Blurb:

In this sweeping epic fantasy comes a story of magic, betrayal, love, and loyalty, where two sisters will clash on opposite sides of a war against the gods. 

A divine war shattered the world leaving humanity in ruins. Desperate for hope, they struck a deal with the devious god Kluehnn: He would restore the world to its former glory, but at a price so steep it would keep the mortals indebted to him for eternity. And, as each land was transformed, so too were its people changed into strange new forms - if they survived at all.

Hakara is not willing to pay such a price. Desperate to protect herself, and her sister Rasha, she flees her homeland for the safety of a neighboring kingdom. But when tragedy separates them, Hakara is forced to abandon her beloved sister to an unknown fate.

Alone and desperate for answers on the wrong side of the world, Hakara discovers she can channel the magic from the mysterious gems they are forced to mine for Kluehnn. With that discovery comes another: her sister is alive, and only the rebels plotting to destroy the God Pact can help rescue her.

But only if Hakara goes to war against a god.

Review:

I was in love with The Drowning Empire series so it should be no surprise that I was over the moon when Andrea announced a new series. I was not disappointed!

The whole thing - well almost the whole thing - takes place after "the Shattering", where humanity has over consumed the magic of the world and destroyed it. Kluehnn is the only god to hear out the mortals and make a deal to protect them and restore their world. But of course it's not that simple. Yes the realms will be restored but only half the people will survive the restoration and those that do become altered to fit the new world around them. 

From the blurb, we know Hakara and her sister, Rasha, go to flee and are separated and then through the multiple POVs that Andrea does brilliantly, we know what both are up to while one thinks she was abandoned and the other has no idea if her sister is dead or alive. Using a strong tactic of 'I'll get a message to your former realm to find out about your sister', Hakara joins this clandestine plot and rebel group called the Unanointed to destroy the God Pact with Kluehnn. 

We spend a bit of time with Hakara and Rasha before the restoration and separation but they're just kids then. 15 and 9 years old. After that point we're ahead to ten years later and Hakara is causing trouble in a way only she can and to be fair she is very good at it. 

I would say the story doesn't really start until Hakara joins the Unanointed because this is when we really get to see kick off and more of the world. We meet Thassir, who is so cat obsessed he makes me look reasonable (my cats have their own IG for a point of reference), plus the head of The Unanointed, and the team that is made up of a bruiser, arbour, wasp and vine. I actually really liked this quartet of roles and when things go wrong, the constant need to keep the four roles balanced adds a layer to the motivations in breaking the God Pact. As always, Andrea is excellent about giving us enough background about the supporting characters that you just want to know more. And I absolutely did! In particular, I want to know more about Dashu, his realm and his people. Please and thank you. But Hakara? Hakara was so good. I really gelled with her character and not just because I also rush into things with emotions first. Now Hakara is tough for a lot of reasons but constantly just downing some gems? I can’t even swallow a tiny pill without a gallon of water. She’s just knocking these back and holding her breath for ages! Asthmatics everywhere are jealous. (It’s me. I’m asthmatics everywhere.)

Our other POVs are Rasha, Sheuan, Mullayne and some flashbacks to Nioanen. Rasha was great. Some of her character reminded me of the Powerpuff Girls episode where Bubbles says she can be ‘hardcore’ and then just goes ham in the simulator. So I really liked her character and the questions she has by the end of things. I look forward to her crises going foward.

Sheuan…I have some mixed feelings about. I like her character but I didn’t always get everything that came with it. And it’s really hard to talk about that without spoiling too much but I will say, I’m not sure I get her as a love interest for the character she connects with. That said I  really liked her character, her duty to family vs her own path, and at the end? *Chef’s kiss* But you don’t really get too much of that until after her initial introduction and minor spicy scene. 

Mullayne is by far the character that is going to shake things up the most despite not having tons of page time and not interacting with our core cast of characters. I have a strong feeling his POV is going to be crucial going ahead, and I cannot wait. 

Niaonen’s POV is our flashback POV. This is when we’re about a decade after the Shattering, the war with the gods is under way, his fellow gods are falling and he is trying to stay safe and hidden with Irael, a shapeshifting god. Again, I can’t talk too much about this character without spoilers but safe to say, this was another solid POV. 

What would I like going forward? More Thassir just being cat mad. I’d love to see more of the other restored realms if possible and maybe some other unrestored ones. I want Mullayne to have a mic drop moment when he reappears on the surface. I cannot wait for the inevitable next confrontation between Hakara and Thassir. Plus, there is something about Hakara and how she can do all she can that I’m sure we don’t know yet and I can’t even begin to theorise what it would be. 

I have high hopes for this new trilogy and with everything I’ve come to expect from Andrea’s works, I know it will get weird, emotional and be oh so satisfying to have gone through when it comes to an end. My one question is: Andrea! What the hell happened to Muffincheeks?!