These Vengeful Gods - by Gabe Cole Novoa (Hardcover)

About the Book

Crow, a teen descended from the god of Death, must keep their true identity hidden while navigating a dangerous gladiator-style competition, fighting to win freedom for their family and challenge the gods who killed their ancestors.

Book Synopsis

ALL GODS MUST DIE in this searingly relevant YA dystopian from award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Bargain and Most Ardently. In a world bound by violence, a teen descended from the god of Death must keep their true identity a secret as they fight their way through a gladiator-style competition towards victory and rebellion against the gods who murdered their family.

Years ago, the descendants of the god of Death were murdered. The few that remain are in hiding, including Crow, a teen who survived the genocide and hides their magic to stay alive. After fleeing their village, Crow now lives with their uncles in the lowest part of the city: the Shallows.

Life in the Shallows is tough, but Crow's even tougher. Hiding their magic has made Crow resourceful, cunning, and unbeatable -- which comes in handy as a fighter in the city's lucrative underground fighting ring.

Then, Crow's uncles are arrested for harboring Deathchildren.

With fists tightly clenched, Crow vows to set their uncles free. But to do that, they're going to need to enter a world that threatens Crow's very existence. Carefully navigating the politics of the wealthy and powerful, they enter the Tournament of the Gods -- a gladiator-style competition where the winner is granted a favor. As they battle their way towards the winner's circle, Crow plans to ask the gods for their uncles' freedom as their reward.

But in a city of gods and magic, you don't ask for what you want.

You take it.

Action. Adventure. Romance. Find it all in Gabe Cole Novoa's novels:

• The Wicked Bargain
• The Diablo's Curse

Review Quotes

"[A] cathartic revenge story crackling with rage against systemic discrimination, set in a contemporary fantasy dystopia with an extensive and inventive magic system." --Publishers Weekly

"A familiar story made fresh with compelling details and social commentary." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Gabe Cole Novoa (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling author with an MFA in Writing for Children. He writes speculative fiction featuring marginalized characters grappling with identity, particularly Latinx and nonbinary or transmasculine teens. Gabe is the author of the Beyond the Red trilogy, written under a former pseudonym, The Diablo's Curse, Most Ardently, and the award-winning novel, The Wicked Bargain. He also runs a popular writing-focused YouTube channel, bookishpixie, and is active on X and Threads.