Fallen Gods by Rachel Van Dyken

Here is a summary with spoilers for Fallen Gods by Rachel Van Dyken

Rey Stjerne has been living in a world where the Norse gods are hidden in plain sight, and her father is one of them. Raised by Odin but never loved, she has been trained to be his daughter, and Odin is now ready for Rey to go on a mission. While Odin is a powerful mob boss in the Pacific Northwest, his power is waning, and he wants Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer. In order to get her hands on the hammer, she needs to attend Endir University and try to find it. There are three things making this task incredibly difficult. First, her father has given her one week to accomplish it, otherwise she should not return home. Second, the university is run by the Erikon family, which does not like the Stjerne family. Lastly, Rey’s former betrothed, Aric Westberg, is also going to be at the university. With no other choice, Rey sets off.

Aric is already at the university and, for a week now, has been stewing. He saw his old fiancée’s name on the enrollment list and is seething that she is allowed to come. The last time he saw her, things went up in flames, and she is the reason his family is dead. He has no interest in seeing her.

Rey arrives and immediately runs into Reeve, Aric’s brother. He is supposed to help settle her in. While snarky and teasing, he is still somewhat pleasant and does tell her to watch out for herself around his brother.

Rey reflects often on her time with Odin as her father. She was often used as a pawn and was never seen as worthy. She loved her mother, Laufey, who raised her well, though Odin restricted her. Rey also thinks back to her last interaction with Aric before his parents died in the car crash, and that he most likely has quite a bit of power and may be one of the hidden gods.

Rey then decides to break into Aric’s room to figure out more about him. She runs into him, and he claims he never wants to see her again. Despite that, she still sneaks in to learn about his interests. She plans on being everywhere he is. One of those places happens to be a freshman activity where they walk through an arch with a candle. If it goes out, the gods curse them. Aric and Reeve trick Rey so that hers goes out, but Rey feels something there and does not like it.

On her first day, Rey meets a few other people at orientation, though Rowen, now acting as a bodyguard to one of the students, is also there. Rowen is there for a couple of reasons, one of which is to tell Rey that Odin is threatening Laufey’s safety again. To continue their conversation, they go to Rey’s room, and their conversation turns into a fight. Something overcomes Rowen, and he pins Rey to the wall. Rey has to push him away, and she is able to slam him back, which she finds odd because she did not think she had that much power. Aric overhears the commotion and finds Rowen there. He is slightly jealous, though he does not realize why. Before Rowen leaves, he says one last time that Odin is getting impatient.

Continuing to follow Aric to try to find the hammer, Rey follows him, and the two end up getting trapped in a storm. They shelter in a cave, and Aric tells her that he has been having nightmares for years, all but revealing that he is a frost giant, though he never says it outright. The next day, Reeve comes to find Rey and confirms the nightmares started when their parents died. He had a big outburst that caused lightning to strike everywhere as well. Ever since then, he has not been the same. As Rey looks at Aric, she realizes that he has tattooed runes on him that she has never seen before. She believes they might be a sign of protection.

As part of opening week, there is a capture-the-flag night. Rey uses it as an opportunity to sneak into the library to find some information. Aric quickly finds her and wants to know what she is doing. They both end up getting caught by the librarian, and it causes Aric to have a flare of ice start showing. To get away, Rey kisses Aric, shocking the librarian, but enough that she does not see the ice. The two are able to run away and go into the forest. Aric releases a blast of energy, including lightning that goes straight into him. When he is done, Rey looks into his eyes and feels like a little piece of him has woken up.

The next day, Rey uses a new tactic. She goes straight to Aric and says she knows he is a frost giant, the first time they have admitted it to each other out loud. She wants to work with him and tells him that she believes he has hidden runes on him, and she wants to help unlock them. They make a pact to work together, and doing that opens up Aric’s third rune.

That night, Rey cannot sleep, but when she finally does, she starts to sleepwalk and walks right into Aric’s room. She pins him down, which Aric finds surprising, and the two end up sleeping together. When Rey wakes in the morning, she is immediately angry and punches him in the face for letting it happen. Reeve comes in and catches them as well, but they try to distract him by telling him about the runes on Aric.

