The War Beyond

• Author: Andrea Stewart
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: November 4, 2025 
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: The Hollow Covenant #2

Thank you to Orbit for sending me an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

In this thrilling sequel to the international bestseller The Gods Below, loyalties will be tested, long-lost secrets will be revealed, and two sisters will face each other on the battlefield as the war between the gods ignites.

Hakara risked her life to find her long-lost sister, only to lose her all over again. Now Hakara and her Unanointed rebels hunt for the shapeshifter Lithuas, knowing that defeating her would strike a blow to the plans of the tyrant god Kluehnn.

Rasha once longed to be reunited with Hakara. No longer. Now Rasha is a godkiller and proud to serve Kluehnn’s divine will. Yet she also harbors doubts about Kluehnn’s teachings. When she is sent to destroy Hakara and her allies, Rasha will have to decide where her loyalties truly lie.

As the two sisters hurtle toward a bloody reunion, Sheuan continues her shadowy games of intrigue to uncover the secret that killed her father, while her cousin Mullayne seeks the tomb of Tolemne’s family. There, Mull believes he’ll find the answers he desires.

If there’s one thing I know, it is that Andrea Stewart can write one hell of a fantasy series. Getting my hands on this just reinforced that idea, and I was left both completely satisfied and dying for the next book to be available. I was blessed with not only a hard copy, but also an audiobook version, so I was able to switch between the two, making it easier to read almost constantly for days whether I was driving, relaxing, or even while doing chores.

The audiobook is narrated by three different narrators—Eunice Wong, Jonathan Waters, and Stephanie Németh-Parker. Using multiple narrators for a story that is told through the eyes of multiple characters adds depth and complexity to the narration. Each of the narrators does a fantastic job, and it differentiated the varied experiences that the characters were exposed to. In this case, I really appreciated the fact that the female and male characters each had a unique narrative voice in addition to Stewart’s gift for creating POV characters who are so different from each other that I never got confused about who was narrating.

Each chapter opens with the length of time since the Restoration of Kashan, as well as how long ago the Shattering occurred. It gives readers a better picture of how long things have been status quo, along with how the characters are faring. After more than a decade separated, things are not copacetic with Hakara and Rasha, the sister she never forgot about and spent her whole time in Langzu working to get back to Rasha. 

The compelling story continues in this book as the characters each get closer to how their world really works and the truth of things around them that they never knew about before. Hakara is working with the Unanointed to fight off Kluehnn’s godkillers, setting her up for a confrontation with Rasha that isn’t going to leave either of them happy, no matter how it goes down. Mull pops up in the book with all the information he learned while searching for Unterra and Tolemne’s tomb, while Sheuan finds herself facing two very different paths depending on what she decides.

While this book is a bit on the slower paced side to allow the complexity of the characters and their interactions, especially as all of the characters cross paths in this story. There were still many battle scenes that were so vividly represented that I had no problem visualizing the carnage for myself. Despite all of the characters heading toward an inevitable showdown, the story really focused more on how the characters work to resolve conflicting information.

Rasha is the one who struggles the most in this story. She was taken in by Kluehnn’s representative, brainwashed, and trained to be a godkiller for the last ten years, sure that the only person who ever promised to come back has forgotten about her. When they do cross paths, there is a lot of new information for both Rasha and Hakara to absorb, and some of it conflicts with Rasha’s worldview. There are strict rules that Kluehnn maintains for his godkillers, so that he can get rid of all the ‘false gods’ in the different territories. Not only is Rasha trying to integrate what Kluehnn has told her with what she sees with her own eyes and learns from interacting with one of the false gods. But Kluehnn’s plan seems to be foolproof: Get rid of all the other gods, and Restore the worlds that haven’t been remade yet. 

Despite the intense programming that Rasha had, the story really hinges on her—the one character who always felt as though she was seen as too young and unable to help. She’s the only one of the godkillers in her cohort that even entertains the idea that something they were told might be a lie, while the others have no problem toeing the line. It doesn’t surprise me that Rasha has a hard time following all the rules, since Hakara also has that tendency.

Where the story really shines is the character growth, which is also one of my own favorites aspects of a book. Rasha is just beginning her adult life, and is understandably curious about what she’s been told for the last decade when she sees conflicting evidence for herself, and is told the truth. However, it’s hard to overcome the kind of intense programming that she experienced in her burrow, almost like a cult. Rasha not only grows up and gains confidence, but we see Hakara learn to be a bit less rigid as well as she learns some important lessons. Sheuan had a fantastic arc in this story—going from someone who her entire clan is relying on to someone who stands up for herself, while her cousin Mull has the task of integrating potentially the most information, especially as he spends time with Hakara and Sheuan. 

Overall, this is exactly what I’d have expected from Stewart—a gripping story peopled with realistic, complex characters. Each of them is forced to integrate new knowledge that conflicts with what they have been told. I loved watching each of the POV characters discover more and get closer to the mystery and truth of their world and the gods in it. The gods in this story are accessible, living among the people in some cases, and this reminds me of some of the Pagan and/or Eastern religions, where gods interact directly with characters. While reading, I couldn’t help but visualize the characters as being Asian, despite the fact that the story takes place in a completely fictional world. There are twists, turns, major reveals, and plenty of action throughout the story. My only criticism was that the ending felt kind of rushed, even though it left me feeling completely satisfied, and confident in keeping Stewart on my auto-read list.

Bottom Line: An outstanding second book in a series, and it is enjoyable in both print and audiobook format. Don’t miss this one.

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