The Gods Below is the first book in a new series called The Hollow Covenant by Andrea Stewart. The story primarily follows Hakara, who is searching for her younger sister Rasha who were separated during the Restoration of Kashan.

The novel is split into multi-time POVs. Through, Nioanen we experience what time was like pre-Shattering, following the journey of he and his wife Irael - two of the most powerful gods to exist. We experience Hakara and Rasha as well as Mullayne and Sheuan, the latter is trying to restore her family name by taking on the task given to her by the Sovereign. I found that because of this a lot of setting up happened in the first 70-80% which meant that all the action and in turn the plot went fast in the last 20%.

One of the best things about this book is the world building, Stewart creates a world that is so expansive with so much lore and an intriguing magic system. But also characters that we loveable from the start, my favourite is Thassir, who at first did annoy me but by the end I thought his looking after the cats was a perfect expression of who his is and who I want him to be in the coming books.

"Sometimes, in the stories, the hero fails," he said. "But it's not truly a failure. It only means they've been after the wrong thing."

Hakara was unfortunately very annoying, I couldn't stand her chapters nor those of Rasha and Sheuan which meant that I was at times fighting to get through the book. For someone who is meant to be sneaky and essential to the cause how Hakara could not whisper confused me, and it was only little but it grated on me to the point where I just disliked her, it didn't help that she was cocky and brash even though she really didn't understand what was happening. Hakara, because the typical YA protagonist in that sense and I was hoping for a bit more.

I'm very much looking forward to book two.

The Gods Below releases in the UK on the 5th September!

Thank you to Orbit, NetGalley and Andrea Stewart for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Gods Below is the first book in the Hollow Covenant series by Andrea Stewart, this is her next series following her debut Drowning Empire series that totally blew me away. Once again Stewart has created a world populated by gods, monsters, humans, this could be described as an eco-fantasy as this world is dying and the only way to save it is to damn half the population to death and the other half to a stranger fate.

Told from multiple perspectives, Hakara, a young refugee and orphan who lost her sister to the salvation of this world and Rasha, her sister, shaped by events and whose direction changes from her sister to following and serving her leader. Sheuan, weighed down by familial responsibility and Mullayne, kind of a scientist and determined to discover the secrets behind this changed world.

This is a very different world to The Drowning Empire, which is a double edged sword for me. My heart is still very much there and I found The Gods Below to be very different and personally not as engaging but, despite this an interesting read that pulled me in to the relationship and events between Sheuan and Rasha, and the wider events that were quite startling at times, and I have to be honest desperate to find out the truth behind the salvation of this world.

Once again though, Stewart excelled in world-building, this new world is so intriguing and Stewart’s writing is so beautifully descriptive that I was captivated and intrigued by the detail. There’s no question that Stewart is an artist when it comes to world-building and I will be interested to read the next book in this world.

Thank you Orbit, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest and sincere review.

This review is for The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart which will be released in the UK on the 5th September! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Orbit for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve read Andrea’s other series, and it was one of my favourites of last year. This book had a lot of hype to live up to… and I’m not sure if it did. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great book and I enjoyed myself, yet I was just a little disappointed by some of it.

There was a lot of similarities in the two series, both had a lot of different POV’s and both feature an angry man who loves cats/cat-like animals. What’s not to love?? The magic system in this series is super unique and like nothing I’ve read before. However some of it didn’t really feel well explained and I’m still a little confused on how some of it works.

The world building was top tier as per usual, and I felt all the different parts of the realm were really well explained and I loved the idea of ‘restoration’. The pacing is where I really struggled with this book, it just felt super slow towards the beginning of the book, and super rushed in the last 20% of the story where everything started to happen. I also just didn’t really vibe with some of the characters and felt some were a little one dimensional.

Again, even with the negatives, I did really enjoy this book. It was incredibly easy to get into, and those first few chapters immersed me into the world immediately. I think focusing on certain main moments would have helped strengthen my connection to some of the characters, especially since this was so fast-paced. Would recommend this to any fantasy readers out there!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I started and stopped this book a few times. I finally decided that I had to plough on through. It was an okay read, maybe even good. I’m not really sure how to feel.

There was a LOT of (in my opinion, confusing) world building very early on and I didn’t quite understand it because all these terms for places and events were used but not really explained. Further on this became easier, as you might expect, but it was a real struggle.

