As much as I am disappointed to write this, I don't think John Gwynne is for me. I've started reading Faithful and the Fallen twice, and now I've tried reading The Shadow of the Gods twice. Both books I've only gotten through chapter two before losing interest. I can't put my finger on it since it doesn't feel that different than most epic fantasy than I've read in the past, but maybe that genre isn't what I'm interested right now.

So I'd like to refrain from giving any stars due to so early a DNF, as this is a 'me' problem, not a book problem, but Netgalley won't let me do that so I'll land in the middle with three stars.

Amazing adult fantasy with interesting world building based on Viking culture. All the three pics were fun and interesting and can’t wait to read more about them in the second book.

John Gwynne’s plot for “the shadow of gods” was so intriguing. I was so excited to get started with this book. Initially, the first 50 pages were hard to get through. I found my attention wandering, but the book strengthens and picks up steam after that initial hump. 3 stars and would recommend as a solid fantasy with good world building.

DNF @12%

No matter how bad I wanted to enjoy this book, it just wasn't for me. I thought I liked epic fantasy books, but this was just too much. Lots of world but no worldbuilding, lots of languages but little explanation, it was just a lot done but little developed.

DNF at 53%

I really, REALLY tried on this one. I was granted an eARC copy via NetGalley, and I tried. I tied reading it for myself and I tried letting Adobe Acrobat's screen reader read it for me, and it just didn't grab me. Publication day came and went and I reserved the actual audiobook through Libby hoping a proper, human performance reading the book to me was the thing I was missing. It was not.

Believe me, I wanted to love this. It's dragons, it feels like biking historical fantasy, and it feels like Elder Scrolls. Unfortunately the pacing is terribly slow, none of the POV characters made me love them, and the language choices really rubbed me the wrong way. Looking at other reviews and talking to book club friends who also gave this one a try I know I'm by far not the only one who is perhaps irrationally enraged by the term "thought cage." First, it's used way too much. Almost every page at points. Second, it just feels so wrong. Third, and most important, these civilizations are presented as being far too advanced in language, medicine, and theory of mind to have such a primitive metaphorical term for "brain."

My Libby hold expired on June 28th when I was 53% finished and I left this book on my "currently reading shelf" ever since, thinking I'll try again when my hold comes back around. But you know what? No, I won't. I'll push it back off into the "deliver later" holding pattern every 4 weeks for the next year and then finally cancel the hold in favor of freeing up a hold slot on my library card, so I'm cancelling the hold now and calling it.

I'm disappointed to admit this was my first John Gwynne title and although I do absolutely still intend to finally check out Malice at some point this has pushed it further down the priority ranking.

I received this E-Arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately because of the heavy Norse influence on the language and writing of this book, I had to wait until the audiobook was released in able to fully enjoy the story.

The Shadow of The Gods is a Viking inspired tale of a land once ruled by gods, but 300 years prior, all of the gods died in an epic battle. We follow 3 main characters in this world where worship of these gods means death. Anyone who is tainted by the blood of the gods is enslaved or hunted down.

This book has the best world building! Gwynne has obviously done a ton a research into Viking and Norse culture. The way he describes the armor, weapons, and fighting styles is so detailed! You can picture everything very easily.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy, stories of battle, fallen gods, and unknown powers.

This is my first time reading a book from John Gwynne, but I am eager to read his backlist.

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrid, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.

I checked this book out as I have previously read two other books by John Gwynne and really enjoyed them. I think what did me in for this one not being a total success is the world. I haven't read many books taking place in viking settings, and when I think back on the few that I have I have also struggled with them. This is 100% a personal preference, and I would say that anyone who enjoys adult fantasy with a great cast of characters and an epic world should check this book out!

I did not like this book.

At all.

It took me an eternity to get through; whenever I picked it up, it put me to sleep. The book switches between three POVs and I couldn't connect with any of them. Sure, each character had their moment, but most of the time it was so boring that I couldn't keep either story straight. The side characters are all interchangeable and equally dull. When I finally got to the end and SOMETHING started to happen, it ended before any aspect of the story was properly resolved. People keep talking about the amazing world-building, but it feels like any other fantasy book out there... but missing something really key: likeable characters.

The idea of wading through another 800 page novel just to figure out what actually happens to these characters is painful.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-Arc! My rating is in star form and will be included with this review. I may go back to more extensive reviews in the future, but while I am catching up on everything, they will continue to be stars only. Thank you so much!

Definitely in a minority here. Objectively I can see this is much better than a 2 star. But personally, it just didn't deliver anything I was hoping for when I read the synopsis, and ended up putting me into a 3 month reading slump. I couldn't connect to any of the characters early on, and I think that set me up for failure since we switch perspectives so often, I was constantly getting lost not knowing what was happening to whom.
I think if I revisited this book again in a few years once my reading taste develops I might be able to enjoy this book a lot more. For now though unfortunately I'm going to keep the review off goodreads.

