Fallen Gods

Fallen Gods Duology, Book 1

By: Rachel Van Dyken

Narrated by: Alexander Cendese, Taylor Meskimen

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 Odin, the most ruthless of them all, is my father.

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 that once belonged to my dead brother. If I fail, everyone I love dies.

But Aric Westberg wasn’t part of the plan. He’s the enemy’s heir. Distant. Dangerous. And somehow…familiar. He doesn’t know what he is yet—or what he carries—but I do. And the more I’m ordered to unravel him, the harder it becomes to remember where the lies end and I begin.

Because there’s no clean line between survival and surrender anymore. No comfort in the stories I’ve told myself to make any of this feel justified.

Only a mission I never chose—and a man I was never meant to care about—standing between me and the end of the world.

If I’m the spark, he’s the fuse. And the gods? They’re about to wake up angry.

©2025 Rachel Van Dyken (P)2025 Recorded Books

Decent Story

I am still getting into the Ramantacy genre, but it's growing in my. I do like getting the Norse Gods involved to make it that much more interesting. I guess I am just getting too old for how young peI please think and make decisions though to enjoy the story completely. For life and death situations, let's make out instead of taking care of business. Still kills me but I'm old. The story is intriguing though and I love Rey and her will to fight. highly recommend.

Enemies-to-Lovers With Gods? Yes Please.

I gave Fallen Gods five stars and absolutely loved it. I read this one partly on my Kindle and partly on Audible while doing a readalong, and the audiobook made it so easy to keep up while working or driving. Switching between formats worked seamlessly and kept me fully immersed in the story.

I went into this knowing almost nothing about Greek mythology, so every twist and reveal completely surprised me — in the best way. The world-building was fascinating without feeling overwhelming, and the way the gods are woven into a modern setting felt fresh and addictive.

The story is fast-paced, emotional, and filled with tension. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic, the forced mission, and the slow unraveling of trust kept me hooked from start to finish. I especially loved the chemistry between the main characters and how the stakes continued to rise as the story unfolded.

This was such a fun, engaging read, and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series. If you enjoy mythology-inspired romantasy with action, romance, and nonstop twists, this one is definitely worth picking up.

thr narration style is to weird for me. don't try so hard

the breathiness of the narrator and the overall style of the narrator is just too difficult to listen to She should focus on just reading the story and maybe doing differentiation and character voices but not being so anxious all the time it's it makes me anxious to listen to

Arin and Rey

It took me a few chapters to actually get hooked. Yes there were moments I had to walk away because it made me overthink (which it's normal for me lol) times I laughed, and times I was so mad 😡. For the record I OFFICIALLY HATE ODIN AND ROWAN that's all I'll say about those two.. grrr. This was a slow burn but worth it. I definitely want to read book two. (there better be a book to because that ending it's NOT IT) When Arin and Rey finally let themselves feel it's was sweet. I can understand why some people in their reviews say the book was all over the place maybe having audio for it would help? I did both. I loved the modern take on the Gods.

Good narration

I received a gifted copy. This review is honest and voluntary.

I did enjoy this book enough that I finished it. I just found it drawn out and found I was bored for parts of the book. But also too much packed in the last 1/4 of the book. Also, that ending? Ugh. Made me mad. While I did enjoy it, I don't think I will be continuing this series.

I also bought the audiobook to listen along and I would recommend the audio for those who prefer to listen.