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mariediane016's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Torture
Minor: Xenophobia and War
ocean_the_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book had such a complex plot for being in the middle of a trilogy, but it was because so much was going on. I absolutely loved it, the first book set it up perfectly.
Unsure of what's happening with Biórr, but it's very intriguing.
Guðvarr does deserve his own perspective, but that's only my opinion because I severel dislike him.
The ending absolutely destroyed me and I need the second book ASAP!!!!
Unsure of what's happening with Biórr, but it's very intriguing.
Guðvarr does deserve his own perspective, but that's only my opinion because I severel dislike him.
The ending absolutely destroyed me and I need the second book ASAP!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Depending on whether you like the specific tropes this book is going for, you're either going to appreciate how long this book is, or tug at your hair in despair because it isn't done yet. Unfortunately, I was in the latter camp.
This book is a traveling book. We follow the same three characters from the first installment, along with two additional POVs: Biórr and Guðvarr. Four of the characters are travelling for pretty much the entire book, and I've come to realize that is something I don't tend to enjoy, especially not when I get 600+ pages of it.
The other trope prevalent in this book is the one I like to call "oops, you just missed them!" It's when two people are searching for each other, and will be in the same street within seconds of each other, or there at the same time but facing the opposite way so they never see each other. This trope has frustrated me for as long as I can remember, and I lost count of the number of times I wanted to throw something as a character, once again, didn't find who they were looking for.
With regards to the plot, I honestly don't feel like much happens until the 85% mark, except for maybe three or four important plot points that can be summed up in four sentences. But the final 15% is fast-paced and interesting, and I enjoyed it so much more than the rest. I also still really enjoyed both Orka and Varg as characters in general, especially Varg and his exploration of what it means to be Tainted.
One thing I really appreciate about this series is the summary of book one provided by the author at the beginning of this second book. I hope he'll do the same thing for the third one. In that case, if you want to read this series but have similar feelings about travelling stories, my recommendation would be: wait for the summary at the beginning of book 3 (or read one provided by fans if you don't want to wait), and then only read the last 15% of this book.
Depending on whether you like the specific tropes this book is going for, you're either going to appreciate how long this book is, or tug at your hair in despair because it isn't done yet. Unfortunately, I was in the latter camp.
This book is a traveling book. We follow the same three characters from the first installment, along with two additional POVs: Biórr and Guðvarr. Four of the characters are travelling for pretty much the entire book, and I've come to realize that is something I don't tend to enjoy, especially not when I get 600+ pages of it.
The other trope prevalent in this book is the one I like to call "oops, you just missed them!" It's when two people are searching for each other, and will be in the same street within seconds of each other, or there at the same time but facing the opposite way so they never see each other. This trope has frustrated me for as long as I can remember, and I lost count of the number of times I wanted to throw something as a character, once again, didn't find who they were looking for.
With regards to the plot, I honestly don't feel like much happens until the 85% mark, except for maybe three or four important plot points that can be summed up in four sentences. But the final 15% is fast-paced and interesting, and I enjoyed it so much more than the rest. I also still really enjoyed both Orka and Varg as characters in general, especially Varg and his exploration of what it means to be Tainted.
One thing I really appreciate about this series is the summary of book one provided by the author at the beginning of this second book. I hope he'll do the same thing for the third one. In that case, if you want to read this series but have similar feelings about travelling stories, my recommendation would be: wait for the summary at the beginning of book 3 (or read one provided by fans if you don't want to wait), and then only read the last 15% of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, and Violence
booksaremythirdplace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
I'm not ok. I'm not ok right now.
I rarely say this, but WOW, this book is even better than the first! Picking right up where we left off, we get two new POVs added to the story on the “villain” side, so it’s even more exciting as a reader to get to see what’s happening all over the land of Vigrið, and not just where our protagonists are. Plus, because of the characters’ complexity, I’m a bit torn on some of them. We also get a peek into the other continent in the South, which I’m very curious to see expanded upon in book three. It reminded me a lot of the Southern Continent in Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas with a Khagan and his children scheming over who will take the throne. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So here are some more thoughts on why you need to read this book immediately:
Gwynne is a saint for including a full recap, pronunciation guide, and cast of characters at the beginning of the book in case it’s been a while since you’ve read book one. Honestly, I wish all series would include this!
