Hall of Smoke by HM Long has been on my most-anticipated books for 2021 first quarter for multiple reasons. A comparison to the Brian Staveley's first series ( Unhewn Throne, one of my all time favourite debut author series!) and the fact that this one's based off the Viking Sagas was enough reason to convince me to dive into this.

After having finished this book now, I can firmly say this is a great start to my reading for this year. Hall of Smoke lives up to the hype and expectations, delivering a solid epic fantasy tale of conflicts between Gods and mortals set in a refreshingly original world, inspired by the Viking tales. Stunning world building, frenetic action and wholly unexpected thrills and twists kept me hooked onto this wonderful tale.

At the centre of the conflict is Hessa, a young warrior-priest dedicated to Goddess Eang, the Goddess of war and one of the most powerful of the faction of New Gods who have overthrown the 'Old Gods'. the tribe of Eang have been at war with the Algatt, who reside up on the mountains and worship Gadr, another one of the New Gods. Beyond these mountains ranges the empire of Arpa, a powerful faction that again worship another pantheon of Gods, led by this powerful God of Gods Lathian.

As we get into the story, we see that Hessa has been 'punished' by her Goddess for failing to perform a duty assigned to her. According to the prophecies seen by her Goddess, Hessa is supposed to kill this outside traveller named Omaskat who would visit the Eangen. But Hessa, taken in by his kindness and genuine warmth, fails to do so and now has to perform penitence up on the Mountain, next to their place of worship called the Hall of Smoke, giving up on her friends and family for a specific period of time. But this is when her world goes to hell - the Algatt raid her village and kill everybody who are close to her, making prisoners of the rest. Thus begins her quest for redemption - set off on this path by a duplicitous Goddess who no longer 'heeds' the call her worshippers. When Eang makes herself present to the harried Hessa, she realises that her Goddess is afraid. of something or someone waking up, far more powerful than her own allied set of the New Gods. But the key to all the questions is this mysterious stranger, Omaskat whom Hessa is supposed to kill.

So Hessa sets off on this perilous journey alone, making friends, enemies, crossing borders and treacherous mountain ranges, encountering strange new Gods, creatures of magic and encountering even more questions that she bargained for. The novel is about Hessa's arc of redemption as she discovers secrets about her God, and all the other Gods even as a new world order is being set up. The world is at war and not just between the tribes or the marauding empire. Hessa might just be that pivot on which the balance hangs.

First things first, I really really enjoyed this novel. It's fast, full of action, intrigue, magic and quests. And Long's lyrical writing keeps you on a song as you traverse this wild landscape of mountains and valleys, lakes full of monstrous creatures and sleeping Gods. The unexpected twists in the story is absolutely delightful as Hessa figures out slowly her set of allies and her enemies, traversing tough terrains and frequently being set upon or being set back in her overall mission. Even the 'mission' that originally is about gaining back the respect and blessing of her own Goddess, slowly morphs as with time. The lines blur and are redrawn. Time and again.

The world building is exquisite here. drawing upon the lores of perhaps, the multiple Gods and Goddess' of Vikings, the warrior-priests, the different faiths, the empires at war and the different forms of magic, blessed by the Gods is very well brought out by Long. In an organic fashion, befitting the twists and turns of the narrative. Hessa is a great frontliner for the events that tumble out. A courageous young woman out to find her place in this world, not afraid to take on even the Gods, for what she believes is right. A girl with her head set firmly on her own beliefs, refusing to be pulled along by the lines drawn by Fate ( incidentally one of the Older Gods, who has given up her corporal form!) Along the way, she encounters interesting characters, a mix of mortal and immortals on her travels. [Oh yes, she travels quite a bit through the story, exposing us to the wonderful world out there. Pacing falters a bit but we are invested through and through because we know it's all coming to a head, to a mind-blowing finale!] Ogam, born to Eang and the elemental Winter, with his own agenda for re-forming the world alliance. Nisien, an outsider with his own plans for vengeance against the General who has wronged him, Eangi herself with her smouldering rage and the twin-axes, the Mountain God Gadr - and of course the mysterious stranger Omaskat are the secondary characters who flit in and out of Hessa's life, frequently changing the course of it.

