Reviews

Hall of Smoke, by H.M. Long

sammys_shelves's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I thought this ended up being a really great story, if a little confusing at times. There was a great number of Gods and at times it was hard to keep up with who was who but overall I thought the magic system and the gods made for a really interesting plot with a slightly Nordic feel to it!

Hessa's story arc had great progression and her character had great growth. I enjoyed the beautiful imagery in Longs writing. It had many of the qualities that, in my opinion, make a great epic fantasy. This is the first in a series but I do think it could have gone either way, it is left open to a sequel but also could have got away with being an ambiguous ending, leaving the reader to imagine what may have happened next.

aidanc22's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

catamongstthepages's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

najlaaam's review

2.0

DNF

eyvey's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

ryanhaile's review

adventurous 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Sexual violence

adaralynne's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

cami42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

sendlasagna's review

Female warrior protagonist, but there's nothing warrior-like to her besides a natural ability she accidentally discovered. Her personally and thought process runs a subtext theme of damsel in distress, continuously weak in the knees at the sight of men. Having a culture of male and female warriors has not changed a single thing about raiders-- the male raiders still grope and sell women 'to keep their bed warm' while the female raiders do/want nothing. Protag also describes building close female friendships by 'bleeding together', definitively implying periods, and not anything battle-related even though everyone involved was a warrior. These other women are also frequently described by how lithe or beautiful their bodies are, and men by other features like kind eyes of good singing or capable work. Half the discussion up to page 39 has been 'about the ways of men and women', often at the cost of any other world building: protag is being told of her purpose, but she is preoccupied with a handsome man in the background; she is being shown maps of the region, but she didn't pay attention because she was busy admiring the man. When her uncle died, her aunt automatically became her father's new wife 'by tradition'. 

Having a female protagonist doesn't absolve a book of being sexist. 

lordjim13's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious fast-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

I read this after the 2nd sequel and so a lot of the events were spoiled but I still enjoyed it more, and found it a more compelling, intriguing and unusual story. I also appreciate the 1st person focus!