What do you think?
Rate this book
We Were Gods
Lythalee of the Folk has spent her whole life dreaming of what’s out there, beyond the borders of her territory. Are humans real, or are they only fodder for the tales told around the campfire on Midsummer’s Eve? Is greatness waiting for her somewhere in the great wide world?
She is eighteen when she finds out. Humans are real. And greatness is waiting for her; but at what cost? at the cost of her family? of love? of turning her back on the god she has always served and the life she has always known?
Wild and otherworldly, Mereda Hart Farynyk’s We Were Gods blends mythology and folklore in a jarringly raw discovery of the heart—its desires and complexities, its priorities and its choices.
A timeless tale of ambition, betrayal, passion, and hope.
She is eighteen when she finds out. Humans are real. And greatness is waiting for her; but at what cost? at the cost of her family? of love? of turning her back on the god she has always served and the life she has always known?
Wild and otherworldly, Mereda Hart Farynyk’s We Were Gods blends mythology and folklore in a jarringly raw discovery of the heart—its desires and complexities, its priorities and its choices.
A timeless tale of ambition, betrayal, passion, and hope.
363 pages, Hardcover
Published September 18, 2021
11 people want to read
About the author
Mereda Hart Farynyk
25 books50 followersMereda Hart Farynyk has always been captivated by fairy tales and far off places. From the earliest age, she would wander the forest, looking at the light filtering through the branches, and dream up endless fantasies of fairies and princes and great evils being overcome. She would drink up the study of ancient civilizations and marvel at how mysterious and foreign they were. Growing up in theatre and dance, she immersed herself in countless lives and emotions and perspectives, and what started out as a simple fascination with the magic and mystery of other worlds soon became a deep love of how those other worlds could help us to better understand the richest truths of this one.
Spanning a variety of genres, her books explore questions of spirituality, love, the search for truth, and the motivations of the human heart.
She grew up in North Carolina and resides there still with her husband and two sons.
Spanning a variety of genres, her books explore questions of spirituality, love, the search for truth, and the motivations of the human heart.
She grew up in North Carolina and resides there still with her husband and two sons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 13, 2026
WOW.
I loved every last bit of this. Loved the characters, loved the story, loved the emotional roller coaster, loved the ending, loved seeing into Lythalee’s inner world.
This book was so great
I loved every last bit of this. Loved the characters, loved the story, loved the emotional roller coaster, loved the ending, loved seeing into Lythalee’s inner world.
This book was so great
Read
February 19, 2025From February 2025:
Goodness, there are no words. And yet, I’m going to endeavor to use some ;) (Probably quite poorly, as I feel like my thoughts are rather disorganized).
This book, man… What an absolute FORCE it is. It decimates me every time.
During the first half of the book this time, I kept finding myself wondering what it would be like to read it for the first time. After the dramatic (near) start, would it be boring if one has no concept of where the story is going (when I first wrote it, I didn’t know the details of where the story was going, but I had enough of a sense to be soo excited to get there)? Would the mystery and intrigue of it be compelling enough to keep one reading? Would, perhaps, the nuances of emotion grip a reader and connect? If one hasn't read it many times as I have and isn't familiar with the events of the first half, would one actually be reeling and racing through rather than bored?
From the moment I first started writing it, this book has felt so different from my others (in many ways; it's definitely still one of my books :-p). It has always stood apart. And one of those ways (though certainly not the most meaningful) is the sort of somber quality that rests over it. I realize that this is rather abstract and may not translate, but with my other books, there’s this sort of brightness throughout, a crisp, energetic excitement, even during times of sadness or danger. This one doesn’t feel that way to me. It feels raw and weighty and rather tortured.
Another thing I kept thinking during the first half of this read was that the narrative flow and pacing of it called to mind certain 19th century literature I’ve read. The pacing isn’t slow by any means. It moves right along. But there’s nevertheless a quality to the narration that feels more… oh I really don’t know the right wording. More just steadily going along.
I also had a sense this time that many of the important things in the first half are handled in a way that’s really quite subtle (there are plenty of dramatic happenings as well :p) and could perhaps be easily skimmed over. I’ve never thought that before, so it was interesting to wonder if they actually are subtle or not 🤪
AND THEN I got to about 50% through, and all of the analyzing and considering just went out the door. From about 50% on, I can’t stop reading this book; from about 70% on, I cannot breathe.
The first half of this book is really just laying the groundwork for the MASSSSSIVE punch the second half packs.* It's like you spend the first half of the book hiking up a volcano, and then you get to the top and the volcano erupts, and you spend the rest of the book being propelled violently down again on a torrent of lava.
The first half of this book feels like a novel; the second half feels like an absolute force of nature. It's like it becomes this living breathing visceral thing.
I realize that this all sounds very dramatic, but this book has always been a dramatic experience for me, from the time when I was first writing it and felt it just floor me and punch me in the gut again and again**
There's a power to it, and when I get to the end of reading it, all of the literary critiques that I could make all feel so terribly irrelevant. I honestly didn't know if I would still feel that way about it, but goodness... Goodness. There are just no words ;-)
*I suppose that’s what many first halves of stories do, but it struck me so dramatically here.
**I realize that this doesn't sound like a good thing, but it so, so is.
Goodness, there are no words. And yet, I’m going to endeavor to use some ;) (Probably quite poorly, as I feel like my thoughts are rather disorganized).
This book, man… What an absolute FORCE it is. It decimates me every time.
