Wow, this is how you write a sequel! I really loved this story and found it was just as entertaining as the first one.

This is the sequel to The Shadows of the Gods and it is told in multiple point of views. I’m not going to summarize this book because I don’t want to spoil anything from book one.

I love books published by Orbit and I constantly stalk the publisher’s page on Netgalley and I will request a lot of their arcs (advanced readers copy). Well, I saw this on Netgalley and instantly requested it. I thought Shadows of the Gods was just okay, so when I got this arc, I thought it would be just okay as well. It took me from the beginning of March until the beginning of May to finish this book. Once again, I blame my depression in March and April since it made it so hard to want to read and to want to pick up a book. Anyway, yay, I finally finished it! I have to say I enjoyed this book more than book one. I think it is because all the characters are sort of coming together or interacting with one another. I still love Orka and she is my favorite character out of this series. She’s badass and you really see the love she has for her son Breka. She will do anything to get him back. My second favorite character is Elvar. I look forward to seeing these characters again in book three.

I'm speechless I absolutely loved this book so freaking much I didn't think it could get better but holly shit did it ever definitely worth the read and re-reads and will recommend it to everyone.

This book has a lot of plot, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Here is my video review: https://youtu.be/bqJ33eMl384?t=299

A whole lot of plot leads to a fast paced book, which is a advantage for a lot of people. In that same vein, there are a lot of action scenes in this book. They are well crafted, with immersive details and short, snappy sentences.

However, the large amount of plot is part of what made me not love this book. Each POV character has their own quest and cast of side characters to help them, and it grew very difficult to keep track of them all. That difficultly of keeping track of them led to me struggling to emotionally connect to the characters.

My biggest complaint about this book is in the characters. They all have strong motivations, and this book helps us to understand intellectually what their goals and needs are. However, this book does not seem concerned with helping us feel what the characters are feeling. Many of the characters have revenge quests that should feel emotionally charged, and yet the book prioritized the action of the plot over those emotions.

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.

I was very delighted by the very beginning of the book, which included a character list and a summary of book 1. Very helpful!

Thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Just as fun and entertaining as the first. Hopefully this one will make all the year end best of lists the first one was left out of. Five stars everyone should pick this up and enjoy.

Firstly – my sincerest apologies to Mr. Gwynne, Orbit and Netgalley. I was approved for this book prior to publication and, while I was reading ‘The Shadow of the Gods’ which was Book 1 in this series. Much to my chagrin, life happened, and I was slowed down in my reading time and availability. Thus, here we are, a month and a week post release day and I’ve just finished reading it. So, I wanted to say sorry.

For those unfamiliar, I enjoy reading fantasy occasionally. More when something ticks certain boxes. One thing that has created a bit of a negative or hesitancy for me, is the fact that two of the fantasy series I love the most are still unfinished (looking squarely at you Martin and Rothfuss) and thus, when a series begins, I’ll often hold off to see if I want to devote that much time and energy to something that may never be complete. With this one, I couldn’t resist, and from recent social media postings, it looks like Gwynne has begun the process of working on Book 3.

This one picks up after the events of Book 1 and continues the stories of those characters we’ve grown to love or hate.

What I liked: Look, the reality is A LOT of stuff happens in these books. These are Sagas after all. We start at Point A and end at Point Z and a significant amount of events occur at each point along the way. This is sprawling, cinematic, engaging storytelling. But at its heart is the fear of what’s to come. In Book 2, three Gods have now been resurrected, returning to the world (which has greatly changed since their deaths) and wanting to go back to their perceived perch atop the pecking order.

But that is not to be and as power changes hands and clashes continue to occur, we see characters make moves to get to their end goal.

The character I think many seem to gravitate towards the most is Orka Skullsplitter, who is on her quest to find her son Breca and reunite with him. Every decision she makes and every ramification that happens is based solely on moving herself that much closer to tracking him down and it is painful and brutal to watch. But watch we do and we hold our breath the entire time.

One last thing I’ll mention, is that this one goes into a full-on, borderline Kaiju rumble in the final act. We get Gods battling, beasts braying and enough blood splattering to watch a city be decimated and characters get crushed and chomped throughout. Gwynne’s writing really shines in these moments, describing every millisecond of action with purpose and pristine prose.

