cover image These Vengeful Gods

These Vengeful Gods

Gabe Cole Novoa. Random House, $19.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-593-89812-3

In the 10 years since the Godcouncil enacted a purge of the children of Death, 16-year-old Crow has been forced to hide his powers and status as a Deathchild, eking out a living as a talented underground pit fighter in the Shallows, the grimy undercity of Escal. When his uncles are arrested for harboring Deathchildren, Crow accepts a sponsorship from Chaos, an 18-year-old minor god of Discord, to fight in the biannual Tournament of the Gods for a chance to win his uncles’ freedom. Forming close-knit relationships with Chaos and fellow competitors Maddox and Lark, Crow faces grueling combat trials and an even more harrowing media circuit. Their mission draws them into an investigation regarding the Shallows and the purge of the Deathchildren, and Crow becomes increasingly infuriated by the blatant wealth inequality and callous disregard shown toward Shallows residents, and manufactured by Escal’s elite. Novoa (The Diablo’s Curse) equally emphasizes propulsive action sequences and sincere found-family scenes to spin a cathartic revenge story crackling with rage against systemic discrimination, set in a contemporary fantasy dystopia with an extensive and inventive magic system. Characters are described as having varying skin tones. Ages 12–up. Agent: Louise Fury, Fury Agency. (May)