I love when I pick up a book based on some Twitter buzz and find that if anything, that buzz understates the book. The Shadow of the Gods is a masterwork entry into the epic fantasy scene, effortlessly blending protagonists into a deep world inspired by Norse mythology without feeling campy or overplayed. Gwynne's action feels authentic, allowing the reader to understand and embrace the stakes at hand each time his characters are in danger. He slowly expands the world, presenting more and more mythology as the story unfolds, so the reader is generally left with questions without feeling entirely overwhelmed. All in all, this was a book that I am excited to re-read as a palate cleanser and a reminder of how great epic fantasy should be done.

Absolutely stunning world creation. Tight writing and intriguing characters. I look forward to reading more in this series.

I would first like to thank NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading this book in exchange for an honest review.

Right off the bat, the worldbuilding is perfect! There's a perfect amount to where it's not too much, but it's just enough.

I, also, loved the Viking theme I got from the first five chapters. That's when I felt this book was going to be one of my favorites.

The characters too! I loved all three main MC's and their side characters except Biorr. (He could die and I would be fine with it)

I'll first start with Orka and Thorkel. Orka is like hot water and Thorkel is her ice. They absolutely work together with their different attitudes! Plus, I just wanted to learn about them. Like there could be a whole book about them and I would read it. Breca is such a sweetheart, but the questions he asked are way too old for his age. It adds a quality to Breca that I like.

Then, there's Varg. I thought he was kind of annoying about his whole oath thing to Froya throughout the book. The character development made up for that.

Plus, when the Bloodsworn took him in! Ah! Just perfection! Then, when you find out they are all Tainted and he's one too!!!!

Lastly, Elvar. She wasn't very interesting to me at first until I found out she was the Jarl's daughter. After that, she was intriguing to me. Grend is kind of like a protective shadow and I find it a little humorous at times.

I knew there was something shady about Biorr though. I could feel it. He was too nice. I was kind of like Grend with him. I didn't approve of him either.
The betrayal at the end absolutely destroyed me.

After that, the last two chapters were so much to handle. I ended up turning my phone off and walking away before I could write the review. I was shaking from it. Hands down one of the best betrayals I have read.

Plus, when you find out Orka's husband was the famous Skullsplitter like are you kidding me?!? We saw him die and he was a legend.

I can't wait for the second book in the Trilogy. I don't want to wait until next year for it! I NEED MORE!

Review to come. Thanks to Orbit books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date May 4, 2021
#TheShadowOfTheGods #Netgalley

Thanks to the publisher for sending me this incredible title! I have not enjoyed an ARC this much since I joined net galley. This was my first John Gwynne book and I am already a super fan. Would recommend to those who love character driven stories!

The first thing I thought of when I started to write this review was that I had 3 feelings about this book. One - it was difficult for me to get into at the beginning. There are lots of unfamiliar words and names, which is always tricky for me. Two - once I got into it and started following along with each storyline, I loved it. Three - I was not happy with the ending. I understand it’s a trilogy and there is more to come. But it just ends. Abruptly. Yes, it is at a kind of pausing point in the story, but still there I was reading along, turned the next page and it was done! Needless to say, I will be reading the next book.

As I said before there are a lot of unfamiliar words and names - this is Norse fantasy and mythology. The story is told in alternating chapters between the characters Varg, Orka, and Elvar. They are each on a mission, mostly revenge, and their stories take place in different locations.

With vivid descriptions of the battles, what they wore, the weapons they used, it is easy to lose yourself in this story. I don’t really know much about Norse mythology and this book makes me want to learn more.

Once I could keep the names straight and the storylines straight, I really enjoyed this book.

Shadow of the Gods is a great intro in John Gwynne's newest series. I love the fact that we have gods and epic heroes, and Ragnarok. While the pacing was a little slow and the characters' voices sometimes ran together, it was still a good epic. The fight scenes alone were worth it. Fans of Gwynne will love this.

Absolutely amazing. Probably a contender for one of the best books of the year.

Mr. Gwynne uses lore in an amazing way that is both compelling and respects the cultures he is pulling from. You can tell he does the research.

All three POV characters had their own voice. All of them were well written and I didn't thank any one was weaker than the other two.

The Shadow of the Gods is an epic fantasy story bash on the Vikings and Norse mythology. It is a multiple POV story where we follow a mother tracking thieves, a thrall seeking revenge, and warrior seeking battle fame. While all the characters begin the story I’m different places, the plotlines come together in an epic way.

I’m this world the gods have died, but their offspring remain as slaves to the elite. I really liked that the magic users, while stronger than normal humans, are subjugated in this story. I also really liked how powerful women are in the story!

There is a lot of battle scenes that are really well done in this story. Additionally, there are a lot of traveling scenes, as all of our main characters are on the move.

This a a great story first book in a series, that primarily sets up future books in the series. Due to this, there are some slower moments and a lot of descriptions in this book.

I received this as an ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher.

This book is very dense, so be prepared to absorb a ton of material.

I enjoyed all of the PoV chapters. I think my favorite was Varg though. His story line was interesting and got more interesting until the end. I'm kind of excited to see how it develops in the next book.

The book was a little slow at times but when things picked up, they really picked up. Blood and gore and fighting scenes with trolls and other magical creatures. Those scenes kept me wanting to read more.

Some of the words in the book were unknown to me so I found myself having to look them up so I understood what they were talking about. Some of the names in the book were hard to say and remember as well but once i got it down, it ended up being fine.

I'd recommend this story if you're into high fantasy.