This is my first John Gwynne book and WOW. It's a story full of Adventure, magic and strange creatures. An amazingly crafted world based upon the Norse mythology, it's a book I recommend for all fans of fantasy.
The characters are loveable and you love to hate some of them but they will still crave a place in your heart. the story telling perfect and realistic, the world building is natural and flows with the characters.

the story drags you with it all the way from start to finish and i cant wait for book two and have already preordered it

Wow what an epic fantasy book! Can't wait to read the second book.

If you love a good epic fantasy with an interesting world, battles, multi POV with great character development and and OMG ending then YOU MUST READ THIS!

Gave me feelings of Vikings (Netflix show) and God of War game. Love the idea of the Gods once ruling the land and they have since died off but the relics of the Gods are still used for power, etc.

Has a lot of battles and very action packed. The three main characters we follow are so interesting and really enjoyed the journey each of them embark on as their stories slowly start to entwine. Was hard to put down.

5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2022/05/02/the-hunger-of-the-gods-the-bloodsworn-saga-2-by-john-gwynne-wyrdandwonder-book-review/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Even Better Than The First

Almost a year ago today I posted my review for The Shadow of the Gods. It was gushing. TSofGs was an absolutely fantastic start to series, I gave it an unabashed 5* for the absolute joy in reading that it inspired in me. So, how did The Hunger of the Gods stack up? It was even better. I don’t know how that’s possible but there you go – does that mean I rated the first book too highly? Not at all it simply means that I’m going to have to start adding extra little stars to this series. Be aware that this review may contain spoilers for book 1 so bear that in mind before reading.

To avoid this review turning into a dissertation I’m going to give only a brief overview of the plot here. We continue immediately where book 1 left off with the release of a dragon God. I mean, seriously, people, who would ever have thought that was a good idea? But, here we are, Lik-Rifa is released and has a vision of a new age wrought in blood. Meanwhile, Orka remains steadfast in the hunt for her son and has some fearsome company in her quest. The Bloodsworn have their very own mission with one of their own, Varg, having his own side quest and then we have Elvar and the Battle-grim, determined to win fame and glory and make daring rescues of their own.

I mean, on the face of it, when you spell it all out in that way, it seems like there’s a lot going on here but in actual fact it doesn’t feel overly complicated or busy when you’re reading. If anything it’s quite the opposite, it just all comes together so very well. I enjoyed all the switches in storylines and can genuinely say that this is such an exciting read because of that. There’s a lot of action, battles, politics and squirm-inducing critters but at the same time Gwynne takes the time to weave in the history and lore of the place and develop the characters really successfully as the story moves forward. The motivations are all so believable and there’s an epic sense of scope, particularly when you look at the Gods. In fact, let’s just take a moment to look at this aspect of the story. Clearly, this won’t be the first time that seasoned fantasy readers will have encountered Gods on this scale with all the sibling rivalry involved but what I love here is that all the Gods have their own natures linked to particular animals and over time, through interactions with humans, some of these traits have been passed on – such descendants being known as the Tainted. I love this aspect of the story and the way it changes the nature of the battles involved.

Gwynne is an author who excels at action scenes and all them are breathtakingly described. I had my heart in my throat every time shields locked wondering whether any favourites would fall under the axe, and I’m not going to lie, this is an author who isn’t shy of killing off some of his people so don’t become complacent in that respect because anything can happen. But, it’s not all action. There’s wonderful moments of camaraderie and banter, or cunning snippets of other scenes playing out and weaving the story together. The pacing is just so well planned and I loved the way that as the story progresses you have these shorter chapters that really pack a punch. I mean in one respect, as the tension rose I found myself thinking ‘nooooooo’ when we jumped pov just as something tantalising was revealed, everything became so intense and yet at the same time I have to acknowledge it drove my reading on into the early hours with the age old ‘just one more chapter’.

