These Vengeful Gods

These Vengeful Gods is a dystopian story with Hunger Games-like competition and action, inclusive and thoughtful representation, and fantastical magic and mythical gods. Crow is a trans and disabled fighter who lives in The Shallows--the lowest rung of society that is constantly flooded, and people live in poverty and strife. We discover that Crow lives with his uncles after the death of his father and a falling out with his mother, who is now the president of Crow's country. When Crow's uncles are arrested for helping "death children," Crow enters a competition (much like the Hunger Games) to win money and a favor from the gods (which he hopes will be his uncles' freedom). In Crow's world, the president rules in consultation with the gods who wield mythical powers--but, a very long time ago, the gods voted and decided to kill off all of Death's children because they could potentially kill. Some of Death's children made it out alive and the descendants -- "death children" were made illegal and, if found, would be killed to prevent their powers. Only a few gods voted against this, but not enough to keep it from happening. As Crow continues on in the competition, he learns more about why the world is the way it is and who's behind it -- all while fighting for greater systemic equality and change and fighting opponents. Anyone who likes dystopian reads like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent, etc. will enjoy this read, but what sets it apart is Novoa's characteristic representation and use of storytelling to fight for systemic change. I particularly appreciated how Novoa uses magic to accommodate Crow's transition and use of testosterone and shares how otherwise this would be logistically and financially challenging for people transitioning in the Shallows. This would be a great addition to any secondary library, especially those serving populations with a strong interest in dystopian literature. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

If you're looking for a Hunger Games style dystopia with way more queerness, this might be the book for you. It's a quick read with believable teen characters, excellent friendship dynamics and developments, and a broad spectrum of queer representation. The world of gods and magic was an interesting twist on a typical dystopian world, while still rooted in real life problems. A great gift for the queer teens in your life.

While the plot theme is not unique, this dystopian treatment of underdogs in a massive tournament that often leads to death is excellent, with great characters, tension, and just the right amount of action.

These Vengeful Gods was absolutely captivating. I felt like I was holding my breath from start to finish. I've read Novoa's previous books and loved them, but this one cements him as favorite must-read author.This story follows Crow, one of the last few descendants of the god of Death, who has to live in hiding since the genocide that killed so many other deathchildren. Crow fights in the Shallows, which is a part of the city where only the poorest people in society live. When their uncles are arrested for helping deathchildren, Crow decides it's time to take action. He signs up to fight in the biggest televised competition - a fight that could very well end in death - in order to win the favor of the gods and save his uncles from execution.I love a ragtag group of underdogs, and that's what this book delivers. Crow, Chaos, Lark, and Maddox have barriers against them at every turn, but they join together so that someone from the lowest rungs of society has as chance to make a lasting change in the world. The Shallows where they come from lacks so many resources, and therefore the people who reside there are up against the incessant rains that drown residents day in and day out, and wash whole houses into the sea. On the higher levels, though, people have the money and infrastructure to prevent the flooding that the Shallows deals with daily. It's a stark reminder of how the poorest communities in our own world are the ones first (and most) affected by climate change, while the wealthier people (and nations) can turn a blind eye and pretend that everything is fine, rather than deigning to lift a finger to help.There is so much in this book that I resonated with. Crow and their friends are used to wearing face masks every day because of the diseases that run rampant and the lack of medical care. But once they are in the high levels of the city, the residents there don't bother, even though Crow is immunocompromised and more susceptible to infections. Because it's inconvenient and people want to ignore what's going on around them, they risk not only their own health but the health of others around them. The magic in this world was intriguing and I loved how Crow used it as needed to help with their flare-ups, but it wasn't a cure and he still had to deal with his illness daily.I will say that this took a much darker turn than I was expecting, but in a way that worked perfectly for the story. I think the things that happen in this society and to the characters are going to haunt me for a very long time. I'm not super into books involving trials or competitions, but it did not deter me in the slightest with this book. The stakes are so high, and I was rooting so hard for Crow the whole time. Things never go how you expect them to, whether for better or worse.I love a good queer YA found family story, and this hit all of that. Lark, especially, was a stand out character. She is my favorite kind of bossy, mouthy character who is going to follow you to the ends of the earth if need be, even if she's mad about it the entire time. On a final note, I think it's always a good idea to include a cat companion. Mouse was the star of the show, hands down.

What an absolute banger! These Vengeful Gods is a YA novel for anyone who is angry about all of the injustices in the world.Murder of Crows (or Crow for short) is a survivor of a recent and ongoing genocide in a fictional universe where Gods form the ruling government, and Death's children have been deemed illegal. Living in the poorest part of the city, he and other Deathchildren have to hide their heritage and identities in order to survive. His top priority is to survive and keep a low profile. All that changes when his uncles, his closest family, are arrested and scheduled to be executed for harboring Deathchildren. In a desperate bid to save them, Crow enters the Tournament of the Gods, a gladiator style competition promising the winner unbelievable wealth - and a chance to meet the Gods themselves and ask them for a "boon."Novoa doesn't pull any punches with this one! Set in a dystopian universe, this book features a lot of familiar themes, including pandemics, extreme wealth inequality, police brutality, and ethnic cleansing. The result is an unapologetically angry lead who is taking on the establishment and everything it stands for. This is rounded out with an extremely sweet polyromantic/platonic found family, an intense and high stakes fighting competition, and a very adorable cat!Crow's continuous disgust and absolute rage as he uncovers more and more systemic injustices in how his world operates make him an extremely relatable main character. Crow is transmasculine, an ethnic minority, and has autoimmune disease (similar to rheumatoid arthritis). I absolutely loved seeing a main character dealing with chronic pain while still being an absolute badass. I also loved how developed the culture and traditions of Deathchildren is. The genocide that goes on under everyone's noses feels incredibly relevant.At 430 some pages, this is a pretty decently sized book, but I honestly could've kept reading it for a whole series. It is very fast paced with a large cast of characters and each play a unique role, I do wish the book had the extra room for us to get to know them a bit better but it didn't feel like there was space for anything beyond broad strokes. Similarly the trials went by in an absolute flash. Extremely enjoyable fast paced action, with just a bit of romance, and a strong strong social message.Big thank you to Random House Children's for the gifted review copy! Thoughts are my own.