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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
It's a first-in-the-series kind of book, in that it skims the surface of a lot of world-building elements. It takes a while to get going. I thought everything was done well. The whole book was entertaining. There's plenty of action throughout. The characters were the only thing keeping this from being 5 stars. None seem particularly deep. There's not a lot of introspection or commentary. They're all Vikings and the only thing that separates one from the other is whose head each is trying to cut off. That said, I'm hooked.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I couldn't get into the story. It's very slow paced.
4.low/5 Strong opener to high fantasy series with interesting takes on Norse mythology. Multiple perspective plotlines tend to take longer to develop, so early pacing does suffer for it in this entry. Back half starts to heat up, so excited to read the second book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5/5
sacrificing world building for more in depth character building should at least mean the characters are all
interesting
sacrificing world building for more in depth character building should at least mean the characters are all
interesting
To copy the cover "Masterfully crafted and burtally compelling." John Gwynne is a new author to me but I loved this book so much. The characters were all interesting, and had plenty of layers to them. I loved how the book didn't give away characters intentions. Anything outside of dialogue was just describing the moment, which made the world feel as though I was there rather than an omniscient viewer which is something I love. It's messy and bloody, and if you don't like graphic descriptions of violence maybe skip, but easily one of my favorite books immediately.