… and this god delivers them a restoration. A giant black wave of destruction. Half of all living things caught in it will forfeit their lives to feed the land and the other half are forever changed. People are tainted- some sprout horns, some grow wings, and some have their skin change into bark or stone… and the animals turn to monstrous creatures.
All are doomed once the restoration starts unless they can get to a barrier. Barriers lead to other realms- they’re dangerous and often lead to nothing but demise, however people still chance them. For trade, for safety, etc. When our two main characters realm is targeted for a restoration, they run with everyone else to the barrier. One makes it across, and one doesn’t.
The older sister spends the next 10years trying to find a way back to the barrier and her sister. Barely scrapping by and surviving the hazards of sink holes mining god gems, just for a chance to get back. One day during her gem mining, she goes a little too far and ends up finding out just what the god gems can do. She is recruited into a rebellion and strikes a deal to finally get back to her sister.
The younger sister, is forever changed. Abandoned by her only family she has nowhere to go and is taken in by a group dedicated to worshiping this tyrannical god. She spends the next 10 years becoming an acolyte. Cutting out the memory of her sister’s abandonment piece by piece.
5 stars, no notes.
*ARC provided by the publisher, all thoughts are my own.
Way back, one of the original gods decided he didn’t want to share power with the others so he took it upon himself to destroy them. He then went on to create realms, people, and creatures. But the lands require sustenance… and this god delivers them a restoration. A giant black wave of destruction. Half of all living things caught in it will forfeit their lives to feed the land and the other half are forever changed. People are tainted- some sprout horns, some grow wings, and some have their skin change into bark or stone… and the animals turn to monstrous creatures.
All are doomed once the restoration starts unless they can get to a barrier. Barriers lead to other realms- they’re dangerous and often lead to nothing but demise, however people still chance them. For trade, for safety, etc. When our two main characters realm is targeted for a restoration, they run with everyone else to the barrier. One makes it across, and one doesn’t.
The older sister spends the next 10years trying to find a way back to the barrier and her sister. Barely scrapping by and surviving the hazards of sink holes mining god gems, just for a chance to get back. One day during her gem mining, she goes a little too far and ends up finding out just what the god gems can do. She is recruited into a rebellion and strikes a deal to finally get back to her sister.
The younger sister, is forever changed. Abandoned by her only family she has nowhere to go and is taken in by a group dedicated to worshiping this tyrannical god. She spends the next 10 years becoming an acolyte. Cutting out the memory of her sister’s abandonment piece by piece.
5 stars, no notes.
*ARC provided by the publisher, all thoughts are my own.
November 11, 2025
ove. Love love love. Like this book literally comes out today, and I want book 2 NOW and because it's a trilogy I'm guessing I want book 3 now too. If you're wondering how I read this, thanks to @orbitbooks_us and net galley for the arc.
The world building in this book is literally phenomenal. I haven't read something so unique and immersive in a long time. Yes, I still have some questions, and yet that doesn't bug me because I feel like they're part of the mystery of the story, and they are questions because the main characters don't know either. Literally, one of the POVs is working to solve it in a way, but all of them are learning more, and so the reader is too.
Since this is an arc, a short run down of things... basically, mortals ruined the world, creating machines that ran on magic. But as humanity does, they stripped every last source of magic, not caring about what they were doing. One mortal makes his way to the gods and begs them to restore the world. Only one God answers, but his restoration has a steep price. He shatters the world into pieces, separated by magic too toxic to pass easily, and remakes the world piece by piece. But restoration means only 50% of the people survive, and in surviving, they are altered. It also means he wants to be the only God anyone can worship.
Ha, there's so much more to this with God wars and mortal wars and all kinds of crazy turmoil. But 570 years after the shattering, enter our characters....
There's Hakara. LOVE HER. She's fierce, determined, and RECKLESS. She's got one goal, and she's going to achieve that goal no matter the cost around her. Girl makes mistakes, but you have to admire her grittiness at the same time. Yet if you're willing to give everything to one goal, what happens if it's not what you expect?
There's Rasha. Sweet, loveable Rasha trying to turn herself from someone protected to someone who can protect herself. My heart breaks for Rasha. It's not a gentle world for lovers, and what breaks when you're forced to change yourself to survive?
