I really enjoyed reading Gods of the Wyrdwood. Barker's novel explores the importance of nature (both its healing and destructive powers) and the nature of power. I was at first confused when I read the book. The world-building took a bit too long to really become coherent, but once it did, I was fully engrossed in the story. Cahan's character arc, from selfish to selfless, was written very realistically, and I was able to relate a lot to him. The supporting characters of Udinny and Furin also exploded onto the page with distinct and unique personalities. Overall, I found the novel to be highly enjoyable and engaging, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next novel!

A twisty and winding story about warring gods, chosen ones and trying to make everything right in their homeland again. If you’re in the mood for a denser more epic fantasy story of how gods and the people who worship them fighting for what each person believes is the right thing; then this is for you. The characters and the world building were both really well done and engaging, but the writing style was a little hit or miss for me. Overall, it was still an entertaining read.

This did not end up being the book I hoped it would be. The opening two chapters were the most interesting part of the story. It was downhill from there.

Barker's writing style did not suit my tastes. It came across to me as fragmented and unengaging. This is unfortunate as there were several world building elements that I found intriguing. It took me chapters to finally remember Cahan's name. I never could bring myself to care about of of the characters.

Oh, what could have been.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!

RJ Barker is up there with the select handful of authors whose books I will buy immediately upon their release, an "auto-buy" author if you will. Both of his previous series entertained the heck out of me and are also quite different in setting and theme. That right there should tell you what a versatile writer he is. So when I caught wind of the fact that he was releasing a brand new series, with the first book GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD coming out next month, well I simply had to try and get my hands on an early copy.

GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD is again a change-up in theme and tone as Barker shows off that versatility I just mentioned. The book is aptly named as there are definitely some weird things afoot with both the worldbuilding and characters, but in a very very good way. I always appreciate when an author injects some unusual elements into what can be a somewhat formulaic genre at times. It keeps the reader on their toes and there were quite a few moments where I was like, "where the f--- did he come up with that?" These moments were always welcome though and they created a great deal of mystery, especially when it came to the enigmatic fanatical leaders who set forth the rules regarding who are worthy to be part of society and those "clanless" who are essentially scum and should be discarded.

It does take a while to get your bearings with this story as Barker doesn't spend a lot of time holding the reader's hand and explaining everything. So you really have to pay attention right from the outset, but once the story kicks in about a quarter of the way in it all slowly begins to make sense until you are absolutely breathless by the last half. It's definitely not your run of the mill fantasy and I've seen some reviewers say they gave up on it because it wasn't like Barker's other books. I actually found this to be the reason why I liked it even more. The unpredictability and the sense of where is this all going was something that had me constantly on edge and wanting to peel back the curtain.

Ultimately I came away from GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD with a feeling that I'd read another brilliant RJ Barker book. I have one little nitpick though as I'm seeing this book being marketed with the tagline that Barker is "a rising star in fantasy". Well I take exception to that as there's no rising about it. Barker is in my opinion already a firmly established star in this genre and has been for quite some time. If you don't believe me just take the time to read his books, starting with his debut trilogy The Wounded Kingdom, continuing with The Tide Child trilogy, and now with this wonderful opening entry in the brand new Forsaken series.

GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD is a fantastic start to what I'm sure will be a captivating series and I highly recommend it for anyone who craves the unconventional when it comes to their fantasy reads. Yes the magic is there and a lot of other familiar fantasy hallmarks but Barker pushes the envelope and challenges us to take a very different kind of journey with him in this one. It may not be one that we are necessarily used to but the rewards are many and magnificent if you invest the time and attention. I absolutely loved it and can't wait until the next RJ Barker book. I feel like I say that a lot.

I usually wait a day or two before writing a review. Letting myself process and ponder the book. This book has stayed on my mind. With epics like The Gods of Wyrdwood the book was long, but ended too soon, in a good way, I want more. Personal preference, I think authors can make trivial things needlessly complicated, for example the day system in this book, I didn’t take the time to understand it, and it wasn’t important to know. It pulled me out of the story every time.
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Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own

The world building in this novel is on another level truly phenomenal. Also love the concept of the chosen one's spot light being stolen. Very unique. The action was great when it was present. But the pacing was where I got a big thrown of during the book. The slower portion were indeed slow, and could feel a touch repetitive at times. But I still found myself enjoying the novel for the most part and really can't wait where the storyline goes from here. If the excitement grows as the plot/series thickens, I could see myself really loving this series.

