Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book asks big questions—about belief, loyalty, and what it means to stand against the divine. Anderson’s world is ambitious, and there’s no shortage of sharp commentary woven into the magic and politics.

The characters felt real and conflicted, and the plot takes some unexpected turns. I did find some of the pacing uneven, and a few threads were left too loose for my taste—but the ideas stayed with me. Philosophical without being preachy. A strong debut with a few rough edges.

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Review posted on Goodreads.

We Who Have No Gods by Liza Anderson was a wonderfully witchy, magical, academia, and monster filled story from start to finish.

Vic is a character that you may not like at first but she grows on you as the story progresses, and you learn her reasons why with snippets of the past.

The setting itself is marvelous, I loved the college with its mind of its own, the twisty turns and mysteries, giving it some nuances from the usual magical academia novel.

I also enjoyed the quotes and snippets at the heading of each chapter, feeling that they added to the lore and worldbuilding of the novel.

Overall I really enjoyed reading We Who Have No Gods, and look forward to adding it to my shelf, and waiting in anticipation for the next part of the series.

Thank You to Netgalley & the publisher for the opportunity to read the book before its release. And to Liza Anderson for her writing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this eARC!

We Who Have No Gods was a win for me. It has a lot of elements for fans of romantasy and dark academia. The prose is evocative and imagery as well as the world-building are wonderful; I especially loved how Avalon Castle itself was written.

Vic (MFC) is a complex character. Stubborn and loving, she is a wonderful blend of feisty and foolhardy. There were times where I felt nothing but sad empathy for this character, but she is also strong. I especially loved her relationship with her brother, Henry. That is not to say that the romance aspect of this novel was poorly written or anything, but I felt the brother-sister bond was touching and I would have liked a little more Henry focus. I will say this: I think MMC Xan will have a lot of appeal to many readers. ;)

The magic system in this book is intense, but this is not just a story about magic and witches, there are intense themes of acceptance and endurance.

Were some things a little unbelievable (beyond the obvious)? Sure, but it’s fantasy. That is not to say that fantasy literature shouldn’t have a solid foundation, but I can excuse certain aspects that may be a bit far-fetched in reality. I’ll also try to subtly warn without spoiling: POV shift at one point took me by surprise.

In short: I really liked this book; great debut from Liza Anderson.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Empyrean meets Hogwarts with a dash of David Mitchell universe, but make it extra occult-y. This book has good aspects and not so good ones. The magical worldbuilding is rushed, character development not robust enough to make me care that much about anyone, and the romantic entanglement is CRINGEY af. Like, so cringey. But the story itself is fun, and has an interesting magical system concept, and a really fun supervillain (alleged supervillain). The cliffhanger ending was also predictable but I still want to read the next book to find out what happens. I can’t give this 4 stars but I feel like I can give it a solid 3-3.5; a perfectly serviceable read.

I was super excited when I started this book; however, that feeling ended about 30% of the way through. Yes, there were some cool monsters, but everything was pretty shallow. The characters were largely undeveloped. The love story was completely undeveloped. The story itself was slow, but there were also major plot holes- for example, Xan mentioning how hard it was to get rid of a "mark," and yet Vic easily cuts it out. Ultimately, there was no character that I actually cared about, and I don't have any desire to know what happens to them.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my first ARC!!✨

This book was so much fun! Vic was a very strong main character for me. (I will always root for an older sister). Vic is born without any magical abilities and this story starts after the death of their mother when her younger brother Henry is essentially tracked down by the Elder Witches and told about a magical training school that he should be attending.

Even though she has no magic Vic is allowed to stay at the castle to supervise the situation until she feels Henry is safe enough to leave him there alone. Vic comes face to face with challenge after challenge throughout the plot and is determined to learn and grow from them.

It was refreshing to read a fantasy-based book where the main character isn’t immediately the best at everything and truly has to take time to learn and grow! She can’t do magic, she has trouble navigating the ever-moving and changing castle, and she has trouble staying connected to her brother.

Our MMC Xan is a typical shadow daddy which I will devour anytime but we did see glimpses into his life and background that I would love to continue to explore to make him feel more dimensional!