There's Sheuan. Raised and trained
to be everything needed to raise her
clan back to the status it lost when
her father was executed. The only
thing she knows is duty to her
family, but how far can duty a people
willing to let you die take you?
There's Mullayne. A way too smart,
io social skills, sort of person. He
wants to find the path to where the
gods live that one mortal took 570
years ago, in order to beg a boon of
his own. His life's work has been
finding this path, and now that he's
found will he survive it?
And then there's Nioanen. One of
the Elder Gods and his POV offers a
look at the world preShattering. I
loved this because there's so much
we don't know 570 years later, and
since a lot of this mystery is key to
the plot, his POV offers hints at
solving it. I fing love having to work
to figure things out. I loved loved
finding out at the end, one of my guess was right.
This has become a very long review, so bonus points if you're still here. won't talk much about the plot because, as mentioned, there's a lot of mystery and realization to it, and I don't want to spoil any of that.| will t s only say I loved the pacing. It's a slow, steady ramp to the end in all the best ways. Yes, there are brief noments of action that are like pseudo ramp up, but I think the overall pace was steady, and I haven't read a book with solid pacing like this in way too long. I got more and more engaged until I just couldn't put it down. Long story short, I loved this book. It's definitely on my short list for fave book of 2024 now. It's my first Andrea Stewart book, but it just jumped her Bone Shard Trilogy up my tbr.
The world building in this book is literally phenomenal. I haven't read something so unique and immersive in a long time. Yes, I still have some questions, and yet that doesn't bug me because I feel like they're part of the mystery of the story, and they are questions because the main characters don't know either. Literally, one of the POVs is working to solve it in a way, but all of them are learning more, and so the reader is too.
Since this is an arc, a short run down of things... basically, mortals ruined the world, creating machines that ran on magic. But as humanity does, they stripped every last source of magic, not caring about what they were doing. One mortal makes his way to the gods and begs them to restore the world. Only one God answers, but his restoration has a steep price. He shatters the world into pieces, separated by magic too toxic to pass easily, and remakes the world piece by piece. But restoration means only 50% of the people survive, and in surviving, they are altered. It also means he wants to be the only God anyone can worship.
Ha, there's so much more to this with God wars and mortal wars and all kinds of crazy turmoil. But 570 years after the shattering, enter our characters....
There's Hakara. LOVE HER. She's fierce, determined, and RECKLESS. She's got one goal, and she's going to achieve that goal no matter the cost around her. Girl makes mistakes, but you have to admire her grittiness at the same time. Yet if you're willing to give everything to one goal, what happens if it's not what you expect?
There's Rasha. Sweet, loveable Rasha trying to turn herself from someone protected to someone who can protect herself. My heart breaks for Rasha. It's not a gentle world for lovers, and what breaks when you're forced to change yourself to survive?
There's Sheuan. Raised and trained
to be everything needed to raise her
clan back to the status it lost when
her father was executed. The only
thing she knows is duty to her
family, but how far can duty a people
willing to let you die take you?
There's Mullayne. A way too smart,
io social skills, sort of person. He
wants to find the path to where the
gods live that one mortal took 570
years ago, in order to beg a boon of
his own. His life's work has been
finding this path, and now that he's
found will he survive it?
And then there's Nioanen. One of
the Elder Gods and his POV offers a
look at the world preShattering. I
loved this because there's so much
we don't know 570 years later, and
since a lot of this mystery is key to
the plot, his POV offers hints at
solving it. I fing love having to work
to figure things out. I loved loved
finding out at the end, one of my guess was right.
This has become a very long review, so bonus points if you're still here. won't talk much about the plot because, as mentioned, there's a lot of mystery and realization to it, and I don't want to spoil any of that.| will t s only say I loved the pacing. It's a slow, steady ramp to the end in all the best ways. Yes, there are brief noments of action that are like pseudo ramp up, but I think the overall pace was steady, and I haven't read a book with solid pacing like this in way too long. I got more and more engaged until I just couldn't put it down. Long story short, I loved this book. It's definitely on my short list for fave book of 2024 now. It's my first Andrea Stewart book, but it just jumped her Bone Shard Trilogy up my tbr.
