An epic fantasy that was even better than the first book of the Bloodsworn saga. The Hunger of the Gods has a gritty atmosphere with action-packed, intense battles and lots of dynamic characters. Everything I look for in a fantasy. Gwynne is a master at worldbuilding and developing dimensional characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Books, and John Gwynne for the electronic ARC.
#NetGalley #TheHungeroftheGods

ARC received from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bloodsworn Saga is quickly becoming a favorite series for me, I didn't realize how much I would like Norse inspired fantasy story and the world John Gwynne builds here is truly fascinating.

I loved that he started this book with a full recap of what happened in Shadow of the Gods, this little jumpstart immediately got me invested into the story again and helped remind me of key plot lines so I didn't feel like I was missing anything. This sequel didn't feel like most fantasy sequels to me where it only serves to carry the story minimally forward and mostly just used as a slow buildup for a big finale. Hunger of the Gods had a solid overall arc of its own while still building up the plot and leaving us wanting more just like the first book. It did take me a little longer to finish this one compared to Shadow but it never felt like a chore to push through.

If you like dark, gritty, fantasy with epic battles and mythological Gods I would highly recommend this book. Shadow of the Gods was the first John Gwynne book I read and now that he has followed it up so well I will definitely be checking out some others by him (maybe Malice?) while I wait for his next installment of Bloodsworn.

When I signed up for the ARC (thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books) of The Hunger of the Gods, I should’ve paid attention that it was the 2nd book of the Bloodsworn Saga. BEST OVERSIGHT OF MY LIFE!! I decided to read the 1st book, The Shadow of the Gods. I had some Audible credits, so why not. I started listening to the book and had a hard time following along with the accent of the narrator, especially since I am new to the mythology genre. The terminology and the names weren’t clicking. So I bought the kindle edition as well. Smart move, for me at least. I enjoyed hearing the proper pronunciation and following along with the actual text.

When I tell you I absolutely fell in love with this book and its story and its characters, I can’t even explain it. I’ve been thinking about these books for a couple weeks and I can’t get the characters and their stories out of my brain.
I landed face first into a world I didn’t even know I was missing out on, and I couldn’t get enough fast enough. I started as soon as I finished Shadow of the Gods. I would’ve been fine reading it via text only since I knew most of the pronunciations. But I also fell in love with the narrator, so I used another audible credit. No regrets. Hunger of the Gods picked up where Shadow of the Gods left off. It added a few POVS, which I enjoyed. This book is so rich with information and visuals and heart wrenching sagas. Ugh I seriously became obsessed. And was sad when I was nearing the end. It does end on quite the cliff hanger. It says it’s a 2 book series, which I don’t see how. Mr. Gwynne can not do the reader like this! I fully expect a book 3 to come out in the future.

I kindly received an ARC for this book from NetGalley.
Huger of the Gods pick right up the story from the first book Shadow of the Gods and I can say that maybe was even better than the first. The pacing was good, if not more intense than the second book. The way the author enter-twine character development and their thoughts with epic battle scenes makes it impossible for you to stop reading.
Here we have more of the Bloodsworn, Orka’s quest for revenge and search for her son and dragon gods (!!!) #epic.
The way John Gwynn portrays the world and develops the story makes me want to be part of it, even though I know that I wouldn’t survive 5 minutes there, Orka, one of the characters, had my heart of book one and in this second book her quest for revenge just make me keep cheering for her, and yes I was always happy when I got to her POV chapters. The way she can be so warm and loving but at the same time fierce and strong just show how the author can really write amazing women characters.
It was also nice to see new perspectives with different character’s POV. That gives a lot of insight to all the shades of grey of some characters has which just makes them more relatable and gives you a better insight to the world and what they think of the gods.
And for me, the star of the show, the battle scenes! They are so well done in the sense that it’s detailed in a non-boring way and you do not get lost while still feeling the intensity of everything that is happening with a sense or urgency… just brilliant.

Overall the Hunger of the Gods is intense, explosive and so well crafted and I will be counting the days to read the next one.

John Gwynne has a gift!! No matter how big his books are they are never big enough!!

More action packed than the first book and found myself more connected to the characters. I felt their anger, their heartbreak, their determination.

Now I have to wait all over again for the next book!!

I'm not ok. I'm not ok right now.

I rarely say this, but WOW, this book is even better than the first! Picking right up where we left off, we get two new POVs added to the story on the “villain” side, so it’s even more exciting as a reader to get to see what’s happening all over the land of Vigrið, and not just where our protagonists are. Plus, because of the characters’ complexity, I’m a bit torn on some of them. We also get a peek into the other continent in the South, which I’m very curious to see expanded upon in book three. It reminded me a lot of the Southern Continent in Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas with a Khagan and his children scheming over who will take the throne. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So here are some more thoughts on why you need to read this book immediately:

Gwynne is a saint for including a full recap, pronunciation guide, and cast of characters at the beginning of the book in case it’s been a while since you’ve read book one. Honestly, I wish all series would include this!

