readingwithkel's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
alex_robins's review
5.0
I’ve been following John Gwynne for a long time, ever since the publication of his first book, Malice, back in 2012. I remember it coming out with little fanfare, relying on word of mouth along with John’s constant presence on twitter and goodreads. Ten years later Malice has over 18,000 ratings, thousands of reviews, and John has shot up into the pantheon of gritty, military UK fantasy authors, alongside David Gemmell and Bernard Cornwell, two other excellent writers he is clearly influenced by.
The Faithful and the Fallen and Of Blood and Bone, John’s first series, convincingly mix an accurate and grounded anglo-saxon themed world with fantastical angels, demons, giants, and magic. It’s a tricky thing to pull off, but John seems to do so almost effortlessly, bringing a realism to his characters and world that we don’t often see in epic fantasy.
Of course, that makes things even worse when John rips some of those characters away from us, something he seems to enjoy quite a lot!
The Shadow of the Gods, the first book in the Bloodsworn Saga, takes this melting pot of realism and fantasy, and applies it to a Viking setting. Those who follow the author know he is a Viking re-enactor, and it shows. John is at his best when it comes to describing the arms and armour of these northern warriors, we can imagine every link of chainmail, every sharpened axe (or seax). The rest of the world also comes across as very well-researched, from the food, to the lifestyle, to the language. The descriptions are never overly-long, just enough to paint an often bleak and grim picture!
Then John smashes this alternate Viking universe together with a mix of horrible creatures straight out of some of the more grisly norse myths and legends, creating untold havoc!
I prefer not to dive too deep into the plot in my reviews as the blurb on the back of the book should be enough to get you interested, and the story, like John’s previous efforts, takes some unexpected twists and turns that should not be spoiled. Suffice to say it focusses on three very different characters: Varg, an escaped thrall, Elvar, a mercenary, and Orka, a wife and mother. I enjoyed Orka’s story the most, she has arguably the most progression throughout the first novel, and the way she is depicted in the closing pages of the book is a colossal change from how her journey begins.
Like a lot of first books, there is a lot of foundation building here, we can almost see John setting up his tower of cards in preparation for what’s to come.
I am sure it will not be long before that fragile tower comes crashing down in a maelstrom of fire and blood. And I, for one, cannot wait.
The Faithful and the Fallen and Of Blood and Bone, John’s first series, convincingly mix an accurate and grounded anglo-saxon themed world with fantastical angels, demons, giants, and magic. It’s a tricky thing to pull off, but John seems to do so almost effortlessly, bringing a realism to his characters and world that we don’t often see in epic fantasy.
Of course, that makes things even worse when John rips some of those characters away from us, something he seems to enjoy quite a lot!
The Shadow of the Gods, the first book in the Bloodsworn Saga, takes this melting pot of realism and fantasy, and applies it to a Viking setting. Those who follow the author know he is a Viking re-enactor, and it shows. John is at his best when it comes to describing the arms and armour of these northern warriors, we can imagine every link of chainmail, every sharpened axe (or seax). The rest of the world also comes across as very well-researched, from the food, to the lifestyle, to the language. The descriptions are never overly-long, just enough to paint an often bleak and grim picture!
Then John smashes this alternate Viking universe together with a mix of horrible creatures straight out of some of the more grisly norse myths and legends, creating untold havoc!
I prefer not to dive too deep into the plot in my reviews as the blurb on the back of the book should be enough to get you interested, and the story, like John’s previous efforts, takes some unexpected twists and turns that should not be spoiled. Suffice to say it focusses on three very different characters: Varg, an escaped thrall, Elvar, a mercenary, and Orka, a wife and mother. I enjoyed Orka’s story the most, she has arguably the most progression throughout the first novel, and the way she is depicted in the closing pages of the book is a colossal change from how her journey begins.
Like a lot of first books, there is a lot of foundation building here, we can almost see John setting up his tower of cards in preparation for what’s to come.