Read
April 27, 2025I loved Bone Shard Daughter and was excited to try something new from this author. However, this didn't hit in the same way. The Gods Below started strong and has some interesting ideas, but the second half I felt meandered.
This is a multi-POV fantasy intended to gived us a view of what's happening in very different parts of this world. But the only characters I was really invested in were the two sisters who are separated at the start of the book. And even then, I wanted more depth and emotional impact from where their story went towards the end. I think it might have been a stronger book if we had a more narrow focus in terms of perspectives - maybe 3 instead of 5? And more fully flesh out the motivations and personalities of characters.
The world is interesting. It's divided up by these toxic magic barriers and sometimes there is magic that will physically change anyone still inside the affected section. There are godstones that can be consumed for different abilities that vary based on color. (this was kind of reminiscent of the magic system in Mistborn) I feel there were perhaps too many perspectives and the book could have been condensed. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
This is a multi-POV fantasy intended to gived us a view of what's happening in very different parts of this world. But the only characters I was really invested in were the two sisters who are separated at the start of the book. And even then, I wanted more depth and emotional impact from where their story went towards the end. I think it might have been a stronger book if we had a more narrow focus in terms of perspectives - maybe 3 instead of 5? And more fully flesh out the motivations and personalities of characters.
The world is interesting. It's divided up by these toxic magic barriers and sometimes there is magic that will physically change anyone still inside the affected section. There are godstones that can be consumed for different abilities that vary based on color. (this was kind of reminiscent of the magic system in Mistborn) I feel there were perhaps too many perspectives and the book could have been condensed. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
July 20, 2024
What a book! The worldbuilding is beyond incredible
Full review to come
Full review to come
September 17, 2024
I flew through this arc in less than a week. I was so sure that this would be my next fantasy series obsession.
But sadly, my hopes were quickly smashed into smithereens.
The beginning started out with a heart-wrenching scene between two sisters who are separated by a life-altering wall of death. I pictured the Fold from Shadow and Bone. Basically, a graveyard that can eat you alive. What a great start to a new series! The tone was grim and devastating, and I couldn't stop reading to see what would happen to Hakara and Rasha.
After that, there was a ten-year time jump, and we get introduced to more POV characters. At first, I was totally absorbed with the world building, the magic, the monsters, the monster people, and the politics (rebels vs. Sovereign, Restored realms cutting off unrestored worlds, you name it). Sure, at times, it was kinda goofy, but I love that shit.
But as I read on, my interest level started dropping and I stopped caring about any of the characters.
While there were only a handful of POV characters, I realized that I didn't care about Mullayne and Nioanen's story lines. It felt like the author wrote them in so she didn't have to do more characterization with Hakara, Rasha, and Sheuan (my three favorite POV characters).
Which then lead to my biggest problem with this book:
ALL of the POV characters felt very surface level and narrow-minded in their goals.
Halfway through the novel, The Gods Below started reading like a mishmash of every other fantasy novel or fantasy RPG I've read and played. Even worse, things stopped making sense and any problems each character faced were solved in laughably easy ways to the point where it read like a joke.
First non-spoilery complaint: Mull went on his quest with a whole ass team of people, but except for a select few, they were all faceless and felt non-existent that I was surprised that he actually had personnel with him.
Imagine my surprise when the author dropped hints that no, this wasn't a quest he went on with his friends. Dude had like twenty other people with him.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
***END SPOILERS***
What started out as an engrossing read quickly spiraled into a tedious story full of deus ex machina problem solving and barely there characterization that read more Young Adult than Epic Fantasy.
3 stars because I loved the worldbuilding. But I don't think I'll continue on with this.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc.
But sadly, my hopes were quickly smashed into smithereens.
The beginning started out with a heart-wrenching scene between two sisters who are separated by a life-altering wall of death. I pictured the Fold from Shadow and Bone. Basically, a graveyard that can eat you alive. What a great start to a new series! The tone was grim and devastating, and I couldn't stop reading to see what would happen to Hakara and Rasha.
After that, there was a ten-year time jump, and we get introduced to more POV characters. At first, I was totally absorbed with the world building, the magic, the monsters, the monster people, and the politics (rebels vs. Sovereign, Restored realms cutting off unrestored worlds, you name it). Sure, at times, it was kinda goofy, but I love that shit.
