The Shadow of the Gods

This book was amazing! The action was written so perfectly, the worldbuilding was written into the story in a way that draws you in really effectively!The twist with Ilksa is also well set up, with her willingly turning a blind eye to the kidnappings, and even the slaver trading stops spread throughout the areas she goes to.All leading up to Lif Raka, the infamous last living God, being released into the world once more. Lif Raka is such an interesting character already! I love how torn she acts between seeking to regain her control over the world and how she genuinely cares for her children. I can't wait to see how her character develops throughout the books!Speaking of characters, the way all the protagonists are super well written!Orka has such a well written and emotional story, and her determination to find her son after he gets kidnapped is so well written and endearing. Her relationship with Mord and Lif is so well done, and the book ends with her story in such a tragic spot. I hope her storyline is able to finish in a good way with the next book!Varg's twist is set up really well throughout the book, with how he shows signs of being tainted early on that slowly build up until it's revealed he's tainted right alongside the rest of the bloodsworn. The way he and Orka meet up in the end is executed really well, and puts them in believable places at the end of the story.Elvar is by far the least compelling of the protagonists. Her story isn't super emotional, and while her past is interesting the rest of her character doesn't match. She was only fighting for fame and glory, and her indifference towards/dislike of the thralls makes her pov a lot less enjoyable.Luckily the writing style is so good her pov chapters are still interesting, but the rest of the protagonists are leagues more enjoyable than she is!

tl;dr - Fun popcorn adventure fantasy that lacks depth and character growth.Shadow of the Gods is a violent, bloody ride through a Norse-inspired world. It follows 3 different characters, all on their own quests, but I wouldn't say the characters are the strength of the book. They all have their own unique motivations but there aren't any deep character arcs that they undergo. The themes mainly revolve around family ties, vengeance and the thirst for battle glory. These are pretty surface level and deeper themes, such as trauma and oppression, are touched upon but not explored much.This is more just a fun room through a really cool setting, filled with bloody battles, lots of action and terrifying creatures. I'm looking forward to the next books to see how the storylines come together, even if I felt that the book lacked an overall plot.Overall, I enjoyed this fun adventure book but felt that there was a lot of repetition of phrases conversations and setting descriptions that could've been cut and the book should have probably been at least a hundred pages shorter. It's not a deep book but was fast-paced and enjoyable and I look forward to the rest of the series.

I was one of those gifted kids who burned out on reading soon after high school. I had rarely picked up a book thicker than 300 pages except maybe five times in the past 10 or 15 years. However, I grabbed this book by chance at the library because it just called to me. I had to buy a copy after reading it because I loved it so much! I am normally not a fan of books that swap perspectives from character to character, but in this case, the converging story lines slowly gathering together really draw you in. It is like watching a rope wind together into one strong piece. The writing style is descriptive, but not flowery, and there is plenty of action. The characters are all interesting and the lore is classic and fresh at the same time. I could not put it down and took a whole day to read it uninterrupted from cover to cover. Highly recommend!

I had watched several YouTube reviews for recommended Fantasy authors and books. This one came up in several YouTubers recommendations. I had not read anything from this author before. I was intrigued because it is based on Norwegian mythology.It exceeded my expectations. Wonderful character development, adventure, mayhem, strong and smart female characters and of course lots and lots of dangerous creatures. What is not to love.It is so well written. Just the right amount of detail along with full well thought out characters finding themselves in life and death situations. Some make it and some don’t. It is a hefty book at 528 pages but they flew by as I was absorbed in the story. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered the Audio book also.If you like Fantasy books and action and adventure, I highly recommend this one.It is the first book in the Bloodsworn Trilogy. I will also be reading the next one in the series - The Hunger of the Gods.

This bio was awesome. I can’t stop thinking about it! The author did an amazing job with character development, plot execution, descriptive writing, among other things. I felt like I was in the story!

Es el primer libro que leo de John Gwynne. Son 3 historias que te van acercando acerca de este mundo fantástico. En ocasiones tuve que buscar ciertos términos durante mi lectura ya que el inglés no es mi lengua natal. Pero si es muy fluida su lectura. Es un buen libro para pasar el rato.

First I just want to say this is the first every book that Ienjoyed so much that I pre-ordered the next book in theseries.So I haven't read a book in a long time (I would say about7 years, apart from the odd audiobook). I decided to pickthis up as I seen it on YouTube, friends recommending itto me, and the cover looked cool.All I can say without giving spoilers is that this bookgrabbed my attention immediately, and it felt verysatisfying to read.Some aspects that I thought it did really well was:- It did a very good job at writing the women in a verygood way (like they're strong and know their worth),- The humour in it is fantastic (I actually laughed audibly)- The action is fantastic and actually has a purposebehind it.- But it is also short chapters changing perspectivebetween them so it's very engaging for the reader.Without it feeling like an info dump.Would I recommend it to others ? Absolutely.

Die Handlung ist sehr spannend und das world building äußerst gelungen. Ich empfehle das Buch Fantasy Liebhabern, die klare, action lastige Handlungen mögen.

Loving this wee world and the multiple stories. Good cliff hanger, nice twist. The heroics aren’t too Holywood but they inspire and regale

Meu marido adorou!!!