I am sure it will not be long before that fragile tower comes crashing down in a maelstrom of fire and blood. And I, for one, cannot wait.
nina_bloodsworn's review against another edition
5.0
10/10
WOW what a start ... i am in love .. fantastic!!
Sometimes there are no choices. We are swept along in a current not of our own choosing.
I will be the current. I will be the course.
just finished and i am speechless. loved every page, every character - the story swept me away and held me in its grip from the first to the last page. Amazing worldbuilding, battle scenes, characters .. what can I say that describes my feelings towards this start of The Bloodsworn series.
Read it!!
WOW what a start ... i am in love .. fantastic!!
Sometimes there are no choices. We are swept along in a current not of our own choosing.
I will be the current. I will be the course.
just finished and i am speechless. loved every page, every character - the story swept me away and held me in its grip from the first to the last page. Amazing worldbuilding, battle scenes, characters .. what can I say that describes my feelings towards this start of The Bloodsworn series.
Read it!!
mhedgescsus's review
5.0
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books as soon as I finish the book.
A mind-blowingly epic book introducing an entirely new universe from John Gwynne - it doesn't get much better than this!
The Shadow of the Gods is a brand new world for John Gwynne, who previously has written 7 books set in the same world in the two series The Faithful and the Fallen and Of Blood and Bone. That story is done, and if you haven't read it yet I urge you to go give it a shot. I wasn't quite sure what to expect here in this new world, but am pleasantly shocked that it somehow seems to improve upon the previous books, which were already close to perfection.
Story: 5/5
The story sucks you in within the first few pages. It introduces a fantasy viking world that is far more grim than his previous books, with the characters trying to do everything they can to survive in this darker world. It's a tale of gods who have been long dead, but are stirring back to life - of an epic revenge quest from a character who has a mysterious past - of savage bands of mercenary warriors who are equal parts brutal and compelling - and of a fractured political structure in this world that is quickly consolidating into major regional powers.
Every part of this book is compelling, with plenty of shocking twists along the way, and which culminates in over-the-top fashion (as per usual for John Gwynne books). And the battles, which Gywnne is the best in the world at writing, are once again given in abundance and each unique and exciting.
World Building: 5/5
This is how world building should be. It vividly describes this world and you can just see yourself right there going through these events with the characters. Gwynne does a masterful job at painting these pictures early on and making things truly unique from his previous series. It feels like a unique take on viking mythology, which each location visited feeling different and fun in it's own way. I got lost in this world immediately and didn't want to leave, which is the hallmark for every great fantasy world.
Fantasy Elements: 4/5
The fantasy elements of this book, while present throughout the book, didn't really start to pop off until the tail end of the book. There is much said about the fantasy elements that happened in the past, and you are left as the reader in wonder about how things used to be. There is some sprinkling of a soft magic system, with some fun fantasy creatures that take the journey with one of the characters - but the ending of this book it ramps it up to 11. I suspect in the next book this will very clearly get a 5/5, but it's no quite there in this one due to how long it took to get properly introduced.
Characters: 5/5
As has been true for every John Gwynne book, the characters are where things really shine more than everything else. There are no "Sansa Stark" POVs here, where you regret seeing the name pop up when starting a new chapter. While there are only 3 major POVs, they are unique, compelling, and you can't wait to read more about these characters. Not once did I get upset about a chapter ending, because I knew that whatever was coming next was going to be just as good as what I had just got done reading.
Writing Style: 5/5
John Gwynne has a formula that works incredibly well in my opinion. He allows things to start at a slow pace, while working towards an epic conclusion, and random jumps in action to keep the pacing flowing at a wonderful rate. Things don't ever feel to slow, and they never feel to fast. He's not writing things with wonderful prose, but instead writing in a way that makes everything incredibly clear to the reader so that you can paint the image of the book in your mind with great detail. He excels most with action sequences, which often can be disjointed when written by other authors, but here they are done absolutely perfectly.
Enjoyment: 5/5
I flew through this book in a few days due to how fun everything was. I had a huge smile on my face throughout reading, and I can't remember the last time I had such a great time reading a first book in a series.
