Children of the Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent Book Review

Ratings

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Content Warnings: Violence, Blood/Gore, Dismemberment, War Trauma, Mental Illness, Strong Language, Sexual Content, Abuse (physical) 

Introduction

Children of the Fallen Gods picks up right where we left off in Daughter of No Worlds. We follow Max and Tissanah with the help of Reshaye as they navigate the ever-growing war that plagues Ara and Threll. However, there is a new threat on the horizon. One that is far beyond what they are capable of.

We also get a new perspective: Aefe. Her story takes place centuries in the past but attempts to uncover the threat that looms over humanity, unbeknownst to them. How will Aefe’s story end and how does her past affect the present?

When these three perspectives converge anything that could go wrong, does go wrong.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Plot

Aefe’s Timeline

Before starting off this review, I will say I am more invested in Aefe’s plot line. I love the tragedy, the mystery, and the romance it brought. I couldn’t wait to read her sections and learn more about the danger that, I knew, translated into what we were seeing in the current timeline. I just didn’t expect the brutality of it all. 

Gods, the visceral horror of what Aefe’s chapters revealed had dread, anger, and grief pooling in my stomach as I read. The genocide that occurred and what happened to Aefe is too horrific to put into words.

(The humans turning Aefe into Reshaye reminded me of “Good Hunting” in the anthology series Love Death + Robots. If you’re familiar with the episode, then you’ll understand the parallels.)

But before Aefe was shredded and tortured, Caduan’s death had me crying over my kindle at 2 am. I was not expecting the twist that occurred in Niraja, nor Cadman’s and the rest of the groups’ death. (Well, obviously not Caduan’s.)

Tissanah & Max’s Timeline

The story picks up right after the first book, Daughter of No Worlds, ends. Literally. The group is about to dock in Ara when they learn of Zeryth’s murder of Sersi.

To be honest, I am a bit lost on Zeryth’s reasoning for war and conquest. I can’t get behind his thought process and it also feels like it wasn’t explained or explored enough. This is what makes the first half of the book drag by for me. 

It was battle after battle and a straight plot-driven narrative that I kind of lost interest in for a while (hence why it took so long to finish). However, all of it was necessary to set up the relationships, the betrayal, the right characters, and the themes. 

So, I get it. I just wish it had a bit more Tissanah and Max time, would have definitely appreciated more spice.

But then, we get to the aftermath of Zeryth’s war and shit just hits the fucking fan. From there on, it is non-stop action. It almost goes a bit too quickly, but then again that could be the point. Time felt warped, even for me. Everything was happening too fast to comprehend and the characters seemed to relate.

However, I would have loved to see more time spent on key events like Tissanah’s death and kidnapping. Those are huge events for a main character that is kind of glossed over. 

The Ending

The ending of Children of the Fallen Gods is a masterpiece. The intricacy, subtle foreshadowing, and overall emotion drive the harshness and despair of the outcome home. After reading Nura’s chapter, I don’t think I breathed until it was over. 

So many answers, so many connections, and so many twists. It was beautiful and gut-wrenching. 

Everything is truly Nura and Ishqa’s fault. Their actions directly lead to the horrific events that Tissanah and Max, and the Fey, had to endure. 

And honestly, I don’t blame Caduan for his rage and desperate search for Aefe. If my partner was ripped away from me in such a gruesome and sickening way, I would destroy the world to get him back. So, I’m still kind of on Cadaun’s side here. 

Plot Thoughts

• What is Max and Tissanah’s end goal with the Fey invasion when they went for the Arch Commandant title besides preventing Nura’s destruction? 
• What kind of magic was Zeryth using and how was he using it? Where did he learn about it?
• Why is Aefe’s mother sick? Is it because she is depressed from being kidnapped?
• Will Max and Tissanah free Ishqa’s son as a form of truce/allegiance?
• Nura is despicable, but how would I react in the same situation? What would you do in her place?

Characters

Tissanah

In Daughter of No Worlds, we see Tissanah’s brute force and drive. While that same force is still present in Children of the Fallen Gods, we see a more vulnerable side of her.

Her breakdown after losing Reshaye is such a powerful moment. She’s powerless to protect her people and it affects her deeply. 

All she’s allowed anyone to see is a strong and powerful being, capable of saving lives and ruining those against her. But in those dark moments, we see the pressure of the refugee’s expectations and survivor’s guilt break her down until she has no direction or plan.

The refugees needed to see both sides of her to know she means her promises, but to show that she is trying her damnedest to live up to them.

Max

I love seeing Max come out of his shell and hope and dream again. His passion for creating a new world is invigorated again solely by Tissanah. We can see this by:

• His drive to minimize deaths when leading Zeryth’s army;
• Instead of running away with Tissanah, he decides to lead his men and fight to be Arch Commandant;
• Revealing and utilizing his second form gifted by Reshaye.

Max is no longer the hermit that hates the world but sees the beauty and humanity in the innocent lives that the Orders and those in power seek to exploit. I admire his character development, as it’s subtle but very powerful. 

With how this book ended, I’m curious to see what kind of development we’ll see in him next. 

Aefe/Reshaye

Aefe deserves so much better than what she got. She deserves to be loved and feel safe. She deserves to be with Caduan without all the trauma she has endured. 