The ending was great and sets us up for big things in Book 3. I’m excited to see what happens and how these storylines that came ever-so-close to merging at the ending of Book 2 culminate in the finale.

What I didn’t like: Even though I read Book 1 and 2 back-to-back, I still found a lot of the characters with similar names to be borderline confusing, especially as each chapter goes to a different characters. Skalk and Skuld etc etc, a lot of names starting with G! Part of it is definitely me as a reader not tracking it along mentally like I should, but when you read an epic like this, it can become a bit much! And fair point in return – it can’t change now! We’re heading into Book 3!

Why you should buy this: I said this in my review of Book 1, but this is brutal fantasy done right. We don’t have thousands of words dedicated to describing meals and food preparation and (I may be in the minority here) we don’t get endless story devoted to who is sleeping with who. I find with some fantasy novels this can often be the main driving narrative and it can become tiresome, and no this wasn’t a dig at Martin’s offering.

Gwynne has created some truly memorable characters here, some who’ll live long in my head when the final page is closed. The landscape is palpable, the stench of blood and waste carried from my Kindle into my nostrils and yet, I can’t wait to return to this world. Kudos to Gwynne, this series and this book are second to none.

The first Bloodsworn novel was all setup (great setup, but still setup), which allowed The Hunger of the Gods to dive right into the action and never slow down. After starting to see small glimpses of the various protagonists' stories were connected, their lives became far more knotted together in this novel, weaving in and out of each other's arcs and always leaving in indelible mark. Gwynne also added two new POV characters, both of whom are working against the original protagonists -- one being the dragon-born who betrayed Evlar and the other an ambitious, but largely inept warrior determined to do anything he can to rise above his station. The POV chapters for the latter were particularly refreshing, bringing a voice and level of humor that differed greatly from the brutality and seriousness that defines so much of this series. The Hunger of the Gods continued to expand this world in exciting ways beyond just characters, taking us to new lands and introducing more gods, each of whom shift the balance of power and raise the stakes.

The Hunger of the Gods picks up right where we left off in Shadow of the Gods, which was a fabulous experience having gone straight from one to the other. I loved that Gwynne wasted no time trying to recap but instead forged straight on, which made the pacing of this book great right off the bat.

As with the last book, Gwynne does a masterful job writing intense, engaging fight scenes. There is magic in this world, but the combat is brutal, bloody, and downright visceral. I had never read a battle scene that keeps me on the edge of my seat the way a more visual medium like film or television does until I picked up this series.

I was initially skeptical of the new POVs that were added in this book. Sometimes fantasy stories get a little bogged down by all the perspectives that the author has to keep up with, and I thought the 3 in the first installment was a great balance. I must admit I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed the new characters! One of them in particular is the definition of sniveling and self-centered, but it's such an amusing perspective to read that I can't even complain.

I really enjoyed the progression of the plot in this installment of the Bloodsworn Saga and I can't wait for the next one to be released!

Gwynne wrote a highly anticipated and thrilling sequel that truly lived up to the hype. It is action-packed and just as brutal and bloody as the first book. I continue to appreciate all of the morally-gray characters and the hard decisions that they have to make in which there is no good or "right" answer. I would highly recommend this book to fans of The Shadow of the Gods and for fans of Viking-inspired material, it is intense and a real page-turner. I had heard such good things about the first book and really enjoyed it and I fully expect that those same people will be raving about this book as well. It is difficult to write a sequel that is just as good as the first book, especially one so hyped, but Gwynne did it with ease.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First off, I really wish that more writers of epic tomes would do us all the courtesy of writing a little blip at the beginning summarizing what has happened thus far. It had been a while since I'd read the first book, and I greatly appreciated being served some memory refreshments to bring me back up to speed.

This book is an excellent combination of mystery, adventure, magic, gruesome battle scenes, and funny bits involving humping and fat jokes and beard lice. It did drag a bit in some spots, but I think that was more because I so badly wanted to find out what happened next. I couldn't be assed to read anything terribly descriptive when I wanted to KNOW THINGS.

I really hate Gudvarr. Kudos on writing someone I loathe enough to skip their chapters out of spite only to go back and begrudgingly skim after recognizing that there were probably things happening that would be useful to know.