I didn’t really connect with the characters. There were a lot of aspects that reminded me of other books (mainly the protective sister trope early on, which I feel is done to death). I will, however, say that I did feel a sense of urgency, my breath quickening or even pausing in high tension moments so kudos on that front.

I just… didn’t love it. I’m normally quite good with multiple POVs, but I didn’t like the switch from 1st to 3rd person - found it quite jarring if I’m honest. I like consistency and maybe I missed the point of why it was written that way… but it’s not for me.

It was, easily, a wonderful concept. It’s what dragged me to it and led me to request the ARC in the first place. It delivered, to a degree. I did enjoy it and would recommend, but it’s definitely not an entry level fantasy book (and what I mean is that this shouldn’t be a reader’s first foray into the fantasy genre)… in my humble opinion.

This grabbed my attention after I read the blurb of the book. I didn't want to put the book down it was very interesting. I enjoyed the fact that it was multiple pov as it allowed you to see the story from multiple perspectives. The storyline for this book was amazing. I didn't want to put it down. The characters within this book developed nicely alongside the plot and with how the story ended I am already excited for the next book.

The first novel in the Hollow Covenant series, The Gods Below is an eco-fantasy. In response to the damage caused to the planet by humans, the Gods shatter the land into separate realms, each of which will be restored to its former glory in turn. Those caught up in the restoration are either annihilated or transformed.

Hakara and Rasha are two sisters torn apart either side of the restored divide. Sheuan is a noble trying to restore her disgraced family’s name. Mullayne is an inventor trying to save the life of his best friend. There are also a few chapters sprinkled in from a fifth, more minor character.

I really enjoyed Andrea Stewart’s previous trilogy, The Drowning Empire, but my word I struggled with this one. The overall premise is intriguing enough – it’s the characterisation and dialogue that really let this book down. All four main characters feel incredibly samey. Nothing about them stands out. None are particularly likeable or even enjoyably dislikeable. I also found the dialogue to be fairly awful at times – characters embark on lengthy, heartfelt monologs at each other in the middle of heated battle scenes which just don’t ring true. There feels like a real drop in the quality of writing compared to the author’s previous series.

This book didn’t work for me, however much I wanted it to. Not one I’d personally recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Orbit, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If there's one thing that you can trust Andrea Stewart to give you, then it's tension and pacing. As with her debut fantasy series, this series also has (what I think of as) her characteristic tension-driven writing style. It's rare for high/epic fantasy stories to have such tight pacing, and with the level of worldbuilding that Stewart creates, it's even more impressive that she can keep the pacing as tight and tension-driven as she does.

Reading this book, you can tell that the story draws on a lot of themes that will feel familiar to a regular reader of Stewarts', such as generational trauma, immigration, found family, and familial responsibility and obligation. This is what the emotional core and the character arcs are all rooted in for this multi-POV story. I do think that the emotional drive takes a bit of a backseat in this piece, as the story is more plot-driven than Stewart's debut series ever was, but that's more of a preference question than anything else.

While the story does have some plot twists, I think it overall leans more heavily into suspense than it does surprise.

The worldbuilding itself is immersive and strikes an interesting note between something that feels like a combination of 80's/90's anime vibes and biblical studies.

Wow! I didn't know what to expect going into this book but boy was I not disappointed. The book gripped me from the first page and I managed to finish it in a week. The magic system is so unique and clever. The world building is beautiful and you are rooting for all the different characters. You feel like you're there with them going through everything they are. Whilst it could be a typical rags to riches to girl or gets powers story it's not. Andrea takes you on a journey with each character who is richly developed and their stories beautifully told. There are numerous pov in the book but you're not kept waiting to see what happens. There are also a few twists and turns that are unexpected and you don't see coming. The only negative is that I now have to wait for a year for the next book! Thank you for this beautiful book.

I absolutely loved Andrea Stewart’s The Drowning Empire series so I was so excited to read her latest book! This was a great introductory story to her newly created world and I can’t wait for the characters and story to grow! Andrea has a beautiful skill for world building and I loved how well written this newest story is, one thing is for certain I can tell we’ll be going on a great journey!

