mortal things – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Release Date: October 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Set in a world of insatiable immortals, their eternal rivalries, and the humans trapped between them, MORTAL THINGS is a cinematic and sweeping new fantasy from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu, perfect for fans of Heartless Hunter and A Darker Shade of Magic.

Rose Lin Fairchild didn’t believe in gods, but one chose her anyway.

Rose despises Raven, the god of Death. His mysterious commands. His mercurial moods. His closed heart. But most of all, she loathes that she was forced to become his Harbinger, a human mercenary tasked to fulfil their god’s every want and whim. Still, she would do it again, because being a Harbinger is the only thing keeping her best friend alive.

When a murder rocks the world of the gods, Rose is suddenly thrust into the immortal realm’s spotlight as Raven’s heir. This is her chance to free her friend once and for all. But in order for her to ascend, she must first prove herself to the other gods—and the one person standing in her way is a fellow Harbinger.

Étienne Beauchard is notorious for his sly wit and charming good looks. Rose can’t stand that he is the one assigned to test her abilities, but as their initial hostility evolves into an intense attraction, they find that the gods’ secrets go deeper than they ever expected. Something is wrong in the immortal world, something that threatens to break their bond and engulf them all in war.

As Rose and Étienne fight to uncover the truth and trust each other with their hearts, they realize that everything hinges on the same How far would you go to save the person you love?

Thank you FS&G and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy and ALC.

IT GOT BETTER?

I’m a big Marie Lu fan so I’m always jumping up and down when I get my hands on a book early. But unfortunately, this one was kind of a let down. I’m hoping with the next book I’ll feel differently.

The audiobook was great though. I had no issues with that format and liked the narrator a lot.

It took me a bit to get into because of the amount of info dumping about all of the gods, harbingers and urban setting. There is an immortal plane too so I didn’t feel like the urban setting bugged me. The vibe felt fantastical which I tend to love more often. Once I got a grasp of things I do think things felt more settled and it made me curious enough to for sure want to read the sequel.

I was hoping for a little more romance. I don’t think there was enough lead up and by the time there were love confessions I hadn’t fully gotten there myself. The age bracket I believe is young adult but it did feel older? Not a bad thing. Just another thing I noted.

It was lacking the emotional punch that I hope shows up in book two.

Overall audience notes: