A review by afternoon_sunshowers
The Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Phew. I haven’t read a straight up epic fantasy in several years and what a way to get back into it. This was violent, gory, and sometimes a bit dense in world-building and language, all of which took me a bit to get into.
Lots of characters and parallel storylines that didn’t start to intertwine until around the 80% mark, and the final action scenes were nonstop.
Getting attached to characters is risky because chances are they’ll die or. And the very end, when my only comment in my kindle was “oh shit.”
I’ve heard book 2 ends on a major cliffhanger so I may give it a little more time before picking it up so I’m not stuck with that waiting for book 3 in this trilogy(?).
Lots of characters and parallel storylines that didn’t start to intertwine until around the 80% mark, and the final action scenes were nonstop.
Getting attached to characters is risky because chances are they’ll die or
Spoiler
betray people like BiorrSpoiler
Okra’s full name and identity as Skullsplitter, apparently retired leader of the BloodswornI’ve heard book 2 ends on a major cliffhanger so I may give it a little more time before picking it up so I’m not stuck with that waiting for book 3 in this trilogy(?).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Slavery