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Divine Mortals #2
Wayward Gods
Mona is tasked with saving the world and everyone she loves—but what can she do when even the gods have failed?
This sequel to Divine Mortals, which Kirkus Reviews recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, delivers sizzling romance and epic stakes.
Soothsayer Mona Arnett never even wanted a soulmate, and now she's been forced to marry the king, parting from the man she truly loves.
Worse, though Mona has delayed the prophesied end of the world, she hasn't stopped it. The gods have turned their back, the castle is besieged by demons, and Mona is the only one who can seek help.
But who do you turn to when the world is ending and even the gods are powerless to stop it? To save all those she’s come to love, Mona may have to become even more powerful than the gods . . .
This sequel to Divine Mortals, which Kirkus Reviews recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, delivers sizzling romance and epic stakes.
Soothsayer Mona Arnett never even wanted a soulmate, and now she's been forced to marry the king, parting from the man she truly loves.
Worse, though Mona has delayed the prophesied end of the world, she hasn't stopped it. The gods have turned their back, the castle is besieged by demons, and Mona is the only one who can seek help.
But who do you turn to when the world is ending and even the gods are powerless to stop it? To save all those she’s come to love, Mona may have to become even more powerful than the gods . . .
352 pages, Hardcover
Published October 14, 2025
14 people are currently reading
6560 people want to read
About the author
Amanda M. Helander
3 books131 followersAmanda Helander (pronounced “HELL-ander”) is a romantic fantasy author and paralegal from Seattle, Washington. She likes to write about mental health struggles and hot wizard boyfriends. When she’s not writing, Amanda can be found watching horror movies, learning to crochet, or eating entire blocks of parmesan in one sitting.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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December 28, 2024Author comment time!
I'm excited to introduce Wayward Gods, the second and final book of the Divine Mortals duology. It's a wild ride, y'all. Just because the world's ending doesn't mean we can't have some fun.
Wayward Gods is a sequel - please read Divine Mortals first or risk profound confusion.
Like Divine Mortals, this book is upper YA. I would recommend it for 16+. Please consult your friendly local librarian if you have concerns about age appropriateness.
Is Wayward Gods a romantasy novel? Yes, kind of, but the romance takes a back seat to the central plot. I would classify it as romantic fantasy, heavy on the fantasy.
Wayward Gods deals extensively with themes of grief and mourning. Part of that was in response to the death of my grandma; the other part is my long-standing obsession with the subject. It was difficult to write at times, and if I did things right, it may be difficult to read. Please take care of your brains and emotions.
Content warnings for your consideration:
• Violent death/murder
• Dead bodies
• Grief
• Detailed medical procedures
• Chronic and terminal illness
• Mention of cults and mass suicide
• Panic attacks
• Mental illness stigma
• Alcohol use/abuse
• Sexual content
Cheers,
Amanda
I'm excited to introduce Wayward Gods, the second and final book of the Divine Mortals duology. It's a wild ride, y'all. Just because the world's ending doesn't mean we can't have some fun.
Wayward Gods is a sequel - please read Divine Mortals first or risk profound confusion.
Like Divine Mortals, this book is upper YA. I would recommend it for 16+. Please consult your friendly local librarian if you have concerns about age appropriateness.
Is Wayward Gods a romantasy novel? Yes, kind of, but the romance takes a back seat to the central plot. I would classify it as romantic fantasy, heavy on the fantasy.
Wayward Gods deals extensively with themes of grief and mourning. Part of that was in response to the death of my grandma; the other part is my long-standing obsession with the subject. It was difficult to write at times, and if I did things right, it may be difficult to read. Please take care of your brains and emotions.
Content warnings for your consideration:
• Violent death/murder
• Dead bodies
• Grief
• Detailed medical procedures
• Chronic and terminal illness
• Mention of cults and mass suicide
• Panic attacks
• Mental illness stigma
• Alcohol use/abuse
• Sexual content
Cheers,
Amanda
December 14, 2025
Not as good as the first, I kept going because I was curious how it ended.
Read
July 22, 2025I continue to be better than everyone. I was the first person to read this. My favorite series ender of all time. You wish you were me! I have read it several times since I read it the first time! Alas, you are not me! You haven't even read it once! Get wrecked!
August 27, 2025
I read an early version of Wayward Gods and I have been SCREAMING about it ever since. This book is unhinged perfection--like the book cracked open my ribcage, rummaged around in my chest cavity, and said “yes, THIS is what you need right now.” The prose is knife-sharp, the world is devastating and gorgeous, and the characters??? I want to fight them, marry them, and let them ruin me in equal measure.
This isn’t just a book, it’s a full-body possession. It’s exactly the kind of story readers should be devouring right now: furious, tender, mythic, and so alive it vibrates. I finished it and immediately wanted to claw my way back inside just to feel it again.
I am begging you to clear your TBR, toss your responsibilities aside, and read this book.
This isn’t just a book, it’s a full-body possession. It’s exactly the kind of story readers should be devouring right now: furious, tender, mythic, and so alive it vibrates. I finished it and immediately wanted to claw my way back inside just to feel it again.
I am begging you to clear your TBR, toss your responsibilities aside, and read this book.
September 23, 2025
listen. i still had fun. i liked the first book bc the romance was buzzy and there was less of that in this one which is exactly the reason why the star rating went down. no more, no less. though i will say there were a lot of really short resolutions to problems that kept getting invented throughout the book, which made it a tad incoherent. i still had fun!!
July 11, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
I was so excited to get an ARC of this book after reading read Divine Mortals back in October. Divine Mortals was one of my favorite books of 2024 and it left off on such a massive cliffhanger and Wayward Gods focuses on stopping the Rising Tide, the end of the world. The gods are mostly absent with the exception of Wayvadd. Other favored mortals are introduced, but luckily there's a reminder of the different gods so I didn't have to flip back and forth from the index very many times. Calvin, from the previous book, is brought back as a character. We also get the addition of some new characters, a guard from the palace and some council members. There's also more world-building of other countries and kingdoms outside Opalvale. The semantics with magic, the gods, the Flood, and the nexus get significantly more complicated and I found some of it difficult to follow.
Mona and Whitman's relationships remains complicated. I liked their relationship better in the other book because in Wayward Gods, their relationship is more of an are-they, are-they-not sort of thing. I also miss some of the snarky one-liners Mona had for him in the other book as well. Mona's fear of the outdoors remains a present theme and is actually addressed very compassionately. It's nice to see mental health discussed in a non-judgmental way, even when it does require them to change plans.
Wayvadd was one of my favorite characters (I'm biased because I love cats) and I wish there was more of him. Kazzath also returns and I felt like his presence in this story was rather unnecessary. He doesn't particularly do much and I felt like his addition to the story wasn't necessary.
Overall, this book was definitely a thrilling conclusion to the first although I wish there was more books in the series. It was very fast-paced and I consumed it in one sitting but I don't think I'll be re-reading this one as much as the first.
I was so excited to get an ARC of this book after reading read Divine Mortals back in October. Divine Mortals was one of my favorite books of 2024 and it left off on such a massive cliffhanger and Wayward Gods focuses on stopping the Rising Tide, the end of the world. The gods are mostly absent with the exception of Wayvadd. Other favored mortals are introduced, but luckily there's a reminder of the different gods so I didn't have to flip back and forth from the index very many times. Calvin, from the previous book, is brought back as a character. We also get the addition of some new characters, a guard from the palace and some council members. There's also more world-building of other countries and kingdoms outside Opalvale. The semantics with magic, the gods, the Flood, and the nexus get significantly more complicated and I found some of it difficult to follow.
Mona and Whitman's relationships remains complicated. I liked their relationship better in the other book because in Wayward Gods, their relationship is more of an are-they, are-they-not sort of thing. I also miss some of the snarky one-liners Mona had for him in the other book as well. Mona's fear of the outdoors remains a present theme and is actually addressed very compassionately. It's nice to see mental health discussed in a non-judgmental way, even when it does require them to change plans.
Wayvadd was one of my favorite characters (I'm biased because I love cats) and I wish there was more of him. Kazzath also returns and I felt like his presence in this story was rather unnecessary. He doesn't particularly do much and I felt like his addition to the story wasn't necessary.
Overall, this book was definitely a thrilling conclusion to the first although I wish there was more books in the series. It was very fast-paced and I consumed it in one sitting but I don't think I'll be re-reading this one as much as the first.
dnf
December 25, 2025DNF at 42% (read though chapter 17)
I tried. I really tried. But this sequel just isn’t as compelling as the first book.
A big reason why I read, and enjoyed, the first book was the meddling gods. In this sequel, we hardly see the gods at all (which I knew from the description), so I was hesitant going in. Nevertheless, I was hoping I liked the characters enough to enjoy the sequel.
That wasn’t the case here.
The pacing is all kinds of weird. When they journey around to find the other favored mortals, that happens way too quickly. But then the conversations in the palace drag on and on without much being said (at least not anything of substance).
And the romance felt both weirdly forced and nonexistent in the first half of the book, so I’d didn’t enjoy that either.
