Dark academia with a touch of romance
We Who Have No Gods
The Acheron Order
Fantasy
Ballantine Books
27 Jan. 2026
384
In a world of witches, a human woman must hunt or be hunted in this explosive gothic dark academia fantasy filled with dangerous rivals, guarded secrets, and simmering chemistry. Vic Wood has 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 she discovers 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 he 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 host 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 the imposing, ruthless, and frustrating Xan, the head Sentinel in charge of protecting Avalon. He makes no secret of wanting 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 is beginning 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.
Liza Anderson brings us a worthwhile debut in We Who Have No Gods.
“She wondered what that felt like, to feel destined, to feel like she was in the right place.”
Vic has been taking care of herself and her brother, Henry, for eight long years, ever since their mother disappeared. Eight years to get strong and scrappy, running from the bad men her mom only bothered to warn her young brother about. When mysterious figures show up explaining that her mom was a witch working for a secret order and that now it’s Henry’s time to join them, Vic won’t lose her brother without a fight. It’s been made clear, though. Henry inherited their mother’s power. Vic did not, but that won’t stop Vic from protecting her family. Time with the Archeron Order gives Vic other opportunities she’s not sure what to do with. Maybe Vic can learn magic and find community with her mother’s people. And who knows what she could find in Xan, the head Sentinel she’s thrilled to fight with. But what if the order isn’t all that it seems? After all, there’s still the question of her mother’s death.
Straight up, I love Vic. I love a character who has a protective instinct that borders on feral. Walking into the order, unwelcome and powerless, Vic has every reason to feel threatened. But she’s been looking after herself long enough that even if you win the fight, she’ll make sure you hurt plenty, too. She has a general “I’ll scratch your eyes out” energy that I’ll always be fond of. This story has a layer of grit over it that I find so endearing. While the order fights monsters, many of its members view their mission as one driven by arrogance. They’ll place their secrecy and prestige at a higher priority than human safety. And yet the order isn’t inherently evil either. The internal struggles about what they stand for and their place in a changing world is much more nuanced and therefore realistic than your average fictional magical secret society. This lends itself to the creation of other external adversaries that could have credibly grown from the environment.
I think the world-building is where I’m more conflicted. Since Vic is entering into a whole world she was unaware of, we get exposition both through her conversations and classes and excerpts from the books she’s reading. Generally, this works, but there are moments where I was left with questions that I was surprised Vic didn’t bring up. We’re introduced to two different men who were close to her mother and told that Vic was born at the castle. But there’s no discussion of her or Henry’s father (plural fathers? It’s unclear even though they’re six years apart). There are also times when magical things happen to Vic, but she never feels the need to ask what happened or what the repercussions could be. I can make an argument that this is a character choice stemming from her extreme self-reliance, but I think I would’ve expected this to be reflected in her thoughts in some way. These blips, where something is presented and then simply not acknowledged, were somewhat distracting to me. I’ll admit that the distraction turned to mild frustration when they weren’t used for some greater reveal down the line. Basically, I’m needy and want all my questions answered.
While imperfect, I greatly enjoyed We Who Have No Gods and am eager to see where the series continues (those last few chapters left me 😱).
Gabi grew up moving around the world with her family, making books in English a bit of a luxury that had to be rationed. Nowadays she lives in East London, where books can be read as voraciously as she likes. Fantasy books will forever be her first love, and she’s always looking for the next series to consume both of her brain cells. Her days generally consist of working as a software developer, squeezing in a chapter at her desk, and pining after the Picadilly Waterstones.