But as I read on, my interest level started dropping and I stopped caring about any of the characters.
While there were only a handful of POV characters, I realized that I didn't care about Mullayne and Nioanen's story lines. It felt like the author wrote them in so she didn't have to do more characterization with Hakara, Rasha, and Sheuan (my three favorite POV characters).
Which then lead to my biggest problem with this book:
ALL of the POV characters felt very surface level and narrow-minded in their goals.
Halfway through the novel, The Gods Below started reading like a mishmash of every other fantasy novel or fantasy RPG I've read and played. Even worse, things stopped making sense and any problems each character faced were solved in laughably easy ways to the point where it read like a joke.
First non-spoilery complaint: Mull went on his quest with a whole ass team of people, but except for a select few, they were all faceless and felt non-existent that I was surprised that he actually had personnel with him.
Imagine my surprise when the author dropped hints that no, this wasn't a quest he went on with his friends. Dude had like twenty other people with him.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
***END SPOILERS***
What started out as an engrossing read quickly spiraled into a tedious story full of deus ex machina problem solving and barely there characterization that read more Young Adult than Epic Fantasy.
3 stars because I loved the worldbuilding. But I don't think I'll continue on with this.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc.
July 3, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley & Orbit books for an ARC on this.
I came for the sibling love pitch and well, it’s not what I expected.
It boils down to this– Stewart has a vision with series, it’s a question how patient you are to see it.
To be fair, that’s her modus operandi, right? Take heavy cast of charters (and from their POV’s) have their journeys feel like separate story lines but slowly thread them together in a tight knot.
Let me back up- I listened to the Drowning Empire series this year and adored it. Overall a solid 4/5. My biggest gripe on that series that I was only emotionally invested in half the characters. Thankfully, they were the main ones. (Jovis! Lin! 😍) In this series though, I was more amused by the minor characters. I wanted more Mullayne. 😩 I was intrigued by Thassir, but his obsession with cats was weird and not in an attractive way.
I feel awful about this low rating, because I am grateful fantasy has Stewart. But between the disappointing romance builds, confusing plot twists, & the repetitive dialogue… it felt like this concept would had thrived if it would have been aimed more towards YA.
Even though I had hoped to be hooked quicker, I think die-hard fans of Stewart will still appreciate the diamonds in the rough.
I’ll definitely keep Stewart on my must-read author list, but I will not likely continue this series.
I came for the sibling love pitch and well, it’s not what I expected.
It boils down to this– Stewart has a vision with series, it’s a question how patient you are to see it.
To be fair, that’s her modus operandi, right? Take heavy cast of charters (and from their POV’s) have their journeys feel like separate story lines but slowly thread them together in a tight knot.
Let me back up- I listened to the Drowning Empire series this year and adored it. Overall a solid 4/5. My biggest gripe on that series that I was only emotionally invested in half the characters. Thankfully, they were the main ones. (Jovis! Lin! 😍) In this series though, I was more amused by the minor characters. I wanted more Mullayne. 😩 I was intrigued by Thassir, but his obsession with cats was weird and not in an attractive way.
I feel awful about this low rating, because I am grateful fantasy has Stewart. But between the disappointing romance builds, confusing plot twists, & the repetitive dialogue… it felt like this concept would had thrived if it would have been aimed more towards YA.
Even though I had hoped to be hooked quicker, I think die-hard fans of Stewart will still appreciate the diamonds in the rough.
I’ll definitely keep Stewart on my must-read author list, but I will not likely continue this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2024
3.5⭐
This is the kind of book that I liked many things about, disliked a few things but unfortunately didn't love anything about it. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it (I mostly did) but I wanted more..
I'll start with what I liked. A very interesting beginning (reminded me of a non-fantasy book, White Chrysanthemum, that I really like) has us, mainly, following the story of two sisters who get separated and try to reunite. We are slowly introduced to the world and it's history and that is one of the most beautiful and interesting parts. The lore is explained nicely and it's quite intriguing. There is also an allegory on climate change, that many readers will appreciate. More POV's are introduced and we find out about the magic system which is clever and in a way similar to Mistborn's.
I had no problems with the prose which was both perfectly adequate and helped by a balanced pacing made the book easily readable.
