The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
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Web ID: 15843446Amazing!!
I loved this book, it did take me a while because I unfortunately fell into a reading slump with another book, but I am so glad that I picked this up again. The story is so compelling, the multiple narrators makes it fun and at times a little confusing but I loved every second of reading this book, the emotion and lore that the first book alone brings is so powerful and interesting. I cant wait to dive into the second.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Every page gets better
It took a while to get immersed in the characters because the author switches character POV every chapter but the story never stopped building and it kept getting better. Excited for the next one!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Highly Recommend!
THE SHADOW OF THE GODS – Book One Of Bloodsworn Trilogy – by John Gwynne ‘“They call this the age of peace, because the ancient war is over and the gods are dead, but if this is peace…” She looked to the skies, clouds low and heavy, snow falling in sheets now, and back at the blood-soaked corpses. “This is the age of storm and murder…”’ ‘“This is a world of blood. Of tooth and claw and sharp iron. Of short lives and painful deaths.”’ In a word, WOW! I am one hundred percent invested in these characters! I can’t count how many times I gasped in surprise or shock as Gwynne yanked at my heartstrings and then ripped them out on repeat. Gwynne wrote this novel from the point of view of three different characters by way of alternating chapters whose lives and journeys are easy to follow. I can honestly say there was never a point that I wanted to put the book down. Highly Recommend! ‘“We all live with death’s talons in our shoulder, her breath on our neck…”’ Next up: Book Two, THE HUNGER OF THE GODS Source: Kindle Unlimited Publisher: Orbit (Hachette Book Group)
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Amazing
Could not put it down, picked up the second immediately after finishing this. Can't wait for the third! Incredible characters and wonderful world!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Love it!
Haven't been this obsessed with a series in a while! Has everything I want in a book and more.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Epic!
What a ride! What artwork! I read these two books back to back and rather than just write a review for book two, which comes out today, I wanted to give some space to both. Please don’t skip to the second book, the first is essential to the series. Note: I’m going to be very careful not to put in spoilers since this review is really for the first two books in the series. This series is very hardcore. I’m generally not a big fan of Norse/Viking tv shows or books as a general rule. That’s probably because I have so little knowledge of their mythology (I mean besides Thor as represented in Marvel movies … I know that means I have next to none right!) This type of book also tends to be more heavy handed with violence and brutality, which I’m not a huge fan of, but when a story is as well written as this then none of that seems to matter to me. The series follows three characters closely, and what I like about the way the structure of the novel is that these characters are very distinctly from different social spheres and their life experiences helped me as a readier to easily acclimate into a VERY unfamiliar setting. I admit, I did have some trouble following along at times, trying to remember which group was involved in which location. I don’t think that’s a problem with the book as much as a problem with me being able to follow along. My concentration is not at it’s best. With that it mind, one thing I absolutely loved about book two is that it came with an introductory recap for the first book. That is a LIFESAVER for a reader like me. I was fortunate enough to read these two back to back, but if there had been a gap between book 1 and 2 I’d have been hard pressed to remember what was going on. I wish more writers would include those. That being said, I’m sure they are not the easiest thing to make and so I understand why they don’t. Apart from the technical aspects of these books, the story itself is brutal, visceral, adventurous and compelling. I liked reading about all three of the main characters, and I have to admit my little feminist heart enjoyed that two of them are such formidable women. They are not the only two either! There are tons of shield-maidens (shout out Eowyn!) in this book, as well as women who are in very high political positions and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed the heck out of these two books, and am eagerly awaiting book three. Disclaimer: I received these books free from Netgalley.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Can't wait for book 2!
The first thing I thought of when I started to write this review was that I had 3 feelings about this book. One - it was difficult for me to get into at the beginning. There are lots of unfamiliar words and names, which is always tricky for me. Two - once I got into it and started following along with each storyline, I loved it. Three - I was not happy with the ending. I understand it’s a trilogy and there is more to come. But it just ends. Abruptly. Yes, it is at a kind of pausing point in the story, but still there I was reading along, turned the next page and it was done! Needless to say, I will be reading the next book. As I said before there are a lot of unfamiliar words and names - this is Norse fantasy and mythology. The story is told in alternating chapters between the characters Varg, Orka, and Elvar. They are each on a mission, mostly revenge, and their stories take place in different locations. With vivid descriptions of the battles, what they wore, the weapons they used, it is easy to lose yourself in this story. I don’t really know much about Norse mythology and this book makes me want to learn more. Once I could keep the names straight and the storylines straight, I really enjoyed this book. I received an ARC of the book.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Amazing start to a Norse-inspired fantasy series
The Shadow of the Gods is the first book in John Gwynne's new Norse-inspired series! It follows the intertwining journeys of three individuals: Orka- the warrior and loving wife and mother on the hunt for answers, Varg - the former slave turned mercenary on a quest for vengeance, and Elvar - the noblewoman seeking battle fame and glory. The dead gods do not get their own points-of-view but they are the driving forces always in the background. The pacing of The Shadow of the Gods was very steady and compelling with an infinitely more manageable number of points-of-view to follow. For the first half of the story, I was a lot more interested in Orka and Varg's journey but Elvar's eventually becomes more interesting. Orka stole the show for me but I'm pretty invested in the all three character's outcomes. The world-building is top-notch and I'd expect nothing less from John Gwynne. Magic, mythology, and Viking lore are seamlessly blended into the world of Vigrid and Gwynne manages to depict it masterfully without having any large sections of information dumping. Overall, this is an excellent to start to what I expect to be a phenomenal fantasy series. Thanks so much to the Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
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