Blood on the Bluffs

Mona Arnett's life is forever altered at eight years old when a struggle with her older brother Patrick on the seaside cliffs ends in his accidental death. Wracked with guilt and horror, Mona's grief opens a shimmering window to the Flood—the magical realm of the seven gods. There, she meets Irinorr, the crow god of love, who tells her she is not damned for her crime, but chosen because she loved her brother. This moment marks Mona's first crossing between worlds and the birth of her unique, god-given magic. The trauma and the secret of the Flood will haunt and define her, setting her apart from her family and the world, and forging a bond with the divine that will shape the fate of a kingdom.

The Soothsayer's Prison

Ten years later, Mona is a renowned soothsayer, famed for her rare ability to name soulmates. Yet she is a prisoner in her own home, unable to leave the east wing since Patrick's death. Her magic, a gift from Irinorr, is both a blessing and a curse—she uses it to help others find love, hoping to atone for her past, but is plagued by impostor syndrome and the suspicion of fraud. When the royal magicians come calling, Mona's world is upended. She is forced to confront her isolation, her family's disappointment, and the possibility that her power may be needed for something far greater than parlor tricks and private readings.

Royal Summons and Secrets

Delmar Whitman, the young, ambitious master of practitioners, arrives with a royal summons. King Isaac is dying, and the kingdom's future depends on finding his true soulmate to secure an heir. Mona is recruited—reluctantly—to the castle, her unique magic the key to a contest that will determine the next queen. But Mona's agoraphobia and trauma make the journey excruciating. Whitman's motives are murky, and the castle is a nest of political intrigue, magical skepticism, and hidden agendas. Mona's arrival is both a spectacle and a threat, as her power could upend the carefully laid plans of the court.

The Reluctant Recruit

At Castle Selledore, Mona is thrust into the world of the Royal Practitioners Company—a group of young, diverse magicians, each with their own ambitions and secrets. She meets Bernadette Byers, another favored mortal with a god-given gift for discerning truth, and discovers that not all magicians are what they seem. Mona's presence is met with suspicion, especially as she refuses to play by the rules or join the company outright. Her trauma and self-doubt threaten to overwhelm her, but the threat of her brother's ghost—and the gods' warnings—force her to stay and participate in the contest for the king's bride.

Ghosts and Gods Return

Mona's brother Patrick returns as a vengeful ghost, attacking her in her rooms and driving her to seek refuge in the Flood. Irinorr warns her that the boundaries between worlds are weakening, and that the dead walking is a sign of greater dangers. Mona is forced to leave her sanctuary and confront the world, guided by the gods' cryptic advice and her own desperate need to protect her family. The gods' presence looms larger, their motives unclear, as Mona is drawn deeper into the castle's mysteries and the kingdom's fate.

The Castle's Bargain

The contest to name King Isaac's soulmate becomes a spectacle, with seers and magicians vying for influence and bribery suspected at every turn. Mona's reading is the most important—and the most dangerous. When she performs the lovers reading for Isaac, the answer is shocking: her own name. Terrified of the consequences, Mona lies, naming a fictitious "Jane Smith" instead. The lie sets off a chain of threats, blackmail, and murder, as a cultist stalks Mona, demanding she reveal the truth. The castle becomes a crucible of suspicion, ambition, and fear.

The Contest for the Crown

As the contest unfolds, Mona navigates rival seers, political masters, and the enigmatic Bernadette Byers. The gods themselves descend to the castle, taking mortal form and claiming their seats on the council, citing the kingdom's peril. The spellsap orchards are dying, magic is failing, and the Rising Tide—the prophesied end of the world—seems near. Mona's lie about the king's soulmate becomes the fulcrum on which the fate of Opalvale balances, as the gods, the council, and the cultist all maneuver for control.

Threats in the Shadows

Mona is targeted by a mysterious cultist, who leaves knives and threatening notes, and orchestrates a series of near-fatal accidents. The cultist's symbol is that of the Guild of the Rising Tide, a doomsday cult obsessed with the end of the world. When Assistant Master Parsons is murdered and Mona is framed, she is forced to confess her lie to Whitman and the council. The revelation rocks the castle, and Mona's guilt and shame threaten to consume her. The true enemy remains hidden, manipulating events from the shadows.

The Favored and the Fraud

Mona and Byers, both favored mortals with unique magic, form an uneasy alliance. They seek the help of Tasha D'Milliar, a legendary sorceress living in exile in the Flood, to strengthen their powers and uncover the truth behind the cultist's attacks. Tasha's harsh lessons force Mona to confront her own self-deception and the limits of faith and knowledge. As Mona's magic grows, so does her understanding of the gods' manipulations and the true nature of the Flood. The line between favored and fraud blurs, and Mona must decide who she can trust.

The Queen's True Name

With her magic strengthened, Mona sees through the false readings and discovers that Elsie Tanner—not herself—is King Isaac's true soulmate. The contest ends, Elsie is crowned queen, and Mona is finally free of the burden of the throne. But the victory is short-lived. The cultist's plot culminates in Elsie's assassination at the royal tournament, and the kingdom is plunged into mourning and chaos. Mona's guilt is overwhelming, as she realizes her actions—and the gods'—have led to tragedy.

