What Monstrous Gods

Content warnings: murder, ghosts, questioning religion

Lia's destiny is to kill the sorcerer who ruined their kingdom.

Lia's one golden eye marks her as the chosen of the gods, touched with the same gift of Runakhia's royal family. The royals have been asleep for 500 years in their palace surrounded by a deadly briar; the heretic sorcerer Ruven created the briar and put the royal family into their long sleep. That's where the resemblance to Sleeping Beauty ends.

The gods have been silent since the briar was erected. Their temples still exist, but holy saints have not been created for centuries and the gods have all but abandoned Runakhia. Lia is raised at the convent of Nin Anna, a goddess of healing. Lia's purpose is to use her royal gift to venture into the briar and kill Ruven, freeing the royal family and allowing the gods to visit Runakhia once again.

As the title suggests, the gods aren't role models. The saints they create eventually die because their mortal bodies can't handle being touched by the godly power. Only those with the royal gift (like Lia) can be chosen by the gods and live indefinitely.

Lia fulfills her divine purpose and cannot wait to visit her goddess, Nin Anna. But when her visit with Nin Anna goes awry, Lia must reevaluate her purpose, her past, and her act of murder. She is haunted by the ghost of the boy she killed, who encourages her to question the royal family, the saints, and the gods themselves.

Recommended for readers of YA fantasy and dark fantasy.

Rosamund Hodge is a YA fantasy author.

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: March 5, 2024

Representation: orphan, polytheism

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.