I will give the book credit that it was an easy (albeit long) read, as I read the first 42% in one sitting. But I felt no desire whatsoever to pick the book up again the next day. And there’s honestly not one single plot thread that I care about enough to keep reading (or to even skip ahead to the end to see what happens). So I’m taking all of that as a sign to DNF.
I would be open to reading more books from this author in the future, if the concepts interest me. But I still feel so let down by this sequel. What a disappointment.
NOTES I TOOK WHILE READING:
I tried. I really tried. But this sequel just isn’t as compelling as the first book.
A big reason why I read, and enjoyed, the first book was the meddling gods. In this sequel, we hardly see the gods at all (which I knew from the description), so I was hesitant going in. Nevertheless, I was hoping I liked the characters enough to enjoy the sequel.
That wasn’t the case here.
The pacing is all kinds of weird. When they journey around to find the other favored mortals, that happens way too quickly. But then the conversations in the palace drag on and on without much being said (at least not anything of substance).
And the romance felt both weirdly forced and nonexistent in the first half of the book, so I’d didn’t enjoy that either.
I will give the book credit that it was an easy (albeit long) read, as I read the first 42% in one sitting. But I felt no desire whatsoever to pick the book up again the next day. And there’s honestly not one single plot thread that I care about enough to keep reading (or to even skip ahead to the end to see what happens). So I’m taking all of that as a sign to DNF.
I would be open to reading more books from this author in the future, if the concepts interest me. But I still feel so let down by this sequel. What a disappointment.
NOTES I TOOK WHILE READING:
September 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for an e-book ARC for an honest review.
We start amid the action, leaving no breaths to be recovered from the first book. My man Whitman is nowhere to be seen and my girl Mona is…. kind of weirdly giving road-trip movie vibes. Immediately, I find that things slow down as we traipse through a bunch of side quests.
If you like a character with a code, a character with such commitment to themselves that it actively works against them, then this one is for you. This is a follow-up to the stretched out slightly fluffy mystery of the first book, Divine Mortals. We get more time with Byers who is honestly like a magical John Watson. Mona is kind of being a tyrant and not really taking the politics of her title seriously. I thought we were going to get more adventuring in The Flood, but instead The C plot has manifested into a castle shenanigans montage where everyone voices petty opinions.
We get strings of plot dumping sentences that are supposed to serve as quirky recap and the jabbing remarks Mona continues to make kind of feel increasingly out of place– more of a reach. It feels like she is reading the room less than she did in the first book of the series and showing that her stubbornness has flipped into willful ignorance, leaving us with less progress in her character arc. I can see how that might be intentionally engineered by the author but it feels realy frustrating. Additionally, there are some instaces of our characters prepping for an event that ends up happening off the page and the pay off we recieve is akin to, “and after they did that thing, we are going to completely move on.”
I wish that we dove into the workings of demons and their history in their society as they posed such a looming threat in this book. I also would have preferred more world building lore when it came to the actual magic system and how runes contribute to the upholding of the monarchy. And the depth allotted to our main character should be profound as we are in her head the entire novel, however, I found that the interesting conditions of her very specific fears did not lead us to new unique or specific revelations of love or judgements on other characters in the book.
I think I just wanted more from this book. There are less themes of romance and it does not fully deliver effectively in its political intrigue.
We start amid the action, leaving no breaths to be recovered from the first book. My man Whitman is nowhere to be seen and my girl Mona is…. kind of weirdly giving road-trip movie vibes. Immediately, I find that things slow down as we traipse through a bunch of side quests.
If you like a character with a code, a character with such commitment to themselves that it actively works against them, then this one is for you. This is a follow-up to the stretched out slightly fluffy mystery of the first book, Divine Mortals. We get more time with Byers who is honestly like a magical John Watson. Mona is kind of being a tyrant and not really taking the politics of her title seriously. I thought we were going to get more adventuring in The Flood, but instead The C plot has manifested into a castle shenanigans montage where everyone voices petty opinions.
We get strings of plot dumping sentences that are supposed to serve as quirky recap and the jabbing remarks Mona continues to make kind of feel increasingly out of place– more of a reach. It feels like she is reading the room less than she did in the first book of the series and showing that her stubbornness has flipped into willful ignorance, leaving us with less progress in her character arc. I can see how that might be intentionally engineered by the author but it feels realy frustrating. Additionally, there are some instaces of our characters prepping for an event that ends up happening off the page and the pay off we recieve is akin to, “and after they did that thing, we are going to completely move on.”