After learning of her past, her anger and destructive tendencies make sense. I just wish someone tried to learn about her as Reshaye instead of shutting her out and using her. Tissanah was close to doing this, so I wonder how that will impact their relationship later on.

I’m also curious to see how Aefe/Reshaye handles being in her own body; one apparently that looks just like her. (Still wondering how Caduan did that.) I’m so invested in Aefe alone that I can’t wait to pick up the final book.

Side Characters

Nura

Nura, Nura, Nura. Oh, how I thought she was redeemable, but after learning of her actions in pursuit of saving Ara, there’s no coming back.

I already wasn’t a fan of her in the first book, but now? She’s on my shit list with Ishqa. Everything that happened after what Ishqa did is her fault. She led Ara to the front lines of war, over and over again. 

Because she had this twisted sense of what protecting her country meant? Because she loved her people and Max so much that she destroyed all of them? How did it get to this? What led to this twisted righteousness Nura has? 

Zeryth

As big of a threat as he posed in the first book, Zeryth wasn’t really that big of a villain in this one. He was unhinged and stuck to the background more often than not. The only real threat he posed was that his life was connected to Tissanah’s and no one could kill him. 

But even when he did die, his death wasn’t satisfying. It felt incomplete, like an afterthought. I wanted more of a boss fight or more drama than what we got. It was all so feeble compared to the rest of the events.

Ishqa

Ishqa, that son of a bitch. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him. He utterly betrayed his fellow Fey and gave up Aefe to be tormented and turned into some kind of weapon. But now he feels guilty because his son was taken and Caduan wants revenge on humanity for what they did to Aefe?

Shallow. Inconsiderate. And, not to mention, he used the same line on Max and Tissanah that he did on Aefe before turning her over to the humans: “I would not save you just to kill you.“

If it wasn’t for him and his actions, none of this would have happened. That’s why I hope he gets what’s coming for him in the next book. 

Caduan

I adore Caduan. His disregard for noble/royal formalities and the way he goes against the grain instead is admirable. He deserved better than the path he was given. However, I have mixed feelings about his pursuit to decimate humanity. 

I completely understand, though, because as I said before I’d probably do the same thing if it was my partner. Especially if they went through what Aefe did and was continuously being used. 

Regardless, I’m interested to see his character more in the next book; to see what he does, how he thinks now, and his relationship with Aefe. 

Writing

As in the first book, the writing in Children of the Fallen Gods is magical, for lack of a better term. The life Broadbent breathes into these characters and the descriptions of such a fantastical world are beautifully done. They take my breath away, honestly.

The way Broadbent left readers crumbs of what was to come in the series in the first book tells me everything I need to know about her: she’s detailed and has a plan for the entire series. And it shows. The subtlety of foreshadowing and the twists she introduced literally blew my mind. Broadbent spins twists so hard and precise that I get whiplash. 

The Parallels

Along with her masterful plot twists and *chef’s kiss* foreshadowing, Broadbent does a fantastic way of linking the past to the present. The parallels between the chapters, from the magic-sensitive butterflies to Meriata & Yithara, are so fun to see. 

These parallels really solidify the timelines and feel like they actually mean something, like there is a grander story to be told. At first, the chapters were so different that I didn’t understand how they connected. But as I continued reading, the closer the two timelines became until they eventually merged. 

It was beautiful to read that convergence. All of that work and storytelling were worth it at that moment.

Themes

Similar to Daughter of No Worlds, the themes of war, PTSD, and survivor’s guilt were strong in the second book. 

I bring this up again because I simply love how Broadbent creates such believable and intense descriptions of what these characters go through, and how she tells another perspective on topics like slavery.

Broadbent then dives deeper and talks about the fine line between morality and duty, especially in Nura. Her duty drives her to protect her country at all costs, and those costs are steep and extremely inhumane. At what point does morality enter immoral when it comes to protecting what you love?

I also want to point out the various ways of enslavement Broadbent discusses. There’s the traditional, for lack of a better term, of slavery, then there are those who sign away their rights. That is enslavement, too. Throughout, no one is without a leash. There is someone always controlling someone else, regardless of if they willingly gave their lives or not. 

These themes bring the story to life and showcase the harsh realities that each character or group of characters faces.

Final Thoughts

I only gave this book 4.5 stars because the beginning was slow and the disappointing end to Zeryth. Otherwise, the book deserves 5 stars. It’s absolutely amazing and I love the high stakes of it all. As a reader, I truly felt the hopelessness, powerlessness, and despair of the character’s situation at the end, and throughout really. 

Children of the Fallen Gods is a strong sequel that supports the high fantasy and dynamics of the first book. It lives up to the title and doesn’t disappoint, which is impressive for a sequel! 

Since the book ends in such disarray, I have some hopes/predictions for the final book:

• Caduan will be an ally with the help of Aefe to take Nura down.
• Or Aefe turns on Caduan to help Tissanah and Max take down both Nura and Cauden
• Nura will be killed off.
• But my real hope is that both couples will end up together, alive and peaceful. 

Don’t hold me to any of this, as Broadbent has a way of introducing surprising twists. But hopefully, the book follows some semblance of what I have above.

Now, on to the Mother of Death & Dawn!

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What did you think of the book? Did you like it or could you have done without it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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