An entirely new world created by the author. In this world there are gods, humans, and a few things in between. The story follows the typical trope of multiple viewpoints. Hakara is a woman in her mid-20s, who, as a refugee and an orphan, is trying to find a way to help the sister she lost 10 years back. She does what she has to do to survive, and is driven by relentless obsession. Rasha, her sister, grows up in a different world altogether and is taught to support and fight for the apparent villain in this world. She chisels herself into a hyper strong persona and destroys any vestige of softness that might remain. Sheuan is also a young woman struggles with the weight of responsibilities imposed on her by her family. She learns to be pragmatic about everything, including her loved ones, but struggles to find that, which she actually cares about. Mullayne is a scientist of sorts, obsessed with finding out the secrets of the world.

The best thing about this book is the worldbuilding. It's exceptionally well thought through, and the details are mesmerising. The book is also written in a way that makes finding out the true nature of the world the main mystery, and that's what keeps the reader motivated, despite the numerous shortcomings of the book.

I disliked almost everything else. The characters were weird - the intention behind their development was clearly solid, and they were supposed to be multi dimensional, but they came across as half baked and the complexity didn't fully have the room to develop. I also really struggled with the motivations behind some key events (like the events between Sheuan and Rasha, for example). There were just too many things that felt like they came out of the blue. The writing itself was jumpy. At times, it was exceptionally paced, but, at others, it felt clunky and lacked the right rhythm.

Overall, the book felt overly rushed. There was just too much worldbuilding to cover here and the author did a poor job in balancing all the necessary exposition with just regular storytelling. Maybe this book should have been better paced by making it into two and allowing the characters more time to build up, making it easier to explain their behaviours.

While an inferior book to the previous trilogy by the author, I still look forward to the sequels. I hope that having finished with the exposition the subsequent storytelling will be better.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A huge thank you to Orbit Uk for sending me an eARC of The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart to read and review.

I am ashamed to say that despite owning the first two books in Stewart’s first trilogy, this is the first of her books that I have actually read! I will be rectifying this ASAP because I loved The Gods Below! This novel is everything I love in epic fantasy; Gods, magic, danger and lots of angst!

The Gods in this novel are all but destroyed apart from one, who rules over humanity. We learn more about this world as we read, chapters flashback to the war that destroyed them, giving us clues that maybe not everything is as it seems?? I love a fantasy with Gods, honestly the more the merrier, and I’m very intrigued to see where Stewart takes this element of the novel through the series!

The Gods Below focuses on two sisters who have spent 10 years apart after being separated as children. I loved this element of the novel. I love a sibling relationship in a fantasy novel, and despite the fact these sisters are apart in this novel, I still enjoyed it immensely. Hakara, the older sister is dealing with some serious guilt, which I thought the author explored very well. I loved seeing this motivation behind her decisions, and her actions. Rasha, the younger sister spends her time trying to forget her sister and trying to prove to herself that she doesn’t need her. I thought the comparison between them and their chapters was so well done!

We have one of my favourite tropes, the found family, not once but twice in this novel! Both Hakara and Rasha find themselves in teams, where they have to rely on each other to survive, which obviously I adored! All the side characters in this novel are very well crafted. There was a sprinkling of romance which I enjoyed, it seemed very well developed and made perfect sense in regards to the characters themselves.


Stewart uses a mix of perspectives in the novel, separate chapters for separate characters, and this really works! There wasn’t a single perspective that I didn’t love, and I was desperate to keep reading to find out what happened next to each of them!

Overall I really enjoyed this novel a lot. The characters are awesome, and I can’t wait to find out what happens in book 2. This novel is perfect for fans of Shannon Chakraborty, C.L. Clark and Hannah Kaner!

Huge thank you again to Orbit UK for the eARC of The Gods Below!

This first book in a new fantasy series draws us into a world of Gods, Mortals and Altered (mortals transformed into enhanced beings). Told from multiple POVs, we follow sisters Hakara and Rasha as they find each other on different sides of the battlefield. We also get the story of Mullayne who is seeking a way to the original kingdom of the gods at the centre of the planet and his cousin Sheuan who is attempting to play all angles to save her family from dishonour. And we also get the flashback story of God Nionanen as the world is broken.

First off, the world-building was amazing. The concept was truly original and filled with unexpected discoveries. By telling the story from the point of view of five different characters, Andrea Stewart allows us to experience the universe from all angles. I'm looking forward to the sequel which will hopefully add in the point of view of Kleuhenn, the god waging war on all the others.