The way the storylines are weaving together is pleasing me greatly. I'm intrigued to see what role Varg ultimately ends up playing. He clearly has a big role in things somewhere eventually. I'm also interested to see what will come of Biorr, specifically regarding Elvar. I look forward to seeing how Breca evolves. He's turning out to be quite the little bad ass. I really like what small bits I've seen of Ulfrir, and on that note, the Elvar scene? You know the one I'm talking about. HA YES IN YOUR FACE. God that was done well.

I will be unhappy if something very bad has happened to Orka, but if something happens to Einar, I swear to god... I DID NOT LIKE THAT DIRECTION. YOU GET AWAY FROM HIS TONGUE RIGHT NOW.

This is the second book in the Bloodsworn saga. So I am going to try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it did not disappoint. This is easily going to be one of my favorites, if not my favorite of the year. I was sucked back into this story from page one, and I had a really hard time putting it down. This author has such an amazing way to tell a story, and I think I need to pick up something else he has written because this series is just amazing.

This is a multiple POV story, not only do we get the POV’s from book one, we get a couple of new ones in this installment. I loved following Orka, she is hands down my favorite character in this series. In The Shadow of the Gods I wasn't sure how I felt about Elvar, but after seeing her in this book I have grown to really like her. There was only one POV that I didn't care for, and that is because I hated the character, he just makes my blood boil. To be honest, I understand why his point of view is important, however, that didn't stop me from wishing he would get killed off. Oh, and who could forget about Vesli and Spert I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is just something about them that I just love so much.

The ending of this book... I need to know what happens next.

The Hunger of the Gods // by John Gwynne

The Hunger of the Gods is an excellent follow up to The Shadow of the Gods. Just like book 1 with its badass cover, this one is just as exciting and makes you want to dive right in. John Gwynne knows how to pull you in and give you just enough to keep you moving along while still taking the time to flesh out his world and its inhabitants. I really liked getting to know some of the characters better but also enjoyed hearing more about the creatures, politics, gods, and... afflictions. It all comes together to form such a good image of the world in your mind.

I recently became a mother myself so naturally my favorite POV to follow was still Orka. She is just such a fierce character that is so exciting to experience. She has the right mixture of loyal, badass, and caring. The involvement of the gods was really exciting in this book as well as they had differing relationships with the characters that were interesting to explore. I do have to say that there were two POVs though that I didn't quite enjoy as much. One I just didn't find very believable in terms of the emotions he was feeling (it felt like more of a tell rather than show type of situation) and the other one felt very repetitive throughout the book (he is also a rather annoying and instigating character, which isn't for me anyways so if that is something you enjoy then you probably won't be bothered as much as I was). Overall though, each character POV really moved the story forward and gave us a unique way of viewing the events.

And of course Gwynne knew exactly how to finish the book in a way that would leave us yearning for more! I don't know how we can be expected to wait for the next book after that!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant follow-up that leaves the reader eagerly anticipating book 3. In the mean-time, I plan on reading through John Gwynne's other books in order to satisfy my growing desire to experience the worlds and characters he has created.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of the book, I want to thank the author and Orbit profusely for adding a “story so far” section! So much happened in The Shadow of the Gods that this addition was perfect and very appreciated.

John Gwyne is the sort of author who seems to delight in writing books that pack an emotional punch. I was on the edge of my seat for a good chunk of The Shadow of the Gods, and while it had a slower start, The Hunger of the Gods ramped up and by the last page, I was once again enthralled.

The second book starts right up where the first one ends, with each character having their own goals, motivations, and really big problems. The three main points of view from The Shadow of the Gods are joined by new characters, however Orka stole the show.

Orka is one of the most complex and uncompromising characters I’ve read. She can come across as harsh and fierce and she is- fiercely loving, fiercely loyal, and fiercely protective. She’s hardcore and intimidating, which I loved. Her strength is the sort that is fascinating to read. She was fantastic in The Shadow of the Gods, and she’s now on my list of excellent female characters.

The Norse-inspired world is vast and continues to grow and evolve and the action scenes are visceral and ruthless. Johny Gwyne goes for the jugular in every way, from the fight scenes to the storyline and character development.

