Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Victoria Wood lives in New York as the sole caregiver to her 18-year-old younger brother, Henry. Their mother, Meredith Wood, disappeared years ago, leaving behind an ominous warning to protect Henry from a mysterious “them.” When Nathaniel, an Elder of the magical Archeron Order, tells Henry he is a witch and must relocate to a castle to learn how to control his abilities, Vic goes with him, because protecting Henry has been her job for as long as she can remember.
She arrives at a hostile, human-hating castle, is immediately unwelcome, and finds herself drawn to Xan, the Chief Sentinel, who wants her gone more than anything. With a magical war brewing, Vic must figure out where she fits in, how to protect Henry, and whether either of them will survive what’s coming.
After being treated to a fantastic dark academia experience in An Arcane Inheritance, I was excited to jump into We Who Have No Gods by Liza Anderson. And while the premise is strong and the plot follows the familiar dark academia secret society formula, the execution fell short for me. The characters felt shallow, their motivations unclear, and the worldbuilding and magic system unfinished. While this should have been a win based on setup alone, the relationships and plot progression left me wanting more, despite the solid idea at its core.
Read our full summary and review of We Who Have No Gods. This post contains spoilers.
We Who Have No Gods
Description
Vic Wood knows her priorities: scrape by on her restaurant wages, take care of her younger brother Henry, and forget their mother ever existed. But Vic’s careful life crumbles when Henry reveals that their long-missing mother belonged to the Acheron Order—a secret society of witches tasked with keeping the dead at bay. What’s worse, Henry inherited their mother’s magical abilities while Vic did not, and Henry has been chosen as the Order’s newest recruit.
Determined to keep him safe, Vic accompanies Henry to the isolated woods in upstate New York that play host to the sprawling and eerie Avalon Castle. When she joins the academy despite lacking powers of her own, she risks not only the Order’s wrath, but also her brother’s. And then there is Xan, the head Sentinel—imposing, ruthless, and frustrating—in charge of protecting Avalon. He makes no secret that he wants Vic to leave.
As she makes both enemies and allies in this mysterious realm, Vic becomes caught between the dark forces at play, with her mother at the heart of it all. What’s stranger is that Vic begins to be affected by the academy—and Xan—in ways she can’t quite understand. But with war between witches threatening the fabric of reality, Vic must decide whether to risk her heart and life for a world where power is everything.
Tropes
- Dark Academia
- Witches
- Reluctant Allies
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
- Family Secrets
- Monsters
Review
Overall Impressions 😊
I really wanted to love this book. On a surface level, I should have. It has all the elements I usually enjoy in dark academia: a seemingly “weak” FMC who overcomes adversity, secret societies, brooding men, magic, monsters, the whole checklist. But for me, most of those elements stayed frustratingly shallow.
I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Vic often came across as pick-me, Xan lacked meaningful character development, and Henry’s motivations remained unclear. There were also several glaring plot holes that felt brushed over, and many character decisions didn’t quite make sense, which made it difficult to stay emotionally invested in the story or its stakes.
Because of that, I found myself reading more out of obligation than excitement. I wanted to finish so I could give complete feedback, not because I was eager to see how things unfolded. That said, about 30 percent of the middle section did fly by, and it was easily the most engaging part of the book. The beginning and the ending were where I struggled the most, especially when it came to pacing and payoff.
I did appreciate the glimpses of depth in the magic system. It’s clear there was real paranormal research behind it, and those moments stood out. I just wish that depth had been more fully developed and woven into the story, rather than delivered through brief exposition.
Ultimately, We Who Have No Gods left me underwhelmed. With so many dark academia books on the market right now, this didn’t feel special or distinctive enough to stand out, and that made the missed potential even more noticeable.
Perfect For Fans Of… 🌟
Even though this one wasn’t for me, We Who Have No Gods does have solid witchy, dark academia elements that some readers will enjoy. If you like academia settings paired with magic, secret societies, and lore-heavy worldbuilding, there’s still something to dig into here.
The magic system leans heavily into paranormal research and lore accuracy, almost like an episode of Supernatural where characters are seriously debating magical creatures and rules. Those details were some of the more enjoyable parts, especially if you like magic that feels researched and structured.
Vic is very much a take-charge, chosen-one-adjacent heroine. Even though I personally struggled with her characterization, readers who enjoy strong FMCs who push forward despite being clearly outmatched will likely connect with her more than I did.
There’s also a compelling mystery at the center of the story, and while only a fraction of it gets uncovered, readers who enjoy slow reveals and trying to piece together what’s really going on may find that aspect satisfying.
And if you’re a magic school fan, this includes classes, training, and a castle-like academic setting, giving it that familiar school-based fantasy feel. If you grew up loving Harry Potter or similar magical school stories, this may hit the right notes for you.
