REVIEW: The Younger Gods by Katie Shepard

In The Younger Gods by Katie Shepard, Mortal priestess Iona Night-Singer began the rebellion against the god of death three and a half years ago. She always knew there was a chance that she and the other acolytes might not make it out alive. But if they won in the end, it would be worth every tear shed and life lost so they would be out from under the evil thumb of Death. Iona unfortunately lost her betrothed, Taran, in the final battle that killed the heinous god. They had been making plans for their wedding and the long happy life they’d enjoy together, never truly thinking one of them wouldn’t survive. After six months of missing Taran and trying to make it through each miserable day alone, Iona comes up with the idea to go to the Underworld–where all of the dead are sent–to bring him back to the mortal world.

“Do you remember anything? Anything at all? I asked softly.
“Before I died? No.” He didn’t look up as the warm pad of his thumb dipped up and down across my knuckles. …”But there are a few things I just…know,” he added after a moment.

Iona sets sail for the Underworld alone and with no provisions. Everything goes wrong from the start. But she eventually makes her way through the gate into Summerlands, where the immortal gods and goddesses are said to reside. Making a bargain with the goddess Wesha was never going to be an easy task. But Iona somehow gets her to agree that Taran can be brought back to the human realm. Only Taran is not the mortal being Iona thought he was. He’s mostly an immortal–and has now been reborn which means he lost all of his memories from before his death. Knowing that her betrothed doesn’t remember their two years together, the battles they waged against Death, their joyful moments on the road, or their incredible love for one another nearly guts Iona. But she vows to make things right as well as to ensure her beloved Taran gets the chance to live his life free and with those he loves.

‘Taran was still there. Some kernel of the person who’d gone to war against a god who’d become a tyrant. I just had to find him.’

An imaginative Romantasy with a twisting and turning plotline, multi-faceted characters, and intensely complex relationships, THE YOUNGER GODS was a great start to Katie Shepard’s first foray into the genre.

“I’ll love you till the stars fall out of the sky.”

CW: View Spoiler »Enslavement, murder, torture, dubious consent (not between the MCs) « Hide Spoiler

I’ve enjoyed all of Katie Shepard’s books I’ve read. They typically have fun threads of humor along with the real-life situations she puts her heroes and heroines through. And they’re never lacking in big emotions. I’m happy to say that these elements still shine through, even in a Romantasy like THE YOUNGER GODS–which was a Greek mythology retelling based on Ares and Eurydice. Told from our heroine Iona’s POV, everything she endured and felt on her way to finding her betrothed, Taran, and after locating him was palpable. The fear, sorrow, anger, hints of happiness, and love nearly jumped off the page, they were detailed so well. And that in itself drew me into Iona’s story even more.

As with the beginning of any series–particularly Romantasies–there was a lot of information to learn and cast to get to know. Shepard’s world building was on point, though. And not just the descriptions of the many different realms. Each character was carefully crafted, their interactions with others were unique as well as unexpected at times. But it was the push and pull between Iona and Taran that will have readers on the edge of their seat. They were always in danger, from page one. Their love, however, was what kept them going during battles against the god of death and other evil beings…until Taran was (supposedly) killed in a final fight with Death.

The twist in their story, of learning that Taran was reborn and in the Summerlands–where the immortal gods and goddesses resided–was understandably confusing for Iona. Particularly since her joy of finding her betrothed alive was quickly dashed by realizing he had no knowledge of her. What followed was not only chaos from the tricky gods and goddesses but also Iona coming to terms with her changed relationship with Taran, trying to find a way to bring him “home” to the mortal realm without starting a new war. It was a big old complicated mess for them. But an intriguing one that I think will keep readers interested from start to finish.

QOTD: Do you have any favorite Greek mythology pairings (like Ares & Eurydice) or any retellings you have enjoyed reading?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: January 13th, 2026 | Ace | The Younger Gods #1

Danger looms when a former priestess sails to the realm of the dead to find her fallen lover, only to discover the gods she thought she defeated are preparing for war.

Iona Night-Singer thought she’d overthrown the gods. Her mortal rebellion eked out a painful victory by using the gods’ own powers against them—though she lost her betrothed, Taran, in a final battle with the god of death. Months later, the war doesn’t feel over. Not with Taran gone. Especially not when the gods still answer the prayers she sings.

Angry, grieving, and with a gnawing dread that the gods will return, Iona strikes a deal with her former patron if Iona can convince Taran to follow her home from the Underworld, he’ll be free to live again. If she fails, they’ll both be trapped there forever.

No sooner does she find him, she makes a horrible discovery. The dead gods have been reborn, they are plotting revenge—and Taran, it seems, was always one of them. This reincarnated trickster god with Taran’s face no longer remembers her or the war they fought together, and she doubts not just his loyalties but his love.

Determined to stop the next war without revealing her part in the last one, Iona enters her deadliest battle yet, one where she fights to bring Taran home without him even knowing it.