Long frequently presents the notion of 'immortality' to the readers and questions what this entails. The themes of faith, fallibility, power and responsibility are woven throughout the narratives as we question the motives of even Gods.

Hall of Smoke looks like a standalone book, for now and Hessa's adventures come to a great conclusion, with all questions answered by the end. For a debut, it's masterfully grounded and very well crafted, in terms of storyline, characters and pacing. I cannot wait to read what Long writes next. Definitely one of the top books of the year. Thank you for a great start to 2021 !

I was really excited by the description of this book, but I hate to say that it wasn’t one of my favorites. I thought the author did a fantastic job with world building, but it lacked a little in character development. We were told many times that Hessa loved her husband, but we were never actually made to feel why. I also felt like she chose who to trust and distrust at random without a fully baked reason behind what she was doing

This book was like a breath of fresh air! The world building was amazing and the characters are well developed.

I've got to say, in a shortened version, with actors skillfully bringing the characters to life, this would be such a great movie. I can easily imagine the cinematic sceneries, powerful Gods and monsters, battle scenes - Hessa's journey keeping the audience at their toes. The author had an idea for a really fantastic story - actually, as weird as that might sound, the story itself was really good. But somewhere between the author's mind and the book form, it lost the potential, as if the author failed to breathe life into it.
I had two main issues - first, pacing. I can read a book twice as long, provided it's interesting. This really dragged, and despite wanting to know what happens next, i had to push myself to keep reading. And, secondly - the characters. I couldn't connect to Hessa's feelings, or bring myself to truly care about any of the others.


What starts as a priestess failing at a simple task and one horrible raid, grows to be a story of Gods and other powerful forces at war, of Fate and impossible tasks and the very order of the protagonist's world being threatened. I loved the scope of it, the mysterious main storyline slowly unraveling, each information shaking the foundations of Hessa's world.
And there was a point - somewhere around 30% - where i could almost sense the earth trembling, where I held my breath as if really in the presence of terrifying Gods, and I hungered for that story to sweep my off my feet and into the brutal, dangerous reality of Eangen and Algatt and their Gods and much more.
Instead it faltered, slowing with every page, the spark dying slowly, until all that propelled me forward was curiosity.


And that, unfortunately, isn't enough.
Maybe some people wouldn't mind it so much, but for me - I have to care. About the story. About the characters. I don't really like first person narratives, but obviously they can also be done well - which wasn't the case here. Hessa's narrative felt distant, dry.

Look, here's the thing: If the character is to lose her loved ones at the very beginning of the story, and the thought of them is what drives her for the rest of it, occupies her mind so much.... the author has to do a great job at making me care about them. Yes, it's diffucult, they're not here anymore. But if that's what you choose to write, you need to succeed at that. And unfortunately, they were nothing but names in Hessa's memory - "ah yes, her husband. she is feeling sad right now, probably". I wasn't sad. I didn't feel her being sad. The writing style relied too heavily on telling, especially in the matter of relationships - I was just informed that she feels sad. Hessa herself had a great character arc. She grew so much, together with the story, and I really wish I cared more about that. But once again, I got bored often and disconnected from her struggles.
As for the rest of the characters, they weren't exactly flat, but not properly fleshed-out, either. It's a shame they didn't get more space, that we didn't get to know them better.

As epic as the journey was, I ended up being able to feel exactly one part of Hessa's experiences...

... I, too, was tired.

It had so many ingredients to become a phenomal story, I'm really sad it didn't work out.

Hall of Smoke follows the tale of a warrior priestess who finds herself caught between the gods and goddess of her world.

After tragedy strikes, Hessa must overcome her grief and push toward fulfilling the role her goddess has demanded. The religion, the setting, the complexities between different peoples--all reveal a well fleshed-out, nordic-inspired world, While the narrative is quiet, the setting and stakes are epic in scope, making the story Long has woven appear as only a sliver to something bigger. It's this contrast against Hessa's grief that pulls the reader in, as we are all aware of how small our own lives are, while also knowing how little that matters when we're faced with the burden of losing those we love.

There are action sequences, twists and turns, and interesting characters, and while all these elements enhance Hessa's story, they are not the focus. The book, rather, is more an introspective examination of loss, survival, and the questioning of one's faith.

A story full of rage, revenge and redemption. What more could one ask for? I really enjoyed this book. It is a good read with a story line that will keep you wanting more the entire time.