After a moment where Rey almost gets injured, Aric realizes that he is falling for her. They talk about their betrothal and why it did not work. Aric did not like that she was being offered to him like a piece of meat rather than making her own decision, which is why he said no. Rey tells him that she had no part in his parents’ deaths and that she never told Odin anything about him or his family.

Soon, Rey receives a video from Odin. He is abusing Laufey and enjoying it. It turns out that Rowen told Odin that Rey and Aric are getting closer and falling for each other rather than looking for the hammer. Rey is forced to promise Odin that she will have information for him later that night.

That night is another welcome party, though this one is full of drinking. Rey and Aric go together, and they end up making out and going even further. In the middle of it, Rey sees an object she hates, but it was placed there for a reason. She realizes that Aric needs to spill his blood over it, and she might need to as well. They both do, and it unlocks a rune. It also causes Aric immense pain, and he sees visions of the gods from their past.

The next morning, Reeve finds Rey and Aric together and also sees another rune has been unlocked. Rey notices he looks uneasy about this. She follows him and eavesdrops on him and Sigurd. She overhears that Reeve has already unlocked his powers, and Aric is not supposed to yet, but now that he is close, they need to watch him. Reeve realizes Rey heard the conversation and tries to start a fight with her, but Aric intervenes. Sigurd comes in and stops them from fighting and tells them to get ready for the final party of welcome week, the hunt. Odin should also be coming, as it is a costume party where all the powerful are invited. Rey realizes this is her chance to find the hammer, and that this was Odin’s plan all along, to take it during the party.

Rey goes back to her room to dress as a Valkyrie for the party, but Reeve comes in and wants to talk more. He formally introduces himself as Loki. Aric does not know, and Rey is not allowed to tell him. That changes a few hours later when Rey and Reeve are arguing and she calls him Loki, and Aric overhears. Aric feels betrayed by both of them and locks himself in his room. It takes a while for him to let Rey in, but he finally does. He tells her he is angry, but they reconcile, and she promises not to keep secrets.

Aric goes to talk to Sigurd. He is ready for the war between the gods and the giants to be over, and it is time for the giants to come out on top. Sigurd tells Aric to get the hammer, unlock himself, and then kill Odin.

The hunt officially starts, and Odin arrives. Rey and Aric officially get him unlocked, and he has visions that cause him to pass out. Rowen captures both of them in their vulnerable moment and takes them to Odin. Odin wants to know where the hammer is and brings out Laufey as leverage. He is also willing to use Rowen and Aric. As Odin prepares to torture them, the door opens and Loki walks in, revealing he has been playing both sides.

Odin takes Rey to the edge of the water where they believe the hammer is and forces her to retrieve it. Aric gives her a nod and a blessing, and she dives down and retrieves a box. Rowen helps bring her back up, but when the box is opened, the hammer is not inside. Instead, it is the Night Frost Diamond, the hammer’s equal. Rey is devastated because this will lead to an even worse outcome now that Odin has it. Rowen takes the diamond and puts it on, transforming and revealing himself as Thor, Odin’s son.

A massive fight ensues. Rey frees Aric, and he is now fully unlocked, meaning he can summon Mjolnir. He does so and turns into his full frost giant form in the process. Rey is also able to summon the hammer, proving herself his equal. She throws it at Odin, hitting him hard. Rowen runs to him, grabs him, and transports him away, leaving everyone else behind.

Laufey is now safe and no longer in Odin’s hands. Sigurd arrives and is happy to see her. He tells them all, including Loki, that because of what they have done, all the gods are awakening. Reeve says they should keep him around since he is useful on both sides. Sigurd also tells Rey and Aric that by birth, Mjolnir is hers, but by worthiness, it belongs to Aric. Ragnarok has officially begun, and they need to prepare.

In an epilogue, Aric takes Rey on an official date.