This book has so many elements that I adore - old & forgotten gods, political & religious drama, blasphemy, sentient forests. The world the Barker creates is thorough and detailed. The plot was interesting, but I felt like it got bogged down a bit in world building - details on plants and animals that populate the world and ranks and classes of people of varying importance - while simultaneously leaving me wanting more. More details about the intricate political system. More about the clearly very important mythology and theology. More about why the forest is the way it is. More of the characters’ inner thoughts.

All in all it was a good book, but didn’t grab me the way I had hoped it would.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gods of the Wyrdwood caught my attention because I love a weird, fucked up forest and because I've been meaning to read Barker's Tide Child trilogy for a bit, so I figured it'd be worth checking this out. And for the most part I did like it! I think the world Barker's built is really interesting and I'm obsessed with the creepy forest he's written (as well as the rest of the flora and fauna, but many, the Wyrdwood rules) and I think the gods he's created are neat and there's a lot of interesting stuff about power in here. I also love a fucked up culture and this absolutely delivers on that front.

That said, I really could not get into the writing. There's a plethora of sentence fragments and I found it difficult to establish a flow while reading, which made this take a while to get into. Sometimes I found the characters to be a bit frustrating and didn't really connect with them, but I think this had more to do with my struggles with the writing style than Barker's character work.

Ultimately, I do like this even if I did struggle with it—the content was really good and I really liked it, it's just that the writing style didn't work for me. If you're the type who prioritizes a good story above all, I think you'll really enjoy this! If you're on the pickier end about prose, this might not work as well.

4.5 stars. This was such a great surprise for me! I haven't really heard any hype and it deserves so much more. The world is so incredibly imagined - it felt so depressing, but also real. The highlights of the book are the scenes in Wyrdwood itself, but the spire cities are also cool. Cahan, the main character, is the most touch-starved person I can imagine. He's such a good person and deserves the entire world. His interactions with Furin, Venn, and Udinny (especially her) make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. In contrast, Kirven, who I think we're supposed to hate, is the worst ever. This world also has three genders, which is interesting and important to the plot. The ending is so incredibly satisfying, but the epilogue, while not completely unexpected, made me super excited for the next book.

Tags: found family, PTSD, no romance, the trees have feelings too, tragic backstory, farming

I give this book an enthusiastic 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley & Orbit for providing the advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I honestly loved it & couldn't put it down.

RJ Barker has a talent for building truly unique worlds, even creating new words to fit the world he's built, and the first book of his new series is no exception. It's completely unlike any he's written before, even the style, tone & language are different.

The world in Gods of the Wyrdwood is unique, and dare I say, even stranger than those he created before with massive trees, vines that float in the air and mushrooms taller than any person. The society is intolerant and brutal, controlled by a tyrannical ruling class who won't hesitate to slaughter entire villages to set an example.

RJ drops right into that strange and violent world and lets us discover everything it contains bit by bit as we follow the story. The story starts off a bit slowly as we get to know the characters and the world, but the momentum builds as the story progresses. Details are sparse at first, but as we learn more & more about the world and the people who live in it, tension builds, and the action picks up.

I was absorbed by the story from the very beginning. But after about the 30% mark, I literally couldn't put the book down. It has a great cast of characters and edge of your seat action. For me, it was a real page-turner, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

Gods of the Wyrdwood was weird, wonderful, and simply un-putdownable. I loved it.

Thank you so much to Orbit for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited for this book -- it sounded like an epic fantasy that I could get behind.

Unfortunately, this ended up not being the book for me. I had issues with the writing and pacing that I couldn't quite get past. The style just ended up not being for me.

I was intrigued by the world building, which I thought was excellent. It definitely throws you in at the deep end and leaves you to learn about the world yourself. I had no problems with any of that. I even thought the plot was good.

But.

Overall, I wanted to enjoy the book but ended up a little "meh" on it. I think this is going to hit the right spot for a lot of other people however!

