THE SHADOW OF THE GODS

The quality was great, arrived in very good condition!!

As always worst packaging by amazon,book and bent in many corners and pages and quality of orbit books are little cheap also,otherwise story of the book is great must read for a fanatsy lover

Good world building and characters that can stay forever in your hearts.

This book is the first in the new series called the Bloodsworn Saga and my 1st novel of his. The cover is gorgeous. The map is helpful and easy (I create maps so I have a special interest). This is a fast-paced Norse mythology-inspired series with 3 POVs. We start with Orka and she's as badass as you can expect from a shieldmaiden. Her story is the least I came to enjoy of all the three and you always kind of root for the underdog and that is Varg. A former thrall and through the book he turns into a warrior. The third POV is of Elvar, a shieldmaiden of some considerable skill. The magic system isn't unique, but I loved how the Gods are entwined into the story. The magic works through runes, bones or blood of the Gods. This has a Homer-ish feel to it as many of the characters you come upon are sons or daughters of the Gods. What I really liked about the story are the strong female characters which the author also acknowledges in the interview that is at the end. The pace is fast, engagement strong and slowly the hidden strands zoom out to form the fabric of the tale. The second-best thing in this tale: the creatures. If this ever receives the illustrated treatment, I am definitely buying. I did struggle a bit from chapter to chapter jumping through the characters, but that is entirely upon me. I so much wanted to carry that story forward and not go somewhere else. Coming from reading WOT which jumps in the chapter itself, I couldn't help it. A definite read for all who like Norse mythology and fantasy in general. Now on to Book 2.

Book isn't delivered in good condition

I wanted to love this book a lot because all my friends have nothing but amazing things to say about it but did I? Well… not exactly. This is the first instalment in an epic fantasy series based in a Norse inspired world. The story progresses through the viewpoint of three characters- Orka, Elvar and Varg. I loved Varg from the very beginning. He is a runaway, a sort of underdog and has to prove his worth to the Bloodsworn, a group of mercenaries who have sort of adopted him into their fold. Orka is a warrior mother who seems to be leading a life in disguise with her husband and son. She is afraid for her son as incidences of missing children abound near their settlement. I connected more to her son than to her and was kinda skimming and skipping through her pov chapters to get to Varg atleast until the halfway mark. Thereafter the author just gears it up to the top and it was one exhilarating action scene after another. Elvar is a noblewoman who has thrown away her status to fight in a mercenary group. She wants to prove her battle might and make a name for herself rather than be married off to the highest bidder. Elvar’s chapters were my least favourite because I just couldn’t bring myself to like her for some reason. I just couldn’t connect to her even though her life was the most relatable out ot the three characters in the book. It was at the very very end of the book that I kinda warmed up to her a little bit but even then it wasn’t much. Overall for the first half I was just skipping and skimming mostly and stopping to read only Varg’s pov chapters but the second half things finally started happening and Orka’s povs became just as compelling. Elvar’s were still a struggle until maybe the last 20%. I didn’t end up loving the book as most of my friends did but I really liked it. Just as I was turning the point from like to love, the book ended but it ensured that I would keep reading the sequel to find out what happens next. Definitely recommended for fans of epic fantasies. It takes some time for the action to start but once it does, its a non stop, high octane, edge of the seat thriller. You would not be disappointed. P.S the dragon on the cover is not just for show, but only the patient get rewarded 😂 Rating: 3.5 stars

Finalmente un primer libro en una trilogía que no se siente como un “prólogo”. Este libro presenta personajes, el mundo, sus reglas y desarrollo de todo para dejarte en un momento perfecto para iniciar el segundo libro.

At last, I am happy to board and get a prime seat on the John Gwynne hype express. This book was precisely what I wanted and needed after a myriad of lackluster reads over the past few months, and it reminded me why I love fantasy so much. This ‘review’ is basically going to be one long (probably not particularly coherent) gush, so I apologise in advance. Other reviewers before me have already very eloquently expressed what makes this book such an engaging masterpiece, but allow me to briefly summarise what particularly clicked with me: - BRILLIANT CHARACTERS. Not only are all three main POV characters extremely likeable (despite some of their morally questionable actions and behaviour), well-rounded and compelling, but they are also surrounded by a plethora of other immensely intriguing individuals (and creatures!), which makes for fun interactions and varied character dynamics. - UNIQUE, IMAGINATIVE WORLDBUILDING AND PALPABLE ATMOSPHERE. This bleak world felt real, vivid and so lived in. Some of the imagery and locations described in this book were honestly mind-boggling and so visceral and cinematic. For the love of God Snaka, Hollywood, snag these rights asap. We don’t need 15 Predator movies, 20 Spidermans or disappointing Disney live action remakes when original takes, ideas and worlds are RIGHT HERE, BEGGING for high-quality big-budget adaptations. Seriously, someone slip this book to a producer’s assistant, please. This falls under the worldbuilding category but, OMG, there are MONSTERS GALORE here! I’m not particularly familiar with the Norse mythology besides the basics (thanks Marvel) but this book inspired me to research it further. In fact, one of my most favourite aspects of this novel was the inclusion of a huge variety of monsters, creatures and magical beings, their organic incorporation into the story and interactions with humans. They can be endearing but also utterly disgusting; quip or complain, but also kill you in the most brutal ways. I feel like modern fantasy books, at least the ones I’ve read recently, seriously underestimate how much nuance and sheer personality diverse animal companions can bring to stories. The mythical beings are also tied to the fascinating magic system and religion. Again, I don’t know to what extent those aspects have drawn upon existing lore; either way, the sparse use of magic and legacy of the gods grabbed my attention and left me hungry for me. With this book laying the groundwork, I hope the sequels will allow magic to come more into the fore and be unleashed on an even larger scale. - The FAST-PACED, ENGAGING ACTION prompted some serious whooping, air fist-bumping and frustrated groaning in my bedroom at 3am... I’ve heard as much praise for Gwynne’s unparalleled writing of battle scenes as for Abercrombie’s singular character work, and yes, I’m happy to concur with the fantasy community’s general assessment. As someone whose mind has been known to occasionally start wandering off when reading epic, disorienting action, I was quite impressed by how this book managed to keep me focused and glued to the page during every shield strike, seax thrust and axe throw. The action is, once again, vivid, palpable and heart pounding but that shouldn’t be surprising because the whole book felt incredibly immersive. I have an immense admiration for writers who can craft atmosphere and phenomenological sensations in readers with words. Besides the battles, the sailing scenes really stood out in this regard; I’m not exaggerating when I say Mr Gwynne came pretty close to making me taste the salt of the sea, shiver with the cold the characters were feeling, or conveying the seeping exhaustion and discomfort of aching muscles after gripping oars for hours. I absolutely LOVED the twists revealed in the jaw dropping conclusion and how the POV characters were brought together. That whole sequence was just so visceral and freaking cool, there is really no other way to describe it. So yeah, I utterly loved this. I kept devouring one page after another without realising how quickly I was moving through the book which is the best feeling that we readers constantly chase and, at least in my case, rarely actually get to experience. I’m glad this was my first John Gwynne novel because that means I now have 7 massive tomes of The Faithful & The Fallen and Of Blood & Bone to tide me over before the sequel to The Shadow of the Gods comes out. If they’re half as compelling and addictive as this book was, I’m in for a wild ride.

Fantastic start to a trilogy. Raw and gritty Viking fantasy world with very visceral but exciting battle scenes. Three solid and engaging POV characters and with nice steady pacing and short chapters to keep you always wanting more. It has a cool backdrop of dead massive animal gods, and dark fantasy creatures like trolls, etc, but its core is based on very grounded human stories with well fleshed characters and clear motivations. An exciting and cinematic adventure, that really picks up in the second half. I immediately ordered the sequel after finishing it and have now finished the entire trilogy which was an overall fantastic read. I will note, the battle sequences are quite gory and vivid so that may not be for everyone. And also there are a lot of war bands in the book with several side characters to keep track of. I found it a bit confusing for a while but eventually got to know and love most of them by the end of it. That’s more of a small nitpick. TLDR: great start to a grounded Viking fantasy epic, with the fantasy elements playing in the background of relatable human stories. Well paced with great (albeit gory) action and battle scenes. Lots of side characters to keep track of but the core 3 are excellent.

Meu marido adorou!!!

Thry say ot is amazing and I looooove dragons sooooo I think I will loooove it!