Picking up exactly where book 1 left off, this dives deeper into the world that I've come to know and fall in love with. I can't express how much fun this was, it's a must read!

Picking up where The Sun and the Void left off, this sequel deepens the rift between two powerful women navigating treacherous paths shaped by gods, war, and love. Reina, devoted to the sun god, finds herself torn between divine duty and the fragile peace she has finally won. Meanwhile, Eva, bound to the god of the Void, returns home not as a prodigal daughter, but as a hidden threat cloaked in ambition. What makes this duology stand apart isn’t just its magic system or lore, but how those elements are tied to cultural trauma and reclamation. This is a beautiful, refreshing fantasy and I would recommend this duology to just about all fantasy readers.

Being asked to join Gabriela’s street team for TRATS felt like a dream come true, and having just finished the e-arc I received I can say with confidence that her writing is some of my favourite!!

The River and The Star is a story told in technicolour, Gabriela Romero Lacruz brings both her world and her characters to life in this second instalment in The Warring Gods duology. While I can sometimes find dense world building a little difficult to work through, I found myself fascinated by the world being described to me, Gabriela’s created a space you can’t help but long to visit, and her Venezuelan inspiration is used to artfully embellish a world that feels entirely unique.

As for the characters, I had NOT anticipated falling for these four main characters as much as I did!! I always knew I was a Reina fan from book one, but in book two I’ve found a love for the remaining three main characters as well. The perspectives in TRATS work so well to give a balanced account of the events that take place and leave you wanting to give each character their chance to narrate while also being desperate to know what’s happening elsewhere!!

I laughed and was left devastated by TRATS, and if I know anything, it’s that a good book will always allow me to feel all my emotions as I read through it 😌

Overall, I cannot recommend The River and The Star (and The Sun and The Void) more!! I’ve had so much fun reading this book and you can bet I will be grabbing a copy as soon as it comes out in October!!

Gabriela has created a beautiful rich world in The Warring Gods series that only continues to expand and deepen in The River and The Star. Gabriela does an amazing job weaving the story with Venezuelan folklore and South American history. I have never felt so seen reading a book. I loved getting to know Reina, Eva, Maior, and Javier even more. The sequel adds such beautiful depth to each of the characters, as they work through their intergenerational trauma and find redemption. I felt as they felt reading this book. I felt their joy, anger, frustration, sorrow and love. The themes of found family and redemption touched me deeply. The River and The Star was an amazing ending. This is a series is will be returning to again and again.

The River and the Star by Gabriela Romero Lacruz is the second book in the Warring Gods duology. This book continues the story of Reina and Eva directly after the events of The Sun and the Void. The two have been fundamentally changed after the battle in the tomb. Reina now hosts the god of the Sun and Eva, the God of the Void. The two will struggle to maintain their friendship as the rival gods put them at odds and threaten their families.

Such an amazing book. The vast majorities of traditionally published high fantasies are based off of white European culture and folklore which can get very same-feeling—but this duology is based in Gabriela’s home country of Venezuela. I loved being able to read a high fantasy that was so different from anything else I’d read. The worldbuilding and magic system was so intricate and fun to learn about through both books. I love the themes of colonization with the different races and religion systems. These books had such a full world. The characters were wonderful and flawed and felt fleshed out. I enjoyed watching them grow over the two books. Eva became my favorite by the end of the duology—I originally found her to be a bit selfish but by the end she was a bad bitch. I also love my emo boy Javier. I really adore all the main characters and grew very attached to them. Overall, a duology I loved.