Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Hunger of the Gods

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway. Because I was a little late I also bought a finished copy and read that along

Last year The Shadow of the Gods was one of my favorite reads and I'm fairly certain that The Hunger of the Gods will be at the top of my list for this year as well. It is a banger.

We move on fairly directly after the previous book with Elvar who has to deal with the aftermath of the rise of Lik-Rifa. The killing of her chief has left an immense gap in the band of mercenararies the Battle-Grim while the oath they gave to Ursa on finding her son might kill her. Orka in the mean time has met the Bloodsworn though as long as she does not have her son, she cannot find peace in any reuniting. Se has to journey on to find Breca. Varg in the mean time is finally finding his true place amongst the Bloodsworn.

Like I said above, it is a banger. Resurrecting Gods, chaining Gods to one self, Gods that have been in hiding popping in. It is not just the hunger of Lik-Rifa the title refers to though hers is the most obvious. And there are so many factions moving through each other and so many people wanting revenge that it is quite an intricate plot.

When it comes to our three main characters I think that Varg gets the least amount of growth in this installment. I think that is because the Bloodsworn are still more to the side of the whole epic battle in comparison to Orka and Elvar. He still is allowed to get somewhat comfortable and bind himself to the Bloodsworn, something you really see him doing. Orka and Elvar have a lot more god crap to deal with. Orka might me completely focused on getting her son back but we all know she has her heart in the right place. Elvar is idealistic in a way, despite the kind of father she had. Young, and the Battle-Grim are inspired by that. You can see it in the way they follow her.

We also follow two more characters this book. Bjorn, the traitor of the Battle-Grim and Elvars former lover, is our look into the following of Lik-Rifa. We get a better idea of why Bjorn did what he did in book 1. I'm not all of a sudden super sympathetic towards him but it does draw him away from just Bjorn the traitor. And then there is Gudvarr, the nephew to Jarl Sigrun and killer of the brother of Lif (the boy who travels with Orka). He gives us an insight into one of the big cities that has a link to Lik-Rifa. I hate Gudvarr but it was good to see some of the political scheming going on.

But most of all I loved the interactions between characters. Orka and Lif. Orka and the Bloodsworn. Orka and Elvar. Orka, Spert and Vesli. Elvar and her Battle-Grim. The Battle-Grim and Bloodsworn. The Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim with just their own. The jesting. The feelings. The learning. A lot of books can fall and stand with its characters and the relationships that are created, and I feel like this book continues doing that outstandingly.

Content Warnings

darkefyres's review

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

booksaremythirdplace's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

I'm not ok. I'm not ok right now.

I rarely say this, but WOW, this book is even better than the first! Picking right up where we left off, we get two new POVs added to the story on the “villain” side, so it’s even more exciting as a reader to get to see what’s happening all over the land of Vigrið, and not just where our protagonists are. Plus, because of the characters’ complexity, I’m a bit torn on some of them. We also get a peek into the other continent in the South, which I’m very curious to see expanded upon in book three. It reminded me a lot of the Southern Continent in Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas with a Khagan and his children scheming over who will take the throne. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So here are some more thoughts on why you need to read this book immediately:

Gwynne is a saint for including a full recap, pronunciation guide, and cast of characters at the beginning of the book in case it’s been a while since you’ve read book one. Honestly, I wish all series would include this!

Trying to keep this spoiler free is difficult, but I’ll do my best. This sequel sports even more action, vengeance, and more creatures that will possibly give you nightmares. Why does every epic fantasy have to have giant spiders? But Gwynne’s take on magical creatures is wholly different and feels fresh.

We finally see some paths cross, which I was looking forward to seeing, and a few reveals I was definitely not expecting. It’s so rare for an author to have the ability to create such in depth characters, while also weaving a masterful plot and complex world. I am so invested. The last third of the book was a non-stop roller coaster. I could not put it down. The final few pages had me screaming. Gwynne has been firmly placed on my list of autobuy authors.

My very minor gripe is the same: there’s still heavy use of the word, “thought-cage”, but I’ve grown used to it.

Other than that, this is a close-to-perfect sequel. I am heartbroken we have to wait at least a year for book three to come out, because I cannot wait to go back to Vigrið. Prepare for the ending to utterly break you.

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