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Lexi didn’t set out to steal a god’s ring, but when a magic artifact starts trying to talk to you, what’s a girl supposed to do? She’s always had the ability to talk to animals, but this new development amps up the crazy. Now she’s afraid her power is out of control and she’s losing her mind.

The only person who could possibly reassure her that she’s not going mad is her mother, who has always refused to discuss the source of Lexi’s strange ability. Now that the jewellery is getting chatty, maybe she’ll finally spill the beans.

Unfortunately, going home means a trip back to the human territories, and Lexi only just made it out of there alive last time. She’s hoping for a quick visit, but with a god hellbent on retrieving the ring and a fireshaper she might have accidentally betrayed on her tail, life is about to get horribly complicated—for her and everyone she cares about.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

380 people are currently reading
214 people want to read

About the author

Marina Finlayson

31 books252 followers
Marina Finlayson is a reformed wedding organist who now writes fantasy. She is married and shares her Sydney home with three kids, a large collection of dragon statues and one very stupid dog with a death wish.

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364 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
Profile Image for Phrynne.
4,044 reviews2,738 followers
August 26, 2020
Just what I needed today! A good, paranormal fantasy to lighten up my reading load.

The gods are being murdered one by one by a group of humans who have discovered how to harvest their power. Apollo will be next to die if Lexie and her shape shifting friends do not stop them first. I do love the magic system in these books especially Lexie's ability to be able to influence animals. When she wants to search someones' house she takes over a few mice or a passing moth, tells them where to go and views through their eyes. Brilliant.

The book is well paced, there is a tiny bit of romance to keep everyone happy, and there is a lot of excitement and near misses. Plus it ends on a cliff hanger which guarantees having to move on to the next book. I need to know what happens to Syl.
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,235 reviews2,344 followers
January 6, 2019
Murdered Gods is book two by Marina Finlayson and narrated by Hollie Jackson. Our gal now goes looking for the mother who kicked her out to ask her questions only to find herself in the middle of trouble. Shadow shifters are capturing gods for their power but they need the ring our gal has on her finger! Super exciting!
Narration was spot on!!!
Profile Image for Mara.
2,539 reviews270 followers
August 5, 2017
As I said with book one, it's a fresh, if not solid, world building. It has one glaring problem, now crystal clear: even if it's not offered as such, it's a serial rather than a series. These books read as episode one, episode two... rather than book one and book two.
There's quite a difference, and it's not only length, but depth.
I was eager to read this book (and I liked it), but at this point I'm not sure if I'll keep reading.
Profile Image for Jessica.
953 reviews15 followers
March 14, 2017
Honestly, with this book. i really didn't like it much as to the fact that Lexi was in my mind stupid and idiot at the best of times. I felt like slapping her and telling her to trust Jake. I hope that the third book that might be coming within three weeks to a month is better then this book.
Profile Image for Kat.
275 reviews
December 24, 2016
Short Read

I think it took me forty-five minutes to read this. Um, I've never been the novella reader. It's a solid plot with solid characters, but it's missing some complexity.
Profile Image for Asia.
205 reviews1 follower
October 10, 2022
When the ring she stole from the Ruby Adept practically whispered to her in the previous book, Lexi knew that she was either going mad, or there's more to her gift then she knows. She sets out to reconnect with her mother, to see if she can finally answer some of the questions Lexi has had as long as she can remember. Syl is determined not to let Lexi go alone, despite the fact that shifters are not welcome in the human territories. Taking the ring may have turned some friends into enemies, but what else was she supposed to do? However, Lexi will discover that things in Newport are not how she remembers. While searching for a piece of normality, she stumbles across something that's way bigger than she could have imagined.

Now this book is where the series plot really starts. Hades was introduced at the end of book one, so we're aware of the Gods playing a role in the series. But it's in this book that they are properly included.
I liked the little journey that we took with Lexi in this book, how up and down the story is; desperation turns to hope turns to shock turns to determination. And the internal struggle with Jake, constantly warring with himself over what he should think of Lexi, I love it.
"Every time I finally decide you're on my side, you do something else that makes me doubt you again. Half the time I want to kiss you, and the other half I want to kill you."


Like the first book, we had a fast-paced conclusion. Well, almost. It was close enough to the end to be the conclusion, but the action ends a few chapters before the book. Which is good, because we get some explanations as to what had happened, and a nice set up for the story to continue. If it had ended with our lovely characters jumping through a hole in the floor, it would certainly have been a cliffhanger, but not a great ending.

