REVIEW The Isles of the Gods (The Isles of the Gods #1) by Amie Kaufman

The Isles of the Gods (The Isles of the Gods #1) 

by Amie Kaufman
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Format: Audiobook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

The Isles of the Gods is by no means my first Amie Kaufman read, but I think it's my favorite so far. A high seas adventure complete with a full cast audiobook narration and epic worldbuilding, it was a treat to be introduced to this world and get to immerse myself in the story. If you enjoy books like Set Fire to the Gods by Sara Raasch and Kristen Simmons or Adrienne Young’s Fable series, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

When the book first starts, it does take a bit to get used to all of the point of view characters in this book (there’s five, by my recollection). However, after the first couple of chapters I found all of them to be compelling and to have unique voices. Selly was unsurprisingly my favorite. Each character goes through a lot in this book (physically, mentally and emotionally), and none of them are by any means perfect. Given the setting of an impending war, it was interesting to see how each side takes into account the innocent lives caught (or soon to be caught) in the crossfire. There’s also a bit of romance in the story for those who might be interested (though that is by no means the main focus of the plot). 

The worldbuilding was my favorite part of the story. There is a large pantheon of gods within the book (as the title might suggest), though two specifically take center stage. I enjoyed learning about how each culture’s history was shaped around their respective god. The setting itself was another interesting element - magic and electricity exist side by side, crime bosses are a run of the mill occurrence in bigger ports, and they have automobiles and trains (but not high powered ships to get rid of the need for traditional sailing and speed up sea travel). There are parts of the magic system that are still a bit confusing, but I’m hoping the author fleshes that out in future installments to the series. 

Overall, this was an excellent page turning read. The tension and the pacing of the book were well balanced. Sadly, the cliffhanger was painful (and unexpected), so I’m super excited for the sequel to come out (currently set in July 2024). 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amie Kaufman

Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and daughter, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. She is the host of the podcasts Amie Kaufman on Writing, and Pub Dates.