This is not the sort of series that can be jumped into midway. Make sure to start with The Shadow of the Gods. If you haven’t started the series yet, I can’t recommend it enough. Book one is fantastic, and it continues magnificently. The Hunger of the Gods is violent and brilliant, a worthy sequel to The Shadow of the Gods.

so I won’t be going into depth about anything story related here but if you’ve read the first book the shadow of the gods then you probably have a really good idea on the reason why this sequel was unputdownable and one where you needed to know the answers. As with any good Norse-influenced tale, the action is still aplenty and bloody. But there's just something about a sequel to a book you really enjoyed, that makes it an even more a faster read because you're already acquainted with the main characters, their attitudes, their struggles, their best and worst moments. Those who enjoy battles and multiple POVs where they all eventually converge on one another with all of the baggage that comes with that will find lots of things like that to get excited about in any John Gwynne book.

There is also a great deal of scheming involved in the story, which I personally love being a huge fan of fantasy with lots of political intrigue and backstabbing. This is another reason why I felt that this book had more depth than just a simple retelling based on Norse history/mythology.

This series deserves to be read since gwynne makes it his own. If you are looking for a new saga tale to sink your teeth into. Do yourself a favor and pick up the first book shadow of the gods.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC.

These books are so dense, but so good. This one had a few more POVs than the first which I didn't really care for but once I got to each one, it wasn't so bad.

Alot happens in this book and there is ALOT of monsters and fighting. Things got crazy and that ending about killed me. Please say there will be another?!

It's impossible to truly appreciate this book without contextualizing it's place in the series. A lot of series fall off in the second installment, but not The Hunger of the Gods. I loved the first one because it was a good mix of slow world building that slowly scaled up to epic stakes and had lots of fight scenes. The Hunger of the Gods took that foundation that The Shadow of the Gods and built on it in the best possible way. We expand the plot into unknown territory, where the big bad is released and our characters don't know exactly how to handle it, without letting the story wander away from a well plotted conclusion. The moral dilemma of if we should root for the side that enslaves the tainted or the tainted who raised an evil god to help them find freedom left me with plenty to think about. And finally, the new POV characters made me hate the character (which was intentional on the author's part) but love the political intrigue that this character's perspective provided. This book drew me in and delivered on every promise and expectation I had for it. I cannot wait for book 3.

The Hunger of the Gods was one of the books I was most looking forward to this year, given that its predecessor, The Shadow of the Gods, was one of the best novels I read in 2021 and I was eager to find myself again in the company of the characters I had come to love in this Norse-inspired saga.

First things first, I need to express my appreciation for author John Gwynne’s choice to place at the start of the book not only a list of characters but a very useful synopsis of the events so far: even though I still had a good recollection of the previous novel, many details had by now escaped me, so it was important for me to regain my footing in the story before diving into the second volume.

The action starts where we left it in book 1: the dragon goddess Lik-Rifa has been resurrected and her followers, the Raven Feeders, start with her the journey to reclaim the rule of the land and free the so-called Tainted - humans in whose veins runs the blood of gods - from their servitude; to that end they are training the Tainted children who have been kidnapped from their families in the use of powers bestowed by that blood. Lik-Rifa is not, however, the only resurrected god, because the Battle Grim, led by Elvar, bring back to life the wolf-god Ulfrir with the goal of battling Lik-Rifa and freeing young Bjarn, the son of witch Uspa to whom Elvar has pledged a binding oath. And former warrior Orka, whose own son Breca is among the kidnapped children, is still in pursuit of the Raven Feeders, and reconnects with her old company of the Bloodsworn, the Tainted warriors she left long ago to raise a family and live in peace; young former thrall Varg is with them as well and he’s learning to master his powers as he seeks his own vengeance for the murder of his sister.

In this second book, these three main POVs are joined by some new ones, which offer a different perspective to the story while balancing the characters’ range with some… less positive traits: Bjorr - formerly attached to the Battle Grim - has been revealed as a mole for the Raven Feeders, and has now returned to them, but does not feel totally comfortable anymore with his old companions, memories of the camaraderie he shared with the Battle Grim, and guilt over his murder of the former band leader, often intruding in his thoughts, while the suffering of the kidnapped children never fails to weigh on his conscience. The dichotomy showed by Bjorr makes him a very interesting character, one with still a foot in his previous life: even though his stint with the Battle Grim was done in service of his goddess, he seems unable to completely accept her harsh rule and the methods she employs to reclaim power, turning him into a potential lynchpin for future events.