Trying to keep this spoiler free is difficult, but I’ll do my best. This sequel sports even more action, vengeance, and more creatures that will possibly give you nightmares. Why does every epic fantasy have to have giant spiders? But Gwynne’s take on magical creatures is wholly different and feels fresh.

We finally see some paths cross, which I was looking forward to seeing, and a few reveals I was definitely not expecting. It’s so rare for an author to have the ability to create such in depth characters, while also weaving a masterful plot and complex world. I am so invested. The last third of the book was a non-stop roller coaster. I could not put it down. The final few pages had me screaming. Gwynne has been firmly placed on my list of autobuy authors.

My very minor gripe is the same: there’s still heavy use of the word, “thought-cage”, but I’ve grown used to it.

Other than that, this is a close-to-perfect sequel. I am heartbroken we have to wait at least a year for book three to come out, because I cannot wait to go back to Vigrið. Prepare for the ending to utterly break you.

Wow! I was absolutely taken by this book!!!! I loved that there was a recap from the first book in the series, felt like I could’ve just jumped right in with this book! This sequel is full of crazy, fantastic travels and battles. A fast paced read with different points of view along the way.

The characters were so well built and loved getting to see their development! Orca, Varg and Elvar are so complex and in the best way.

The battle scenes and details included were so spot on and I could see every detail in my mind as I read. Wonderfully written and will be recommending it to anyone and everyone!

This is an incredible followup to what is fast becoming one of my favorite series of all time. John Gwynne is a master of his craft, and his characters in this story are (in my opinion) the best he's ever created.

We get a lot more of the Bloodsworn here, which I loved. Though some characters, like Svik and Einar, took more of a supporting role/backseat in this installment.

I connected a lot with Elvar, and her story feels...sort of villainous? As the fair-fame band of trappers and slavers, they were already a bit murky and unlikable, but it's interesting to see their side of things. I think their primary path in this installment is positively rooted, so they become more sympathetic...maybe? Idk. I'm excited to follow the Battle-Grim further into the abyss.

You also get some new perspectives. I really enjoyed seeing through Biorr's eyes. His insight into the world and the Gods is interesting. So, he's another grey character that is incredibly complex and fun to read. I absolutely loathe Guđvarr, which I guess serves a purpose, too. He was masterfully written...but I still hate him.

But, in the end, the heart of this story was and is Orka. There's no getting around it. As much as I love the Bloodsworn, Orka's chapters and story arc are my favorite. She's always doing something reckless and unexpected. She's so damn good-natured and warm-hearted, despite having a stony and fierce demeanor. I root for anyone even in close proximity to her. And her tagalongs in this book added so much to her story and character. All said, I think her story was the live wire of The Hunger of the Gods. And THAT ENDING!?

No spoilers, but I can't wait to see what happens next.

"We are Bloodsworn," she shrugged. "Death is a companion we are well-used to."

I oh-so-thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to John Gwynne's Bloodsworn Trilogy! I sometimes worry when I love the first book in a series so much that the following book won't live up to the hype, but The Hunger of the Gods certainly lived up to the hype I had created around it and delivered a truly epic fantasy story that I'm going to be thinking about for weeks to come.

Picking up from where The Shadow of the Gods left off, The Hunger of the Gods continues to follow Varg, Elvar, and Orka, while also adding the POVs of Gudvarr and Biorr. The map at the front of the book gets put to good use and the adventures only become more epic. This book was so hard to put down, I found the pacing to be excellent and the turn of events make me gasp aloud.

There were a few errors that should have been picked up in editing (mostly punctuation), but otherwise a clean read from Gwynne. Content warning for graphic on-page violence, death, and torture. Those who have read the first book in the series should know what to expect; new readers please inform yourself with a full list of content warnings if needed before reading.

Super thrilled to have read The Hunger of the Gods, and eagerly awaiting the announcement for the release of the conclusion to this Norse myth and Viking inspired tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Second book in the Bloodsworn Saga continues the tale. Orka continues the hunt for her missing son and, shocking no one really, shes more than she seems, Varg grows more confident in himself while continuing the hunt for his sister, and Elvar steps into a position of leadership but is still required to farfel her blood oath. We have two new prospective characters in this book, of the bad guy variety.

Overall this is a really good book I'm just reading it at a time where I'm burned out on multi-prospective epic fantasy. John does a great job writing characters, even the bad guys, and the chapters are really short. The story is interesting, although complicated with a lot of world building and many (perhaps too many) characters. I'm very interested to see where this goes.

Another amazing book from John Gwynne. I continue to fall in love with the world and the characters.

The battle scenes, with the brutal fighting combined with the magic are very cinematic. The fighting feels personal and intense. There's no holding back. Every character fights like their life depends on it, and it makes for very entertaining scenes.

Another thing I have to mention is the dialogue. I absolutely love it! In a world with so much fighting and death, there's a lot of humor and good natured joking among friends. A lightness, I would say, from characters that could possibly die in the very next scene. Im a huge fan.

I really wanted to take my time while reading this. To savor the journey.

Thank you to John Gwynne and Orbit for my e-arc to review!

I was excited to see this story from TSOTG continue and see how their paths continue to intertwine. I think I actually enjoyed THOTG more than TSOTG and I'm looking forward to rereading it again soon!

Some books are so highly anticipated that you just gobble them up as soon as you lay hands on them. You binge read all hours of the day and night until you are physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. This one fell into a category of its own. I did not want to start this book, the second installment of the Bloodsworn Saga, because then I would have to finish it. So when I did start, I took my time because I didn’t want it to end.

Gwynne has the ability to create characters about which you feel passionately. The heroes and villains from book one, “The Shadow of the Gods,” have returned. What most strikes me about Gwynne’s writing is that he is comprehensively excellent. Here there is World building of such prowess that you almost don’t notice it; you’re simply there. The story flows smoothly, the dialog-internal and between characters-is engaging and natural (Norse spelling and pronunciation notwithstanding), and the plot is straightforward. You pretty much get what you expect, and the delivery is fantastic!

Yeah, you guessed it; a gushing five stars for “The Hunger of the Gods.” I found nothing to complain about, not even a little. Do yourself a favor and read the first book so you can get to this one. Easily the best book of 2022. My eternal thanks to John Gwynne and Orbit Books via Netgalley.

#orbitbooks #thehungerofthegods #bloodsworn #battlegrim #vigrith #battleplain #battlecat #netgalley #Orkaforevah #KindlesAllTheWayDown #KatzAllTheWayDown #ifcatscouldread #booksandcats #catsandbooks #booksandcatstagram #catsandbookstagram
#bookstagram #Catstagram #fivestarread #nordicsaga

A big thanks to Orbit for approving my arc request on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I am having a similar experience with the Bloodsworn Saga as I did with the Percy Jackson series over a decade ago. With both of them I just loved all the new culture and lore I was getting to learn about weather it be Greek Mythology or Norse Mythology.

With Percy Jackson I became so interested in Greek Mythology for many years that I even chose Greek Mythology as one of my extracurricular classes a few years after finishing the series. Well I am now becoming really obsessed with Norse Mythology and Viking Culture thanks to John Gwynne. I may have to reread Neil Gaimans "Norse Mythology" or read the graphic novel adaptation of it because I don't think I can wait another year for my next Norse mythology fix.

I think it is safe to say that John Gwynne has knocked it out of the park with the sequel in this series. I had favorites and least favorites for perspectives when it came to the first book with Orka being my favorite and Elvar being my least favorite of the point of view characters, but in this one I greatly enjoyed all of the points of view that Gwynne shows us this amazing world with. But I still think I will have to go back and read some more books in the Banished Lands to hold over my John Gwynne fix until the conclusion to this series is released.

The Hunger of the Gods
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am speechless, nothing I could say could do this book justice! It’s incredible!
This second installment was everything I hoped it would be and so much more!

HE DEAD GODS ARE RISING.

Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest.

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.

Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her. Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god.

Their only hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead...and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth.

Even better than the first. This story feels both familiar and totally unique. I’m genuinely invested in all five perspectives and each of the gods. The pace was fast, and the fight scenes haven’t gotten old or stale yet.

BUT I’m never going to recover from “eye jelly.” That was horrific.

Still excited for the next one.

<i>Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC.

The Hunger of the Gods is the second book in the new Bloodsworn Saga trilogy by John Gwynne. For epic fantasy and long running series I really appreciate it when there is both a character list and a recap of what happened in the first book for the readers to have their memory jogged without putting reminders into the flow of the story. Gwynne’s for this book was done so well that I felt like I’d read his first book a month ago instead of a year.

The Bloodsworn Saga is a Norse-like Mythos based fantasy. Not Thor or Oden but animal gods that once roamed the world and had human forms. Their children were once the great and powerful of the land, but now if you have god blood in your veins you are considered tainted and made to be a slave. In Shadow of the Gods Lif-Rifa (the Dragon God) was released from her prison and the world is about to find out why the gods of the past banded against her to put her in that prison for thousands of years. Lif-Rifa wants to punish all of those who have turned the gods children into slaves and take her place as ruler of the lands.

There are far too many characters to touch on them all here. Gwynne uses multiple PoVs including some from the ‘bad guys’ to give the reader a fuller understanding of the scope of the story. Orka Skullsplitter is probably my favorite. Her son was stolen and her husband killed in the first book of the series. She is searching for the people who took her son, Breca, in hopes that she can get him back. Breca was stolen by the faction that wanted to free Lif-Rifa from her tomb and start a war against the humans so you know that will be a hard battle. Spending time with Orka and learning of the life she left to raise a family made her all the more special to me.

Varg was a slave, he escaped that life and is now traveling with the Bloodsworn. They are on the trail of another character who stole their Seior Witch, she is the leaders wife in secret and they will stop at nothing to find the woman he loves. Vog is not being treated well by her captors and I spent much of the book hoping she would be rescued by the Bloodsworn. Varg has come a long way from the thrall he used to be and is becoming more of a warrior everyday. He is finding his place on this crew that are his new family and will do anything to keep them alive.

Elvar, now leader of the Battle-Grim is skating a dangerous line. While for the most part I like her she has kept some of the tainted as thralls as she was a slaver for the most part in the prior book. Her view on the world is changing though and she now travels with two gods in hopes of finding Lif-Rifa to destroy her. It will be hard battle and the wolf god has been dead a long time, not at his best and lets just say he is helping not of his own free will. Elvar will have to make some hard choices as she is bound by magic to find Uspa’s son who is being held with Breca by the Dragonsworn.

There are so many who want to kill the others in this tale as they have had someone they care about killed by other characters. Varg for instance has made some very strong enemies and there are so many now that want to kill Orka. When all the characters meet up there will be so much blood. This is not a kind world, many are treated cruelly or die during the multitude of battles that happen in the book. There are so many characters it is sometimes hard to keep track of them all.

Hunger of the Gods is a great follow-up to the story. The world is expanded along with the characters. They are more three dimensional in this and even the ‘bad’ guys PoV leads to a bit of a grey area for a few of them. I liked the overall flow of this story better than the first as we didn’t need to do as much set up. I appreciated that we got to dig more into the lore of the world and the gods and meet a few of them who are now roaming and set up with different bands of people. The last thirty pages of the book really helped slide this into the final rating as they were intense and I really just wanted to start the next book right away. Gwynne has given us another great sage-tale to carry with us.

thank you netgalley for the arc!!!

the shadow of the gods was like peeking through a window into all of these wild tales of vikings, gods and violence but the hunger of the gods opens that window and invites you in. it was so damn brutal! i had so much fun being back in this world and following our characters through it all.

book 2 is quite a bit longer than book 1 and it’s mostly due to john gwynne adding two additional perspectives . i love how quickly these characters were developed and even though they were rather unlikeable, john gwynne never falls to give us fantastic povs. it also provided for some great worldbuilding and allowed the reader an inside look on the antagonists of the story and their movements. i really think this fleshed out the world and though some readers might find it slows down the story, i would still say it was a good choice. especially since the last 10-15 chapters make everything so worth it. i was devouring the pages so fast.

the writing is top notch as usual! possibly my favorite part of this book is the found families. john gwynne is just so good at crafting a bond between a group of characters. i especially loved following elvar this time around. i think most of us enjoyed her character in book 1 but felt it was overshadowed by orka and varg. i have to say that this is not the case in book 2! watching elvars internal struggle with leadership and following her and the cast of battle fame seekers was thrilling! she’s such a badass.

i obviously loved varg and orka as well! john gwynne put varg and the bloodsworn through it all and mayhaps tears were shed. my heart was hurting for the crew. orka continues to fucking slaughter anyone in her way of getting to her goal and it never gets old. i’m cheering every time she gets to the killing.

the worldbuilding is another element that was just chefs kiss. watching these legendary gods rise again was HORRIFYINGLY amazing! i won’t say more than that but wow i was so surprised by how much was revealed in this book. i’m gonna be in so much pain because the wait for book 3 will be horrible. that ending??????? i’m going though it. it was everything i wanted!!

I don't know how a second book in a series manages to top the first one, but The Hunger of the Gods does just that! It took all of the things I loved about The Shadow of the Gods and somehow improved upon it. In this book, we pick up where we left off and we're once again following Orka, Varg, and Elvar. The pacing was what I liked the most. There was not a moment where I thought the storyline dragged and I had a hard time pulling away once I got started.

I also appreciated the fact that Gwynne put a character description and recap of what happened in The Shadow of the Gods in the beginning of the book. Super helpful!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC provided. I didn’t get it read and reviewed prior to the release date unfortunately, but I still appreciate the opportunity.

I absolutely loved both Orka and Elvar in Shadow of the Gods, and both characters were taken to new levels of appreciation in Hunger of the Gods. They truly are two of my favorite characters in the genre.

Gwynne writes action scenes as well or better then any Fantasy author - it is just a visceral experience each time their is a battle, and I love it. The climax scenes in the final chapters were absolutely brutal and I had an amazing time.

I simply can not wait for the conclusion to this amazing series in book 3.