ARC Review: ‘The Younger Gods’ by Katie Shepard
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The Younger Gods
by Katie ShepardSeries: The Night-Singers #1
Published by Ace on January 13, 2026
SubGenres: Fantasy Romance, Romantic Fantasy
Format: eArc, Paperback
Pages: 447
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
Audience: 18+/Adult
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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.
I enjoyed reading Katie Shepard’s The Younger Gods, the first book in The Night Singers Duology. It’s a gender-swapped retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, where former priestess Iona Night-Singer sails to the realm of the dead to retrieve the love of her life after he is killed during their rebellion against the gods (particularly Death). She makes a deal with her former patron goddess: if she fails, she’ll be stuck in the realm of the dead with Taran with no way to get back home.
When Iona arrives to take him back, he doesn’t remember her. She then discovers that the gods they rebelled against are alive and preparing for war. Everything she knew about her beloved is a lie, making Iona unsure whom to trust, especially with everyone at home still suffering after the rebellion. Despite this, she’s determined to face the gods again and save everyone and bring back Taran, even if he is not who she thought he was.
My Thoughts:
I found the story interesting and loved the author’s gender-swapped retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. The book is told from Iona Night-Singer’s POV, who is determined to oppose the gods even at great personal risk. She’s willing to defy anyone to retrieve Taran, the love of her life, who later turns out to have lied to her. I liked that Iona confronts several gods despite Taran’s warnings, as he still doesn’t remember her, but it’s obvious he cares for her, even though he tries to make her his priestess, initially.
I enjoyed the action-packed scenes and world-building, though I do have a small gripe with the latter, which I’ll mention later. Learning about the other gods was fascinating, even when they were plotting, especially Death.
My main issue was how long it took Iona to tell Taran the truth. He thought she was there to retrieve someone else, not knowing she had come for him. Her secrecy was frustrating. I understood Taran’s confusion before and after he learns the truth. I wish I’d had his POV, since he seemed interesting and I wanted to see his reactions.
Another thing, I struggled with the book’s beginning, starting in the middle of a battle, which made me feel lost. Once Iona traveled to the realm of the dead, I could follow the story easily, but that beginning part made me feel like I missed out on some world-building. It also took me a while to finish the book, partly because I recently lost one of my pets and struggled to read, but that was on me. (I still miss my cat, Midnight. I had her for 17 years, and she was my reading buddy.)
Even though I had some issues with the book, I’m glad I picked it up and now have another author to follow. This book has inspired me to read more mythological retellings, which I’ve always enjoyed. I’ve loved learning about Greek and Roman mythology since I was young, and I appreciate when authors put their own spin on it. (I need more gender swaps like this book.)
Overall, I give the first book in The Night Singer Duology 3.5-stars, and I can’t wait to pick up the next book, especially since the ending left me with a cliffhanger, and also check out other books Katie Shepard has written.
Cliffhanger: Yes.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If Greek Mythology retellings are your thing, especially gender-swapped stories, add this to your TBR right now. Fans of strong, determined female main characters will find Iona Night-Singer especially compelling.
About Katie Shepard
I write love stories. I write about people whose jagged edges happen to match up with someone else’s. I write love stories because I wanted to make happy endings for people who are afraid they won’t get them.
I studied Soviet history and worked in human rights law before burning way, way out and achieving professional tranquility as a simple country bankruptcy lawyer. It’s just as exciting as it sounds!
I live in Texas with my husband, kids, and two rescue cats, but am often found hiking in the mountains of Montana or the virtual woods of Thedas.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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