Trying to keep this spoiler free is difficult, but I’ll do my best. This sequel sports even more action, vengeance, and more creatures that will possibly give you nightmares. Why does every epic fantasy have to have giant spiders? But Gwynne’s take on magical creatures is wholly different and feels fresh.
We finally see some paths cross, which I was looking forward to seeing, and a few reveals I was definitely not expecting. It’s so rare for an author to have the ability to create such in depth characters, while also weaving a masterful plot and complex world. I am so invested. The last third of the book was a non-stop roller coaster. I could not put it down. The final few pages had me screaming. Gwynne has been firmly placed on my list of autobuy authors.
My very minor gripe is the same: there’s still heavy use of the word, “thought-cage”, but I’ve grown used to it.
Other than that, this is a close-to-perfect sequel. I am heartbroken we have to wait at least a year for book three to come out, because I cannot wait to go back to Vigrið. Prepare for the ending to utterly break you.
I rarely say this, but WOW, this book is even better than the first! Picking right up where we left off, we get two new POVs added to the story on the “villain” side, so it’s even more exciting as a reader to get to see what’s happening all over the land of Vigrið, and not just where our protagonists are. Plus, because of the characters’ complexity, I’m a bit torn on some of them. We also get a peek into the other continent in the South, which I’m very curious to see expanded upon in book three. It reminded me a lot of the Southern Continent in Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas with a Khagan and his children scheming over who will take the throne. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So here are some more thoughts on why you need to read this book immediately:
Gwynne is a saint for including a full recap, pronunciation guide, and cast of characters at the beginning of the book in case it’s been a while since you’ve read book one. Honestly, I wish all series would include this!
Trying to keep this spoiler free is difficult, but I’ll do my best. This sequel sports even more action, vengeance, and more creatures that will possibly give you nightmares. Why does every epic fantasy have to have giant spiders? But Gwynne’s take on magical creatures is wholly different and feels fresh.
We finally see some paths cross, which I was looking forward to seeing, and a few reveals I was definitely not expecting. It’s so rare for an author to have the ability to create such in depth characters, while also weaving a masterful plot and complex world. I am so invested. The last third of the book was a non-stop roller coaster. I could not put it down. The final few pages had me screaming. Gwynne has been firmly placed on my list of autobuy authors.
My very minor gripe is the same: there’s still heavy use of the word, “thought-cage”, but I’ve grown used to it.
Other than that, this is a close-to-perfect sequel. I am heartbroken we have to wait at least a year for book three to come out, because I cannot wait to go back to Vigrið. Prepare for the ending to utterly break you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and War
grimdark_dad's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jodonn07's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"'Huh,' she snorted, which was high praise coming from her."
Hunger of the Gods was another excellent entry in this saga-tale and sets up what is sure to be an epic conclusion to Gwynne's Norse-inspired fantasy trilogy.
Much of what I loved in the first entry in this series, Shadow of the Gods (strong characters, thrilling & fast paced action, themes of found family and friendship) had even bigger payoffs in this middle book. In addition to the three viewpoint characters from the first book, we have two additional POV characters for book 2. Though I remained most invested in the stories of Orka, Varg and Elvar, the inclusion of two (shall we say) less lovable voices adds some valuable context to what is going on in the enemy camps.
I really enjoyed Gwynne's writing style here. He doesn't spend a lot of time describing what everyone looks like, aside from a notable scar or distinguishing feature. These are tough, hard people living in a brutal world - and the prose stays true to that. In spite of - or perhaps because of this - these characters really shine. There are MANY characters in this story and I'll admit that I often had to flip back to the -very helpful - character guide and book one plot overview that was included at the beginning of this DRC to remind myself of who everyone was. Orka, Varg and Elvar continued to deliver with plenty of "hell yeah" moments, but their Bloodsworn and Battle-Grimm companions also brought plenty of ass kicking and humor. I was actually surprised by how many times I paused while reading to chuckle or smirk.
TLDR version...This book was pure Viking-inspired mayhem with lovable characters, blood squirting action sequences and a fun fantasy world I that really enjoyed exploring. I am really looking forward to finding out how the story ends, so I will be needing Book 3 ASAP.
I was provided with an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley in order to provide an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
poetry_shaman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: War
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence