The God by Hazel Storm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘The God’ is the second book of Hazel Storm’s Her Three Immortals series and a worthy sequel to ‘The Don’. It continues to follow the journey of beautician Vanessa Maan as she finds herself even more tangled in the politics of those who rule over Earth and falling deeper for the trio of handsome Gods from the last book. Unlike ‘The Don’, ‘The God’ largely shifts its focus away from the mortal world to the Underworld where the souls of the dead reside. This was a welcome change as it provided deeper insight into the intricate and vivid world that Storm has crafted. It was very interesting to learn more about how the Underworld functioned and how it shaped Grey, the overseer of the realm, into the man- or should I say God- he is today. Seeing him in his natural element allowed for greater development of his character with more and more facets of his past thrust into the light and the strengthening of his dynamic with Vanessa.

Speaking of Miss Maan, the change in setting also served her and her story well. Suddenly isolated from her family and friends and embroiled in the inner-workings of a realm run by the other-worldly, Vanessa is forced to fend for herself in circumstances virtually unknown and she comes out a much stronger character for it. Having a protagonist with little knowledge of the world around her provided a smooth vehicle for the audience to learn alongside her and thus does not make the book feel like it was bogged down by exposition. That’s not to say that Vanessa is completely alone however- she quickly befriends strange and mystical creatures such as Gorgonita, Medusa’s daughter eternally trapped as a mirror, and PK, a feather boa of a capitallar who’s hunger is seemingly insatiable. They serve as charming companions who bounce off of Vanessa nicely and are great additions to the cast as well as the lore binding the mystical realms.

The mark of a great sequel comes in the form of consequences- namely evidence that events of its predecessor has relevance in terms of its impacts on characters and the story of the sequel and that the themes and concepts of the former are continued to be explored in the latter. ‘The God’ does not disappoint in relation to this aspect- the plotlines and threads present in the first book are delved into more thoroughly and some discoveries even shine a different light on the events of ‘The Don’. Old characters are not suddenly cast aside, become obsolete or are forgotten- it’s clear that Storm did not put them into her first book willy-nilly and had done so with a greater purpose in mind.

Overall, ‘The God’ is a great continuation of ‘The Don.’ It doesn’t lose the heart of the first novel, nor its dark and steamy nature. If you’re interested in seeing the next step in Vanessa’s journey or in getting a more profound look into the mechanisms that push and pull at Storm’s manufactured realms, then this book will not disappoint.

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