Characters 👥
I didn’t like Victoria. While I empathize with her as an eldest daughter forced into a caretaker role, her decision to stay at the castle never fully made sense to me. She doesn’t have magic, the environment is openly hostile to humans, and despite the story framing her presence as necessary for Henry, she often came across as stubborn and overly protective rather than purposeful.
Xan felt flat and underdeveloped. His dynamic with Vic shifts too quickly, from outright hostility to offering her a job after making a huge deal about her not belonging there, with very little emotional groundwork. While I appreciated that he isn’t just a brooding MMC, he ultimately felt like a familiar love interest who exists to orbit Vic rather than stand on his own.
Henry was the most compelling character for me. He consistently felt like the most rational person in the room, openly questioning why his sister stayed in a place that clearly didn’t want her.
Victoria and Xan’s relationship is where the emotional arc really falls apart. Their connection jumps from tension to attraction without enough buildup, sliding into insta-love. Moments like the abrupt intimacy at Vic’s door and their romantic choices during an active battle completely broke my immersion and undercut the stakes.
There are also character dynamics that felt underexplored. The relationships between Aren, Meredith, and Max are positioned as important, but are mostly explained through exposition rather than meaningful interaction.
Overall, We Who Have No Gods sets its characters up to matter more than they ultimately do, which made it hard to stay emotionally invested.
Plot 🗺️
The plot of We Who Have No Gods has good bones. It’s a story of a seemingly mortal girl with a past she thinks she knows, but doesn’t fully understand, finding herself in the middle of a supernatural war. Fantastic idea, love it. The execution, however, is a different story.
Even though I enjoyed the premise, the beats were off and the story never came together. Putting my dislike of Vic aside, it felt like the world of witches never got a solid foundation. Henry is just told he’s a witch and sent to a magical school. Victoria is not wanted there but decides to stay, and that’s that. Xan and Victoria hate each other and then have instant attraction. It felt like this could’ve been stretched out another 100 to 200 pages to give it more depth and to go more into detail by actually showing us the world.
Henry is supposed to be the glue that holds the story together, but it’s mostly Victoria running around the castle.
I really disliked how Victoria and Xan’s romance scenes were handled. They’re having really out of place romantic scenes in the middle of a battle, for no reason.
I was intrigued by Aren’s magic, but the Born versus Made concept didn’t really come across, and I was confused about what his motivations were and how the magic system was supposed to work. It just didn’t work together as a cohesive novel for me.
Writing Style and Narration ✍️
The writing style matches the genre well. It’s smooth, with a low barrier of entry that makes it easy to step into the world without feeling overwhelmed. I liked the supernatural elements pulled from folklore, like ghosts and stryxes, and those details felt well researched and intentional.
That said, the dialogue didn’t work for me. Banter is really important for me when it comes to enemies or rivals to lovers, and the conversations here often felt inauthentic and, honestly, a bit cringe. Because of that, the relationships never fully clicked, even when the writing itself was easy to read.
Synopsis
Victoria and Henry Arrive at Avalon Castle
Victoria and Henry Wood are siblings living in New York. Their mother, Meredith Wood, disappeared when they were young, and Vic was left with the responsibility of protecting Henry. Before their mother disappeared, she told Vic that she needed to protect Henry and hide him. Because of this, Vic dropped out of high school and has taken care of Henry ever since.
Henry is 18 and Vic is 25. One day while Vic is working at a diner, she notices a man watching her. That man is revealed to be Nathaniel, one of the Elders of the Archeron Order, who has finally found them. He tells Vic that Henry is a witch and needs to be trained, otherwise he could be dangerous to society.
Vic goes home and talks to Henry, and Henry says he remembers their mother telling them that he would be safe at the castle and that they should go. They drive to the school in upstate New York. Even though Vic is a non-magical human and not supposed to be there, she goes with Henry anyway. After days of driving, they arrive at the castle.
They are greeted by another Elder, Max. Max tells Vic that she can stay and attend classes, even though the school is very secretive and humans are not normally allowed. Vic refuses to leave her brother, so she stays.
Max warns her not to wander the school at night, but Vic does anyway. While wandering the castle, she sees a very tall, beautiful man speaking with another Elder. The Archeron Order is responsible for keeping the veil between the living and the dead intact, and the tall man mentions he is having trouble putting something down without revealing what it is.
Victoria Attends Classes in Avalon
The next day, Vic begins attending classes. The other students are hostile toward her, while Henry begins making friends. Vic meets Sarah, a Sentinel who has graduated from Avalon. Sarah is currently attending classes as punishment and is paired with Vic. Sarah reveals she mouthed off to her superior, Xan, the Chief Sentinel, which is why she is being punished. She also mentions that she is not a natural-born witch, but a made one, before the class is dismissed.