I wish that we dove into the workings of demons and their history in their society as they posed such a looming threat in this book. I also would have preferred more world building lore when it came to the actual magic system and how runes contribute to the upholding of the monarchy. And the depth allotted to our main character should be profound as we are in her head the entire novel, however, I found that the interesting conditions of her very specific fears did not lead us to new unique or specific revelations of love or judgements on other characters in the book.
I think I just wanted more from this book. There are less themes of romance and it does not fully deliver effectively in its political intrigue.
August 20, 2025
Honestly, I was surprised at how easy this one was to get into, even if you haven’t read the first book. The world and characters are super clear, so I never felt lost, and I’d definitely call it upper YA.
The main character has such a unique situation—she’s a queen expected to produce an heir, but she’s secretly in love with her best friend. That push-and-pull between duty and feelings makes her story so emotional, and I loved seeing her vulnerability. Even though she’s technically in charge, she often feels powerless, and that tension is done really well.
The world itself is changing, not always for the better. Threats are coming, warriors are gathering, and danger feels constant. Meanwhile, the queen is trying to figure out where she belongs and dealing with some heavy mental health struggles, especially around going outside and finding her place.
What I really appreciated was how openly the book handled mental health. It’s real, thoughtful, and never judgmental—no sugarcoating, just authentic struggles that make the character feel even more human.
All in all, it’s an emotional, heartfelt read with strong themes of love, identity, and finding your inner strength.
The main character has such a unique situation—she’s a queen expected to produce an heir, but she’s secretly in love with her best friend. That push-and-pull between duty and feelings makes her story so emotional, and I loved seeing her vulnerability. Even though she’s technically in charge, she often feels powerless, and that tension is done really well.
The world itself is changing, not always for the better. Threats are coming, warriors are gathering, and danger feels constant. Meanwhile, the queen is trying to figure out where she belongs and dealing with some heavy mental health struggles, especially around going outside and finding her place.
What I really appreciated was how openly the book handled mental health. It’s real, thoughtful, and never judgmental—no sugarcoating, just authentic struggles that make the character feel even more human.
All in all, it’s an emotional, heartfelt read with strong themes of love, identity, and finding your inner strength.
August 6, 2025
This is a sequel that did not disappoint!
One thing I really loved and appreciated about this book was the exploration of mental health. Our main character struggles with her mental health throughout the story, and I appreciate that the author didn’t shy away from that. And that it was addressed in a non-judgmental way.
I liked the FMC and MMC’s relationship in this book, though I think it was a bit more dynamic in the first book if I remember correctly (just in terms of how they interacted with each other). I appreciate that the FMC has a lot more on her plate in this story though.
I was kind of bummed that we didn’t get to see more of the gods, as I loved hearing from the lot of them in the first book! But I understand why the author made this choice, and I enjoyed the novel as it was nonetheless. I also appreciated getting to meet more of the favored mortals.
Overall, this is a great conclusion to the Divine Mortals duology!
Thank you so much to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for letting me read the digital ARC!
One thing I really loved and appreciated about this book was the exploration of mental health. Our main character struggles with her mental health throughout the story, and I appreciate that the author didn’t shy away from that. And that it was addressed in a non-judgmental way.
I liked the FMC and MMC’s relationship in this book, though I think it was a bit more dynamic in the first book if I remember correctly (just in terms of how they interacted with each other). I appreciate that the FMC has a lot more on her plate in this story though.
I was kind of bummed that we didn’t get to see more of the gods, as I loved hearing from the lot of them in the first book! But I understand why the author made this choice, and I enjoyed the novel as it was nonetheless. I also appreciated getting to meet more of the favored mortals.
Overall, this is a great conclusion to the Divine Mortals duology!
Thank you so much to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for letting me read the digital ARC!
October 12, 2025
What to even say. Can I say I loved this book as much as I did the first one? Because I absolutely did. The writing was well paced and kept me hooked. Just the right amount of sarcasm but not too much so that you never took the characters seriously. And the slow burn… the slow burn was great.
I don’t know how to talk about my thoughts without giving spoilers away. Im happy and sad and stunned and mad and im just so many things.
Amanda did an amazing job making me feel like i was actually a part of this book. That I was experiencing specific things the way that they were. And that gift is truly astounding.
I know it has been said that this is the final part of the diet, but I can definitely see where there’s potential for spin offs or novellas. And I’m here for it if there are more. P.S. My fricking heart.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for allowing me an eARC of this book. I am very grateful**
I don’t know how to talk about my thoughts without giving spoilers away. Im happy and sad and stunned and mad and im just so many things.
Amanda did an amazing job making me feel like i was actually a part of this book. That I was experiencing specific things the way that they were. And that gift is truly astounding.
I know it has been said that this is the final part of the diet, but I can definitely see where there’s potential for spin offs or novellas. And I’m here for it if there are more. P.S. My fricking heart.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for allowing me an eARC of this book. I am very grateful**
Read
December 17, 20254 stars because I still didn’t fully understand the nexus thing but I loved everything else about this book!!
I don’t quite know how to explain it but this felt like a fresh, new, fantasy series. The plot wasn’t anything earth shattering but something about the writing style or plot structure felt different from typical fantasy to me. Mona was such a fun MC. While she was integral to the story, I really appreciated that she wasn’t the most powerful character. She also wasn’t the key part of every plan. I do wish there was slightly more world building and explanation of the demons.
If you’ve been reading fantasy for a while and are looking for a new take, I HIGHLY recommend this series. Or if you just enjoy fantasy with witty female leads, 12/10 recommend.
I don’t quite know how to explain it but this felt like a fresh, new, fantasy series. The plot wasn’t anything earth shattering but something about the writing style or plot structure felt different from typical fantasy to me. Mona was such a fun MC. While she was integral to the story, I really appreciated that she wasn’t the most powerful character. She also wasn’t the key part of every plan. I do wish there was slightly more world building and explanation of the demons.
If you’ve been reading fantasy for a while and are looking for a new take, I HIGHLY recommend this series. Or if you just enjoy fantasy with witty female leads, 12/10 recommend.
December 19, 2025
Second book of two. Picked this one first for the cover not knowing it was the second book. It's the second half of the story, the adventure, the conclusion of how the cliff hanger from the previous book leaves you. I'd say you get a bit more character development in this one but the MC is still cunty throughout - again in my review of the first though, it surprisingly works for the plot. Book builds and unfolds, you get more adventures, more characters, and a lot of answers. I really enjoyed it for the same reasons of the first. And really for the win, there's only two books and under 400 pages. Definitely read the first one before this one. It's different, funky, & refreshing. Would recommend to those who enjoy duologies but also something that isn't Greek or Roman god retellings.
December 17, 2025
Helander weaves an enticing tale in this fantasy! The writing style and voice were fun and engaging. I found Mona refreshing as a main character in this duology. Mona is agoraphobic and quite the opposite from our typical fantasy leading woman. As things leave off from the first installment, she and her friends must now save the world!
For those who love:
🌊 Soulmate Magic
🌊 Mythology
🌊 Slow Burn Romance
🌊 Chosen by a god
🌊 Afterlife element
🌊 Royalty & Political Intrigue
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
For those who love:
🌊 Soulmate Magic
🌊 Mythology
🌊 Slow Burn Romance
🌊 Chosen by a god
🌊 Afterlife element
🌊 Royalty & Political Intrigue
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
July 23, 2025
Thank you to the author for writing a wonderful book and allowing me to read it early for review.
This book was easy to get drawn in even if you haven't read the 1st book most things were easy to figure out. Upper YA-ish.
The main character was in a unique situation as the queen & expected to produce an heir but in love with his best friend and feeling less than powerful in a position of power.
The world is changing and not for the better. Warriors of a kind are gathered. The FMC struggles a lot with her mental health related to her ability to go outside and where she belongs in the world.
The Gods were more afterthoughts in the plot and the ending from the room with the demons onward felt rushed but complete.
This book was easy to get drawn in even if you haven't read the 1st book most things were easy to figure out. Upper YA-ish.
The main character was in a unique situation as the queen & expected to produce an heir but in love with his best friend and feeling less than powerful in a position of power.
The world is changing and not for the better. Warriors of a kind are gathered. The FMC struggles a lot with her mental health related to her ability to go outside and where she belongs in the world.
The Gods were more afterthoughts in the plot and the ending from the room with the demons onward felt rushed but complete.
October 17, 2025
A pretty good duology all around. I did miss Mona’s “and fuck you too” attitude from the first book—it felt a bit muted here. And also it seemed to me like Whitman didn’t show any affection whatsoever for like a third of the book???? Romantic subplot kinda stalled because of this and therefore felt a little sudden in the last third.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2025
“Some debts are never forgiven, even at the end of the world.”
I LOVED this completion of the duology. Would die for Sinobo.
I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!
I LOVED this completion of the duology. Would die for Sinobo.
I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!
August 26, 2025
Thrilling, tense, romantic, Mona the snarkiest…once again Amanda Helander manages to pack a book with everything I love.
November 21, 2025
really enjoyed the first book and enjoyed this one as well just not as much. Still a captivating tale and good wrap up to the story.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews