Of Gods, Monsters & (Wo)men……

The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart is a richly imagined deeply divided world populated by the conflicts of Gods, Monsters & Women that trades momentum for conflict setting & world-building before culminating in an emotionally charged climax

“I am going to do what I do best – I’m going to make trouble”

A dystopian magical world and a deal with a devilish devious God that decimates half the population & transforms the other half into half-human hybrid monsters frames the landscape for this tale of two sisters, Hakara and Rasha, who find themselves on the opposite sides of the conflict. This central conflict is accompanied by other PoVs that build this rich world and magic system while lending greater heft to the aftermath of a divine conflict and its after-effects on the people and the world. 

“Sometimes I wasn’t sure which was stronger: my grief or my anger”

The book starts extremely sprightly in a Hunger Games mode with Hakara and Rasha trying to flee a land that is about to get converted only to get separated with each landing on either side of the border. Unaware of each other and falling victim to the activities on their side of the border, the sisters have their own paths to forge. This journey is driven by their stubbornness & survivor skills while also being victims and pawns in certain regards. Juxtaposed with the sister’s journeys are a few other PoVs – an explorer and inventor who wants to ask the gods a favor for his sick friend, a scion of a disgraced family trying to spy her way back into good standings, and a god whose PoV spans across periods.  Some of the supplementary PoVs bring together the narrative threads together while others serve to expand our viewpoint on this world and help tremendously in world-building

“Sometimes a heart breaks all at once. Sometimes it is chipped away in pieces until you wake up and notice it is no longer the same”

World-building is the key aspect where this story excels. Andrea Stewart has created a fabulous world that is in equal parts magical as it is terrifying. The land keeps on changing and these changes impact people living in these lands transforming some of them. There are tantalizing hints peppered through the book on the nature of gods, their role in this place and the conflicts that ensued. The world-building is as dense as it is intriguing. The author finds ways to link through the PoVs with some of the world-building expositions and it is fabulously synergistic throughout the book.  The nature of the worlds, the links and passages to them as well as the explorations are extremely engaging and the information is also doled out in a manner that doesn’t feel heavy while building anticipation steadily

“Threaten a tired populace with death often enough and it just starts to sound like a nice nap”

Desperation is a key theme that permeates the book. Key characters make desperate choices and then have to live with the consequences of those choices. Hakara is a desperation catalyst, the prime mover, the disruptor. Hakara’s choices and actions come from a place of desperation of wanting to unite with Rasha. She therefore tends to leap before looking. Rasha is desperate in a different way – with no elder sister to protect her, she is desperate to prove her strength among other things. Characters are flawed and make mistakes and take foolish decisions giving a lived-in feel for them. What this also does kind of negatively is to add depth to characters in a very limited way and not holistically or differently. Character actions are almost predictable when their buttons are pushed

“You’re a thorn. You’re the spine of a cactus driven deep, where you cannot be dislodged, but where you cause pain with the slightest jolt”

All of which brings me to a key challenge with the book. Despite the desperate, stake-heavy start, the focus on world-building and character positioning comes at the cost of the book’s momentum. The book almost grinds to a halt as the pieces are positioned and that can be a significant mountain to overcome for the readers. This level of momentum grind can only be surmounted if the payoff is worth the cost. In that way, The Gods Below brings the pieces together in an emotionally charged last quarter. While there is action, the character interaction and subsequent actions build that tension and leave you tearing through the pages in a breathless rush. The slump in momentum is worth plowing on in order to hit truly high notes as we reach the end – the rush of the end and the positioning of the characters make this a series that you will want to continue 

“You are pinning everything you have, everything you are, on hope”

The Gods Below is a fascinatingly crafted world with some truly exquisite magical elements and multiple interesting PoVs – the true heart of the book lies in the conflicts built up in the hearts and minds of Gods, Monsters, and Humans. I am thankful to the author and NetGalley for this ARC and wait with bated breath on the path that Hakara and Rasha will take

4 Gemstones on 5

The Gods Below is available now, you can order your copy on Bookshop.org