Author: Liz Anderson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Acheron Order # 1
423 pages, Hardcover
Publication: January 27, 2026
Source: Libby Library
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Vic Wood knows her priorities: scrape by on her restaurant wages, take care of her younger brother Henry, and forget their mother ever existed. But Vic’s careful life crumbles when Henry reveals that their long-missing mother belonged to the Acheron Order—a secret society of witches tasked with keeping the dead at bay. What’s worse, Henry inherited their mother’s magical abilities while Vic did not, and Henry has been chosen as the Order's newest recruit.
Determined to keep him safe, Vic accompanies Henry to the isolated woods in upstate New York that play host to the sprawling and eerie Avalon Castle. When she joins the academy despite lacking powers of her own, she risks not only the Order’s wrath, but also her brother’s. And then there is Xan, the head Sentinel—imposing, ruthless, and frustrating—in charge of protecting Avalon. He makes no secret that he wants Vic to leave.
As she makes both enemies and allies in this mysterious realm, Vic becomes caught between the dark forces at play, with her mother at the heart of it all. What's stranger is that Vic begins to be affected by the academy—and Xan—in ways she can't quite understand. But with war between witches threatening the fabric of reality, Vic must decide whether to risk her heart and life for a world where power is everything.
MY THOUGHTS
First off, this book is an urban fantasy with witches and monsters set in a closed modern world, specifically upstate New York. Based on the cover and synopsis, you’d never guess it was urban fantasy. Urban fantasy is my first love, witches too, but there was absolutely nothing to love about We Who Have No Gods. The only intriguing part, as glean by the synopsis, happened within the first three chapters. After that, it went downhill immediately.
You’d think the main protagonist would be the hidden Witch-Born, Henry, being whisked away to a magical academy. Nope. Instead, the story focuses on his pathetic, loser older sister, who has to tag along. The academy is a secret society created by and for a long line of witches, but then comes Victoria “Vic,” a human who suddenly moves in with her younger brother and joins his classes.
I absolutely loathed Vic. She constantly whines about not being special, and about being a human in a castle full of witches who don’t like her and don’t want her around. Even her brother doesn’t want her there. Normal people, people with self-respect would leave when they know they're not wanted. But she throws tantrums whenever people tell her this (oh, and by the way, she’s twenty-one), mouths off endlessly, and is always trying to prove herself right even when she’s clearly not. Then, lo and behold, she turns out to be a special snowflake with magic, more powerful than everyone else. * Cue giant eye roll. *
When things hit the fan and the academy is attacked, Vic of course causes the most damage. Then the bland male protagonist swoops in, declaring he needs to protect her. While the entire academy is overrun with monsters and people are literally dying, they take a break to have sex. Then literally three seconds after they’re done, Vic says, “But I need to help people!". Just wow.
Xan, the love interest and mentor, is lame and completely unoriginal. I swear I’ve read some version of him in hundreds of other books. They had zero chemistry. The book boast 'simmering chemistry'...where?! The plot was whatever, the characters all sucked, and I didn’t give two shits about Aren and Max, their relationships with Meredith, or why the brotherhood ultimately defected from the order.
Characters truly make or break a book for me, and I hated all of them, especially Vic. Her brother Henry was annoying too. I do not recommend this at all.
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