While I liked the Viking inspired world and the story had potential, I just wasn't invested in the characters and I struggled with the pacing.

Hall of Smoke is an epic Viking inspired fantasy that follows the tale of our main character Hessa trying to fulfill a quest given to her by her goddess Eang. In this world all people are devoted to a deity that is meant to protect them. Hessa worships the goddess of war, Eang, and is meant to receive power, protection, and a place in the afterlife due to this bond.

The story begins with Hessa seeking forgiveness from Eang for failing to do what was asked of her from the goddess. The rest to the story is focused on Hessa trying to right that mistake and to save her people.

This is a story filled with travel, grief, war, betrayal, and blossoming friendship.

I think anyone interested in stories involving quests, gods/goddesses, or Vikings will enjoy this story.

I think another plus is that it is a standalone fantasy novel.

Hall of Smoke gets 3.5 stars from me.

I recoiled Hall of Smoke from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Bloody viking, this was epic and hit you just right in the feels!! Iit’s packed with brutal battle scenes, badass characters, true kinship, long lasting friendship. What more do you ask for??

Let’s recap: there was amazing Viking representation that showed the author’s extensive knowledge (and love) of the era, the incredible (but practical) writing style that complimented the book’s theme and story so well, the epic pace and flow that kept the reader on the edge of their seat without a single moment of boredom, a cast of realistic and wholesome characters and relationships, a fantastic plot and foundation that made sense and wholly supported everything else happening in the story.

In the end, I enjoyed the characters and the culture the most. I always love reading about other cultures, and the less I know about the culture and everyday life, the more I enjoy reading about it. I honestly liked all of the characters, which is rare for me, but the main character was my favorite.

Hall of Smoke is a wonderfully unique Viking-inspired fantasy and I loved every moment I spent with this story. This was easily one of the richest fantasy worlds I've read in a long time and H. M. Long has a real gift for describing it. It was an extremely easy-to-visualize setting filled with rich characters and mythology. This is a story where the gods are real and extremely involved in the lives of the characters.

I can often be disappointed by books that claim to be "Viking-inspired" because I think so few of them capture what is unique and compelling about Viking stories. Hall of Smoke is one of those that completely understands it--this is definitely a story you can imagine yourself hearing from a skald around a fire in a great hall. It is epic in quality and scope and I am looking forward to what will come next for H. M. Long.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early review copy!

From the first page, it was clear that this was a high-stakes book.

In Hall of Smoke, we follow Hessa, an Eangi warrior priestess of Eang (Goddess of War), who returns from the mountain - after asking her goddess forgiveness - to find that her village and all of the people in it (including the other Eangi) are slaughtered. Hessa must journey to find the traveler who she failed to kill in order to win back the favor of her goddess. On her journey, she discovers a war brewing between the Old Gods and the New Gods, and she is thrust into the middle.

Hessa was a likable character. Tough and strong, if a little unsure of herself - which makes sense, as she spent her whole life as part of a group and now found herself alone. For a book that mostly follows an isolated Hessa, there were a lot of interesting side characters, both human and god alike. Ogam was a favorite, as he reminded me a bit of Morozko (which makes sense, as Ogam was the son of Eang and the God of Winter).

The plot was interesting and well-written. The last 10-15% or so of the book really flew by as everything came to a climax, and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. I really liked that the author tied everything up at the end (which makes sense, as it's a standalone), and I'm excited for the next book in this world: Temple of No God!! Hopefully the cover is as shiny as this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

//Robed in violence and armored with divine purpose.//

So finally, here I am posting of this amazing book I read recently and omg let's talk about it.

Our story starts with Hessa, a Warrior Priestess Eangi, begging forgiveness from her goddess Eang deep in the Mountains alone. Her husband and her cousin come to meet her but eventually she tells them to leave her there and go back home, little did she knew that would be the last time she would see them alive.

Ahh okay, it was amazing in short, I mean I've lots to say, so much. Lets get started.

Why you should read it?

• Hessa is a warrior-priestess capable of fighting her own battles. Alpha female lead ✅

• There are god's involved. ✅

And by this statement I don't mean they are present providing blessing and all, no they are involved in fighting physically, visiting their people and giving suggestions and they even die, wow.