The story only gets better from here. Now that the true plot has begun, we can watch as our characters delve deeper into the mystery of what's happening to the Gods.
Profile Image for Ms. Cyn.
1,544 reviews
October 24, 2017
Couldn't put it down

I couldn't put this one down. I just had to know what was going on with the gods and I hoped I would find out what is going on with her memories. There have been lots of hints about gods being sacrificed but I wanted to finally know how it happens. Just horrible.

Lexi gets pulled into the human One Worlders unknowingly and has lost her past. Another mystery about herself to solve. Its just nuts. Thank goodness Jake is still around trying to make things right. He still thinks the worst of her too easily but hopefully that changes now that she has proved herself.

I do wonder if Syl will stick around though since she keeps getting hurt and doesn't seem to be happy with Lexi.
4,392 reviews56 followers
August 2, 2019
This book is different than the first one. A fast-paced story in a new part of the world, human controlled land, and things truly changes forever for Lexie. All that she believed about her past may be a lie. She also finds out who is killing gods. Not all the questions are answered, and some new ones have popped up.

Truly enjoyable. I loved the appearance of Hades' dog. Don't try and say sit, doggy, sit with this one. The relationship between Syl and Lexie is a special friendship.
Profile Image for Autumn.
424 reviews31 followers
December 28, 2017
can't say i love the characters, but I'm intrigued by the world... hoping the characters evolve more so I can enjoy more
Profile Image for Pauline Ross.
Author 11 books362 followers
March 4, 2017
Marina Finlayson is one of my all-time favourite authors. Her stories just seem to resonate with me, and I’ve enjoyed every single thing she’s written. Which makes it more than a little nerve-wracking whenever I pick up a new book - will this be the one that falls flat on its face? Well, no is the answer, not by a long shot.

In the previous book, Lexi got into a whole heap of trouble over a stolen ring with magical powers, although with a hot fireshaper around, there were some compensations, too. But the ring’s doing some odd things, and Lexi’s own ability is unusual too. Controlling animals seems pretty tame when you’re surrounded by shifters in a world ruled by powerful shapers, but where did that ability come from? Lexi decides to go back home to the human territories to ask the one person who knows - her mum.

Accompanied only by her faithful pal Syl, a cat shifter who refuses to take human form, Lexi heads off on what should be a simple journey. But that’s not going to happen, right? With some really, really angry people on her tail and a lot of mysterious goings on back home, the story sucked me in big time, and I just couldn’t put it down. I’m not going to say any more because - spoilers! But you can be sure that there’s a ton of action, lots of neat twists and a glorious punch-the-air moment when the cavalry arrives (in a most unlikely shape!).

Be warned, however, that some of the big questions raised in this book remain unresolved. There’s no cliffhanger, as such, but there are definitely unfinished aspects left for the next book. I can’t wait! Five stars.
Profile Image for Mary Catelli.
Author 55 books203 followers
October 22, 2017
Book #2. Spoilers ahead for Stolen Magic.

Like, it opens with Lexi having a drink with Hades.

Shortly thereafter, she flees with the ring, despite an attempt by Cerebus to block the road. And she tries to track down her mother to get an answer out of her. Only to find that her life in her hometown seems to have been erased. She knows no one.

When someone seems to recognize her odd power over animals, she leaps at the chance.

Intrigue follows. Including accusations from Jake, death, prisoners, life at a luxurious manor, collars, a flute, power, and more.
Profile Image for Amanda Kratz.
660 reviews51 followers
September 2, 2021
Not as good as the first one but not bad. 3.5

Basically Lexi goes in search of her past and everything has mysteriously disappeared and she’s thrown right in the middle of the bad guys.

The book is so short it was over so fast.

Again the Greek mythology angle is so interesting.
The bad guys are killing the gods to absorb their powers.

I have a feeling Lexi is gonna turn out to be Artemis. This has strongly been hinted at.

One major complaint though - now 2 books in a row the main heroine is backed into a corner with no where to go and magically un summoned help arrives just in the Nick of time to save her butt. Just an observation.

I’ll keep reading. I’m curious where this is headed.
291 reviews3 followers
December 5, 2021
NUSSA ESSA SÉRIE É BOA FI.

Eu tô amando isso!! Tantos mistérios, e a lexi é uma ótima personagem!!
Magoar ela pegou o anel de apollo e foi para a cidade que ela nasceu, dos humanos. Ela pretendia encontrar sua mãe e perguntar sobre o anel que parecia tão familiar.
Porém, a casa que ela achava que era a dela, na verdade não era! Sua mãe não estava em lugar nenhum, nenhum dos vizinhos ou amigos de infância pareciam existir ou ter morado nos lugares que ela pensou que moravam, e o pior, nem seu registro de nascimento ela encontrou!!

Aparentemente ela não existe, e não sabe o que está acontecendo!

No entanto, quando ela invade sua antiga casa a procura de sua mãe, ela se depara com uma velhinha e seu filho - que na verdade faziam parte dessa seita de gente que matava os deuses gregos e pegavam os poderes deles!

O próximo da lista era o Apólo, mas acabou que ela é o Jake conseguiram salvá-lo!

O próximo passo é libertar a Syl e o apollo de uma coleira que bloqueia poderes…. E então descobrir o que aconteceu com seu passado e quem ela é realmente!

Ah, e o Hades com certeza tem um dedo enfiado nessa janta dela… minha hipótese é que ela tbm é uma deusa que está se escondendo e acabou trocando suas memórias para se proteger, e ela acho o anel tão familiar pq é um avatar, e ela provavelmente também tem um 🤷🏻‍♀️

Cant wait for the next!
Profile Image for Kelly.
152 reviews3 followers
February 15, 2017
Enough's enough, and Lexi's gotta get out of dodge and go find mom to have a chat about her powers and her past. Unfortunately, she's gotta get past Cerberus first - it seems that more than one person doesn't think a visit to mommy-dearest is the best idea... so clearly, that's exactly what Lexi should double-down on. Only once she gets back to where she grew up, nothing's quite right, and a lot of things are very wrong.

This is a good follow-up to Stolen Magic; it largely picks up where the first book left off, and runs with the questions both raised and hinted at in the first book. While what Lexi is slowly becomes more and more obvious, it's not done in a way that has you screaming at the character out of frustration or refusal to see what's in front of them, but in a way that lets you feel for Lexi, while also feeling a little anxious for Lexi, as you begin to put things together she hasn't figured out yet.

The main characters haven't changed much from the first book, meaning you're mostly engaging with Lexi again - and Finlayson's talent may just lie in the fact that even though her characters do stupid things, you can see how they made the choices to get where they're going -and you care about where they end up.
Profile Image for Pauline.
310 reviews19 followers
August 18, 2017
Feeling a strange connection to a magical artifact, Lexi Jardine decides to head back to the city where she was raised and ask her mum some big questions. But for some reason the house she grew up in has a different woman living there, and the cafe she worked at has a different owner. And apparently these people have all been there for many, many years. Is she going crazy?

Meanwhile she stumbles across another person who can communicate with animals. Maybe she's not so alone in her magic after all?

I actually really enjoyed the set up here. The bizarre memory thing is intriguing, and the living gods concept adds an interesting angle.

Unfortunately, that can't really cover for some other quite poorly constructed sections. The 'lucky coincidences' are rampant, and certain abilities only seem to come into use when they're most needed.

Once again, I feel like Marina Finlayson would have benefited from a solid editor to work with her on the entire series. It feels like a series of events strung together, rather than a living, breathing world, and the characters feel more like caricatures rather than real people.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3, because I did like it better than the previous book.
Profile Image for Ashley Dawn.
Author 41 books81 followers
December 5, 2017
This was a wild ride. Lexi has decided that maybe not ALL shapers are as bad as she thought. That being said, when you take a ring that was in the possession of one and he was just starting to trust you, well that doesn't really help build his trust. Seeking answers brings her more questions than answers.
Is she a member of this new group she met and just forgot? Are they who she hopes they are or who Jake says they are? Confusion and hope tangle in her. Nothing from her past is as she remembers. Her new friends may not be friends at all and Jake may never trust her again.
It was a 4/5 for me. I am truly enjoying these books.
Profile Image for Noone.
830 reviews15 followers
September 7, 2022
This one suffers from horrible pacing issues.
Especially the first half is incredibly slow and could be condensed into a single page.
Not only that but the MC stumbles around in the dark without making any progress almost the entire time.
The MC has not the slightest clue about what's going on and tries to figure it out by pretending she does.
If done well this could have been very suspenseful but the book misses basically all the important cornerstones such a setup requires to work.
Even worse, this book answers only the most obvious of the many questions it raises.
All in all a very unsatisfying read.
1,249 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2025
This one kept me swinging between interested in the next step to she-is-just-TSTL. The fmc doesn't trust anyone - and may have good past rationale for why - HOWEVER, it's getting tiresome for her to give half-truths and hide most of what she is doing. Also, the martyr syndrome of "it's all my fault" or all the guilt is really boring. Basic stuff seems to be a challenge sometimes when the more complicated items are just so easy to accomplish. The mystic behind her powers has definitely unraveled between the missing memories and the tattoo. There are more books in the series but I'm not in a huge rush to continue. Maybe later.
32 reviews
February 22, 2017
A fun set of books to read!

