Probably 3.5 stars.

I like how this author thinks through the setting and ecosystem of his world. The forests in this book hark back to the ancient times when forests were alien and deadly to those who lived outside them and scraped a living from the forest dregs. This world felt post-apocalyptic, like something horrible had happened and the survivors were using the snippets of knowledge from a former civilization to try to have any power or control, without truly understanding what they were doing.

It's not a pleasant world, and we don't meet pleasant people. Morality doesn't seem to have to do much with the church or gods. Instead rival gods strive for power and people worship whichever god and their followers have carried the day. Preaching seems limited to "obey this god or else". Nothing about how to live well or correctly.

Cahan, our main character, is interesting. He's come across a god somewhere along the way that taught him the concept of empathy and connection with others. But he's clanless himself and can't make inroads with the village he has settled near. Cahan also struggles with power that was bestowed upon him that he doesn't really understand or want to use, since he was only ever taught to destroy with that power.

I can see where this series might be going. However, I'm not sure if I'm going to make the journey. This was a slow-paced book and the stakes haven't even come into play yet. I loved the author's Tide Child series and that's what would make me continue if I decide to do that.

Gods of the Wyrdwood is the kind of nature-based fantasy I’m always looking for, the kind that leaves you in awe of the natural world and those who wield its lifeforce. The book meandered toward a slam bang finish, leaving the impression of following a forest path that might not always seem like the right way forward, but that leaves you understanding how each fork in the road was the right path at the end. I couldn’t get enough of the striking visuals of this richly derived world and I can’t wait to diver further into the series.

The Best Bits
Everything about the forests - the ancient trees, the creatures, the mysteries
The Forester - a fitting protagonist for such a violent and vibrant world
The animal sidekick - always necessary whenever possible

A Deep History Marred by Violence
There was so much in this world as the author interlaced each scene with little bits of culture, societal workings and belief systems. We see a history of Gods upon Gods, all fighting for power in a world that demands somebody come out on top. It’s a world filled with war and with it comes many powerful mysteries. Soldiers who are larger than life, wielding power for evil in the false name of the greater good. Undead in multiple forms who fight without flagging. Forest beings who are loath to enter into conflict but deadly when forced to. We see every part of this world and it paints a fascinating landscape that was, in itself, as interesting as the story.

Magic That Steals
I found the magic system fascinating. These aren’t traditional spells spoken by powerful wizards. It’s a system dependent on life and death, stealing from another to fuel power. Up to the point of this story, that power was used to kill and maim, all for the great ‘good’ of whoever happened to be ruling at the time. The figures who are able to wield it are given the abilities in a gruesome fashion that I still don’t fully understand (think almost dying amidst rooms of bodies and something with a fungus) and they are terrifying figures throughout the book. They are evil incarnate and the longer they wield, the more corrupted they are by that power. It’s not a pretty system, and when it’s later juxtaposed by the exact opposite force, we see how corrupted its become.

The Forester and His Hidden Depths
I loved the main character. He contained multitudes due to a dark and winding history of confusion, pain, betrayal, questionable morals, and an eventual commitment to changing his ways and favoring life and the forest. He is an example of one who would be evil turned toward the powers of life, and it makes him a very interesting hero. At the start of the story, he’s hated by all around him and, by the end, they rally to him, seeing him as a savior who deserves their support. It’s quite the character journey and it was a joy to watch.


The Wonder
I can’t stress enough how refreshing it was to read the descriptions of the natural world in this book. I’m someone who is drawn to nature, especially in fantasy novels, and this was truly breathtaking at times. The forest is a character of its own, surrounding the action at all times, and I found myself continuously surprised with each new piece of it revealed by the author. We spend so much time amidst the trees and the creatures, yet I still feel like there are so many mysteries left untouched. I’m always taken in by a strong setting, and the author was masterful in making the forest a setting I was excited to imagine.

I liked the story and the characters were so well-developed! I don't want to give anything away, but the way magic and heroes were portrayed was really fresh and unique. Even though it's a long read that is not fast-paced and has not many events, I think the gradual exploration of the world is totally worth it.