• The world building of author left me awestruck. HOOKED.FROM.THE.FIRST.PAGE. ✅
Clans, god's, powers, situations and battles was so perfectly described I felt involved.

//“I don’t know, and I’m not sure I care. I’m tired of the gods, Hessa. The day I see one worthy of worship, I’ll bow.//

• Romance is cool but have you read a book which has friendship and sisterhood so beautiful that it makes your heart ache? Yeap no romance but I didn't even felt the need of it. ✅

• The story also made me learn that no matter how strong your opponent is, you can make the gods bleed if you are willing. ✅

You can read my detailed review on my blog.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Viking-esque in its telling, this book gripped me from start to finish.

What if the gods you serve aren't gods at all? What do you do when you are faced with the fact that everything you've believed your entire life is wrong?

Being Eangi, one of the gods chosen warriors is all Hessa has ever known. Eang's Fire lives within her and calls to her in times of great need. She turns that fire on all who stand in her way. But, when she is shunned and her people slaughtered, she has no choice but to seek out the answer to why her godess has abandoned her people.

Knowing from a young age that she was to kill a traveler who would one day trespass on Eang's lands, Hessa has prepared for that day, for that destiny. But when the man shows up, he is kind and welcoming. Hessa can't bring herself to do it and she had no idea why. The order to do so came from her godess. It should be a simple task but even staring down the man jars her, makes her sense that there is no evil within him.

Due to her inability, she is cast from Eang's temple and again charged to track down and kill the man she'd allowed to escape. Her journey, however, will lead her to many unanswerable questions. Why had Eang abandoned her people? Why were the bonds between the gods and their lands crumbling? What was happening in the High Halls? How were thr old gods escaping?

Each step in Hessa's journey leads her to believe that Eang may not be who she claims to be and that the other gods may be just as fickle. Yet, hundreds of years of history tell her otherwise. She'd seen Eang's fury in action. She held the spark of Eang's power. She'd seen the visions given by fate.

While grief remains at the forefront of this novel, Hessa is a well rounded figure and a strong one. She has many obstacles to overcome throughout but the worst of it is dealing with the death of her husband. Many times the novel dips into Hessa's depression. It can slow down the pacing of the novel and does get tedious in some places but overall, it is simply an overriding theme that loss is something the gods themselves cause.

The lore in this story and the world-building are very well laid out and simple to understand. It makes for a quick read and one that would be good for fantasy beginners and veterans alike.

I would highly recommend giving this novel a read.

For a debut author, this one blew me away, I have been burned out on books lately, and this one was a nice fresh take. Hessa the MC is amazing, and I love the magic in this world and the mix of Gods and mortals. This one was so unique, and I can't wait for more from this author!

I really enjoyed this book! I found the dynamic between the godsend goddesses and the main character very interesting. The gods and goddesses aren’t like what you normally see. They are actually prominent characters throughout the book rather than being deities that are just believed in and worshipped but not seen interacting with the character directly.
I really enjoyed the main character also. I enjoyed how throughout this book she thought of what she lost often. It made it more believable and I feel this is something a lot of books fail to do.
My problem with this book was the pacing and plot structure it followed. I enjoyed the plot but I didn’t like how it was a lot of meet people, be in danger, fight danger, then be alone again. It was a cycle of this throughout a majority of the book. I also feel like the book started off with a bang and I was VERY intrigued but my intrigue dwindled the farther into the book I got.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and would read more by H.M. Long in the future!

This is an epic fantasy inspired by Viking lore that follows Hessa, a warrior priestess who has been tasked by the goddess she serves, Eang, to murder a man. When the time comes, she fails. Later, her entire village, including friends, family, and fellow priestesses, are slaughtered by raiders, and Hessa sets out to find the man she was ordered to kill and regain Eang’s favor. But on this journey driven by revenge, Hessa discovers that there may be trouble in the realm of the gods, and begins to question her devotion as she learns that things may not be as they seem.

As a lover of Norse mythology and Viking lore, this was 100% up my alley and definitely makes me want to seek out more fantasy inspired by Norse myths (if it exists!). I loved the imagery and allusions to different rituals, traditions, and the gods themselves. I am a big fan of stories that involve warring gods, and it was cool that we saw the effects this has on the people who worship them in this story.

