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joliebean's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
heatherpageone's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Gwynne’s world-building is nothing short of impressive. The setting feels both vast and intimate, with desolate landscapes and ancient relics from a time when gods walked among mortals. The magic system, tied to the lingering powers of these dead gods, adds layers of intrigue and danger, making the world come alive with ominous energy.
One of the standout elements of this book is the equal treatment of men and women. Gwynne ensures that both genders are on equal footing, whether in battle or decision-making, which was refreshing to see.
The action scenes are another highlight. They are brutal and relentless. Gwynne doesn’t shy away from the realities of combat, making this a book that’s not for the faint of heart. Although there are some parts of the action I found a bit flat and unsatisfying, they’re still well-executed and add to the overall atmosphere of the story.
While the world-building and action are top-notch, the pacing, however, is not consistent. The novel starts off strong, but as it progresses into the middle section, the pace slows significantly. It feels like the story drags, and there were moments when I almost considered DNFing the book. Fortunately, the pace picks up again in the last few chapters, but the slow burn might be off-putting for some readers.
The book is written from three different points of view—Orka, Varg, and Elvar. Initially, I was intrigued by all three characters, but as the story moved forward, I found myself losing interest in certain POVs. Orka quickly became my favorite character, and I was also invested in Varg’s journey as an underdog. However, I struggled to connect with Elvar’s storyline, and I found myself eager to move past her chapters.
I did find one aspect of the writing that puzzled me: Gwynne's repetitive use of the word "thought-cage". I couldn't understand why he kept repeating this word, as he could have used a simpler word like "mind" or "thought" that would have conveyed the same meaning without the repetition. Using a word twice or thrice might be acceptable, but repeating it from beginning to end can become grating and distracting.
That being said, The Shadow of the Gods is a book with a lot of strengths, especially for readers who appreciate deep world-building, gender equality, and gritty action. The Norse mythology inspiration adds a unique and captivating layer to the story, making it stand out in the epic fantasy genre. However, I found that the pacing can be slow in certain sections, particularly in the middle of the book where the narrative dragged on for too long.
Despite these issues, I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a complex and immersive fantasy world. With its rich world-building and unique mythology, The Shadow of the Gods is a great choice for fans of epic fantasy who are willing to invest time and effort into understanding the story.
One of the standout elements of this book is the equal treatment of men and women. Gwynne ensures that both genders are on equal footing, whether in battle or decision-making, which was refreshing to see.
The action scenes are another highlight. They are brutal and relentless. Gwynne doesn’t shy away from the realities of combat, making this a book that’s not for the faint of heart. Although there are some parts of the action I found a bit flat and unsatisfying, they’re still well-executed and add to the overall atmosphere of the story.
While the world-building and action are top-notch, the pacing, however, is not consistent. The novel starts off strong, but as it progresses into the middle section, the pace slows significantly. It feels like the story drags, and there were moments when I almost considered DNFing the book. Fortunately, the pace picks up again in the last few chapters, but the slow burn might be off-putting for some readers.
The book is written from three different points of view—Orka, Varg, and Elvar. Initially, I was intrigued by all three characters, but as the story moved forward, I found myself losing interest in certain POVs. Orka quickly became my favorite character, and I was also invested in Varg’s journey as an underdog. However, I struggled to connect with Elvar’s storyline, and I found myself eager to move past her chapters.
I did find one aspect of the writing that puzzled me: Gwynne's repetitive use of the word "thought-cage". I couldn't understand why he kept repeating this word, as he could have used a simpler word like "mind" or "thought" that would have conveyed the same meaning without the repetition. Using a word twice or thrice might be acceptable, but repeating it from beginning to end can become grating and distracting.
That being said, The Shadow of the Gods is a book with a lot of strengths, especially for readers who appreciate deep world-building, gender equality, and gritty action. The Norse mythology inspiration adds a unique and captivating layer to the story, making it stand out in the epic fantasy genre. However, I found that the pacing can be slow in certain sections, particularly in the middle of the book where the narrative dragged on for too long.
