If You Loved Set Fire to the Gods…

Welcome to another segment of “If You Loved This”! As book 2 is coming out just around the corner, I thought it would be great to discuss other books that may be of interest if you enjoyed Set Fire to the Gods by Sara Raasch and Kristen Simmons. Whether you heard of this book before or not, let me introduce it to you now.

About the book (review here)

Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources.

Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family’s taxes. But he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn’t have the earth god’s powers like his opponents. His elemental gift is something else—something that hasn’t been seen in centuries.

When an attempted revenge plot goes dangerously wrong, Ash inadvertently throws the fire and earth gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly, lavish gladiator games. The fights put Madoc in Ash’s path, and she realizes that his powers are the weapon her rebellion needs—but Madoc won’t jeopardize his family, regardless of how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior.

But when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal—it will unravel the world.

If you love fierce challenges between competitors for a high stake prize…

…then you should check out A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown. It doesn’t get more high stakes than winning to resurrect a life or to save a loved one from death. Both protagonists have a stake in winning, but will complicated feelings get in the way?

If you love interactions with gods like they’re practically human…

…then you will enjoy seeing the Greek gods up front and personal in Lore by Alexandra Bracken. Also featuring a competition (and this one is no less deadly), the gods are hunted every few years by humans who know who they are in order to take their godhood.

If you just love gladiators in general…

…then The Valiant by Lesley Livingston is the book for you! This is a story about female gladiators set in time of Caesar, where weakness may mean death but fighting gives her the chance to survive another day while plotting the demise of her sworn enemy.

Let me know what you think of these recs! Have you read any of these before? If not, would you be interested in checking any of them out? Let me know in the comments below!

I think Fives and I are going to check out the sequel soon as we read Set Fire to the Gods as a buddy read, so stay tuned for a review on book 2 later.