So as I said before, many things worked for me but..
The character work unfortunately were below par. They are almost all prety one-dimensional, each one driven by a single motive and when finally they have to make some hard choices their actions are not believable and defy their previous behaviours.
There are two romantic sequences that were totally out of the blue and made me question if they were at all necessary or presented in some more believable way.
And finally it's the plot. This being the second trilogy of Andrea Stewart, I would expect her to take some risks, but instead I felt that, even though I enjoyed the story, there is nothing new added to the genre. Everything felt overly familiar.
In conclusion The Gods Below is a good start to the trilogy, that if the author had played it less safe, could have been much better. As it stands I believe that newcomers to fantasy will certainly enjoy it more, as will people who are fans of Sandersonian magic systems.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with the ARC.
This is the kind of book that I liked many things about, disliked a few things but unfortunately didn't love anything about it. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it (I mostly did) but I wanted more..
I'll start with what I liked. A very interesting beginning (reminded me of a non-fantasy book, White Chrysanthemum, that I really like) has us, mainly, following the story of two sisters who get separated and try to reunite. We are slowly introduced to the world and it's history and that is one of the most beautiful and interesting parts. The lore is explained nicely and it's quite intriguing. There is also an allegory on climate change, that many readers will appreciate. More POV's are introduced and we find out about the magic system which is clever and in a way similar to Mistborn's.
I had no problems with the prose which was both perfectly adequate and helped by a balanced pacing made the book easily readable.
So as I said before, many things worked for me but..
The character work unfortunately were below par. They are almost all prety one-dimensional, each one driven by a single motive and when finally they have to make some hard choices their actions are not believable and defy their previous behaviours.
There are two romantic sequences that were totally out of the blue and made me question if they were at all necessary or presented in some more believable way.
And finally it's the plot. This being the second trilogy of Andrea Stewart, I would expect her to take some risks, but instead I felt that, even though I enjoyed the story, there is nothing new added to the genre. Everything felt overly familiar.
In conclusion The Gods Below is a good start to the trilogy, that if the author had played it less safe, could have been much better. As it stands I believe that newcomers to fantasy will certainly enjoy it more, as will people who are fans of Sandersonian magic systems.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with the ARC.
May 4, 2025
Thank you #NetGalley, #AndreaStewart and #Orbit for providing me with an ARC of The Gods Below. It's a rare honor for me to receive an ARC from Orbit. I'm thrilled and excited!
Hell yea! 5 stars on this one! Andrea Stewart knocked it out of the ball park! I'm still pumped up from the last 15% of this book. What a ride!
I first discovered this story when I ran into a video that Andrea Stewart had posted. "What if you could only do magic while holding your breath?" Oh yea, I had to read this! I was ever so lucky to get an ARC, and now I'm here to tell you you HAVE to read this one!
First, the world building and magic system was phenomenal! Such a beautiful infusion of world and magic and delivered in a believable way.
Second, the characters! Holy smokes they stick with ya! Hakara and how she runs into everything head first. Rasha with her "sweet face" and how she centers the ones around her who love her. And other characters that shook me to my core that I can't bring myself to talk about them right now. Andrea Stewart's writing definitely left me with a mark.
I'm going to sign off with my personal mantra
Hell yea! 5 stars on this one! Andrea Stewart knocked it out of the ball park! I'm still pumped up from the last 15% of this book. What a ride!
I first discovered this story when I ran into a video that Andrea Stewart had posted. "What if you could only do magic while holding your breath?" Oh yea, I had to read this! I was ever so lucky to get an ARC, and now I'm here to tell you you HAVE to read this one!
First, the world building and magic system was phenomenal! Such a beautiful infusion of world and magic and delivered in a believable way.
Second, the characters! Holy smokes they stick with ya! Hakara and how she runs into everything head first. Rasha with her "sweet face" and how she centers the ones around her who love her. And other characters that shook me to my core that I can't bring myself to talk about them right now. Andrea Stewart's writing definitely left me with a mark.
I'm going to sign off with my personal mantra
Life is short, buy the book
July 5, 2024
I’m so disappointed. This was legitimately borderline awful to me and I’m surprised by the push it seems to be getting from the publisher. I feel so bad saying this because I was expecting to love this, but some early thoughts:
Derivative magic system that was a weak mashup of Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive. It also had some ridiculous and unbelievable rules/limitations.
