Review: Rebel Gods by Will Kostakis

Rebel Gods is the action-packed and emotional finale to the Monuments duology. Starts off with a bang, where Monuments left off, it really does not disappoint!

Connor, Lochie, and Sally are all back in this book after their rather hectic adventure in book one, and just gets more hectic from there. Faced with having to save the world from the ‘rebel’ gods of love and fear, the trio face each problem head on, and never give up. I really loved that in this book, given the current climate we’re in!

The love god Agapi felt like one of those really annoying siblings, kind of like my own youngest siblings, and I had a bit of a giggle as I could relate a little to how everyone felt about her. She was rather the attention seeker, and I definitely think it suited the character very well. The ultimatum given was also dramatic, and I was honestly totally there for the dramatics. I did find that I wanted more of her sister though, I wanted more of her story, it would’ve been great to have that little extra to the rebel story! To add to the drama-  I also enjoyed seeing the comeback of the ‘hound’, Peter, even though he’s technically not a ‘hound’ anymore. He was definitely portrayed as a lot more helpful than in the last books, and definitely a lot more friendly than the (rather understandably) salty other guardians. 

Speaking of characters, I felt like I got a better snapshot of Lochie’s personality, and I kind of understood his ambition and strong-willedness. I also liked reading about Sally following the devastation she faced in book one that carried over to this book. It was also super sweet to see the relationships between Connor and his mum (who he worries about more than he shows), and between Lochie and his parents as well. It was also super cute seeing Connor and Lochie be all sweet with each other!

The writing was super snappy, but also paced perfectly for such a quick read. It had just the right balance of both character building versus world building, as well as dialogue versus actual plot progression. It also had just enough emotion to make it feel kind of real. The writing was also vibrant and rich, and I really enjoyed the plot here too- especially as the newbie gods were just so awkward to begin with, not quite understanding their powers at first!

Just like the first book, I enjoyed picturing parts of Sydney whilst reading, but that just might be me being a sucker for books set in Australia. Being able to imagine all this happening in a major city made me laugh. It was also interesting to also have part of the book set in the ‘parallel’ and in Paris, making it seem like a getaway from the real world, which is what we really need right now.

I usually don’t cry when a book finishes, but the ending for this one absolutely made me cry, even though I thought it was just my really bad hayfever. I don’t think I’ll forgive Will for this one (actually I might one day, but at the time of writing my heart is still torn into little pieces). 

I recommend both Rebel Gods and Monuments (book one) for those who enjoy a bit of fantasy, but with contemporary components, but also even for those who are younger or older readers. It is one of the most fun (but also heart-breaking) reads I’ve read recently, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Rating: 4.5/5

Note: This review originally published on The Nerd Daily. Thanks to The Nerd Daily and Hachette Australia for providing me with a physical copy of this book.