Kate Sibson's Reviews > The Hand of God

Disclaimer: I read this as a judge for SPSFC#3, as part of the Wayward Stars team. However, the following is my own personal review and does not reflection on the team's score.

This is definitely a book of two halves. The first half occurs during the first apocalypse and follows Esther as she becomes the Eternal one. If I am brutally honest, I found this a little jumpy and confusing. However, it does set the scene beautifully and starts to build the grimy, dystopian atmosphere of what is to come. There are some heartbreaking scenes in this section (actually quite a few), especially when you remember Esther's age at the beginning. It does get a bit abstract, in my mind, at points but the build up is worth it.

The second half is the present day, following the second apocalypse (why have one when you can have two?), and the remnants of humanity are battling the hordes of hell. More traditionally structured that the first half, we are also introduced to more POV. Esther, in a way, becomes more background and others, such as Baptiste and the Rebekahs, come to the fore. Here, the dystopian landscape really ramps up, giving insights into the post-nuclear wastelands and the downtrodden folks that (try to) live there. The atmosphere to it is everything a dystopian sci-fi should be and more. Everything is old, rundown and filthy. The air feels grimy and gritty. I felt exhausted just imagining it! Extremely well written. I wouldn't say the characterisation and the prose are lacking, because they are not, but the atmosphere really takes it to another level.

But hey, Kate! You haven't mentioned the battlewalkers! Ooooooh, the battlewalkers. If you like mechas, you will love these. Some are your traditional, hulking war machines and others.... Well, that would be spoilers! There is a lovely play on a well-used trope here, expertly done, and it would be great to go into in depth but that really would be spoilers. I'll just say that it had me squirming in parts.

There is a current trend for genre-blending and I am here for it. This is a great example - a great mix of dystopian sci-fi and the fantastical; it blends really well. It might get a bit too abstract in the first half for some but if that's your thing or if you power through, you are in for a thrilling ride. I would have liked a bit more concerning the demon hordes but I expect we'll get to them as we carry on through the series. I look forward to starting All of our Sins to find out.

P.S. that cover is 🔥