Flat characters and romances that happened way too quickly to be interesting or believable.
Boring plotlines across every POV. I honestly struggle to get through this.
Weird structure. Some chapters ended in the middle of an action scene and then you didn’t return to that POV for 50 pages. It broke all sense of tension and momentum in the storylines.
Way too many POVs for the length of the book. It didn’t help expand my understanding or interest in the world or story. Genuinely think the author should have cut all but the two sisters and really focused in on their arcs.
Interesting concepts for the worldbuilding but terribly executed due to a lack of depth and detail. The worldbuilding was so weak here even if some of the ideas were pretty cool on the surface.
Unfortunately I won’t be continuing this series.
Derivative magic system that was a weak mashup of Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive. It also had some ridiculous and unbelievable rules/limitations.
Flat characters and romances that happened way too quickly to be interesting or believable.
Boring plotlines across every POV. I honestly struggle to get through this.
Weird structure. Some chapters ended in the middle of an action scene and then you didn’t return to that POV for 50 pages. It broke all sense of tension and momentum in the storylines.
Way too many POVs for the length of the book. It didn’t help expand my understanding or interest in the world or story. Genuinely think the author should have cut all but the two sisters and really focused in on their arcs.
Interesting concepts for the worldbuilding but terribly executed due to a lack of depth and detail. The worldbuilding was so weak here even if some of the ideas were pretty cool on the surface.
Unfortunately I won’t be continuing this series.
August 23, 2024
I guess this book was just not the one for me. There are many POV’s and sometimes too much. It was hard to relate with characters, which you have to have that to encourage the reader want to route for them. Also, the plot wasn’t interesting to me and didn’t really go anywhere. Just kind of disappointed with this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2024
1,25⭐
Aïe aïe aïe... La cata ...
Bon c'est creux, c'est creux ! Des raccourcis, des incohérences, bref c'est dommage vu l'intrigue qui était assez sympa mais je finissais par lire des passages avec certains personnages en étant mort de rire tellement c'était juste invraisemblable et tellement creux.
Merci pour l'envoi de ce Service Presse, dommage 🤔
Aïe aïe aïe... La cata ...
Bon c'est creux, c'est creux ! Des raccourcis, des incohérences, bref c'est dommage vu l'intrigue qui était assez sympa mais je finissais par lire des passages avec certains personnages en étant mort de rire tellement c'était juste invraisemblable et tellement creux.
Merci pour l'envoi de ce Service Presse, dommage 🤔
Want to read
February 8, 2023Might have just literally put down the bone shard daughter but I already need this now
November 27, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.
The world is amazing, this fascinating balance of humans trying to survive the ramifications of a previous god war or be forever transformed or eradicated from existence had me hooked. But then we hit around the 2/3 mark and had some really bizarre almost cliche cheesy romance/instalove components that came out of left field and made absolutely no sense and it really took me off guard. I am intrigued enough that I plan to continue on in the series but just be warned that there will be some wildly nonsensical/irractional extreme instalove components so that you don’t get thrown off like I did.
Thank you to orbit for sending me a copy to review.
The world is amazing, this fascinating balance of humans trying to survive the ramifications of a previous god war or be forever transformed or eradicated from existence had me hooked. But then we hit around the 2/3 mark and had some really bizarre almost cliche cheesy romance/instalove components that came out of left field and made absolutely no sense and it really took me off guard. I am intrigued enough that I plan to continue on in the series but just be warned that there will be some wildly nonsensical/irractional extreme instalove components so that you don’t get thrown off like I did.
Thank you to orbit for sending me a copy to review.
Read
October 22, 2024DNF 30%
Am I giving up a bit too soon? Possibly.
Do I care? No, not really. I also don’t care about the plot or any of the characters at this point either so 🤷🏻♀️
Omitting a rating because I didn’t even make it to the 50% mark 😅
Am I giving up a bit too soon? Possibly.
Do I care? No, not really. I also don’t care about the plot or any of the characters at this point either so 🤷🏻♀️
Omitting a rating because I didn’t even make it to the 50% mark 😅
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