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sher_lostinabook's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, and Gore
booksnbrooches's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
I found it boring, repetitive, and meandering. I never want to hear the word “thought-cage” ever again. I don’t think the author is for me.
I cannot believe the amount of shifters in this book. Not the type of fantasy I want to read.
I cannot believe the amount of shifters in this book. Not the type of fantasy I want to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, and Violence
ohloulou's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Blood, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
theo221's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Grief and Slavery
pages_of_emma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
I'll be very honest, I was apprehensive about reading this book. Not because I thought it would be bad, but because I am not usually one for 'bloody' stories. However I now wish I'd gotten around to it so much sooner!
I really love how simple the book was. By that I mean there was no complicated magic system, no twisty love story and no long glossary (just a little one) of terms to try and remember. Of course there is magic and intrigue, but I appreciated not having to stop and try to remember all these little details. I could just keep reading and reading, following our three main characters on their individual journeys, never losing my immersion in the tale.
I think this might also be the reason I did not seem to mind how bloody the story was either, because belive me it is bloody! Nothing ever felt over the top or done for no reason.
I was transported fully into the world from page one; Gwynne's writing was so vivid and atmospheric. The setting felt both fantastical and grounded, and I loved the depictions of the Old Gods. I found myself flying through the story - I know some say that it is slow at times, but I found the quieter moments a needed break from the epic action. I was also pleasantly surprised to find themes of family and companionship running very close to the surface of an otherwise violent tale - there is a lot of heart and many insightful moments in this book!
We see the story through the eyes of three characaters: Orka, Elvar and Varg. Each of them were so vividly realised they could easily be real people. Gwynne made me root for all three of them equally and I was never sad to see a different character name at the top of a chapter because I was so invested in their individual journeys.
I was totally hooked from start to finish, and it is safe to say that John Gwynne has a new fan who is eager to dive straight into the next book!
I really love how simple the book was. By that I mean there was no complicated magic system, no twisty love story and no long glossary (just a little one) of terms to try and remember. Of course there is magic and intrigue, but I appreciated not having to stop and try to remember all these little details. I could just keep reading and reading, following our three main characters on their individual journeys, never losing my immersion in the tale.
I think this might also be the reason I did not seem to mind how bloody the story was either, because belive me it is bloody! Nothing ever felt over the top or done for no reason.
I was transported fully into the world from page one; Gwynne's writing was so vivid and atmospheric. The setting felt both fantastical and grounded, and I loved the depictions of the Old Gods. I found myself flying through the story - I know some say that it is slow at times, but I found the quieter moments a needed break from the epic action. I was also pleasantly surprised to find themes of family and companionship running very close to the surface of an otherwise violent tale - there is a lot of heart and many insightful moments in this book!
We see the story through the eyes of three characaters: Orka, Elvar and Varg. Each of them were so vividly realised they could easily be real people. Gwynne made me root for all three of them equally and I was never sad to see a different character name at the top of a chapter because I was so invested in their individual journeys.
I was totally hooked from start to finish, and it is safe to say that John Gwynne has a new fan who is eager to dive straight into the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
changelingreader_adrian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Was a temporary DNF because it wasn't catching me and I had other stuff I needed/wanted to get to, but I liked this enough to pick it back up once a hold on an audiobook I forgot I placed came in. Very slow for like the first half-ish and then got really going and good. So. Medium pace is the best I can give it since it's slow and then pretty fast
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol, War, Body horror, and Murder
Testicles and descriptions of them are a bit weirdly there, so be prepared for thatxta_07's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A truly bloody brutal fantasy story loosely based in Norse mythology.
This book follows three main protagonists - A former slave trying to find his place, a warrior seeking to make a name for herself, and a battle hardened mother on a quest for revenge.
What a ride! I was hooked from the beginning. John Gwyenne KNOWS how to write a compelling fight scene, and that seriously a good thing since there was a major fight or battle almost every other chapter in this book. What I truly appreciate was that this wasn’t just a book about revenge, or glorification of violence. It truly explored the bonds that people create through trama and what found family can look like. Also, the world building and character development were near perfect. I can’t wait to read book 2!
This book follows three main protagonists - A former slave trying to find his place, a warrior seeking to make a name for herself, and a battle hardened mother on a quest for revenge.
What a ride! I was hooked from the beginning. John Gwyenne KNOWS how to write a compelling fight scene, and that seriously a good thing since there was a major fight or battle almost every other chapter in this book. What I truly appreciate was that this wasn’t just a book about revenge, or glorification of violence. It truly explored the bonds that people create through trama and what found family can look like. Also, the world building and character development were near perfect. I can’t wait to read book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Slavery, and Classism
Minor: Torture
rmantelli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Torture
alyanna_dm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, War, Blood, and Violence
beandream's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Very good Norse mythology based fantasy, the characters are well written however my problem with this book was that I saw the plot twist coming and the next book in the series is not as good and almost twice as long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence