While "The Shadows of Gods" by Alyce Caswell offers a compelling blend of Norse mythology and fantasy elements, it falls short in fully engaging the reader due to pacing issues and underdeveloped character arcs. The world-building is immersive, and the premise is intriguing, but the execution lacks the depth needed to truly captivate. Additionally, some plot points feel predictable, diminishing the impact of certain twists. However, despite its flaws, the novel still provides an entertaining read for fans of the genre, offering enough intrigue and action to keep readers engaged until the end.

This book was given to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review any opinions formed are my own. Thank you again netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Randomly stumbled upon this in Netgalley. The cover and summary had me intrigued. I was nervous, though, because I rarely read SCIFI (I am so picky in that genre for some reason) BUT I decided to take the risk.

Here we follow Ami and Kieran. Ami is the captain of a starship with far too many pirates to chase down and too many lives to save. However, she is a sucker for helping the haunted and damaged...enter Kieran. He is the least powerful agent the Galactic Law Enforcement Agency has to offer and he has some enemies. Ami invites him to join her crew but his presence soon proves to be useful but distracting. There is something big stalking him.

There was a sprinkle of romance here, but it didn't overshadow the story and I was fine with that. This was mainly a SCIFI novel for sure. There is too much going on for a full romance.

I liked Ami and Kieran. They were both good eggs and bless Ami and her big heart....I think I would've left Kieran on the moon or something. No thanks, pal! Haha. But I did like him tho....it's hard not to. He's like that destructive puppy you want to shake but cuddle all at the same time.

Now, I will admit, I did struggle in some parts. Some areas were just plain slow and info-dumpy. It slowed down the story that is for sure, but once you got past those blimps it was back to the races and I couldn't stop reading.

In the end, I did enjoy this more than expected to...if I'm being honest here. I do really struggle with SCIFI. Some slow areas, but getting over those humps was worth it. I enjoyed our characters and the story overall. I'll give this 3 stars.

Thanks NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for access to this arc!

3/5 Stars!

This book was a good mix of sci fi and fantasy, but unfortunately it dragged a bit and I lost interest a few times. It was still a good book, good characters and adventure!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and thought the FMC was a complex, interesting person. I did not like the opening premise that Earth had one common deity at some point in its history, nor did I particularly like the references to one single, superior God as accepted – the Christian religious tones were off-putting for me.

I found some of the editing / writing poor, as it was often confusing where people were or what was happening (were they knocked to the ground in a space fight or still standing and making smouldering eye contact?). I thought the initial intimacy between the parties, while slightly hinted at certainly came out of the blue (she drags him to her room to shower, when they hardly interact with each other?). The writing in the book changed more than half-way through and became much more polished and sophisticated.

I think there is a great book and great series here that is in want of more work and editing. Yet, I did not stop reading it, as I do think there is something that could be really great here.

I received an advance copy of the book from NetGalley, but the review is my own.

My Review: The story and the characters are brilliantly written. The story has more Sci-fi elements. It is totally addictive. The characters and their development is a little on the off side , but the plot line makes sense. On the whole a good read and can't wait to read the sequel.

My Recommendation:To Sci-fi and fantasy fans , especially kinsmen universe by Ilona Andrews fans this book would be another entertainer.

My Rating: 3.25/5

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Captain Ami N’uni wants nothing more than to do her best to stop space pirates from carrying around human cargo and stopping as much of the intergalactic slave trade as she can while trying to teach Avurn, an ambitious and whipsmart kid, to be a good human. But when her paths cross Kieran Krendasta’s, she reluctantly invites him aboard, hoping to take advantage of his connections with the Galactic Law Enforcement Agency to aid in her own rescue missions. Kieran, however, has secrets of his own, and his interest in Ami isn’t helping him. When gods, rulers, and other forces collide, Kieran and Ami will have to choose who to trust and whether or not to risk it all.
Overall, I liked this book. There are some biting lines of humor, and I was intrigued by how gods as characters were incorporated into the story. Most of the science fiction stories I’ve read have no religion or, at least, no actual deities, so the inclusion of gods AND active roles on their part definitely made this different from what I anticipated. One thing I struggled with in this book was pacing. Two characters fell in love very quickly, and there didn’t seem to be a lot of development of a relationship before then. The narrative took a little before it picked up and I could hone in on what the main conflict was, and the ending felt dragged out. That being said, action filled the middle of the book, and I was left wondering how the characters were going to get out of the scrapes that they were in.
I think this book is a sequel series to one that Caswell has already written, which explains why I felt like there were gaps of information missing. Those who’ve read Caswell’s “The Galactic Pantheon” series will probably pick up on some hints and make connections between characters far quicker than I did. If you’ve read and enjoyed Caswell’s previous series or if you’re looking for a science fiction book that treads a little bit differently from the beaten path, this might be the read for you.

This story was something different being a mix of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

The characters were engaging and the story drew me in the further I read.

A really good read.

Short description:
Ami is a starship captain who chases pirates and frees slaves. Kieran is an agent of the Galactic Law Enforcement, but he's possessed by a god.

Rating:
3 out of 5 stars

Review:
The plot of the book and the initial ideas of the setting had huge potential, but the execution wasn't executed as I would have wanted it to. The pace was slow, and the amount of information you receive on the world, magic-system, and the characters is at times overwhelming and difficult to comprehend. It does get better the deeper into the book you get. I'm not used to Sci-fi or books with heavy world-building , so it was tough to get through the first half. This is also why it's 3 out of 5 stars.

The characters were interesting, and each had their own problems that they were dealing with (which helped giving them depth).

Give the book a try, if you like:
*sci-fi, fantasy and a lil' romance ❣️
*Pirates in space 🌌🛸 (+ different environment for each planet)
*Gods
*Enemies to lovers❤️‍🔥
* Be aware though: it's a little heavy with descriptions and lengthy 📖

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, BooksGoSocial, for this e-ARC. This review contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book didn't match what I was expecting from the synopsis, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. It was an OK read, but the writing didn't drag me into the story as much as I'd have liked.

I quite liked Ami and Kieran was quite a good hero, but the book fell a bit flat for me. Not my style.

The Shadow of the Gods has a really interesting premise, with space vigilantes chasing space pirates and a Galactic Law Enforcement Agency with a sprinkle of Gods and romance. But unfortunately for me it was a bit too slow and confusing, I felt their was too many names, species and different "jobs" and tech introduced really quickly. Although the world building is amazing I felt that while the plot unfolds the details could be explained along with it instead of all at once within the first few chapters. I do believe this would be enjoyed by big sci-fi fans and I feel I will give it another chance at a later date.

Ami has to decide what she needs to do and what is most important to her. Kieran needs to decide between a life he knows and a life where he can change the galaxy. What they choose can make or break them and the galaxy around them. What will they choose and how will their lives coming together change how everyone lives.

This is a science fiction romance with more science fiction elements than romance. Learning the characters and the galaxy is hard at first. The author just throws you right into the galaxy of the book without much to go on. In some cases this can be bad but the more you read the more you understand. I am not really into the science fiction genre but this book made a good try at changing my mind. The “magic” system takes a little to understand but it is not too difficult to get it once you read more. There is a lot of information to take in as well as following the characters in their journey.

However there are really good discussions to be had within this book and I believe the author did a good job discussing these even at a galactic level. From a discussion on diversity to an overall government controlling everything, there is a discussion to be had that Caswell didn’t let go to waste.

We start out with Ami and her crew of two facing off with a pirate and slave trader. Ami has her own reasons for wanting to catch him while also fighting her own demons. The story unfolds and we find out more about why Ami is so intent about catch these slave traders and not just from the good of her heart.

Then Kieran comes into the picture and the romance begins. I have more experience in the fantasy and romance genre.

This is not a slow burn novel. This is “oh we’ve known each other for a few weeks and are meant for each other” kind of romance. Which, in my case, I like. This didn’t seem like a ridiculous notion with the way these characters pasts were portrayed. This is definitely not a romance book however.

The more you read the more invested you get. As you meet Ami, Kieran, Av and Grace the more you want to know what is going on.

Ami ran from her parents, Kieran and Av’s parent are gone and Grace is there with information. Their dynamic is an interesting one and one that you will want to know more about.

This book has discussions, romance and world building that can’t be ignored. The more you know the better this book gets. I would recommend this to any sci-fi lover.

3.5/5 Stars

The Shadow of the Gods was such a good read for me! The author Alyce Caswell wrote this book brilliantly and the story line kept me on the edge of my seat! I can not wait to read more from this "new to me" author and highly recommend this book! Ami is a starship captain who chases dare I say...Space Pirates! This book was the perfect mix of sci-fi for me. It wasn't too far out there, and the plot kept me intrigued throughout.

I was gifted a copy of this book through Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is an unfortunate DNF for me, as I just didn’t enjoy the writing style or content enough to continue with it.
I think it has a lot of potential and will absolutely be enjoyed by the right reader, it just happens that that reader is not me.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. This book is perfect for fans of Jessie Mihalik! I love sci-fi books, but this had too much Kieran POV.

This was a great start to the Pantheon War series, I love great mythological elements going on and it was a interesting plot. It does a great job in introducing the world and it does what I was expecting from a opening chapter. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and can't wait for the next book in the series. Alyce Caswell has a great writing style and I enjoyed what I read.

‘The mines will take out a significant portion of Neffron’s defences, if all goes to plan,’ Kieran commented. ‘It does improve our odds of capturing his headquarters—and perhaps even Neffron himself.’

I cannot rave enough about this book! One of the best I’ve read in a while, and so unique! Definitely a must read. It is action-packed, suspenseful and emotional. Ms. Alyce has managed to pull me into the story from the very beginning and never let go. I had to read it in one evening, talk about lack of sleep. But it was worth it, I would do it again.