I thought the writing style was really nice and easy to read. The pacing was just right, and I never got bored or felt like the story moved too fast to make sense. There was just enough world-building to keep me satisfied, but no major info dumps which can sometimes take me out of a story. There were twists and turns and enough intrigue to make me interested, and I really liked where the story ultimately went and the grander picture that came into focus.

This is a story rich with characters, and it was hard not to root for Hessa given the fact that she is a badass killer priestess. However, this is mostly a story about grief and revenge, and ended up feeling like I didn’t know enough about Hessa’s family and friends (despite the brief flashbacks) to feel a connection to them and be compelled by her grief. For example, although romance isn’t really my thing, in this case I found myself wanting to know more about her relationship Eidr. Normally, I wouldn’t necessarily want to experience someone else’s grief, but because it essentially carried the story forward the whole way through, I think I was somewhat unconvinced and just along for the ride rather than actively engaged and relating with Hessa.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this and will definitely be looking out for H.M. Long’s other books that take place in this world!!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a case of "It's not you, it's me". It's already a month since I first started this, but my reading slump has been so bad that I couldn't appreciate the beauty of this book. I already got to at least 50% of it, but I'm putting it on hold for the moment. I'll definitely plan on reading it again, because the concept and story so far has been really interesting, but my heart has not been invested enough to continue on.

The story started off really strong, and there were a lot of concepts being introduced. But after a while, things will finally make sense and it will grab on to you. I'm just personally not a fan of a really long travelling/walking storyline because it bores me to death, even with other elements being thrown in the mix. There is a lot of walking going on in this book, hence it just made my reading slump lose interest in it more.

If you're a fan of Vikings, and like the concept of gods walking among people and directly influencing their lives and choices, then this book is something worth checking out.

Books about gods are my favourite. As such I jumped at the chance to read this – not only does it feature gods, it features gods that walk among their people – and mythology that depends on the country it is told in. I love these kinds of ruminations on the nature of belief and culture.

The book starts with a bang when recently exiled Hessa is the only warrior priestess of Eang – the Goddess of War – to survive a sudden invasion. She was cast out of her order for failing to kill a visitor she had been foretold to kill. Killing him becomes her only focus – in the hopes of earning her Goddess’ forgiveness (a Goddess who is not known for being forgiving). The plot itself did not always grip me as we follow Hessa from one place to another (I am not that into travel fantasy) and I found it weirdly low-stakes given that the literal survival of a country is threatened but what I absolutely adored was the underlying mythology and Hessa herself. The story is told from a very close first person narration, a choice that is unusual for the genre but that worked extremely well as Hessa is our entry point into the world and we learn as she learns. As such I found the worldbuilding well integrated and easy enough to follow. It also helps to show just what a heavy burden is expected of Hessa to carry.

Hessa is a wonderful main character and one of the reasons I was so happy with this book. She is strong and stubborn but ultimately able to adapt to her changed circumstances – and she is warm and caring and absolutely kickass. I love kickass women in my fantasy reading and she definitely delivered.

I received a digital arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Man do i love that I got the chance to read this. Its not very often that you come across such a unique fantasy world like this. The gods directly influencing their mortal followers? And it has the distinct feeling of the Gaulic and celtic tribes when the romans were beginning to expand? Yes please!

This book does have a slow start but it does significantly pick up about halfway through the book and it is beyond worth continuing the read. My only point of criticism would be that the unraveling of secrets and charcter motivations get a bit muddled at the end.

Ending wise I did enjoy it. Part of me wishes that this book extended into a series. I do truly want to read more about this world and characters. Im not quite ready to say goodbye to them just yet.

Im definitely going to be considering picking up a physical copy of this so I can read again. Truly a unique and fantastic book.

This book is definitely one of the best viking inspired books I have read so far. The heroine of the story, Hessa, was finally a character that you can relate to. Someone who wanted to do the right things, who struggled, who grieved and got her world turned upside down. But she had still some fight in her and never gave up. That made her one of the most likeable characters ever.
The story itself was highly entertaining. I am usually not someone who enjoys the gods-walking-the-world-stories but this was just on point.
If you want an action packed viking-inspired story with some cruel gods, a lot of mythology and a priestess who is trained to fight you should pick this book up.