Reviews

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

brunchatiffanys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

y_mouse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

If I could give a higher rating than a five, I would! Three points of view but they do interconnect, just have to be patient.

shelfofrie's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

ameliaelia's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I'm sorry to everyone who loves and recommends this book, but oh my gosh it took me so long to get through it, and it was a struggle the whole way. The story follows multiple characters, but you never feel like the different povs are connected, or heading in the same direction. 
I also had a very hard time differenciating between characters and their various stories, which made reading this book all the more difficult.
I am also just generally not a fan of the way the author uses language to build their world. Some of the words he created ('thought cage' for brain being my main problem) just got very tiring and repetitive. 
Needless to say I will not be reading the second book, which is even longer than this one.

candice_92maddie's review against another edition

5.0

 "I am blood. I am vengeance, I am death."

I am in love with this fantasy story! It was amazing and I'm so excited for the next! Love the world and the characters so much! So many strong and brave people!

mkriner584's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

nerdykeeks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.5

epipet's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed my time with this but it was very dense so i feel like i’ll need to read it again to fully appreciate it. I loved the writing style so i’m definitely excited to read more John Gwynne. 

emthatwonders's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

Definitely a high fantasy book.

If I had more time to enjoy this book, I believe I would.

There is just so much going on. It does not help that it is a very hard book to listen to because half the words you have no idea what they mean. I really wanted to make a connection to these characters but I felt like I was being told about them not standing there with them. I felt like I knew these people but was not connected to them (other than Orka. She is the embodiment of "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned")

All in all a good book. I was just not in the mood for a high fantasy. I was more in the mood for something quick and enjoyable, but I waited weeks to get this from the library so I begrudgingly listened to the 18 hours. 

krjdolan's review against another edition

5.0

Really engaging fantasy read with excellent use of multiple POVs.

The Good:
- Loved the three MCs and the way their stories intertwined
- Excellent worldbuilding and mythologizing

The Bad
- Nothing stands out, excited for book 2!