5/5 stars! This is an epic fantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat. This was such a unique take in the high fantasy genre, seeking to answer the question: What happens when your destiny is claimed by another? This book was so much more than I expected and I appreciated grown-up characters, with lifetimes of grief and turmoil resting on their shoulders. Cahal had such depth that I couldn't help but root for him. Really looking forward to the sequel in this "Forsaken" series.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Why I loved this book
-Break neck pacing left me flying through the book excited for every single scene
-Characters were Unique, fully developed, and easy to empathize with
-The writer trusts their reader to explore the world and thus provides enough well written information without over loading us with exposition.
What Didn't work as well for me
-I mistakenly thought this was a stand alone and am now pining after the sequel before book one has even hit the shelf.
Who I would recommend this title for
Gods of the Wyrdwood by RJ Barker will be a delightful and immersive read for fans of fantasy looking for a darker themed story and completely new world to jump into with both feet.

This book is very fast paced while also providing so much detail. The gods in this book are fascinating and i found it a very intriguing world to read about. The characters are certainly unique and nothing like any book ive read so far. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to delve into a journey in a new world and fully immerse themselves into this setting.

As a big fan of R.J. Barker’s Bone Ship trilogy, I was excited to sink my teeth into his follow-up series. Here he trades guillame for gasmaw, shipwife for skyraft, and hag for hetton. I was impressed by Barker’s ability to once again conjure up an entirely new world filled with distinct and fascinating flora and fauna.

We’re dropped directly into this fully-formed world and left to puzzle out what is going on with Cahan, our main character with a dark and mysterious past. The subsequent events are mostly a means to unravel Cahan’s background and set up how he’s positioned to reshape the world of Crua.

The action and buildup are satisfying, but the quieter moments are not as engaging and the story beats sometimes feel repetitive. That said, the ingredients are definitely here for a compelling series. With an opportunity to build upon the groundwork laid down in the book, I’m very intrigued to see where the next books will venture.

Barker is one of my favorite authors and the Tide Child Series one of my favorite series of all time, so when I started this I knew I would enjoy it, even love it, I did not think it would measure up to Tide Child though, it did. It is just as good, if not even, dare I say it marginally better than Tide Child. And I loved Cahan absolutely as much as I loved Joron Twiner, not more mind you, no character will ever be better than Joron for me.

The world building in this is incredible, while Barker just drops us into this very strange and very violent land as we follow the story we are literally immersed in Crua. Trees are very important to this story and there is one part where Cahan and another character are trying to wrap their heads around just how large the trees are in the Wyrwoods and you almost feel like you are standing there with them straining to understand the enormity of the thing before you. It was truly one of the best written scenes in the book.

And of course we can't forget th exceptional cast of characters here. I loved each and every one of the characters almost the minute they were introduced as with Tide Child they are all beautifully relatable with complex personalities and completely understandable motivations. There is absolutely no point in this book when I stopped and said, "Okay c'mon now that's a stupid decision.", because none of them made any stupid decisions.

Finally, even though I knew who the big bad was when they are revealed at the end it is such a crushing blow to know I was write I was genuinely holding out hope that I was wrong and it was just heartbreaking when it turned out I wasn't.

Overall, this is absolutely amazing, I was engrossed from the very first sentence and I cannot wait to read the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zoe it Books for this opportunity to read rage and review this arc which is available June 27,2023.

This is a heavy book. As with most high fantasy it is heavy on the world building and slow paced. I struggled. The storyline was awesome but tedious as again first book in a new series. The dialogue was good. Characters were fleshed out and my god was the world full fleshed out and heavily discussed.

I enjoyed it but I do not think I shall continue with the series.

Big thank you to Orbit/Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have not read R. J. Barker's other works but had heard great things about their Bones Ships series and was eager to read Gods of the Wyrdwood. I thoroughly enjoyed Barker's new book and will definitely be picking up his other works in the future.

The best part of the book for me is the worldbuilding. It's amazing how R.J. Barker is able to create a world that feels vastly different from our own, and yet present it in a way that is not confusing. The world-building is introduced slowly and we get more and more explained as Cahan, the main character, continues to tell his story. This leads the pacing to be on the slow side, but it's immersive and I think worth the pay-off. I did feel the plot dragged a bit at the 30%-40% mark and knocked a star off for that.

The characters felt very realistic, they weren't all likeable, but they acted in ways that made sense and it was intriguing to see both Cahan and Kiervan perspectives. I think people who enjoy epic fantasy and good world-building will enjoy this one.

3.5 rounded up

it’s SO dense, the characters are nothing, the plot is stock standard, you see the twist coming from miles away but the MESSED UP FOREST! IS IMMACULATE!