These Vengeful Gods
By Gabe Cole Novoa
These Vengeful Gods is a dystopian story with Hunger Games-like competition and action, inclusive and thoughtful representation, and fantastical magic and mythical gods. Crow is a trans and disabled fighter who lives in The Shallows--the lowest rung of society that is constantly flooded, and people live in poverty and strife. We discover that Crow lives with his uncles after the death of his father and a falling out with his mother, who is now the president of Crow's country. When Crow's uncles are arrested for helping "death children," Crow enters a competition (much like the Hunger Games) to win money and a favor from the gods (which he hopes will be his uncles' freedom). In Crow's world, the president rules in consultation with the gods who wield mythical powers--but, a very long time ago, the gods voted and decided to kill off all of Death's children because they could potentially kill. Some of Death's children made it out alive and the descendants -- "death children" were made illegal and, if found, would be killed to prevent their powers. Only a few gods voted against this, but not enough to keep it from happening. As Crow continues on in the competition, he learns more about why the world is the way it is and who's behind it -- all while fighting for greater systemic equality and change and fighting opponents. Anyone who likes dystopian reads like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent, etc. will enjoy this read, but what sets it apart is Novoa's characteristic representation and use of storytelling to fight for systemic change. I particularly appreciated how Novoa uses magic to accommodate Crow's transition and use of testosterone and shares how otherwise this would be logistically and financially challenging for people transitioning in the Shallows. This would be a great addition for any secondary library especially those who serve populations with a strong interest in dystopian literature.
Reviewed by Katy Jones, Gardiner Area High School Library, Gardiner