Reviews

Hag of the Hills : The Bronze Sword Cycles #1 by J.T.T. Ryder

keandrews95's review

4.0

I'm going to start my review by saying that this book contains some things not suitable for every reader: bloody battles, gore, torture, killing of animals, nudity, human sacrifice, slavery, and some things that could be viewed as sexual assault. This is a corner of fiction I haven't delved into much, but I was interested to read more Celtic fiction. This story follows a young man named Brennus as he struggles with losing his home and upholding an oath, while also making a deal with the hag of the hills. It's evident that Ryder knows his stuff with Celtic history and wove a story together that meshes both history and mythology in a cool way. I was interested to know who this mysterious person was that Brennus was talking to and think the revelation/hint about who it is at the ending is interesting. Verc was one of my favorite characters. This author is also unafraid to unalive dogs, so don't trust him if you see a dog in his books lol. What mostly made me give this book 3.5 stars was some of the depictions of the female characters. I felt like they could have been fleshed out more, especially Myrnna who is the one we see the most of in this story. While I know this is historical fiction and that women in this society weren't treated well most of the time, she felt more like an accessory to the story rather than her own person. Brennus' relationship with her didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have, and he went from viewing her as his charge to just someone who was good-looking. There were moments where I really wanted him to talk with her more, but it didn't always happen. This was also the case with the slave women in the story. The two that I felt were more well-defined as characters were Aunee and the Hag herself (she intrigued me from the beginning). There were also times in the story that I wasn't sure how much time had passed or really what Brennus was feeling about things, like his reunion with his brother. I didn't dislike him but I suspect it wasn't the author's intention for most of the characters to be seen as solely good or solely evil. One thing that was very unique to this story is that it reads more like an ancient heroic tale like Beowulf. With the revelation in the epilogue, that writing style makes sense and works well for the story. This story may not be for everyone, but it does offer an interesting look at prehistoric Celtic culture. 3.5/5 rounded up.

luciussestius's review

5.0

heroic fantastical epic

Told in the style of a bard singing a song learned by heart, the plot moves quickly though battles and oaths and treaties, but weaves in a fantastical element utterly convincingly. I have never read anything like it!

bookmarkedbybecky's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.5

✨This faux-Celtic world is filled with deities, heroes and villains - giants, serpents, fairies, shapeshifters which makes the book feel almost Tolkienesque. But the epic battle scenes as Brennus tries to recapture his homeland and seeks vengeance for his family feel similar to Game of Thrones - very descriptive and very fast-paced. If you are a lover of either, I think you’ll really enjoy this series. 

Others who would love this book? 

✨People who love the history channel - the vivid descriptions felt like I was transported back to 200 B.C.

✨Readers who dabble in fantasy - the world-building is easy to follow, almost more magical realism. 

✨Fans of Celtic Mythology and Celtic folklore - my favorite part of the book!