3.75 stars

Overall, I really liked "The Gods Below", but there were some things that could be improved on in my opinion.

The magic system and world building was quite interesting, and I quite enjoyed the general plot and the characters.

My main problem was with the relationships between the characters: most felt rather rushed, especially the romantic relationships.

I clicked this so fast because I thought it was the sequel.
Loved this book though, would recommend!

Wow—this book really pulled me in. The Gods Below has that perfect mix of action, emotion, and just the right amount of weird, creepy gods-in-the-dark stuff. Andrea Stewart’s worldbuilding is super cool and felt really unique without being confusing, and the pacing kept me hooked the whole way through.

The characters are what made it really shine for me. They’re flawed in all the right ways—like, they mess up, they grow, they feel real. I got super invested in their journeys and loved how their personal struggles tied into the bigger story with all the divine chaos happening around them.

Also, I appreciated how it didn’t feel predictable. There were a couple of “wait, what?!” moments that caught me off guard—in the best way. And the ending? Satisfying but left me thinking (and low-key wanting more).

If you’re into dark fantasy with heart, cool mythology, and strong characters, definitely give this a go. It’s one of those books that sticks with you after you’re done.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Andrea Stewart has delivered again, I absolutely loved The Drowning Empire and was anxious at the concept of a new world, but I need not have worried. The world-building is epic, detailed and full of messy characters. There are multiple POVs and how the stories join together and develop the world and plot is simply masterful. The stakes are so high in this book, it’s an actual whirlwind to read but in the best way. In this book there is a lot of action, political intrigue, magic, Gods and cats. There are also side romances, some I enjoyed but one I felt was a bit insta love/lust for me personally, but I appreciated the adding in of a bit of romance as a break from everything else. We do get some animal companions in the form of cats, this added lighter elements into the story and really balanced it out. I can’t say I had a favourite character as I enjoyed all the POV and that is rare! Definitely a book I would recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

It's very obvious that Andrea Stewart put thought into this: into the magic, into the mythology, the world, the roles of the characters. There was a lot of care put into crafting this book - I only wish that I had cared about it more, but I was never able to fully connect with the story as a whole.

The magic system was so creative and unique! I definitely have never read anything quite like that, and I loved the fusion of science/geology with the god gems, and how Hakara was able to use them like some kind of video game character. The whole world felt full and well plotted, and I really liked the myths and getting to know more about the former gods and the rise of Kluehnn. I could have probably taken a whole book of the gods' initial war with Kluehnn, to be honest, and more of their backstories as I think the hints we got were wonderful. The whole mythology was rather tragic, but in a way that begged to be explored more - or maybe it's just me begging for that, since I did really enjoy the mythology.

I found Mull's expedition intriguing, and kind of reminiscent of some kind of sci-fi horror exploration, but with less horror (sadly?). That said, he didn't really fit into the narrative as neatly as the other POV chapters and while his chapters were sometimes the most interesting to me, he felt like the odd man out.

Which segues neatly into what left me a bit cold about this book: the characters. All of them felt fairly one-dimensional, they each had a single motivation. And there were so many chances for the secondary characters to be built up, but the chances just were not taken. Alifra and Dashu each were given a single bit of development, with each getting a backstory, but I don't feel like we ever got to see their personalities, and Naatar and Khatuya didn't even get that. Which I could have forgiven, having five POV characters, had I felt any sort of connection to the five POV characters. Hakara and Rasha should have been the emotional backbone to the entire story, and yet I just could not engage with them. Sheuan started out with the most promise but never truly delivered, though Mull and Nioanen did get some emotional beats and good storytelling at the end of their arcs - but it wasn't nearly enough because by that time, I didn't really care deeply about them.

Ultimately, I wish there was more time spent with the characters and expanding them. I also feel like the writing, while serviceable as a whole, did the characters a disservice as all of the POVs had the same voice (though some in first person and some in third person, and I do wish Andrea Stewart would commit to third person as I think it's the stronger for her in both this book and her previous trilogy). This all sounds fairly damning, but I do think this had a good story and a lot of truly good bones to it! I just never got fully attached, which made it difficult to love.

Andrea Stewart excels at imagining detailed worlds, mythologies, and magic systems, and blowing your mind a bit with the creativity of it all, and this book is absolutely no exception. If only I could actually care more about the story she puts those great ideas into and especially the characters, but alas.

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, and to NetGalley for the ARC.