During the first half of the book this time, I kept finding myself wondering what it would be like to read it for the first time. After the dramatic (near) start, would it be boring if one has no concept of where the story is going (when I first wrote it, I didn’t know the details of where the story was going, but I had enough of a sense to be soo excited to get there)? Would the mystery and intrigue of it be compelling enough to keep one reading? Would, perhaps, the nuances of emotion grip a reader and connect? If one hasn't read it many times as I have and isn't familiar with the events of the first half, would one actually be reeling and racing through rather than bored?
From the moment I first started writing it, this book has felt so different from my others (in many ways; it's definitely still one of my books :-p). It has always stood apart. And one of those ways (though certainly not the most meaningful) is the sort of somber quality that rests over it. I realize that this is rather abstract and may not translate, but with my other books, there’s this sort of brightness throughout, a crisp, energetic excitement, even during times of sadness or danger. This one doesn’t feel that way to me. It feels raw and weighty and rather tortured.
Another thing I kept thinking during the first half of this read was that the narrative flow and pacing of it called to mind certain 19th century literature I’ve read. The pacing isn’t slow by any means. It moves right along. But there’s nevertheless a quality to the narration that feels more… oh I really don’t know the right wording. More just steadily going along.
I also had a sense this time that many of the important things in the first half are handled in a way that’s really quite subtle (there are plenty of dramatic happenings as well :p) and could perhaps be easily skimmed over. I’ve never thought that before, so it was interesting to wonder if they actually are subtle or not 🤪
AND THEN I got to about 50% through, and all of the analyzing and considering just went out the door. From about 50% on, I can’t stop reading this book; from about 70% on, I cannot breathe.
The first half of this book is really just laying the groundwork for the MASSSSSIVE punch the second half packs.* It's like you spend the first half of the book hiking up a volcano, and then you get to the top and the volcano erupts, and you spend the rest of the book being propelled violently down again on a torrent of lava.
The first half of this book feels like a novel; the second half feels like an absolute force of nature. It's like it becomes this living breathing visceral thing.
I realize that this all sounds very dramatic, but this book has always been a dramatic experience for me, from the time when I was first writing it and felt it just floor me and punch me in the gut again and again**
There's a power to it, and when I get to the end of reading it, all of the literary critiques that I could make all feel so terribly irrelevant. I honestly didn't know if I would still feel that way about it, but goodness... Goodness. There are just no words ;-)
*I suppose that’s what many first halves of stories do, but it struck me so dramatically here.
**I realize that this doesn't sound like a good thing, but it so, so is.
July 31, 2023
Mereda uses her characters to reveal and sort through some extremely difficult and painful truths of the human soul. Deep down we all want to be seen and heard and loved…but do we want to be truly known? Because, if we’re truly known, do we really deserve anyone’s love? This wonderful book answers those questions and leaves its readers reeling…with hope. There is One who fully knows and fully loves us. And he relentlessly pursues us, chastening those he loves.
January 22, 2025
As in her other books, Mereda takes an interesting idea for a story, and then expertly brings it to life. She develops the characters and plot in a way that allows her to explore some very profound ideas in a manner that enhances, rather than distracts from, the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am only sad that I finished it too quickly!
May 24, 2023
Another Great Read from Mereda Hart Farynyk
Unlike her other books that I’ve read, this one took a dark and unexpected turn very early. The struggle to find the meaning and purpose of one’s self is a daunting journey. The climax of the darker side of that journey seemed a mirror of much of what ails society today. Redemption only comes one way. Excellent book!
Unlike her other books that I’ve read, this one took a dark and unexpected turn very early. The struggle to find the meaning and purpose of one’s self is a daunting journey. The climax of the darker side of that journey seemed a mirror of much of what ails society today. Redemption only comes one way. Excellent book!
July 26, 2020
I was hooked from the first chapter but a mind blowing plot twist early on made this book impossible to put down. Women of every age can relate to the protagonist, Lythalee. She is restless, desires more, and needs to be adored. After several acts of selfishness and eventually getting what she thinks she wants, she is consumed by feelings of worthlessness. But there is redemption. Reading the conclusion to Lythalee’s story felt like the sun breaking through a dark gray bank of thick clouds. Beautifully and brilliantly written!
Read
November 6, 2025From February 2025:
I had a big long response written here, but then I thought, "That's long. Nobody wants to read all that." :-p So I'll just say...
This book, man… What an absolute FORCE it is. It decimates me every time.
I love the entire thing, but from about 50% on, I can't stop reading, and from about 70% on, I cannot breathe.
The first half of this book feels like a novel; the second half feels like an absolute force of nature**. It's like it becomes this living breathing visceral thing, and it is so much more than a book to me.
**In my now-deleted review, I likened it to spending the first half hiking up a volcano to then get to the top and have the volcano erupt, causing you to spend the rest of the book being propelled violently down again on a torrent of lava. :-p
---
"We made ourselves gods and dared to think that there would be no reckoning.”
I had a big long response written here, but then I thought, "That's long. Nobody wants to read all that." :-p So I'll just say...
This book, man… What an absolute FORCE it is. It decimates me every time.
I love the entire thing, but from about 50% on, I can't stop reading, and from about 70% on, I cannot breathe.
The first half of this book feels like a novel; the second half feels like an absolute force of nature**. It's like it becomes this living breathing visceral thing, and it is so much more than a book to me.
**In my now-deleted review, I likened it to spending the first half hiking up a volcano to then get to the top and have the volcano erupt, causing you to spend the rest of the book being propelled violently down again on a torrent of lava. :-p
---
"We made ourselves gods and dared to think that there would be no reckoning.”
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews