Publication Date: December 2, 2025
They said the Gods were myth. That the Giants were only stories told around dying fires. They lied.
The Gods aren’t dead—they’re only sleeping, locked in mortal bodies, scattered across the world, waiting for the right spark to wake them. And my father is the most ruthless of them all.
He raised me to obey. To bleed. To be his blade when the time came. Now he’s sending me to Endir University, a place filled with ancient bloodlines and deadly secrets, to steal back Mjolnir, the hammer of legend. If I fail, everyone I love dies.
But Aric Erikson wasn’t part of the plan. He’s the enemy’s heir. Distant. Dangerous. And…the one person I can’t afford to fall for. He’s closed himself off completely behind a wall of ice, but the more I’m ordered to unravel him, the harder it becomes to remember where the lies end and I begin.
There’s only a mission I never chose—and a man I was never meant to love—standing between me and a war that will decide the fate of the world.
But if I’m the spark, maybe he’s the fuse. And the Gods? They’re about to wake up angry.
Norse mythology takes a new twist under the pen of author Rachel Van Dyken as she reimagines the ultimate battle for power in Fallen Gods.
Rey is sent by her father, Odin, to Endir University on a quest that will mean life or death for everyone she loves. Standing in her way is Aric Erikson, the enemy’s heir.
Since the story primarily unfolds on a college campus, the characters are mostly young adults like Rey, who just turned 18. The author tempers the steam usually present in her adult-oriented titles, but still demonstrates the undeniable connection between Rey and Aric.
Fantasy, myth, and legend collide as secrets unfold, or in this case, runes are unlocked. Aric and Rey may be pawns in a game they didn’t start, but their enhanced abilities might give them a fighting chance.
The dialogue earns high marks as the enemies-to-lovers storyline develops. Secondary characters add flavor, especially with the epic showdown.
Fallen Gods sets the stage for a new series steeped in Norse mythology.
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching guilty-pleasure TV.
