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grimdark_dad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Slavery, Violence, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Alcohol, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, War, and Torture
jodonn07's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"'Huh,' she snorted, which was high praise coming from her."
Hunger of the Gods was another excellent entry in this saga-tale and sets up what is sure to be an epic conclusion to Gwynne's Norse-inspired fantasy trilogy.
Much of what I loved in the first entry in this series, Shadow of the Gods (strong characters, thrilling & fast paced action, themes of found family and friendship) had even bigger payoffs in this middle book. In addition to the three viewpoint characters from the first book, we have two additional POV characters for book 2. Though I remained most invested in the stories of Orka, Varg and Elvar, the inclusion of two (shall we say) less lovable voices adds some valuable context to what is going on in the enemy camps.
I really enjoyed Gwynne's writing style here. He doesn't spend a lot of time describing what everyone looks like, aside from a notable scar or distinguishing feature. These are tough, hard people living in a brutal world - and the prose stays true to that. In spite of - or perhaps because of this - these characters really shine. There are MANY characters in this story and I'll admit that I often had to flip back to the -very helpful - character guide and book one plot overview that was included at the beginning of this DRC to remind myself of who everyone was. Orka, Varg and Elvar continued to deliver with plenty of "hell yeah" moments, but their Bloodsworn and Battle-Grimm companions also brought plenty of ass kicking and humor. I was actually surprised by how many times I paused while reading to chuckle or smirk.
TLDR version...This book was pure Viking-inspired mayhem with lovable characters, blood squirting action sequences and a fun fantasy world I that really enjoyed exploring. I am really looking forward to finding out how the story ends, so I will be needing Book 3 ASAP.
I was provided with an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley in order to provide an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
poetry_shaman's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape
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