I don’t know what more I can say, I feel like I’m waxing lyrical about this and I’m in danger of going overboard with the praise but I can’t help myself. I’m having such a good time with this series that I don’t want anyone to miss out. A fantastic storyline, amazing characters, pacing perfection, sublime writing, some downright icky characters – all I can say right now is the thing with the tongues! Why, just why was there a need to go there? If you love fantasy and you’re not reading this series then I implore you, do yourself a favour and get on board. I have so much emotion right now – I’m watching Gwynne and thinking it’s going to be a long wait for the next book.

That is all.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 5* (I would actually give it 5.5 if I could!)

So many people I trust recommended this book to me, they were sure it would be something I'd love... and yeah okay they were right! Though this book had a slow beginning, I'm a big fan of a slower build up. I think it gives you time to get to know the characters, a chance to connect with their stories before they are thrown into conflict and/or mortal danger. Shadow of the Gods did this element so well, especially with our two main women (mostly Orka, she is terrifying and determind and I loved her). It did take me a moment to get to grips with all the opposing forces at work in this world and I would say the confusing nature of this is what made me unable to give it 5 stars. I did eventually settle into it but it was harder work than I was anticapting, maybe book 2 will be easier because I'm more familiar with all the pieces on the board. I definitely would benefit from a character list but as I read this on kindle it wasn't really possible to skip to that part of the e-arc (I have noticed that book 2 includes one at least, thank goodness!).
I'm so excited to see what the events of the ending will do to this world! It reminded me a little of Robin Hobb's style of narrative, slow build to a super intense ending that will have you on the edge of your seat and worried for your favourite characters. My favourite thing in this kind of multiple POV narrative is when you can finally draw links between the characters and watch how their previously unconnected stories interwine. This novel did this perfectly! I lived for those moments of revelantion.
I will definitely be recommending this to fellow fantasy fans who don't mind when things get a little dark... or very dark in the case of Orka and her axe.

This is the first book I have read of John Gwynne's and found it to be a stunning beginning to a new trilogy.
Set in a world where the old Gods have been defeated but living bloodlines and remnants of their fall all around, we follow the stories of three different characters.
There are a large number of characters in the book as well as Nordic names and terminology but found listening to the audiobook as well as reading to be an advantage.
I found the first two-thirds of the book to be a brilliant reading experience, but the final third is where Gwynne steps things up even further.
This is a brilliant beginning and I am looking forward to the second (pre-ordered immediately after finishing this one).

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is an awesome Norse inspired fantasy story, clever compelling descriptive and fast paced, with almost non stop action and be warned those of a nervous disposition at times gory and gruesome. Atmospheric character driven and more than enough to keep my aged brain creaking. The story revolves around three main characters in rotating chapters. I found the book unputdownable cannot wait to start the next, assuming my 'thought cage' can stand the strain. This is quality writing of the highest order as you are swept along and totally involved with the story.
Completely recommended.

In this first installment in the Bloodsworn Saga, we follow three different points of view. Orka is a mother searching for the son who was taken from her home by unknown assailants, leaving her husband dead. Her quest for vengeance takes her far away, and on her journey we get to unravel the mysteries surrounding her bit by bit. Varg is an escaped thrall, looking for someone who can perform a magical ritual to lead him to his sister's killers. When his past catches up to him, a group of mercenaries called the Bloodsworn take him in. Fortunately, there is a seidhr witch among them who may be able to help him avenge his sister. Elvar has finally solidified her place among the Battle-Grim, a group of mercenaries led by Agnar, but when their journey takes them back to her home and family, she must decide what her future will look like.

I spent most of the book trying to lay links between the characters, which is easier said than one. Orka is easily my favourite character out of the three. The way we are introduced to her immediately piqued my interest, and I only grew to like her more as the pages flipped by. Her single-minded determination to find her son and rescue him against all odds was admirable, even though it sometimes led her thoughtlessly into dangerous situations.

I really enjoyed Varg's chapters as well, especially once he started making friends among the Bloodsworn. The characters in that group are fun and varied, and I liked the way Varg's character developed after joining them.

The character I had the most trouble connecting to is Elvar, and that lasted up until the end. Her storyline starts off the least interesting, although the last part of it is probably the most interesting out of all of them. The Battle-Grim are motivated by money, however, which makes it harder to empathize with her compared to Orka and Varg, whose journeys are a lot more personal.

The world is fascinating, and the author does his best to ease us into it. There's no infodumping; all the fantastical creatures and elements get explained in a very organic way. It does take a while for the story to really ramp up to where it gets interesting, and a lot of the book is spent on moving from one place to another, which is not my favourite thing to read about. But it does give us the time to get invested in these people, although I do think the pacing could've been a bit faster (and the book a bit shorter) without losing that aspect.

The ending is a rollercoaster, and I loved everything that happens and everything we learn in those final few chapters. Can't wait for the next book to see how this will play out.

This review is overdue but I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. Dnf at 30%

I don't dnf often (and I really did not want to since it's an arc) but I was extremely bored and could not get pulled into the story. Might try again some other time. A glossary would have been helpful, I was totally lost but didn't feel like Googling unknown words every 2 minutes. Troll testicles were mentioned 3 times too much for my taste.

As a historical fiction and fantasy fan, the premise of The Shadow of the Gods grabbed my attention: fantasy with a Norse inspiration? Yes please!

I’ll admit it took me until the 25-30% mark before I truly got into it. The split narration with the fantastical setting meant it took that time to get to grips with all the names. But also with the rules of the world, how the magic worked and, of course, what drove the main characters.

Once I reached that point, however, I couldn’t put it down. While not the fastest paced book, it has a solid grounding in an intriguing world. The writing transports you to this setting where Gods came in the form of creatures and their descendants show traits of those animals, marking them as something ‘other’. Giant and lethal spiders; creatures after your teeth; wyrms that will bury into your body: this is not a world for the faint-hearted.

But what a ride you’re in for. The story follows three different narrations as the characters set off on journeys of revenge, glory and desperation. They follow separate paths and have their hearts set on different things, but as the stories unfold, you see how the characters are going to eventually collide, setting things up for the second book.

Orka is a mother and a wife on a quest for revenge and to seek her son. A fearsome warrior with an unstoppable drive, Orka is prepared to do whatever necessary to find her boy. A dark backstory is hinted through flashes of violence, but there’s a lot more to uncover about her.

Varg is an escaped thrall – slave – on a quest to identify the murderer of his sister. Along the way, he finds himself with something he’s never experienced before: a new family and a purpose. His journey is one of self-discovery, not only learning new skills but finding out where his loyalties lie.

Elvar is not who everyone believes: escaping a life that would see her married off and instead seeking her own battle-glory. She yearns to make a name for herself, although is still figuring out exactly what her heart desires.
Three very different characters; three very different journeys. Each as likeable as the next and all make you root for them, wanting them to find what it is they are looking for. I’m not sure I could pick a favourite as they all have their moments, but I enjoyed each viewpoint.

The split between the narrations varied in length, which helped prevent a book of truly epic length given all the characters are on a journey – physically as well as personally. You still get to travel the world with them though, and how the landscape is formed by its history – literally.

An engaging and enjoyable read. I loved the pacing, the setting, the characters, and am looking forward to starting book two pronto. A definite recommendation for fantasy fans looking for a new and gritty world to get sucked into.

The Shadow of the Gods is the first book of a Norse inspired series and we have three points of view: Orka and her little family living as trappers out in the frozen north when trouble comes to town, Elvar working her way up the power structure in a group of mercenary warriors and Varg a thrawl running from his past and out for revenge.
It took me a while to get into this because it is dense and it’s heavy on the Norse mythology which I don’t mind but I’m not that into. It took a long time to warm up to the actual main thread of the plot. I also felt that as Elvar and Varg were travelling on similar journeys so I sometimes got the companies and their members mixed up. I did also roll my eyes at Elvar getting jinked by the love interest (sigh), there were a few plot points like that that were predictable. That’s ok though I don’t mind trope. They are tropey because we love them. Overall it was good I’m intrigued to see what happens next. And there’s is heaps and heaps of blood by the end mostly provided by Orka.

Nahh.

1. Two dimensional/flat characters

2. Not enough information given to keep things interesting.

3. Absolutely unremarkable prose.

4. I wish I could like it.

The Shadow Of The Gods by John Gwynne is the first book in The Bloodsworn Saga. I have heard so much about John Gwynne and his books that I was delighted to get my hands on this one and participate in Goodreads Buddy Reads. Buddy reading is a unique and fun experience on its own, but to read a book that's unanimously raved about by the entire book (fantasy) community is another thing. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I picked this up, other than the general idea I had after reading the synopsis. The book blew me away with the epicness of the story and was highly riveting with constant edge-of-the-seat-action throughout the book. It was an absolute page-turner by all counts!! When I say I devoured this book, I mean it. I blitzed through this book despite the initial struggle with some of the words and their meaning. It was just a minor bump on a long road to an intense, bloody, and savage journey.

We follow three perspectives that are so unique and individual that you can't help but be pulled into their storylines from the get-go. Their compelling narratives and characterizations are the strongest points of this epic opener to a brand new series. The themes of found-family, an impossible quest seeking battle fame, camaraderie, and friendships all add to the story wonderfully.

The characters were one of the highlights for me in this book. The world-building, the lore, and monsters all add another layer of brilliance to the story. The descriptions and details were fascinating to see and explore, as I am not familiar with Norse-inspired settings. The ending was epic as it was the point of convergence for a couple of storylines.

Overall, this is a strong start to a brand new series, and I highly recommend reading this if you love epic fantasies. It's the most satisfying first book you are going to read and is guaranteed to leave you hanging, and wanting for more. I gave the book 5 solid stars and can't wait to see what the author has in store for us in the upcoming books.

Ok, I have to admit that this book tok me forever in my standards. It wasn't because it was bad, but because it took forever to get into it.
We have three POVs that obviously lead up to a Great Meeting and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed it didn't happen sooner. It sort of took a bit of enjoyment from me.
All of the MCs are likable though, so don't you fret. You'll be cheering for them all.
My main problem were random Nordic words thrown into the narration with no explanation, and I had to google these words to have some kind of idea what these ships/clothes/weapons looked like. I mean, it's not necessary as you can figure it out from the context that "hey this is come kind of weapon" or "oh this is obviously a piece of clothing". But I'm a curious person so I was googling wildly.
The worldbuilding is very decent and I enjoyed the idea of dead gods who might or might not get back to life.

If you're into mythology and slow burn plot then I highly recommend.

I have not read another book by this author before, but the cover and the fact that it is the first in a series had me interested in giving it a shot.
I must say that it was tough going initially. I should have expected the gore given the Viking theme and the name of the series itself, but it is not something I am used to. It took a while, but I am glad I read the whole thing.
It becomes easier to stomach the battles and the aftermaths beyond a point. The focus is shifted to the balance between the people and the descendants of gods. In this world, the gods had a war, spurred on by others of their ilk, and in the end, all of them were destroyed (or so we are told).
We have different paths that are taken to the ultimate ending. We have one family who lives like recluses and are training their son to be tough and survive in their harsh world. There are strange events happening in the world. The political affiliations are shifting, and it is changing the balance that has existed thus far. We have two teams of mercenaries who have completely different agendas. We see both of their journeys as well.
I cannot and will not say more about the treacherous sequence of events that befall everyone we are introduced to.
I will, however, say that the last scene was brilliant. It is the kind of revelations that I both expected and was stunned to see play out. I highly recommend it to readers of fantasy who are okay with more than a bit of violence in the works.
I will be picking up the next book whenever I can!
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

4.5/ 5 stars



This is my re-read of this new book in a series by John Gwynne. it is also my first Gwynne book. I heard his works are pretty great and this book didn't disappoint me or lowered my expectations of his storytelling.

The Shadow of Gods is heavily inspired by Norse Mythology. To all fans of Rick Riordan, this would be different mythology that you can expect.

I thought that I would have a hard time digesting Gwynne's writing style but in fact, I am surprised that even it is a little hard at first, the more you dived into his world and storytelling, his writing style gets fluid and smooth.

Gwynne's characterization is awesome. Gwynne has this ability to draw you into his characters until you are attached to them. I really loved his characters in this new series, especially Mommy Orka! Orka is so awesome! Special mention to other side characters like Varg and Elvar but Orka shines brightly (hahhaha) in this book.

Like Joe Abercrombie, Gwynne's fighting sequences are to die for! A finesse. A masterpiece.

I am so excited to read more of him.

I've struggled with writing a review for this one as I really enjoyed some parts of the book but then felt like other sections were almost a chore.

What I Liked
-Amazing world building
-Some amazing sections of writing and lots of quotable lines.
-Lots of action and mythical creatures
-Great female characters

What I Didn't Like
-There were chunks where I was bored
-I felt most of the characters needed more depth
-It needs a glossary and character map. There are so many terms and characters to make sense of it's easy to get lost, especially for the first book of a series.

It's quite obviously a really well written book and is getting huge praise but for me I felt it was a little bit too much hard work for the pay off of the level of enjoyment I received from it. I've no doubt however that it will make for an amazing series.

This was a DNF at 50%. I normally don't give star ratings to DNFs but NetGalley requires one so it gets a 2.5 from me rounded up to a 3.

I really hate to be writing this review as I was so excited to read a Nordic inspired fantasy!

What I liked!

- The fallen gods sound super cool and very Norse inspired

- The magic system and different abilities are interesting (the names of the different creatures and abilities are kind of on the nose for me though)

- Beautiful world and I could picture the scenery so vividly in my mind


Thoughts

I made it to about halfway through the book before I decided to just put it down for good. It's not bad by any means (though I do have some thoughts about the use of Icelandic and Scandinavian words and names in this book) but I just don't care enough to continue reading it. I've put it down and picked it up some 4-5 times now and found that I really enjoy other books but this one feels like a slog because I'm just not invested in any of it.

We follow three different points of view, all with their own story and motivations. One of them I kind of care about but I don't really know enough about the other two to care, and that's saying a lot when I'm halfway through the book. One of them keeps hinting at their motivations but I STILL don't know why they're doing what they're doing and it's just getting annoying at this point. We seem to be getting to the actual backstory of the other one but I'm kind of over it by now.
However, this might be because I kept being pulled out of the story by the use of Icelandic words which brings me to my next section..

Icelandic gripes!

I'll preface this by saying that I am Icelandic so you could say that I'm quite familiar with the language. The use of it was sometimes technically correct if a bit childlike but some words were just plain weird and/or wrong. It just felt so jarring to me that I kept being yeeted right back into our world with a frown on my face. I feel like this book would have worked better (for me) had the author decided to make up his own language/names that sounded Scandinavian but weren't actually real or at least had a few Icelanders on hand to check the language. We're pretty easy to find.

I know that there aren't that many of us in the world so my gripes are very niche and specific and I'm pretty sure that most readers won't think twice of the use of Icelandic words and will think they're quite cool.

I really hope that other people will enjoy this book! It's just not for me.

Sometimes fantasy is difficult. This was my motto when I was a kid, world-building (no matter how second hand) can be dense, and I was often reading years up. Add to that legions of characters and I felt you had to put some work in sometimes to get the most out of it. That isn't really the case these days, there is a lot out there so I'm guessing the verbose and poorly structured get slowly chipped away. Whilst The Shadow Of The Gods is anything but verbose, it is long, it is frustratingly structured and ends in such an unresolved way that I probably won't be going back. Its not without its moments, but parts of it were a slog. Nto least the stab at idiosyncratic Norse voice - the most glaring of which being the description of someones brain as their "thought-cage". Fun, and interesting once or twice, used three or four times a chapter it starts to grate.

We are in a Norse / Viking derived fantasy world, where the Gods died a hundred years previously, and mystical creatures still exist. It is a land red in tooth and many many claws, where the only jobs on offer appear to be cannon fodder farmer or warrior. Gwynne shows us this world though three characters, alternating their own chapters. One a seasoned warrior, one a slave turned fighter and the other a warrior turned farmer (its OK, she'll become a warrior again). Gwynne is good at his fights, which is just as well as there are plenty of them, but his character motivations tend to sit broadly around revenge. Our three character have their own distinct line into what turns out to be an overarching story about trying to bring the gods back, or at least their power. Though by the end of the book none of them have met, their actual stories don't intertwine and we are left with a metaphysical cliffhanger. And since I only really liked one of the three characters...

This is my biggest problem with the book. The leads were not all that distinguishable, and despite the scale of revenge they were involved in, it wasn't a motivation that really got me on board with them. The architecture of the novel - the bog picture - is interesting but only really becomes clear in the last fifty pages of this brick. Gwynne clearly wants to show not tell in his world building, but that leaves us with a small world mainly full of people fighting - which may well be accurate for a Norse style world - but whilst I am loathe to be thrown to a verse in fantasy, they talk a lot about the Sagas without really going into detail. Because the perspective is ground level grunts and people affected by the high level plot, we never really get the details of the plot (in a way the perspective is refreshing, but it is also frustrating). There is also the stab at idiosyncratic Norse voice - the most glaring of which being the description of someones brain as their "thought-cage". Fun, and interesting once or twice, used three or four times a chapter it starts to grate.

So not really for me, too much work for too little reward in my thought cage.

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne chronicles a world where the gods have fallen, but a remnant of their power still exists within the people. This epic fantasy asks what it means to be a family, and what it takes to gain battle-fame.

I couldn't stop comparing this one to the author's debut, Malice, while reading. I love them both, and I appreciate how different and alike they are.

First off, Gwynne's writing. How I missed it. He's so good at making characters endearing, as well as writing great battle scenes.

Next, the chapters. In Malice, the chapters are long and there are a lot of POV's, while this one has shorter chapters and only 3 POV's. Both took awhile for me to get used to, but both also worked just fine. Let me also just mention how epic the last chapters of this book were: getting wrapped up in one character's battle only to get entangled in another's. And the ending a magnificent finish to start off this saga. That final revelation got me screaming, wanting more (thankfully HUNGER comes out this year so, I don't have to wait long).

I'm also glad I picked Gaiman's Norse Mythology earlier this month, as I was now able to notice the Norse-inspired details Gwynne put both in SHADOW and MALICE. Finally, I was mindblown when I learned that this inspired from both Ragnarok and Beowulf because dude! *screams in dragon*

I'm giving this book 4.5 stars. John Gwynne is now one of my favorite authors, and I highly recommend this epic fantasy for lovers of found-family trope and VENGEANCE!

I am blood. I am vengeance. I am death.

UK paperback out now from Little Brown Book Group UK!

Gwynne brings the gritty blood-drenched battlescapes of a Joe Abercrombie novel to a Norse-inspired world full of deadly mythical beasts in this dark and gripping first entry in the Bloodsworn Saga.
It's a book full of rich and engaging characters with detailed and satisfying worldbuilding that draws you in from the get go. Gwynne's creation of a battle-scarred society that lives in the shadows of old gods is absolutely riveting and its a world you'll want to remain in.
While much of the book could be described as set-up for a larger story line, it's never dull - mostly because of the two great main characters Varg and Orka. These are two warriors of who you want to follow - and you'll be counting down the days until you can re-join them in book two.
It's a fantastic start to a new series for which feels like has just started to pull back the curtain.