The world building in this book was intense! I admit, even as someone who reads a lot of SFF, I struggled a bit at first to follow. Luckily the pace at the beginning was slow enough for me to learn all the ins and outs of this very complex world.

I do feel like this is a series you should read in close succession as there is so much you’d be likely to forget details.

This is dark, meaty, high fantasy with heavy mythological vibes and a protagonist who’s more reluctant survivor than chosen hero. The writing is immersive and atmospheric, though dense—and I mean that in both a good and challenging way. The pace is deliberate and the world takes time to unfold, but Barker’s craft is undeniable. It’s not a casual read; it demands patience. But if you like your fantasy morally gray, full of ancient magic, forest gods, and strange power struggles, it rewards you for sticking with it.

Barker always creates such strange, interesting worlds. It took me a bit to get into this, but once I was I couldn't put it down. If you liked Barker's other work then I really think you'd enjoy this.

An epic fantasy with exquisite world building and religious hierarchy. The characters are intriguing and entertaining. While the story is a slow build, you don’t notice because you’re lost in a fantasy world that makes you forget the world around you.

I really like book RJ Barker was able to craft a tail that was both interesting and unique. The suspense and the mystery and the magic in the story all kind of interwoven away that allowed you to be immersed as they told the story. I also enjoyed the ups and downs between the main characters and how the story arcs between all of them lined up for the final conclusion of the book.

Amazing world building... but I never really cared about anything happening to anyone in this world. It was unique and beautiful, but sadly just not for me.

Another wonderful start to what will definitely be a great series from RJ Barker! I will always be impressed with how Barker manages to navigate such different themes and settings for fantasy. This is a breath of fresh air- and while I found myself not fully understanding in the beginning it all fell together perfectly. Loved it.

There have been a lot of books about false prophecies, mistaken heroes, and how they are just put aside after the need for them just ceases ti exist. But this book is extremely different especially because of the world. In a simple description it's just a cool, interesting world. The fauna, creatures, and flora play a huge part on the plot; they are sentinent and everything plays a part. They are almost alien-like in their description and each one is extremely unique. There is a lot of description that is woven in the story; there are no paragraphs describing the world nor explaining to the reader what we're "seeing". We have to piece it together to understand it.

The forest, religion, and belief are a large point of the story. Religion is a big motivator for all the events in the plot. Religion in this world is how people gain power and influence. It begins with a large war being fought in order to expunge all other belief systems, all other gods and establish the belief in just one god.

The author does no hand-holding in this book. The world building is done alongside the story and the reader has to gather the information to understand the world. It can be a bit jarring in the beginning having all of these names and concepts thrown at you without prior explanation. However, because of that, the story isn't bogged down by paragraphs and paragraphs of info dump. We learn the world and the magic whilst we are learning about our characters.

Cahan, our main character, is an interesting person to follow. After being discarded as the Chosen One, he tries to live a quiet, peaceful life. Because of his status as an outcast, he keeps to himself and doesn't like people - he only wants his farm in the edge of the forest. But he keeps being pulled begrudgingly to the front because of what he is. I liked seeing his growth throughout the story mainly due to the relationships he begins to build with Furin, Udinny, and Venn. But he is sometimes a frustrating character. It's hard to see someone sacrifice himself for people who despise him. The author does a nice job in justifying these decisions but I was sometimes screaming at him just to get away. He is not a perfect person by any means, he makes mistakes, he is not all powerfull. But that's one of the reasons why I liked following him so much. The other character that the book follows is Kirven and her desperate attempts to cling to power and her misguided attempts to protect and love her child. It's fascinating seeing her story play out. I did not expect what happened at the end of the book.

This book is extremely slow, most of the book feels like side quests. It felt like the prologue of the story - a really good one - especially with how the story ended (I wished I didn't guess the twist because it was a really good one). In my opinion, this book served to establish the world and the magic and position the characters in order for the reader to care about them and their relationships. I'm really looking forward to the next one.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I always enjoy anything written by RJ Barker and this is no different. His prose is lyrical and his stories are so inventive. I will definitely recommend this for someone who wants a creative fantasy novel.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an arc in exchange of my honest review.