There are also other non-magical humans in the castle, but they must wear shrouds so they cannot see magic. Sarah tells Vic to come with her after class.
The next day, Sarah takes Vic to the arena, where Vic realizes the man she saw the night before is Xan, the Chief Sentinel. Vic watches combat drills and physical training. Xantries to frighten Vic into leaving by forcing her to spar. Vic ends up winning against Xan’s second-in-command, May Lin, because Vic is a more organic fighter and has a background in martial arts.
Later, Vic and Henry learn that Nathaniel lied. Henry did not need to attend the school until after college. Their mother had always said Henry was special, which Vic finds suspicious, but Henry wants to stay.
May Lin later lures Vic into a boiler room-type location with the intent to scare her into leaving. Max intervenes. Max believes that witchcraft can be learned and sees Vic as an experiment. He believes that if she takes classes, she may develop magic on her own.
Vic later spars with Xan again. Xan offers her a job training younger students in physical combat so she can be useful. She reluctantly agrees.
Meeting with Aren Mann
Max has a familiar, a raven. A familiar is created when a witch chooses not to pass on and embeds their soul into an animal. Max’s raven is eight generations old, and Max will be the ninth.
During another lesson, Nathaniel takes the students into limbo and forces them to face a creature as a way of proving they do not belong there. Sarah conjures a knife and protects Victoria.
Vic later meets a man named Aren Mann in a dream. He tells her she can do magic if she wants to. Aren wants the Archeron Order’s archaic ways to end. When Vic asks how made witches are created, Aren explains that they have to die and come back to life. He was the first person to ever make a made witch.
Aren cuts Vic’s hand and helps her channel magic. She feels it move through her veins. She later wakes up and does not remember everything clearly. She senses a presence, possibly a creature, but sees nothing when she opens the window.
The next day in class, Vic answers questions correctly. Xan dismisses her early and tells her to rest. Instead, Vic researches in the library and learns that Aren Mann defected from the Order and created a more radical organization. A third of the Order has defected to him. She realizes this is likely the group Xan mentioned earlier, one that does not care about casualties.
While in the library, Vic finds flies and then discovers a mutilated corpse. She reports it. Nathaniel uses this incident to try to have Vic removed from the castle. The Order decides Vic can remain if she passes a trial involving magical shackles that would kill a non-magical person. Vic survives the shackles, something that has never happened before.
Sarah sneaks Vic out and takes her back to her apartment. They drink and talk, and Vic learns that the Order is losing its war against the Brotherhood, who believe made witches are abominations and want them all dead.
Vic later encounters a creature in the castle and is saved by Xan. They share a moment of attraction.
We Who Have No Gods Ending Explained
Later, Vic and Sarah attend a party at an off-site Sentinel location. Xan appears, they flirt, dance, and the tension escalates before Xan pushes her away again.
Vic later asks May Lin for help opening the ward on her mother’s apartment. Vic successfully undoes the ward and discovers her mother had a secret life. She finds a photo of Meredith with Max and Aren. A creature attacks her, and Xan arrives to save her. He heals her arm with magic.
Vic later realizes Aren’s magic is bound to her arm. Aren appears to her again and shows her memories of how he gathered power. He claims he did not kill Meredith.
Henry tells Vic she needs to leave the castle, but she refuses. Vic later realizes Xan followed her to her mother’s apartment in shadow form. Xan admits he wanted her to get closure but also hoped she would leave.
Vic and Xan grow closer but Vic ultimately chooses to leave because she is scared. Xan tells her not to look back.
Aren’s backstory is revealed. He grew up in a religious household, discovered he could manipulate light, and was treated as blasphemous. He later attended Avalon Castle, befriended Meredith and Max, then defected.
The Brotherhood draws the Order to Vermont while planning to storm the castle. Vic crashes her car and hears Henry calling for help. She follows the voice and dies, then resurrects as a made witch.
She returns to the castle, confronts Nathaniel, and kills him when her powers flare. Xan realizes she is a made witch. During the battle, Vic and Xan take shelter together. They hook up.
After the battle, Max returns. Vic suspects she and Henry may be connected to Max and Aren. The castle is cleared and survivors are relocated to a safe house. Vic removes Aren’s binding from her arm.
In the final scene, Aren addresses his followers. He is angry that he lost Meredith’s daughter but reveals he still has her son. Henry is revealed to be part of the Brotherhood and a traitor to Avalon Castle.
Spicy Chapters
How Spicy is We Who Have No Gods by Liza Anderson: 🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 32
Dark academia, secret orders, and brewing war, read more 🖤📖
We Who Have No Gods had a premise that didn’t quite execute well for me. While there are some compelling dark academia setups and great supernatural elements, the characters and the plot never fully came together. The story doesn’t end with much closure, clearly setting things up for the next book. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series, though there is potential, so I may wait to see how other reviewers feel as it matures a bit.
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