[Book Review] The Gods Below (Hollow Covenant 1) — Andrea Stewart
When sister faces sister, even the heavens below will tremble!
Andrea Stewart’s newest fantasy trilogy Hollow Covenant begins with The Gods Below, a tale of gods, godkillers, and the humans inevitably caught in the wars that rage between the surface and the heavens below.
Many within the fantasy community will eagerly await this new entry and trilogy, after the success of Stewart’s debut trilogy The Drowning Empire. I counted myself among her fans. Though not as grimdark as my tastes usually lean, The Drowning Empire was a unique world with compelling characters, well-crafted plotlines, action-packed set pieces, and a novel bone-infuser magic system. When news began to swirl that Stewart had a new darker series on the horizon, I was in line, ticket in hand.
The Gods Below is set in a world divided into two major realms, the surface world and the heavens buried deep below, where gods once held dominion. However, the surface world of mortals withered via mankind’s hubris, causing a brave soul to brave the depths below to appeal to the gods below to lead the humans toward salvation. The god Kluehnn provided a path forward, he would use the heavenly aether to “restore” the human world. The price? One-half of all restored regions would perish instantly, their material used to convert the land into lush pastures and the survivors into demigod hybrids, known as the altered. Via his altered devotees, the infamous godkillers, Kluehnn strives to rid the world of all the gods thereby making himself sole ruler over all realms.
Caught in this ever-progressing restoration and god war are orphan sisters, Hakara and Rasha, who are fleeing the barriers of restoration trying to find safety. When younger sister Rasha is swallowed into the restoration and thought lost, elder sister Hakara vows to find her sister against all odds. Rasha survives but is altered and joins a Kluehnn worship den and vows to join the godkillers to enforce Kluehnn’s dominion. The conflicting journeys between Hakara and Rasha as they find themselves literally and figuratively on opposite sides of the battle for dominion form the core plot and emotional anchor of The Gods Below and the entire trilogy.
Along with the two major POVs of Hakara and Rasha, the book also follows two secondary character plotlines. Sheuan is the last daughter of a disgraced noble clan in the mortal world, who desires above all else to see the honor of her family name restored and will go to any lengths to achieve her goals. Mullayne rounds out the last of the POV plotlines, as he journeys into the depths, trying to retrace the steps taken by the original human who appealed to the gods for their help before the events of the book.
Unfortunately, The Gods Below did not resonate with me nearly as much as The Drowning Empire series did, even as much as the stellar first novel The Bone Shard Daughter. While The Gods Below is notably darker in its themes, the magic system with the gemstones and the aether infusions felt very hackneyed and too reminiscent of Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson) with a flatter protagonist as Hakara pales in characterization and execution when compared to Vin. Stewart writes in the darker corners of YA fantasy, and though she touches on more adult themes, much of the broad strokes are determinedly YA, from the character sensibilities, the emotional beats, and the central conflict. For those looking for a darker YA series, this one may be right up your alley, but for someone like me who is so mired in the darkest and grimmest side of the genre, The Gods Below didn't tickle my darkness in any enjoyable way. In addition, in perfect YA fashion, every character is written to be smug, selfish, overtly quippy, and largely lacking in a distinguishing voice, which chipped away at any sense of gravitas that good characterization has to offer via dialog.
My major grouse with The Gods Below is that Stewart fails to create enough weight in her various emotional connections that serve as the core of this series. The major conflict, the duality of fates between Hakara on the side of the human rebellion, and younger Rasha, trying to prove her worth as she rises to the rank of godkiller, falls entirely flat. At no point was I invested in their “bond” to relish the inevitable meeting and eventual conflict that will be the cornerstone of this trilogy. Their separation at the start of the book was so sudden, that we are not given enough time to invest ourselves into their dynamic to be hooked by their separation. Stewart also falls into the “tell don't show” sin of writing Hakara’s yearning to reunite with Rasha, leaving most readers with no real stake in their dynamic, and will not be as held by the ups and downs of their plotlines through this series. Furthermore, Mull’s entire storyline also felt incredibly lackluster. Devolving into a bog standard exploration fantasy C-plot, his emotional beats with his co-explorers never had the space to breathe, so there was little to feel when those breaths were snuffed out.
The only character that I was even remotely interested in was Sheuan. Her emotional burden of restoring her family’s reputation against her own physical and emotional health was an enjoyable change of pace against the beige conflicts highlighted earlier. She is a competent protagonist, using her wit, wiles, and skills in equal measure to claw her way up the ranks while struggling with her ambitions. I truly hope her character is given a more pivotal role in the sequels, as she was more compelling than Hakara or any of the mooks.
Furthering the YA pitfalls, the romantic beats that litter The Gods Below are the lowest point of the book. Admittedly, I am no fan of romantasy, and its pervasion into all conversations about fantasy. The romance between characters in The Gods Below reeks of BookTok pandering and none of those Z-plots felt earned. Stewart pushes through her romantic setups in such a nonchalant manner, that even the most ardent of romantasy readers will wonder why these plotlines were even included. There is also a character in The Gods Below that is such an ACOTAR/SJM fanfic-insert that even my romantasy-scorning sensibilities identified it immediately and rolled my eyes.
The Gods Below has a promising setting and a central conflict that has the potential for interesting plotlines and characterizations. Unfortunately, the book is held back by all the YA trappings and a complete failure to invest readers in any of the emotional connections that form the core of this series, leading to a thoroughly unrewarding experience.
