A review by _beccareads
Even The Gods Fear It by Kelly Barker

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

An interesting quick read, with a really intriguing plot line. 

Zoe, our protagonist has extraordinary ability to bring her creations to life, and quickly the world is filled with the mysterious creatures from her imagination. 

Now, I want to preface my review by mentioning I didn’t realise this was a sequel, and as a result I could’ve missed important character building in the first book. That being said, something I really struggled with was the pace of the book and the lack of plot development - which even if I knew the characters well, I think still would’ve been an issue.

Personally, I love a quick read but this book was so fast, it felt a bit chaotic. Written from Zoe’s point of view, the story felt a little all over the place at times, now this could be because Zoe herself was pretty… erratic, as she barely gets any sleep, it’s believable that her thoughts and imagination could run away from her, but from a readers perspective I really struggled to connect with the story because of it. 

The ending, in particular, felt abrupt with a lot happening in a couple of chapters and then everything suddenly returning to normal which felt unrealistic and disappointing.

Another reason this book missed the mark for me is I found Zoe completely dislikable. She consistently put the world at risk, stubbornly refused to listen to reason, and seemed indifferent to the innocent lives at stake. I think the real kicker was she didn’t even seem slightly remorseful and showed no intention to change.

On the other hand Varik was absolutely hilarious. I really enjoyed his witty comebacks, sarcasm and his relationship with the other characters.

Overall, I thought the storyline was great and if the book had greater plot development throughout I probably would’ve enjoyed it more. I’m intrigued to see what else the author brings out as her creativity is clearly unmatched.