A recommended read for fans of Andrea Stewart, Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle, and fantasy with strong world-building.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book UK for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for providing me an eARC to review!

After not loving The Bone Shard Daughter I was hoping to give this author another try, but unfortunately I was having the same problems I had with that book. Namely I found Hakara very annoying and unlikeable, but not in an interesting way, and I didn't see the story going anywhere particularly special.

I think the other sister's storyline had potential to be interesting, but not enough for me to want to commit to another 400-odd pages. It just didn't grip me, but I think fans of Stewart's first series and her writing will probably enjoy this.

It has a similar ecological dystopian element to The Fifth Season and feels like maybe a central divide between the two female protagonists similar to The Jasmine Throne, but those books just held my interest better than this.

The Gods Below is the first book in The Hollow Covenant series. I love Andrea Stewart's first book series, so I was excited to dive into her new story. The main plot follows two sisters, Hakara and Rasha, who were separated while trying to escape the restoration. Ten years later, Hakara is on a mission to find her sister, and there are other interconnected plots throughout the book. Some characters were more interesting than others, like Hakara. I like her sassiness, and Thassir was so fun to read. I mean, every cat person probably likes him. The worldbuilding and the magic system were also very interesting. Overall, this was a great start to the trilogy, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the arc.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is one of those books that are hard to rate because they're literally a 3.5 star read. I had heard great things about this author, so I was delighted to read the first book in the author's new trilogy. The premise sounded intriguing, and I was excited to dive in. I did enjoy it but not without skim-reading some parts.

For me, it was the number of povs. We have Hakara's, Rasha's, Nioanen's, Mull's, and Sheuan's. I only enjoyed Hakara's and Nioanen's. I did empathize with Mull, but I found 5 povs to be tiring. Hakara is a young woman who is determined to find her long-lost sister. I really liked Hakara. She's smart and competent. She's stubborn and takes risks, and she calls it the way she sees it. She's interesting!

As is Nioanen! I loved seeing his perception of what was going on during his time. He was genuine and authentic and so different from the others. Not everyone goes all in the battle without a plan B. I liked his cleverness and his cautiousness. He's a broody, exasperated guy, and I'd love to have a drink with him and complain about mortals haha.

Mull is an inquisitive guy, very smart and creative, but also very loyal to his friends. He makes the most dangerous and most uncertain journey for a chance to save his friend, and I liked him, too.

Problem was the other two povs because I didn't like them. I don't understand why we had to read Sheuan's povs. Sure, they portrayed the reality outside of our main characters, offering us a 360-angle of the world, but all I really wanted was to zoom in Hakara and her broody love interest called Thassir. On top of that, I didn't like Sheuan as a character. During the first half, she was the loyal and filial daughter, and at the end, all of a sudden (felt like), she became the ambitious not to be used character, and I didn't really follow her character arc. I mean, it sounds cool but I didn't feel for it?

As for Rasha, the sister Hakara wanted to save....she was the worst of them. She kept blaming Hakara for not finding her (and for abandoning her) but all I thought was: "why didn't you go looking for her? Even just for yelling at her?!" She put everything on Hakara's shoulders as if she was helpless during 10 whole years. And let's not forget the whole "I dream and strive to be a godkiller" because killing is a such a cool job description......

And no, I don't have anything against unlikeable characters, but I was just so annoyed and bored of Rasha and Sheuan. Five povs was too much for me. Since we got to see the world from all these angles, it also slowed down the plot...

The last 30% was much better. The plot finally picked up pace! I'm a bit more inclined to read the sequels now, but I really only cared about 2 characters in a sea of povs. I loved Hakara and her love interest Thassir, and I loved Nioanen's pov, too. If I read the sequels, it will be for them. And I think that I will actually read them because I loved these 2 characters a lot.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy multi-povs and epic fantasy! But I have to say, Hakara and her love interest make up for all the lacking elements!!!!

The Gods Below is the pick for the adult September monthly box, and sadly, I'd say skip it. Goldsboro has an exclusive edition of it, so you can always get it later if you do end up liking it.

DNFed at 30%.

The reason why I DFNed this is basically that the characters and writing failed to capture my interest.
Instead of forcing myself to read it through and getting frustrated with it, I came to the conclusion that, unfortunately, The Gods Below just wasn't for me.