I can see this being the start of a really interesting series. There are so many characters in this world to explore more. Henry for starters faded into the background as the plot line got more intense so I would be very excited to see more of him in another book.

Quote: “Where Meredith had taken up as much space as possible, Vic had folded herself up to fit in the cracks her mother left behind.”

We Who Have No Gods ended up being a real page-turner for me! I enjoyed following Vic's journey, and the gothic/dark academia vibe really worked for me! The ending makes me think there'll be a sequel, and I'll be the first in line for that! Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I read We Who Have No Gods in a single sitting, and I am already looking forward to the next book!
I love the main character, Vic, and her determination. She is trying to keep her brother safe, and refuses to let her own inabilities hinder her mission. Her character is well developed, and her romantic interest evolves in a more realistic way, which is nice.
I loved the dark academia and magical elements of this book and cannot wait to read more from Liza Anderson!
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this advanced copy!

This was a good book. It's perfect for fantasy readers that like the dark academy type novels with strong historical lore within its world. The main character is great. The FMC really comes into herself throughout the novel and her getting stronger through the events in the book. I liked Aren. Not the biggest fan of Xan - there was something about his character that just felt forced I feel. Didn't like her brother Henry either. And then what bothered me is that I felt kind of tricked. The blurb makes it seem that Vic and Henry are very close - she'll do anything for him, even if he has magic and she doesn't. But there just wasn't a feeling of any kind of bond between them, and then it seemed that Henry was just a secondary character forgotten about. I expected them to be close, to have him in more scenes, to be more important to the plot. It would have really been a great thing to really have a fantasy novel like this where there are some really great and strong bonds from siblings that are not breakable. Not having that I guess was just kind of a let down for me. The writing was good, the pacing was good. I would definitely read this on kindle unlimited, but I wouldn't buy it for the listed price as of the date of this review. If it was a little lower I would, but I will keep an eye an out for this author and further releases.

I really enjoyed this book and I am desperate for the next one! It was a slow burn to get going but once I hit the midway - I was fully invested. I was easily able to predict most of it, and I still loved it.

We Who Have No Gods is a slow-burning, atmospheric fantasy that blends dark academia with quiet emotional weight. The writing is sharp and immersive, with a protagonist who feels grounded and deeply human. The magic is subtle, the world steeped in secrets, and every chapter pulls you deeper without ever rushing the story.

Perfect for readers who want character-driven fantasy with gothic undertones and just a whisper of something dangerous beneath the surface.

Tropes & themes:
✔ Dark academia
✔ Quiet power
✔ Found strength
✔ Subtle magic
✔ Emotional depth

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get into but once I did I was hooked. I read mostly at night because that’s when my toddler is asleep and I am not interrupted. I was up all night to finish this book and I don’t regret it!

We Who Have No Gods is a gothic dark academia fantasy that immerses readers in a world where witches hold power and humans are caught in the middle. The story follows Vic Wood, a human woman whose brother has inherited their mother’s magical abilities and been chosen by the Acheron Order, a secret society of witches. To protect him, Vic joins the Order's academy, Avalon Castle, even though she has no powers herself.

The novel shines with vivid world-building, painting a haunting picture of Avalon Castle and its surrounding woods. The magic system is detailed and adds depth, but readers may need to pay close attention to follow it fully.

Vic is a strong protagonist, resilient and complex. Her journey is about survival and self-discovery in a world that looks down on her. The relationships, especially with Xan, the head Sentinel, bring tension and intrigue to the story.

Some may find the pacing slow at first as the book carefully builds its world and characters. While it explores themes like power, identity, and rebellion, parts of the plot may feel familiar if you’ve read similar books.

Overall, We Who Have No Gods is a well-crafted, engaging read for fans of dark academia and fantasy. It earns a solid 4 stars, with a few minor flaws.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

While this book started off a bit slower and I wasn’t sure where the story was headed I’m glad I stuck around. It really has everything I look for in a fantasy book… a grumpy MMC, a magical school, a pair of siblings with one “powerless” and a good old fashioned battle of good vs evil. I do think the epigraphs at the start of the chapters were super wordy and can’t say I read all of them word for word. Overall I’m excited for this story to continue.