I've now read the first two books in this series. They are both easy to read. Meaning that the words flow easily and the plot is interesting and fun. There are a few typos/wrong word, but they weren't too distracting. Warning though, each book is a bit of a cliffhanger. That's the only reason I gave them 4 stars. I really recommend the books in this series. It's an interesting world she has created. I'm looking forward to the next one and I plan to read others by this author.
106 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2018
Lexi's story continues

Marina Finlayson continues Lexi's story in Murdered God's and the action and mystery escalates from almost the very first chapter. Lexi is in search of her mother to find answers to her unusual ability to communicate and even direct the action of animals. She takes the ring she has stolen with her and leaves Jake really angry and hurt. A bit disappointing that there is less focus on Lexi and her quest to discover the secrets of her abilities but plan to continue to read the next book in this series.
46 reviews
October 29, 2018
Great characters and twists, engaging and well written

Interesting twists on themes of fantasy, magic and mythology with likable characters that have depth and charisma. Kept me engaged. Romance without being hit over the head with it. I do hate how so many writers treat women as though we have the same reaction to men’s bodies as men have to woman. Women are not physically turned on by visual looks the way men are but authors unfailingly act as though women swoon at a nicely shaped ass.
Profile Image for Curly's  Ramblings.
2,036 reviews6 followers
December 10, 2018
Some very interesting revelations occur in this second book in the Shadows of the Immortals series. Greek mythology weasels it’s way into this story as Lexi finds herself in perilous situations (yes, plural). Action packed with likable characters. My only gripe is that the main character, Lexi, makes some very questionable decisions that’ll left me throwing my hands up in the air and saying out loud “seriously?”
Profile Image for DaLynn Cooper.
151 reviews
February 10, 2017
The only problem I had was Lexi being a little too trusting. She was still cautious but she said that was out of habit so the only upside is she snapped out of it before she legit joined the cult. I don't blame her though as she was beginning to panic and they seemed to have answers and she was running out of places to look. First the ring and now memories, I'm excited to see where this goes.
868 reviews14 followers
June 24, 2017
I stayed up late into the night to read the first book and did the same with this the next night! Non stop drama that had me totally fascinated and whilst many story threads were not answered, enough was resolved and moved forward to make me go straight to the next book. Riveting, first class entertainment.
Profile Image for Julie.
418 reviews2 followers
July 19, 2017
I'm still left confused about somethings. I ended up skipping chapters, because they dragged. The narration isn't horrible but still seems off to me, but I have the next book in my que. I want to know who Lexi really is. I want to know what happened to make her forget or what gave her false memories.
Profile Image for Just Jese.
526 reviews
May 22, 2019
Soooo many questions

Another fast paced gripping story. I’m totally here for it.
It’s an interesting take on a story rooted in Greek mythology. I have several theories already floating in my head, although I strongly suspect Artemis is her mother or that she actually is Artemis in hiding.... but then surely her twin would’ve recognized her...?
Profile Image for Evelyn.
363 reviews1 follower
June 22, 2020
Lexie - the main heroine - has an obsession of fixing everything and by herself. And if possible, "fixing" everyhing without a half a consideration, common sense or trusting friends.

She was infuriating at times, I don't like female leads that run into trouble with a constant need to try to save the day at any cost without consideration for others involved in the problem.
11 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2017
What a page turner!

It's rare to find a new twist these days, but Marina Finlayson has done it! Great characters, fast plot, and plenty great plot twists. She makes you care about her characters and HATE her villains!! Can't wait fit the next one in this series!!!!
289 reviews3 followers
March 20, 2018
Fun series

Don't let the few 'dragging' parts get you down. -). It is well worth sticking to it for a few paragraphs. I have found this to be an enjoyable series and plan on finishing it.
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