The Cultist's Game

The investigation into Elsie's murder reveals that the cultist is Calvin Meeker, a favored mortal of Verimall, the boar goddess. The gods themselves are implicated in the plot, having manipulated events to put Mona on the throne. The true purpose is revealed: the nexus, the magical connection between the Flood and the mortal realm, is tearing the world apart. The gods need Mona, as a favored mortal and queen, to sever the nexus and save what remains. But the cost is unthinkable—the end of magic, and perhaps the end of the world.

The Gods Descend

Mona confronts the gods, learning that they have lied, manipulated, and even killed to force her onto the throne. The gods' plan is to have Mona break the nexus, ending magic and saving the world from destruction. But Byers' magic reveals a darker truth: breaking the nexus will destroy the mortal realm entirely. Mona is faced with an impossible choice—obey the gods and end the world quickly, or resist and let it be torn apart slowly. The gods' love is revealed as control, and Mona's faith is shattered.

The Price of Power

Refusing to be a pawn, Mona seeks another way. With Byers and Tasha, she forges a second nexus, connecting the Flood and the mortal realm anew. This act delays the end, but at a terrible cost: the breaches between worlds widen, demons invade, and suffering spreads. Mona's choice is not mercy, but defiance—a refusal to let the gods dictate the terms of the world's end. The price of power is pain, and Mona must live with the consequences of her decision, even as hope flickers in the darkness.

The Sorceress in Exile

Mona and Byers retreat to Tasha's home in the Flood, seeking refuge and wisdom. Tasha's teachings force them to question everything—the gods, their own magic, and the nature of trust. The three women form a bond forged in adversity, learning that survival depends on self-awareness, faith, and the willingness to act. Tasha's exile is both punishment and freedom, and her knowledge becomes the key to Mona's final act of rebellion. Together, they return to the mortal realm to face the gods and the end.

The Flood's Forbidden Truth

In the heart of the Flood, Mona, Byers, and Tasha enter the gods' fortress and the garden of the dead. There, Mona is reunited with Patrick's true spirit, finding forgiveness and peace at last. With Tasha's help, Mona forges the second nexus, making a pact with the dead and the living to give the world a fighting chance. The gods arrive, but Mona stands her ground, demanding that they find a real solution. The truth of the Flood, the gods, and the mortal realm is laid bare, and Mona claims her agency at last.

The Wedding and the Wound

Back in the mortal realm, Mona is crowned queen and forced to navigate the aftermath of her choices. Whitman is exiled, Isaac is dying, and the kingdom is beset by demon invasions. Mona's love for Whitman is both solace and sorrow, as their relationship is forbidden by politics and fate. The wounds of the past—Patrick, Elsie, Parsons—ache, but Mona finds strength in friendship, love, and the hope that her actions, however flawed, might matter. The world is ending, but Mona refuses to surrender.

The End and the Beginning

With the second nexus in place, the world is given time—time to fight, to hope, to find another way. Mona and Byers, now the most powerful people in the kingdom, vow to protect Opalvale and its people. The gods are diminished, some exiled, some mortal, their power broken by Mona's defiance. The future is uncertain, the end still looming, but Mona has claimed her story. She is no longer a pawn, but a queen, a friend, and a survivor. The beginning of the end is also the beginning of something new.

The Choice of Queens

In the aftermath, Mona reflects on the meaning of her journey—the cost of agency, the burden of power, and the possibility of forgiveness. She is haunted by the dead, but comforted by the living. The world may end, but Mona's choices matter. She has learned that love is not about destiny, but about action; that faith is not blind, but earned; and that survival is not enough without hope. The story ends with Mona and Byers, side by side, ready to face whatever comes next—not as pawns, but as queens of their own fate.

Characters

Mona Arnett

Mona is a young woman marked by trauma, guilt, and a rare, god-given magic: the ability to name soulmates. Her childhood is shattered by her brother's accidental death, which opens her to the Flood and the gods. Mona is fiercely intelligent, sarcastic, and deeply self-critical, struggling with agoraphobia and impostor syndrome. Her relationships—with her family, with Irinorr, with Whitman, and with Byers—are fraught with longing and mistrust. Mona's journey is one of agency: from pawn to queen, from victim to actor. She is defined by her refusal to accept the roles others assign her, her capacity for love and forgiveness, and her willingness to bear the cost of her choices, even when the world is at stake.

Delmar Whitman

Whitman is the young master of practitioners, chosen by King Isaac for his intellect and drive. He is both Mona's adversary and her greatest supporter, driven by a need to prove himself after exposing his own mother as a fraud. Whitman is methodical, repressed, and deeply loyal—to Isaac, to the company, and eventually to Mona. His relationship with Mona is a dance of suspicion, attraction, and mutual need, complicated by politics and the threat of scandal. Whitman's arc is one of self-forgiveness and the search for purpose beyond duty, as he learns to trust, to love, and to let go.