This was a really good book y’all. If you don’t mind stories that re not fast paced, you’ll love this one. The characters were amazingly well developed and the world building was just amazing y’all. I don’t know how to explain it but I felt a mix of LOTR book one (when it comes to the pace and exploration of the world) and Mononoke Hime (when it comes to the actual plot/adventure).
I honestly don’t know how to describe it without giving anything out but it was really well done how the three MC meet.

If you love a story that slowly builds up, magic, gods, nature, character development and forest exploration I think you’ll love this book.

Unique characters in an absolutely original setting full of interesting worldbuilding and captivating magic.

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/04/01/gods-of-the-wyrdwood-forsaken-1-by-rj-barker/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Fantastic World Building, Slow Pacing

RJ Barker is an author that I can’t recommend enough. I’ve loved his previous two series and so couldn’t wait to grab a copy of his latest. Set in a stunningly imagined world this is a cruel place to live, Gods wax and wane with indecent haste and the magic is fueled by death.

As it is, it took me a little while to get into this one, there’s a lot to take on board as the story begins and although I loved the writing the plot was a little slow to surface. I would counsel patience with this book. Take the time to absorb the detail and get a feel for the place, the characters and the way of life. This is a fascinating world that the author has created and in a sense it steals the show, making the plot and characters take a backseat for a while.

Our MC, Cahan du Nahere, was taken as a young boy to be raised as the ‘Chosen One’, the Cowl-Rai. Destined for greatness his fortunes fell and instead he took the path of a warrior before returning to the home that he briefly knew as a child. Clanless, and alone his is looked down upon by virtually everyone. The farm that he owns is hard work and hardly prosperous and yet he has to struggle to keep others from taking what is his. And, he also struggles to keep repressed the magic that bubbles just below the surface, always looking for a way to take control. Known by the local villages as Forester, he is respected – but in a very peevish and mistrustful way, called on for his knowledge whilst being frequently belittled.

The forests here are places of power. Packed with unusual flora and fauna nothing is ever quite what it seems and what may look like a peaceful glade in which to stay the night is quite likely a deadly trap waiting for an innocent traveller to stop for rest – never to be seen again. Mostly, nobody wanders into the forest unless it’s totally necessary, and then usually keeping to the margins.

The other characters of note are Udinny, a monk who has fallen from grace as her ‘God’ is no longer recognised. I actually enjoyed this particular character very much – she has an almost childlike curiosity and chatters incessantly, she definitely brought a much needed lighter element to the read. Venn, is a young boy who is waiting to bond with his Cowl – something that requires a level of violence that he doesn’t want to commit. He and Cahan’s paths will eventually cross ultimately leading to death and destruction.

I will say that I love the way this author writes. He has a wonderful turn of phrase that I really enjoy and he definitely has no shortage of imagination.

Overall, although I felt this one started a little slowly it does get into it’s stride and has a very dramatic finale. I think that when I first picked this book up I had the wrong frame of mind and also I think my expectations had led me in the wrong direction a little. I look forward to seeing where this series takes us next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. I also purchased the audio version so that I could both read and listen. The above is my own opinion.

I had a very hard time getting into this one and just couldn't get past the beginning where you don't know what's going on and don't know any of the words in the world yet. I've heard it comes around and is a great story, but I just didn't get there. DNF.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it. I loved it so much I bought a physical copy of it. Will definitely be reading again soon!

RJ Barker is a very talented writer. That was clear with his Tide Child Trilogy as well as Wounded Kingdom. However, his style just does not work for me, personally. He drops you in the deep end of the pool and you just learn how to swim in these otherworldly worlds. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It just does not work the best for me. If you liked his other works, I recommend you check this out!

This book was sadly a DNF. I kept on trying to slog through it but I had to keep rereading passages and even whole chapters at one point. I am saddened because I really liked the idea of this book, but I have to know when to withdraw.

---This ARC was provided by NetGalley for an honest review---

This book has every one of my buzz words:
* creepy forests
* gods
* prophecies

What more could you want? I devoured this book. It has a slow start, as I had to get oriented to the world before getting fully immersed but once I was, I couldn't put it down. The worldbuilding is lush and complex in a way that feels fully realized, and the characters are so compelling to follow. I cannot wait for book 2.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.