I love multi-POV books, but here the characters felt flat to me, making it difficult to emotionally connect with them and fully immerse myself in the story.
I can definitely see the potential in the story's premise of rebellion against a so-called One True God and the world and its inhabitants being shaped by that god's will. I can see that Andrea Stewart is taking her time to carefully build up this interesting and well thought-out world and the politics within each of the regions and points of view.

I am, however, sorry that I didn't manage to reach the pivotal point in the story where the pace would hopefully pick up considerably. My lack of enjoyment made it too difficult to force myself through the rest of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Discovering fascinating fantasy series is such a great experience. But having to patiently wait for further books in that fantasy series is going to be so painful.

This book is set in a world where humans destroyed the environment through their greed and as legends claim (I certainly have a feeling about how truthful those legends are) one mortal made a deal with a god to restore their world.

This book has such a rich worldbuilding that my short description above doesn't even begin to explain how this world functions. And it shows the skill of the author that I've never struggled with following and understanding the story even before we were fully introduced into this world. I also loved how many aspects of the lore of this world are things that... Are questionable at best and I cannot wait for the characters to uncover the truth.

Speaking of the characters, we are first introduced to Hakara and Rasha, two sisters who lost their parents and are trying to survive in this hostile worlds. They end up getting seperated due to circumstances beyond their control and while Hakara tries to figure out how to get back to her sister, Rasha has to learn how to move on from being abandoned by the only person she could trust. I found both of these characters journeys so fascinating and absorbing, and I so badly wanted them to find each other again. The only aspect of their stories I didn't enjoy were their romances. Rasha's because it felt so rushed, I really wish that part of the stories took a few more chapters to develop, and Hakara's simply because it wasn't the kind of romance I enjoy.

We get 3 more POV characters and I have to say I was initially put off when we switched the pov away from the sisters. It felt like it was too far into the book and I was already so focused on the characters we had. But it didn't take long for me to change my mind. I quickly got invested in the stories of these new characters and some of them ended up breaking my heart. It also worked how intertwined all those stories ended up being.

The book ends with a lot of questions still unanswered but it didn't feel frustrating, rather I cannot wait for the next book in this series so I can discover where this story is heading.

Also this is a queer norm fantasy which is always a win in my books.

Overall, this book was fine. The world building was good, but there was a lot of it. The plot was solid, but oddly paced in places. The characters were interesting, but didn't wow me. A decent book, but probably not a series I'll continue reading.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

We primarily follow two sisters, Rasha and Hakara, separated as children by a magical border that transforms the country within and its inhabitants. Neither know whether the other is still alive, and both fight to make their way in their new realms.
A clan nobleman is in the bowels of the underworld, searching for the Old Gods to make a bargain to save his friend. His cousin lies, steals, manipulates and seduces to try and save the reputation of her family.
Oh and if that wasn't enough, we follow two of the Old Gods, who are fighting to live while the other Gods are being murdered.
There's so much packed in to this book, and it's bloody amazing.
World building and magic system is incredibly cool. The characters are so compelling and the story is just addictive. I read this in one day and now I'm gutted because I've got to wait for the rest of the series. I don't want to say too much in this review because it's fun to go in as blind as possible and just let the story blow you away. Definitely one for fans of Brandon Sanderson, Ursula K. Le Guin etc.

I had high expectations for this as its my first Andrea Stewart and her previous trilogy comes recommended.
It was just OK. The writing was fine, didn't blow me away but was easy to read. The world building was good and given gradually. The pace was a tad erratic but generally fast. The ecological premise was great, believable and harrowing. The God angle I really enjoyed and wanted lots more of the history and lore. The magic system was also great although left me a little miffed at times. I enjoyed the darker elements of this and the ruthless violence.
Unfortunately I didn't particularly like most of the characters. They were quite one dimensional and I often found their reactions conflicting to who they believed they were. The seemingly random romanances didn't grab me, any deep attachment between any of the characters (excepting the sisters or a certain character and his cats) felt flat and I was genuinely surprised by the protested level of feeling. As individuals they were interesting but I couldn't get invested in any of their interactions. There's so much promise though and it was a fast read, maybe it's just a wobbly start to what will become a great trilogy?
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc, all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.