The Hunger of The Gods by John Gwynne
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Web ID: 17333302Ratings & Reviews
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6 reviews
Trilogy
All my thanks to this author and his ability to make your mind go to these places and characters. I'm ready to read the next book by time I close the first book. Just wishing they were sold all together.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
THIS IS WHAT A 5-STAR FANTASY BOOK LOOKS LIKE!
The Hunger of the Gods is the second book in the Bloodsworn Trilogy and it picks up right where The Shadow of the Gods left off. This second installment is a masterpiece and John Gwynne just keeps getting better and better! This story alternates with several POV characters and I love how each of these storylines are starting to intersect. The world building is just simply impeccable, as is to be expected with a Gwynne novel. Specifically, I so enjoy the character of Orka and her journey on doing whatever it takes to save her son. The action is nonstop and what I love about this story is that there is no filler chapters or any time wasted throughout the story. Every single line is moving the story and characters forward and the stakes are continuously getting higher. Overall, this story is fairly hard to summarize since John Gwynne has created such unique and incredible fantasy story where the world is so well thought out and detailed. The only small personal issue with me is just being able to correctly pronounce all of the Norse character names, but a pronunciation guide is provided which is extremely helpful! Although this Norse vocabulary made the reading a tad slower for me, I would not have wanted it any other way since it shows how much research that was done and the high level of passion John Gwynne has for Norse culture. If you are a fan of a fresh take on fantasy with a Norse foundation and want a book to get completely lost in that is fast-paced and fun, then this is the story for you! I cannot wait for the third book and conclusion to this series!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hungry for more.
My thanks to Orbit books, John Gwynne and Netgalley. I'm not even sure just what to say! I never properly review a book. If I ever did, then I'd surely skip on this one! There is so much going on! Which really just makes it my kind of story. I love all the different perspectives! This second book was nowhere as gung -ho, stones to the wall as the first book. What it did, "I think" was build up the characters and the world more. " Not that we needed another excuse to love them! " Or hate them too! But it also managed to make this world and all its various inhabitants more real. This book was slower then the first. Don't let that dissuade you, because while it may have been slower, I managed to laugh out loud. Chuckle, snicker, smirk and just be generally amused! Gah! Oh, yeah. I really do adore these people! I will confess that as much as I'm looking forward to the final book, I'm also scared silly. I know how these things go. Sadly, many will die, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that. Also, can Vesli come live with me?
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Gwynne Did It Agynne!
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
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Excellent sequel!
What a ride! What artwork! I read these two books back to back and rather than just write a review for book two, which comes out today, I wanted to give some space to both. Please don’t skip to the second book, the first is essential to the series. Note: I’m going to be very careful not to put in spoilers since this review is really for the first two books in the series. This series is very hardcore. I’m generally not a big fan of Norse/Viking tv shows or books as a general rule. That’s probably because I have so little knowledge of their mythology (I mean besides Thor as represented in Marvel movies … I know that means I have next to none right!) This type of book also tends to be more heavy handed with violence and brutality, which I’m not a huge fan of, but when a story is as well written as this then none of that seems to matter to me. The series follows three characters closely, and what I like about the way the structure of the novel is that these characters are very distinctly from different social spheres and their life experiences helped me as a readier to easily acclimate into a VERY unfamiliar setting. I admit, I did have some trouble following along at times, trying to remember which group was involved in which location. I don’t think that’s a problem with the book as much as a problem with me being able to follow along. My concentration is not at it’s best. With that it mind, one thing I absolutely loved about book two is that it came with an introductory recap for the first book. That is a LIFESAVER for a reader like me. I was fortunate enough to read these two back to back, but if there had been a gap between book 1 and 2 I’d have been hard pressed to remember what was going on. I wish more writers would include those. That being said, I’m sure they are not the easiest thing to make and so I understand why they don’t. Apart from the technical aspects of these books, the story itself is brutal, visceral, adventurous and compelling. I liked reading about all three of the main characters, and I have to admit my little feminist heart enjoyed that two of them are such formidable women. They are not the only two either! There are tons of shield-maidens (shout out Eowyn!) in this book, as well as women who are in very high political positions and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed the heck out of these two books, and am eagerly awaiting book three. Disclaimer: I received these books free from Netgalley.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An amazing sequel!
The very first thing I want to talk about was the recap! Honestly, I wish everyone would do this. It was very informative and gives great recaps of each of the characters’ journeys from book one. There’s also a glossary and character list. It was brilliant and VERY appreciated! Honestly, it just put me in such a good mood starting out this book! Now, I’m giving you a fair warning, this is going to be a hot mess of a review. I loved this book so much and it made me feel so many things that I’m still wrapping my head around it. I will admit, this was a bit intimidating for me. I can get overwhelmed when it’s lengthy and the second book in a series. There’s always that fear of the “second book syndrome.” My friends, this book does not suffer from this. There’s so much action and I never had an issue with the pacing. I enjoyed this book more than the first book! The characters in this series are just so rich, deep, and memorable. I went to Twitter stating, Orka is becoming one of my favorite characters of all time. I do not say this lightly. She is such a force. Her POV and journey is the one that I’m the most invested in. She’s such a complex character and just brilliantly written. Her inner thoughts add an extra layer to a scene and her character. I have impatiently waited a whole year for this book because I wanted to see where she ended up next. Towards the end, it was so gripping that I could barely stand it. My poor broken heart. I was having physical reactions to her chapters, and I can’t say anymore. I’m just glad my child was asleep, and my husband was at work. He would have thought something was wrong with me. lol “Real courage is to feel fear, but to stand and face it, not run from it.” There are additional POV’s in this book that I enjoyed. We get to see the side of some of the not so “good” characters and it was fascinating. I remember not liking a couple of characters as much in the first book, but they have become much more interesting in this book. There are so many different characters, but they all seem to stand out. I’m in love with so many of the smaller supporting characters that I have to hold my breath during each action scene. Svik and his cheese!! haha, I loved this book as much as Svik loves his cheese! Along with the fascinating world are the amazing action/battle scenes. They are really intense, but the vivid detail is great. There is a lot of plot in this book and I really don’t know what to say without giving things away. Gwynne manages to have heartfelt and even funny bits throughout to help with the intensity. There’s a lot more of the gods language in this book and I just glazed over them. I don’t think it really gives or takes anything away. There are a few things that happen in this book that are really triggering if you do not like bugs. Also, if you are creeped out by anything related to parasites. I had to stop for the night when I got to one scene because I was so grossed out. I do not like bugs. I get why it’s in there and how it came full circle was great, but I wish I could forget that scene. Overall, this was one of best second books (in a series) I’ve read in a long time. I loved it more than the first book and I’m pretty much shattered at that ending. I will now be jumping into his backlist books to get me through the next year. I cannot wait to see where these characters end up. I’m not sure why the books I love are the hardest to write reviews for. If you get anything from this, just know that it was a brilliant continuation to Shadow of the Gods!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com