Bernadette Byers

Byers is a soothsayer with the rare ability to discern truth, favored by Korimarr, goddess of knowledge. She is Mona's rival, confidante, and eventual co-conspirator. Byers is analytical, principled, and haunted by her family's past with the Guild of the Rising Tide. Her journey is one of learning to trust herself and others, to balance faith and knowledge, and to act in the face of uncertainty. Byers' friendship with Mona is the emotional core of the story, a testament to the power of solidarity, honesty, and shared pain.

King Isaac

Isaac is the last of his royal line, a king beset by illness, doubt, and the weight of history. He is earnest, compassionate, and ill-prepared for the machinations of court and gods alike. Isaac's desire for love and legitimacy drives the contest for the crown, but he is ultimately a pawn in larger games. His relationships—with Mona, with Whitman, with Elsie—are marked by longing and loss. Isaac's arc is one of acceptance: of his mortality, his failures, and the limits of power.

Elsie Tanner

Elsie is a commoner marked by the gods, chosen as Isaac's true soulmate. She is gentle, optimistic, and eager to help others, but is swept up in forces beyond her control. Elsie's brief reign and tragic death are the catalyst for Mona's final transformation, embodying the cost of the gods' manipulations and the cruelty of fate. Her memory haunts Mona and Isaac, a symbol of what is lost and what is worth fighting for.

Irinorr

Irinorr is Mona's patron god, the source of her magic and her greatest comfort—and betrayal. He is nurturing, enigmatic, and ultimately self-serving, willing to manipulate and sacrifice mortals for the greater good. Irinorr's love is real, but conditional; his guidance is both a gift and a chain. His relationship with Mona is the story's central divine-human bond, a meditation on the dangers of faith and the limits of love.

Tasha D'Milliar

Tasha is a legendary magician living in self-imposed exile in the Flood, having rejected the gods' authority. She is blunt, brilliant, and fiercely independent, teaching Mona and Byers the forbidden truths of magic and the Flood. Tasha's knowledge and defiance are the key to Mona's final act of rebellion. Her arc is one of hard-won wisdom, the cost of freedom, and the power of self-determination.

Calvin Meeker / Simon Hansen

Calvin is a favored mortal of Verimall, gifted with the power to traverse the Flood at will. Under Verimall's orders, he becomes the cultist who threatens, manipulates, and kills to put Mona on the throne. Calvin is both victim and perpetrator, a tool of the gods' will and a symbol of the dangers of unchecked power. His actions force Mona to confront the true cost of agency and the meaning of justice.

Wayvadd

Wayvadd is the most unpredictable of the gods, delighting in mischief, manipulation, and the suffering of mortals and gods alike. He is both antagonist and unlikely ally, providing Mona with the knowledge to defy the gods and forge a new path. Wayvadd's motivations are inscrutable, his loyalty to himself alone. He embodies the dangers and possibilities of self-interest, madness, and freedom.

The Seven Gods

The seven gods—Semyanadd, Onyamarr, Irinorr, Korimarr, Wayvadd, Verimall, Eledorr—are the architects of the world's fate. Each embodies a domain and a philosophy, from love to violence, knowledge to death. Their relationships with mortals are complex, blending love, control, and indifference. The gods' plan to end the world is both an act of mercy and a crime, forcing Mona and her allies to question the nature of divinity, agency, and the meaning of survival.

Plot Devices

Dual Worlds and Divine Contracts

The story's structure hinges on the interplay between the mortal realm and the Flood, a magical world governed by the seven gods. The nexus—a magical connection—binds the two, granting magic but threatening destruction as the Flood expands. The gods' contract with mortals, and the rules of favored mortals, create a web of obligations, secrets, and betrayals. The narrative uses windows between worlds as both literal and metaphorical passages, allowing for escape, confrontation, and transformation. The contest for the crown, the manipulation of soulmate readings, and the cultist's threats are all plot devices that drive Mona's journey from pawn to queen, from victim to actor. Foreshadowing is woven through the gods' prophecies, the Rising Tide myth, and the recurring motif of doors and thresholds—each a choice, a risk, and a test of agency.

Analysis

Amanda M. Helander's Divine Mortals is a masterful exploration of agency, trauma, and the cost of power, set against a lush, original fantasy world where gods walk among mortals and magic is both blessing and curse. At its heart, the novel interrogates the nature of fate and free will: Mona's journey is one of refusing the roles assigned to her—by family, by gods, by society—and claiming the right to choose, even when all choices are terrible. The gods, for all their power, are revealed as flawed, manipulative, and ultimately desperate, their love indistinguishable from control. The story's emotional arc is one of forgiveness—of self, of others, of the world's imperfection. The lessons are hard-won: that love is not destiny but action; that faith must be earned, not given blindly; that survival is not enough without hope and solidarity. In a world on the brink of apocalypse, Divine Mortals insists that even the smallest act of agency, the refusal to surrender, can matter. The novel's ending is both bleak and hopeful: the world may end, but Mona and her allies have claimed their story, their power, and their right to fight for a future—however uncertain.

Last updated: September 21, 2025