~thank you netgalley and hotkey books for a review copy!
~4 ⭐️
~I really enjoyed this book, I loved Deina progression and development from the first book. I loved the group and enjoyed seeing more of them and how they deal with even more challenges that they have to face to protect the Theodesmioi. I really enjoyed the world but I do think I preferred the first book. I think I like the quest that they went on more than the challenges they have to face in this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Queen of Gods' the second novel in the House of Shadows by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr.

'Queens Of Gods' is the latest novel by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr and I'll be honest, it was better than the first book. I commented that the first book had an odd and jarring writing style but it was immensely improved in this one and the story flowed much nicer in my opinion. I did enjoy it.

★★★★★ 5/5

After the events of Daughter of Darkness, Deina sacrificed her freedom and bound herself to the darkness of the Underworld. Aristaeus, now in power, is ruining the lives of not just her friends, but everyone in the kingdom. And he must be stopped, by whatever means necessary.

When opportunity strikes, Deina thinks she knows the price she must pay, but nothing can prepare her for the fight ahead, as well as the losses. To go against the gods is to play their games, and as history shows, not everyone has come out of their battles on the winning side. For Deina and her friends, further sacrifices must be made, more truths uncovered, and deals with the unlikeliest of people must be adhered to all to save the people.

I was lucky enough to read the first book and get hooked in from the very first pages, and when I saw the sequel was up on netgalley, I knew I needed to read it and find out what happened to my favourite soul severers. The sequel, and final book in the duology didn’t disappoint.

There’s so much to love, from my favourite god of Death and his sarcasm, (seriously, Nat was hands down my absolute favourite and I need more), Deina’s character progression, and of course, the settings. I really liked how personal Deina’s POV feels, how we get a real and honest look at how lonely and isolated she feels, even at times jealous, and how that, accompanied with the events of the book, gives an ending I’d hoped for, but at times definitely didn’t think was going to happen.

The pacing was perfect, taking me on multiple wild rides from beginning to end. With such amazing details, it was impossible not to get wrapped up in the story being told, feeling truly immersed in the locations and the adventures the characters were on. What I also loved was how myths were interweaved within the story, but Queen of Gods was a story all its own, giving us a better look at the Olympians and their domains, and making it a standout book for me.

With more twists and turns, it’s easily another favourite to add to my ever growing list, and I really liked the style of the recap at the beginning. It saved me having to struggle to remember or rereading the first book, which I was grateful for as I couldn’t wait to jump right on in.

Did I like the book? Yes

Did I love it? Yes! It’s a great conclusion.

Would I recommend it? Yes! If you’re yet to read a book by the Corr sisters, the House of Shadows duology is a great place to start.

I was super hyped for this one but sadly for me it fell a little short. I felt that there was a little too much in this and got a bit bored at times, overall I liked the book, the ending was great and happy with it. I felt Deina was a little whiny at times, woe is me. Otherwise the plot was good!

I have adored reading this duology and it has truly been a ride from start to finish. I can remember how action packed and intense the first book was, and right before I launched into the release of this one, I went straight to reread the first book again and dove into the Queen of the Gods straight after.

The pace really picked up in this one and it was such an epic journey. The story was amazing, the twists and turns were insane and it so went to places I wasn’t expecting!! The creativity in this was amazing and the way the plot developed was so unexpected, I didn’t see half the things that came about to fall. It made for some excited reading!

I’ve loved the sense of adventure in these books and it was honestly so easy to read. I’ve always enjoyed reading books based off the greek gods and they’ve always provided a little extra magic, chaos and excitement to reading. And this one had the added element of something slightly dark and looming that I loved too.

This book is for sure a 5 star read easy. I only knocked a star off because something I was hoping to happen didn’t quite end up that way. The ending was so built up and I was left feeling a little mind blown, happy in some ways for how it was left but also a little bereft and sad that it didn’t quite end in another way.

Can we get a spin off book for Nat please because I feel like we’ve just started to go somewhere with him and we neeeed to follow it up!

This duology has been entertaining from start to finish and these authors have never let me down with their books. From the Witches Kiss trilogy to this one, I can’t wait to see what they’ll come out with next.

After devouring the first House of Shadows book, Daughter of Darkness, I was so excited to find Queen of Gods on NetGalley!

The book was, as I expected, a wonderful read, filled with tension, heartbreaking choices, and immense power.

Deina finds herself bound to the underworld, destined to lose all that she holds most dear in order to save it. In the mortal realm, chaos rules as Aristaeus's tyranny continues. Deina and her allies work together to destroy the Gods and fight for their survival.

The tension is nail-biting as the quest to survive continues, and I particularly enjoyed Deina's struggles with power, combined with her growing bond with Thanatos, the God of the dead. It brings to light the nature of humans versus gods, how power corrupts, and what people are willing to sacrifice for those they love.

I loved this book, though I found the ending a tad lackluster when compared to the high tension and pace of the rest of the book. Without giving too much away, I had expected a more explosive ending, with Deina seizing absolute control, and so it fell a little flat for me!

I think this might be the best book written by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr.
I went though so many different emotions whilst reading this book
Such an incredible fantasy book that had me gripped from the very first page I loved it so much
Thank you for letting me read it early

QUEEN OF GODS is an action packed sequel about fighting for control over your own life.

We get to explore more of the world in this book, which is always something I love in sequels. Where DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS was a book focused on the underworld and based on a myth, QUEEN OF GODS focuses more on the Olympians' desire for power at any cost. It plays with parts of the mythos, referencing myths, but largely strikes out on its own to create a new story.

It is a tale of battling the gods for freedom, the struggle between humans and gods for control of their lives, but also between the Olympians and the other gods. At the same time, it's a battle against the seduction of power as Deina faces the draw of being a demi-god - and potentially being made a god - and the power promised by the object they are searching for. But power corrupts...

As it's a Corr sisters' book, there is of course a lot of betrayal, heartbreak, and sacrifice. Even thought it's expected at this point, it still gets you. Tissues and all caps screaming at the ready when opening the book!

The book begins with a prologue in the style of an oral tradition of myth-telling, which matches the first book's prologue (and is quite different in style to the rest of the book.) Here, it functions as a very effective recap of the major plot points of book 1, making it easy to pick up the story if you can't remember it well.

In all, it's a satisfying end to the duology that sees Deina take on the gods - and her own desire for power.

Am I biased because @lizcorrwrites and @katharinecorrwrites are wonderful and lovely friends?

Yes, but honestly, when the story's this good it's irrelevant! The story picks up where Daughter of Darkness left off with Deina trapped in the underworld and Theron and the other Theodesmioi on the run. Whilst Orpheus is vanquished Aristaeus has seized the throne and is determined to control every Theodesmioi and every other man, woman, and child in Greece.

Aided by Thanatos, Deina must face her being destroyed by her destiny or by Aristaeus.
I was swept along on the story and the incredible locations as Deina races against time before her curse drags her back to the underworld or Aristaeus achieving his goal.

With savage emotional highs and lows, Liz would like you to know Katharine is responsible for all the deaths xD (At least that's what she said when I yelled in her inbox xD) I adored this story and ached at the end for one of my favourite characters.

Out in August you should definitely treat yourself to Queen of Gods and if you haven't already get your mitts on Daughter of Darkness!

A massive shout out to the wonderful people at @hotkeybooks for the eARC on Netgalley

Another fantastic book by the Corr ladies!

Deina's development throughout Queen of Gods is incredible - with times I wanted to scream at her and times I wanted to cheer her on.

I love that the romance element did not take away from the storyline but simply added to its gorgeousness.

The tension throughout is nail biting. Just incredible. I loved it.