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What the Gods Left Behind
- GenresAmazon
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2026
5 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Zephyr Trillian
1 bookZephyr Trillian writes dark epic fantasy about broken worlds, forbidden magic, and hope in unlikely places. When not writing, she can be found wandering the Netherlands, devouring books, or playing survival crafting games and RPGs. She also works as an indie fiction editor. What the Gods Left Behind is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 8, 2026
A divine Artifact, the thief tasked to steal it, and an Acolyte on the run are drawn together as powers awaken and narrow the choices available in What the Gods Left Behind (The Severed Age Book 1) by Zephyr Trillian.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
After a potentially deadly accident occurs while helping her mistress, the Hearthkeeper Acolyte Wisterly flees the lord’s home where she’s served, but the silver collar at her neck makes it difficult for her to easily keep her presence hidden while on the run. While evading the notice of guards, she meets Mordred, a Guild thief who is trying to get out from under the thumb of his handler and past, as he’s out training an apprentice who happens to steal her coin, and she gives an eerily guided chase to get it back. Offering to help Wisterly, Mordred asks her to join him on what he hopes will be his last Guild job: stealing a divine Artifact, something only those with godblood, like Wisterly, can handle without going mad. But when they obtain the Artifact of the Child, the Box of Pathways, it soon becomes clear that a strange power has awoken and briefly taken control of Wisterly, giving her visions from the mischievously playful Child as the pair find themselves now hunted by both the Guild and the Grand Council. While trying to evade capture and maintain a level of freedom, and their lives, they take the Artifact where it guides them, where they think no one would follow, hoping it will lead them toward a safer future.
Presenting a world that has interesting magic incorporated within it, there’s an evident depth to the development of the mythos and structures that hold the world together and beliefs the characters uphold that drive their behaviors, which are well described; while the immediate action of this installment reaches a resolution it’s not fully concluded and there is yet more to be discovered and explored. Threading throughout the narrative is a theme of collusion by those in seats of power looking to procure even more for themselves, despite what, or who, it might cost, which provided a good amount of intrigue to the plot to drive the action forward. The characters were provided with distinct and memorable traits, and as the majority of the story’s time and focus centers around Wisterly and Mordred, their characters are given the most attention and development. They both are depicted with strength, with physical dexterity to help with tasks in their jobs, but they also demonstrate a sense of fortitude though differently given their backgrounds and experiences, which balances their partnership as Wisterly begins with a greater emotional naïveté before undergoing changes, both physical, mental, and emotional, whereas Mordred exhibits greater emotional and charismatic acuity from managing the heavy secrets of his past for so long before opening his emotional walls for someone else to enter. Through the manner in which the duo is depicted and the situations they maneuver themselves through, the story explores questions of freedom, choice, and identity in a thoughtful way that’s likely to carry over as the story continues.
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
After a potentially deadly accident occurs while helping her mistress, the Hearthkeeper Acolyte Wisterly flees the lord’s home where she’s served, but the silver collar at her neck makes it difficult for her to easily keep her presence hidden while on the run. While evading the notice of guards, she meets Mordred, a Guild thief who is trying to get out from under the thumb of his handler and past, as he’s out training an apprentice who happens to steal her coin, and she gives an eerily guided chase to get it back. Offering to help Wisterly, Mordred asks her to join him on what he hopes will be his last Guild job: stealing a divine Artifact, something only those with godblood, like Wisterly, can handle without going mad. But when they obtain the Artifact of the Child, the Box of Pathways, it soon becomes clear that a strange power has awoken and briefly taken control of Wisterly, giving her visions from the mischievously playful Child as the pair find themselves now hunted by both the Guild and the Grand Council. While trying to evade capture and maintain a level of freedom, and their lives, they take the Artifact where it guides them, where they think no one would follow, hoping it will lead them toward a safer future.
Presenting a world that has interesting magic incorporated within it, there’s an evident depth to the development of the mythos and structures that hold the world together and beliefs the characters uphold that drive their behaviors, which are well described; while the immediate action of this installment reaches a resolution it’s not fully concluded and there is yet more to be discovered and explored. Threading throughout the narrative is a theme of collusion by those in seats of power looking to procure even more for themselves, despite what, or who, it might cost, which provided a good amount of intrigue to the plot to drive the action forward. The characters were provided with distinct and memorable traits, and as the majority of the story’s time and focus centers around Wisterly and Mordred, their characters are given the most attention and development. They both are depicted with strength, with physical dexterity to help with tasks in their jobs, but they also demonstrate a sense of fortitude though differently given their backgrounds and experiences, which balances their partnership as Wisterly begins with a greater emotional naïveté before undergoing changes, both physical, mental, and emotional, whereas Mordred exhibits greater emotional and charismatic acuity from managing the heavy secrets of his past for so long before opening his emotional walls for someone else to enter. Through the manner in which the duo is depicted and the situations they maneuver themselves through, the story explores questions of freedom, choice, and identity in a thoughtful way that’s likely to carry over as the story continues.
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review