The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga)

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Admittedly, Elvar’s chapters took me half of the novel to get invested; I was worried that Elvar would be the first time I ever felt bored with Gwynne’s main POV character. Fortunately, I was proven wrong in the second half of Elvar’s story. The thing with Elvar is that her character’s motivation and internal conflicts haven’t been ignited yet until we reached the halfway point. In the first half of the novel, her chapters consist of her adventures with her Battle-Grim companions. Once that candle of characterizations was lit, I became so much more immersed in her character and plotline. I’m not kidding; her story exploded magnificently in the second half of the novel. There’s a very admirable quality in Elvar’s character that I enjoyed; she won’t submit to a life of servitude, and instead, she chooses freedom and battle-fame. Similar to Varg’s story, the decision and importance of choosing your own family is a key driving force of her character.

Prepare to dive into a dark and powerful Norse-inspired fantasy with the incredible and addictive new novel from superstar fantasy author John Gwynne, The Shadow of the Gods. Gwynne is highly regarded fantasy author who has been making some major waves since his 2012 dark fantasy debut, Malice, the first book in The Faithful and the Fallen series. Gwynne has so far written two major fantasy series, the four-novel long The Faithful and the Fallen, and the sequel Of Blood and Bone series. His latest novel, The Shadow of the Gods, is the first book in The Bloodsworn Saga, which will follow a group of epic protagonists in a bloody and grim Norse-inspired fantasy world. Three centuries ago, the gods of the north fought each other in a bloody war, bringing themselves down and leaving behind a devastated and broken land. It took many decades for the people to recover from this war and for a new world to emerge, in which power-hungry jarl try to expand their influence on the continent of Vigrið and rule the land. Terrible creatures from ancient sagas and legends roam the forests and mountains and are a threat to all who cannot bravely defend themselves with axe and sword.The chapters for this book are very short. For me, this made it even harder to connect to the characters. We rarely got to spend much time with one before switching to another. As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own–and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance. Another point I have to mention is that it's most likely I became a heartless person recently but I could not connect with the characters, "feel" with them. Sure, I empathized with Orka for example and desperately wanted her to find Breca but I did not feel any connection nor link with the characters. You know, living the story through their eyes. It's probably due to a phase i've been passing through lately, being detached from the stories I'm reading, but then again, maybe not. And it is really good. We got even more in depth worldbuilding, more time with the characters I loved in SotG, the mythology of the first book is expanded. Gwynne remains excellent at writing combat, and developing characters that you root for. Gwynne added two new POVs that gave us perspective on the villains and this added a lot to the brewing conflict. The ending of this book was incredible, even better than book 1! After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið. The Shadow of the Gods revolves around three different main characters with their own respective quest in the new age of storm and murder: Orka, Varg, and Elvar. Their storylines of blood, death, battle-fame, and vengeance are seemingly separate for almost the entirety of the book, but rest assured, their paths eventually converged, and my god, it was such an electrifying convergence. Ever since I finished reading The Faithful and the Fallen in early 2017, I’ve mentioned several times that it would be amazing if Gwynne one day decides to write a Norse-inspired epic fantasy series; well, here we are. This is one of Gwynne’s bloodiest books so far; that’s saying a lot. Seriously, if you’ve read Gwynne’s previous books in The Banished Lands Saga, you should know how bloody this book is when I said that. But with that in mind, then you’ll also know that the key elements that made Gwynne’s books so damn lovable are all evident in this phenomenal start to a series. Yes, family, camaraderie, the pursuit of fame, and loyalty in superbly-written characters are still vital in Gwynne’s storytelling.

Como un maestro herrero va forjando con cuidado cada detalle, con fuerza cuando se requiere a fuego y agua, nos muestra desde los detalles de la ropa o del entorno, las armas y técnicas de lucha cuerpo a cuerpo, la tensión y lo que se siente en esos momentos. Ares is the POV Character of this chapter and during this chapter he storms past several of the guards of his brother Zues's palace and begins yelling at his brother as he knows that the death of Yen Fang would not have happened had Zeus not forces Ares and the other Noble Titans to abandon Yen Fang to the forces of Chaos. Estas dos frases describen a la perfección esta historia. Ya me encantaría saber la fecha de publicación del tercer libro.I think what sets Gwynne’s writing apart (aside from mind blowing world building), would be his incredible way of portraying exceptional characters. How they honor their family, friends, responsibilities, own up to their mistakes, find humor, strength, and love in the darkest times, and how the best people look out for those being mistreated. Ohh and his epic bloody battles, shield walls, and my personal favorite… revenge. Es devastadoramente realista en el muro de escudos. Le da un toque a su historia ante el que me quito el sombrero.

Get moving, Varg No-sense… Or are you waiting for an eagle to swoop down and carry you the rest of the way?” The Hunger of the gods is the second book in The Bloodsworn Saga and though it pains me to say it, I have to say this book didn’t live up to expectations, it was still a great book though 4/5 stars but I expected more. My man Vard has the best character growth of any one in the books and I am loving his journey and seeing him become a true warrior is thrilling! I am so attached to the Bloodsworn and their found family dynamic. Rokia and Vard need to seal the deal tho, they aren't fooling anyone!Elvar was the main character that took me longer than the other characters to feel invested in The Shadow of the Gods. However, I knew from the last quarter, and the end of the first novel, that she's going to be a crucially important character in The Bloodsworn Saga, and The Hunger of the Gods proved that. Elvar's starting and concluding chapters in this book were impactful. Witnessing how much she has developed since her first chapter in The Shadow of the Gods was undeniably satisfying to me. The theme of leadership was strong in Orka's chapters, but it's even more evident in Elvar and the Battle-Grim's story. Also, following the epic bloodbath in the conclusion of Elvar's story in The Shadow of the Gods, the calamity and destruction displayed in the last few chapters of Elvar's story in this book were Gwynne's epic and thrilling battle scenes at their best.

One of the characters gave me Abercrombie characters vibes and I really enjoyed it. The Gods are a big part of the story in this entry which made the world-building and magic systems more complex and I am here for that.

Orka is just one of the best book characters I have ever read, full stop. I thought this woman threw down in the first book but here she takes it to another level. Do we need to talk about the eye?!!! She is the definition of F around and find out! I loved her new crew and of course Lif has a special place in my heart. But the scene stealers for me are Spert and Vessli! I love these little weirdo demons so much!