Secrets of the Sky Gods

by Ryan McBride

What’s a young pickpocket meant to do when she kinda sorta triggers the apocalypse? Stop it?

On an island of sun and song, a paradise the gods are said to call home, a great storm is brewing. And at its heart is Runa, a waifish orphan who steals the one thing people guard more fiercely than gold or gemstones... Secrets.

Tormented by a past she cannot remember, Runa haunts the flower-draped terraces of Akiponahai like a ghost—an outsider with no one and nothing save the will to survive. But when she steals a secret far greater than forbidden love or whispered betrayal, she is trapped in a treacherous web of prophecy, peril, and a power terrible enough to destroy the world.

Even worse, it threatens Runa herself.

What begins with a lonely outcast's struggle for survival becomes a breathtaking journey of courage, friendship, and self-discovery as Runa is forced to confront ancient myths, uncertain loyalties, and the terrifying monster who took everything from her.

Secrets of the Sky Gods is a sweeping, emotional epic for readers who crave vivid, unique worlds, convention-defying heroines, and stories that reveal the truths you didn’t know you knew.

Discover the secrets. Live the adventure.

554 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 25, 2025

About the author

From the sunlit shoals of Hawaii to the misty trails of New Zealand, Ryan has amassed a great treasure in the form of stories, which he collects the way others collect fridge magnets. He’s traded riddles with ageless guardians, captured forest spirits in song, and wrested insight from wonders great and small.

Like any true bard, his stories are imbued with the adventure of one who wanders and the magic of what was once called an “unruly” imagination, tempered by both a personal and an academic understanding of psychology.

Currently taking respite in a floating castle somewhere in Minnesota, Ryan haunts local coffee shops, dreams of tending a garden, and often pretends to be someone else when he’s not busy pretending to be himself.

Reviews

[Gordon Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is Epic Fantasy in the most sweeping scope and style, but the book’s true appeal comes from the portrayal of the main character, Runa. Much of the conflict is internal.

There are four ways to show personality: what the author tells us directly, what the character says, what the character does, and what the other characters say. Information from the author is reliable, but it runs afoul of the “Show, Don’t Tell” rule. Information we get from the character herself is immediate and moving, but — especially in this case — can be misleading. When what the character tells us comes into conflict with how she acts, it gets very interesting.

Because like all of us, Runa thinks she’s acting logically. She is a small, weak person surviving in a hostile world, and she must do what she can to stay safe. As the opening chapters progress, readers get suspicious that they need to take a step back and get some outside data to realize that she is completely traumatized, acting like a frightened wild creature. And here we come into a more complex way of getting information; we observe the other characters, analyze their personalities, and then watch how they react with Runa. Then we begin to get a picture of what is really going on. From that point, we are free to observe her progress as she develops from a frightened street urchin into a heroine of epic proportions.

So, this becomes a story of the intertwining of sympathetic personalities, forming into a team to battle a truly horrific villain. This conflict develops into an epic final battle which makes up for a lack of physical action in the rest of the book.

The epic style of the story could be a problem for some readers. It is a long novel (in the 600-page range). It covers a complex society with a long history, and the author wants to tell us all about it. So, when an ancient myth or event impinges on the plotline, an appropriate character steps up to tell us the story. When a new setting appears, we get a full description. Only one factor can redeem all this “telling:” a writer who is talented enough to make each detour entertaining and important to us.

Highly recommended for fans of l-o-o-o-ng Epic Fantasy and fine writing.

This review was oritinally posted on Reedsy Discovery.

[Jane Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets of the Sky Gods swept me away from the very first page. Runa is a heroine you can’t help but root for scrappy, clever, and haunted by a past that slowly unravels as the story unfolds. The island of Akiponahai is vividly imagined, from its sun-drenched terraces to the underlying tension of ancient myths, making every scene feel alive.

The stakes are epic, yet the story never loses its emotional core. Runa’s journey of survival, friendship, and self-discovery is as gripping as the apocalyptic secrets she unearths. Ryan McBride balances peril and wonder beautifully, creating a world that feels both enormous and intimately lived-in.

If you love heroines who defy convention, lush world-building, and stories that stay with you long after the last page, this book is a must-read.

[JessOfAwesome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, and great worldbuilding. Beautiful and unique use of this culture in a genre dominated by western culture. No need to be intimated by words, names, or unfamiliar phrases as there is an extensive glossary at the back.