Despite these issues, I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a complex and immersive fantasy world. With its rich world-building and unique mythology, The Shadow of the Gods is a great choice for fans of epic fantasy who are willing to invest time and effort into understanding the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and War
erinjeanette's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Blood, and War
mlottermoser's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Gore, Slavery, Trafficking, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, and Cursing
venomtancitaro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Very slow for 75% of the book but the last little bit really hooked me. Everything finally came together and I’m hopefully the next book will be more story focused rather than character focused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore and Grief
Minor: Sexual content
phaedruus's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
vvabecca's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ash_reads_fantasy's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Slavery
aedory's review against another edition
4.0
At first the switching POVs, unfamiliar terminology and (initially) slower pacing of this book made it hard for me to get into it. I almost gave up on it a few times, but the vivid and beautiful writing style kept me engaged enough to keep going - and I'm glad I did.
I became incredibly attached to all the POV characters (but not really many of the side characters tbh) , and am excited to see their growth in the next book, as well as (hopefully) seeing their stories overlap.
Though the pacing remained a bit too slow for my liking, it really picked up in the final quarter or so and I was completely hooked from that point until the end - and even would've careened straight into the next book had it not been very, VERY late lol.
Now that I'm more familiar with the style and world of this trilogy, I hope the next two books will be a bit easier to dive into :)
I became incredibly attached to all the POV characters (but not really many of the side characters tbh) , and am excited to see their growth in the next book, as well as (hopefully) seeing their stories overlap.
Though the pacing remained a bit too slow for my liking, it really picked up in the final quarter or so and I was completely hooked from that point until the end - and even would've careened straight into the next book had it not been very, VERY late lol.
Now that I'm more familiar with the style and world of this trilogy, I hope the next two books will be a bit easier to dive into :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and War
Moderate: Slavery and Torture
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
riththewarluid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
TL;Dr I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend this book to anyone looking for an extremely violent Norse-inspired romp with incredible world building, who doesn’t mind excessive non-English phrases/words or reading “thought-cage” over and over.
Pros: the world building is SO cool, and I really felt immersed in a fantastical mirror of our own earth. Loved the hints of international politics we got with Gravka and Sulich (but also so many questions about why Sulich is with the Bloodsworn?). Orka’s storyline is my favorite, as I feel like she is the most complicated of the three main characters and is the most dynamic to read about. The last few paragraphs of the book broke my heart!! Varg and Elvar were interesting but just felt more trope-y and I didn’t see a ton of actual growth with them; maybe in the next book. I’m curious to see what happens with Elvar in particular in the next book, and I’ve got real questions about Ilska and the Ravenfeeders?? Mostly about why [name redacted] is pro-liberation of the tainted but is ok with the kidnapping and enslaving of tainted kids????
Cons: this book is clearly primarily a set up for the rest of the series. Because each of the character’s stories start in media res you don’t have a clear sense of where they are coming from or where they want to go to, until maybe the last few chapters of the book, which makes the story hard to get into. The writing style is very adjective and metaphor heavy, which is fine but not always my cup of tea. The thing that bothered me the most was the use of “thought-cage” to just mean mind. It felt clunky as opposed to immersive, and it was used so much that it got annoying. There’s also a lot of foreign language used, which doesn’t bother me except when it’s not translated (or isn’t easy to figure out based on context), which is often the case for various spells. But I was reading this on a Kindle, so maybe there’s an easy glossary that I just didn’t see.
Pros: the world building is SO cool, and I really felt immersed in a fantastical mirror of our own earth. Loved the hints of international politics we got with Gravka and Sulich (but also so many questions about why Sulich is with the Bloodsworn?). Orka’s storyline is my favorite, as I feel like she is the most complicated of the three main characters and is the most dynamic to read about. The last few paragraphs of the book broke my heart!! Varg and Elvar were interesting but just felt more trope-y and I didn’t see a ton of actual growth with them; maybe in the next book. I’m curious to see what happens with Elvar in particular in the next book, and I’ve got real questions about Ilska and the Ravenfeeders??
Cons: this book is clearly primarily a set up for the rest of the series. Because each of the character’s stories start in media res you don’t have a clear sense of where they are coming from or where they want to go to, until maybe the last few chapters of the book, which makes the story hard to get into. The writing style is very adjective and metaphor heavy, which is fine but not always my cup of tea. The thing that bothered me the most was the use of “thought-cage” to just mean mind. It felt clunky as opposed to immersive, and it was used so much that it got annoying. There’s also a lot of foreign language used, which doesn’t bother me except when it’s not translated (or isn’t easy to figure out based on context), which is often the case for various spells. But I was reading this on a Kindle, so maybe there’s an easy glossary that I just didn’t see.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War