Gudvarr, on the other hand, is another matter: his failure in capturing Orka after her incursion in Queen Helka’s hall has put him in a difficult position and he needs to establish his usefulness, while seeking glory and recognition - unfortunately he’s something of a coward, and the dichotomy between his outward behavior and his inner thoughts reveals this quite clearly: what I found surprising, given the pettiness of the character, is that I enjoyed reading about his exploits and his undeniable skill in taking advantage of situations. For starters, he represents a necessary balance to the heroism and endurance of the main characters, and then his ability to land on his feet more often than not is a very enjoyable counterpoint to his less-than-palatable attitude.

But of course the original trio of Orka, Elvar and Varg still enjoys the limelight here, as they travel on their individual paths toward the goals they set themselves: Orka is probably the one who exhibits the less changes, but it’s not surprising when considering that her focus is only on freeing Breca and avenging the murder of her husband at the hands of the kidnappers. All of Orca’s energy is concentrated in the fierce determination that keeps propelling her over hardships and dangers, and there is little room for anything else, apart perhaps from the growing gruff affection toward traveling companion Lif, who is slowly evolving from village fisherman toward warrior. Things might change in the next book, however, given that Orka is at the root of the truly massive cliffhanger that ends this second installment - and which left me both stunned and not a little exasperated…

Varg, former thrall and now part of the Bloodsworn, is gaining confidence in his newly discovered abilities, but even more he’s getting settled in this found family that is both teaching him how to be a warrior and how to be part of a loving, caring group. He’s growing in confidence just as much as he grows closer to his companions, and it’s poignant to see how much this lonesome individual is thriving in the company of the Bloodsworn, even though the love they show him is more often than not of the though kind. Again, the story shows great balance here, juxtaposing the ferocious battle scenes, which are depicted in the usual cinematic way you can expect from John Gwynne, and the quieter moments when affectionate hazing or discussions about cheese (yes, I kid you not) serve to strengthen the bonds among these people.

In the first book of this series, Elvar was the one I felt less attached to, even though I recognized the potential in this character, a young woman who had given up a life of privilege to be free and gain some glory for herself: now that she’s stepped into the role of chief of the Battle Grim, she needs to re-think her approach - the responsibilities that the position heaped on her shoulder weigh heavily on her and help mature her, turning Elvar into a more thoughtful - but also more effective - person than she was at the beginning. And I have to admit that the chapter focusing on her return to her ancestral home was both gripping and emotionally satisfying, and I look forward to seeing how her journey will continue.

Where the characters proved extremely rewarding in their continued path, the story itself seemed to suffer a little from the “middle book syndrome”, in that the characters’ constant travels looked a bit meandering, slowing the pace and at times making me feel the compulsion to skip ahead - something that never happened to me with John Gwynne’s novels. With hindsight, I can see that it was a way of positioning the game pieces on the board - so to speak - and preparing the events for the final showdown, and I can say that I enjoyed the final chapters very much, given the adrenaline-infused series of events that they portray. The slight lull I perceived might very well be the calm that precedes the storm we will certainly witness in the final book of the trilogy - one I’m bracing for and looking forward to with great expectations.


4 & 1/2 STARS

In the expansive second volume of his Norse-inspired Bloodsworn saga, John Gwynne sticks to the principle of all ambitious epic fantasy sequels: more of everything, but bigger. The Hunger of the Gods follows right on the heels of The Shadow of the Gods, and the gods here have a whole lot of hunger to satisfy. A hunger for revenge, a hunger for justice, a hunger to settle old scores. This is blood and thunder stuff to do the ghost of Robert E. Howard proud, and it might well be the best long-form storytelling Gwynne has accomplished to date.

Complete review is available at the accompanying link.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was another solid installment of the Bloodsworn Saga and I am excited for the next in the series to find out what happens to everyone. I did have to pace myself a little bit with this one as there is a lot going on in these books. There is one character who I am hoping won't have POV chapters in the next book. I think they were important for some of the set-up in this book but I do not like that character!