This is definitely a classic fantasy story. A brother and sister who have been on their own, and on the run, since the death of their mother finally meet the people, they've been running from... and finally get some of the full story. A lot of the lore and world building in this comes from the little historical quotes at the beginning of each chapter, so make sure to actually read those. This is the first novel in a coming series but also ends on a note that doesn't make me feel completely stranded while waiting for the next book. Overall, would recommend if you're a fan of wizardry/sorcery/monster fantasy. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC, I am providing this review of my own choice.

3.75

I had a good time reading it. I thought it was an interesting story and was invested for most of it. I thought the main character was interesting. I was annoyed by her brother and one of the other characters. I have theories that weren't answered, so I am interested in what happens next. The ending shocked me a bit. I thought this was really good for a first novel, and I really enjoyed reading it.

This was a fun fantasy/dark academia book. I like how it skirted along the edge of the standard fantasy tropes, but sometimes veered off, so you were never sure quite what was coming. The ending, I think, was predictable, but it was also the kind of ending that couldn't end in any other way, so I'm forgiving about that.

Vic has protected her brother, Henry, her whole life, especially after her mother dies. One day, though, at her restaurant job, a strange man comes in and tells her that her son has inherited powers from his mother, and must train at the school. The headmaster even lets Vic stay, even though she's not one of them and has no powers. She will soon find that people have ulterior motives to both keep her out of the school, but also to keep her in.

I love the relationship between Vic, Sarah, and May and I wish I could have felt the connection more between Vic and her brother. It seems like this book is setting us up for a sequel, and if this is the case, I am all in, and hopefully some of my questions will finally be answered.

This book was fantastic, though a little slow to start. The magic system was interesting, born witches vs made witches and the never ending battle with Orcans.

The monsters in the book are modeled after creatures in lore from around the world. Windego, mimics, and Draugrs for example.

There were also some terrifying parts, the way some of the monsters were described made my skin crawl! Such engaging writing that only got better as the book progressed.

That being said there were some things that didn’t really make sense. Just things that didn’t feel plausible in “real life”. And a sex scene that wasnt really a sex scene because they didn’t really get all the way there? So that felt a little rushed and out of place where it happened in the story.

I 100% will read the second one, I am enthralled by the characters and can’t wait to see how the story will conclude!

This is the review I posted for Fable.

I do like a good dark academia book. This book fits that bill. If you enjoy stories with witches, demons, monsters, and some relationship drama then this book is for you. The pace was great. I read this book in a couple days and probably could have finished it sooner if I had more time to devote to it. The writing is engaging and I did like the dark Gothic vibes. it definitely has elements of horror as well and one or two eewww moments for me lol. I sometimes didn't enjoy the underlying romantic plot and some of the interactions there but I always remind myself that I'm much older than these character and so of course I think and feel differently about relationship dynamics. An overall enjoyable read. This comes out January of 2026. Thank you NetGalley for the EARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank-you to NetGalley, Ballantine and the author for this eARC of the book.

This was a great debut novel by Liza Anderson!

Vic is utterly human and has been working to protect her brother, Henry, for years. He was born with witch blood and their mother had warned them away from the Order. Eventually, with limited options, they travel to the Order's headquarters so Henry can train. Vic is looked down upon for her human status, but continues to stay to try to understand the Order and what the world is up against. What follows is an adventurous tale of her unwavering determination to protect Henry and stay alive.

This is definitely is a fantasy forward novel with a romance is a side plot. The ending will leave you wanting the next book stat!

I appreciate Vic for her honesty, or No F***s given attitude, and passion to protect her family. This book did a great job of bringing the action as the plot developed!

One thing that always bugs me are those moments where romance is brought in at a time where it really just doesn't make sense. There is a scene in the last ~10% of the novel where something along these lines takes place and I literally was ready to stop reading there. I get what the author was going for and it would've worked out better if this was a TV show or movie. However, on paper, it just did not work for me.

This book is out January 2026! (which is really frustrating because that means its going to be even longer for the next installment!😫😜✨) If you love enemies-to-lovers and academic setting, this book is for you!