A mind-blowingly epic book introducing an entirely new universe from John Gwynne - it doesn't get much better than this!
The Shadow of the Gods is a brand new world for John Gwynne, who previously has written 7 books set in the same world in the two series The Faithful and the Fallen and Of Blood and Bone. That story is done, and if you haven't read it yet I urge you to go give it a shot. I wasn't quite sure what to expect here in this new world, but am pleasantly shocked that it somehow seems to improve upon the previous books, which were already close to perfection.
Story: 5/5
The story sucks you in within the first few pages. It introduces a fantasy viking world that is far more grim than his previous books, with the characters trying to do everything they can to survive in this darker world. It's a tale of gods who have been long dead, but are stirring back to life - of an epic revenge quest from a character who has a mysterious past - of savage bands of mercenary warriors who are equal parts brutal and compelling - and of a fractured political structure in this world that is quickly consolidating into major regional powers.
Every part of this book is compelling, with plenty of shocking twists along the way, and which culminates in over-the-top fashion (as per usual for John Gwynne books). And the battles, which Gywnne is the best in the world at writing, are once again given in abundance and each unique and exciting.
World Building: 5/5
This is how world building should be. It vividly describes this world and you can just see yourself right there going through these events with the characters. Gwynne does a masterful job at painting these pictures early on and making things truly unique from his previous series. It feels like a unique take on viking mythology, which each location visited feeling different and fun in it's own way. I got lost in this world immediately and didn't want to leave, which is the hallmark for every great fantasy world.
Fantasy Elements: 4/5
The fantasy elements of this book, while present throughout the book, didn't really start to pop off until the tail end of the book. There is much said about the fantasy elements that happened in the past, and you are left as the reader in wonder about how things used to be. There is some sprinkling of a soft magic system, with some fun fantasy creatures that take the journey with one of the characters - but the ending of this book it ramps it up to 11. I suspect in the next book this will very clearly get a 5/5, but it's no quite there in this one due to how long it took to get properly introduced.
Characters: 5/5
As has been true for every John Gwynne book, the characters are where things really shine more than everything else. There are no "Sansa Stark" POVs here, where you regret seeing the name pop up when starting a new chapter. While there are only 3 major POVs, they are unique, compelling, and you can't wait to read more about these characters. Not once did I get upset about a chapter ending, because I knew that whatever was coming next was going to be just as good as what I had just got done reading.
Writing Style: 5/5
John Gwynne has a formula that works incredibly well in my opinion. He allows things to start at a slow pace, while working towards an epic conclusion, and random jumps in action to keep the pacing flowing at a wonderful rate. Things don't ever feel to slow, and they never feel to fast. He's not writing things with wonderful prose, but instead writing in a way that makes everything incredibly clear to the reader so that you can paint the image of the book in your mind with great detail. He excels most with action sequences, which often can be disjointed when written by other authors, but here they are done absolutely perfectly.
Enjoyment: 5/5
I flew through this book in a few days due to how fun everything was. I had a huge smile on my face throughout reading, and I can't remember the last time I had such a great time reading a first book in a series.
emma_310303's review
5.0
4,5*
It took me a while to get through but oh boy, am I excited for the next one. It was just so good!
It took me a while to get through but oh boy, am I excited for the next one. It was just so good!
teatimewithliam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nessavamusic's review
5.0
Wow this was epic story telling. A Viking inspired epic fantasy, that follows three main characters that at first seem not linked. Children are going missing and we follow our characters go on violent brutal adventures. I did not have the next book on my July tbr, but I think I need to continue this series sooner then later. 5⭐️!!
thebookwormsfeast's review
5.0
Finished it yesterday, it was amazing!!! And that's certainly high praise right now, as I'm a mood reader, and was not in the mood for like half of it. I'm so glad my copy of the second is on the way - I need more like asap!!
I loved the characters, the world building, the grittiness, the lore. Just everything! I can't wait to see what happens next with that finale too!!
I loved the characters, the world building, the grittiness, the lore. Just everything! I can't wait to see what happens next with that finale too!!
tears4beers's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0