Format: ebook
Published: February 24th, 2026
Age: Adult
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I found The Gods Must Burn to be a really interesting exploration of war, trauma and the conflict between duty and morality. I seem to have had a run of fantasy wars lately, in different forms, starting with The Siege of Burning Grass, which in same ways looks at similar themes to The Gods Must Burn, but overall I found this to be a stronger, more nuanced book.
It is Fantasy Romance, with the romance taking place between Basuin, newly created Wolf God, and Ren, the Forest God, who is trying her best to protect her home, though her pacifist ideals mean she is unwilling to maim or kill to protect the forest.
Basuin, a soldier, is dragged to a strange land to hunt down a god for his commander, Kensy. But when Kensy sets a fire, putting two wolf cubs in danger, Basuin sacrifices himself to save them, and in death, becomes the Wolf God, with a clear task: to protect the forest, including the Forest God, Ren.
Basuin struggles to see himself as a god, and to understand why he was chosen in this way. Throughout the book, we peel back Basuin’s layers, seeing more of his past and the events that led to his fall from grace. Alongside this, we come to explore more of the forest, meeting the spirits who reside there and learning about the gods through the various characters.
Throughout, we get a lot of Basuin’s internal battles – his identity as a son, a soldier, a human, at war with the Wolf God who is trying to ‘possess’ him. And as we follow Basuin through the book, more of this conflict emerges, adding to the character development.
There’s quite a few pairings in the book that underline conflict – two of the spirits we meet reflect Basuin and Ren’s own argument over how best to protect the forest, with one half wanting to do so in a way that causes the least (ideally no) harm, and the other understanding that they will only emerge through fighting. But we see, too, how fighting cannot be the only answer, how violence doesn’t solve the problems and other ways must be found to forge forward.
I really enjoyed Moore’s writing style, too – it carries you along, getting you swept up in the events, and works well. There were some places where maybe a little more editing is needed for clarity, but overall I found this to be a really interesting, engaging read that will (I hope!) find many readers.
Thank you to Rebellion Publishing for providing this arc via NetGalley. Views remain my own.
Reading Challenge
Musicals Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt: 1930s: The Wizard of Oz – Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Set in a second world
Progress: 1/24
Unwrapping Words 