If you haven't read book 1 click here...
Blurb
What if saving the world meant choosing what to abandon?
The gods are awakening—but not all of them have risen.
Power is returning unevenly, uncontained, already dividing those who carry it. What was once whole is now fragmented, reshaping itself in ways they do not yet understand.
Mereh is no longer willing to remain what he was.
Ankou finds himself no longer where he once stood.
Aridanos edges toward something that was never meant to be his.
Tsunala holds more than even she realises.
What binds them is no longer simple—and may not survive what they are becoming.
Beyond them, Selene has already begun to move.
The world is shifting toward something it cannot yet name. Not salvation. Not ruin.
A reckoning.
Because to save something means deciding what you are willing to abandon.
For readers drawn to dark romantasy rooted in character, tension, and emotional consequence—
The Guardians continues the Abandoned Gods series.
Book Links🔗
Book 1. The Keepers
Amazon | Goodreads | Storygraph
Book 2. The Guardians
Amazon | Goodreads | Storygraph
Meet The Characters
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Character artists: Mereh and Clotho by@ artbyemilycarter. The remaining Characters: Reza Heidart @lonebirdart |
Review
The Guardians by Alys MackayMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
BOOK: The Guardians by Alys Mackay (Format: eARC)
The gods are waking. Power is shifting. Loyalties are being tested—and the choices are getting harder. This definitely sums up the first half of the book.
Status: Read | Rating: [4.75/5 ⭐]
Progress: Read
Page Count: 461
QUICK IMPRESSION
There's a lot going on in this book, and sometimes it was a bit overwhelming. The odds that Tsunala and the crew were facing are high, and it felt like they were on the back foot all the time.
QUICK NOTES
If you read on Kindle... Make sure you read the contents note first. This will help you understand the world of the abandoned gods more.
(view spoiler)
QUOTES TO KEEP
• “You will know love, when that which is taken from you, becomes the fate you cannot tolerate.”
• “How could you not know that I would want to snag myself on those sharp pieces and bleed with you?”
• “Do you trust me?” I asked, scanning his face for any sign he didn’t. His hand made contact with my cheek. “With my life, Angel. It is yours to command.”
KEY CHARACTERS
• Tsunala: Goddess of Life. Nala now knows that she is the Goddess of Life, but has had her 'Celestial Light' stolen by Selene.
• Selene: Originally Tsunala’s priestess, she led a rebel uprising to steal the God's Celestial Light. She rules as the new goddess of life in the 'old world'.
• Aridanos: Shadow Fae, 'Aridanos the Shadow.' One of the most feared Fae in the Fae realm, bonded and lover to Tsunala.
(There are lots more, but these are the 3 main characters)
FINAL THOUGHTS
• The Good: WOW, the story was so full of character development. We have more gods awoken, yet Selene seems so powerful and has had so much time to gain knowledge and traction in the old world that I felt the task was almost impossible.
The decisions and consequences of an action... to start a path but then realise that the road isn't straight; the path breaks, bends, and even forks, with no map to guide you as to whether that decision was the right one.
It's been a wild and twisting ride reading this book.
• The Bad: This isn't 'bad', more like anxiety for the characters... I spent most of this book thinking that Tsunala and the gang were destined to reach their goal, only to have Selene pull it out from under their feet. So be warned, if you are an emotional reader like myself, you're going to be feeling all the feels, tension, and regrets.
• Verdict: This book was a strong 2nd book in this series. Although once or twice I did feel like it dragged a bit (hence my 4.75 rating), whereas book 1 I devoured (but then it was all new and such an immersive world that was new to me), overall the story is developing well. We learned a lot more about the world that Tsunala woke up in, and Aridanos definitely has some character development...
If you love dark romantic fantasy that does not adhere to the normal fantasy conventions—with language, dialogue, and clothing that are recognised in both older and more modern settings (this is noted at the beginning, and it makes so much more sense now; this dissonance was deliberate, and the author uses this as part of the wider architecture of The Abandoned Gods series, which became apparent to me as I read this book)—I look forward to seeing how this develops across the continuing books.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading book 3.
View all my reviews
Author Bio
Her stories centre strong heroines, morally complex characters, slow-burn tension, and bonds forged through trial rather than fate.
Her series, The Abandoned Gods, explores forgotten gods, dangerous magic, loyalty, sacrifice, and the choices that can reshape entire realms.
