Brace yourself, for the Great Hunt has begun…
With thanks to Keighley_Reads for the below review.

I loved The Ordeals, it was one of my favourite reads of 2025, so I was really excited to see The Divines was out this year (spoiler, i loved it too!).

Picking up straight after the attack that ended The Ordeals, this book dives straight back into the world of Kellend, Killmarth and Sophia.

I loved seeing the characters develop and watching Sophia’s growth and maturity as she learned to build new relationships with characters she’d previously had strained relationships with.

I really enjoyed the immersive action throughout the story and seeing the characters learn more about their strengths and powers as the book progressed. The action scenes were brilliant, mixing excitement with moments of sadness.

PTSD and grief were recurring themes throughout this book, and I really appreciated the care with which the author explored them. Sophia being the kind of friend you’d want by your side if you were Tessa was a real standout for me. 

Seeing the world-building expand was another lovely addition, and we were introduced to some new characters along the way.

Of course, there was death (no spoilers!), and I was particularly sad about one death towards the end. But I really think this book and series had the potential to become a trilogy. I would have loved to see Sophia’s future and her choices play out in another book!

Overall, a great conclusion to the duology! If you love a bit of dark academia with a little spice, then this series is definitely one to pick up.

About the Book

Brace yourself, for the Great Hunt has begun…

In the aftermath of the Ordeals, Sophia must hone her awakening power to fight the cold ones. With Alden by her side, they will prepare for a new task, finding a key ingredient for an antidote.

But as the true nature of the cold ones comes to light, questions arise over the gods. Perhaps the Great Hunt cannot be stopped, for the gods are hungry and have a will of their own.

As tragedy strikes and the one Sophia loves most is attacked, she must face the wrath and might of the gods to save him, her friends and her world.

The battle is about to build to God-like proportions.

About The Author

Rachel Greenlaw grew up in North Cornwall, surrounded by wild moorland and studied creative writing at university before moving to an island in the middle of the Atlantic, with all the allure of tropical palm trees in the summer and spine-tingling storms in the winter. When she’s not wandering the beaches and nature trails, she’s dreaming up her next story. She is the bestselling author of One Christmas Morning, The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells, The Ordeals duology and the Compass and Blade trilogy.

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