Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long

16 reviews

h_s_bloom's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

 Personal Rating Scale Metrics

• Characters: ✬✬✬✬ (4/5)
• Plot: ✬✬✬✬ (4/5) 
• Pacing: ✬✬✬ (3/5) 
• Writing Style: ✬✬✬ (3/5) 
• Diversity: ✬✬✬✬✬ (5/5)

 
This was book 2/50 for 2024. Overall, it was an entertaining read, but the book was very slow to start and I didn't personally relate to the MC very much.

Summary: Hessa, blessed with incredible power, was taken from her home aged 5 along with her cousin to become an Eangi, a warrior priestess sworn to the goddess of war, Eang. Hessa is banished for failing to follow her one of her goddess' commands and whilst she is away begging for forgiveness, most of everything and everyone Hessa has ever come to love in these past years is destroyed. With the other Eangi gone, Hessa is thrust into a power struggle between the remaining populations and later into a similar one happening amongst the gods themselves. Hessa is forced to confront the nature of her power, its source from the Goddess Eang, what it means to be Eangi, and who she could become without it.

Characters: Hessa reads very much as an indoctrinated/religious trauma trope within a viking style fantasy setting. The idea itself and the worldbuilding is really interesting but I found myself feeling quite exasperated with Hessa at times. That being said, I think some of her actions make sense given her upbringing, but I just couldn't feel it for some reason. I myself don't have any religious trauma so maybe that's why?

Plot: Overall, Hessa doesn't really seem to do anything herself, this book is very much a telling of things happening to her. The things that happen are really interesting thanks to the interesting world this book is set in, but I needed Hessa to be a bit more proactive so I could root for her (personal preference).

Pacing: This is another issue. This book was VERY slow to start and I wasn't really engaged until >50% of the way through. Again, the worldbuilding kept me going and Hessa did eventually grow on me, but it shouldn't have taken this long. 

Writing style: It is also just okay, nothing brilliant, but nothing terrible either. The worldbuilding was balanced with other elements and felt very naturally done. 

Diversity: A strong-point for this book was the racial diversity that was present and contextualized. Again, due to Long's good worldbuilding, we were able to meet POC characters and understand a bit about their culture (Hessa was just a visitor in these scenes so I don't think its out of place that she doesn't have ALL of the answers.). 
There is also some LGBTQIA+ representation, though it isn't revealed until near the end. A past relationship is mentioned and it is framed as shameful/negative/toxic, however, its not clear if that's due to the power dynamics, the fact it was likely a minor/adult relationship with implied grooming, or because gay relationships in general are a no-no in this world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Colonisation

kennyleigh1999's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

So fast-paced, I never wanted to put it down. HM Long weaves a tale of love, loss, and betrayal that will keep you on your toes from start to finish. 

We come along on Hessa’s journey as she learns the inner workings of the gods and what makes them so powerful. As she learns more about her own goddess, Eang, she begins to question the goddess’ power. 

Ultimately, Hessa will have to decide whether to trust in Eang’s power, or submit to something far more powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

missmoth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective 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? N/A

4.0

Mythology, quest, gods

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail

walkie_check's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Colonisation

akatrinaschu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and War

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment

anntharai's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

From start to finish I was hooked. I love the vividness of the characters and the harrowing plot. I feel the rage and the grief, the writing is that good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

The self harm tag refers to ritual bloodletting, but self administered and could well be upsetting for some readers.

phiabia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Slavery, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Rape and War

darkefyres's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Grief and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexism and Sexual assault

bookwisp's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

Hessa is an Eangi, a warrior priestess to the war goddess Eang, able to turn her enemies to dust with a scream. Exiled for refusing to kill a traveller at her Goddess’ command, she survives the slaughter of her people. Broken, alone, adrift, Hessa is charged to atone for her weakness and must hunt down the man she spared. But the New Gods are dying, the Old Gods are rising, and, when all is through, nothing shall be as it was. 

A Viking-inspired fantasy, Hall of Smoke feels new and fresh. Slow-paced (though not without some excellent combat scenes), introspective, and character driven, it’s a novel that is exactly as long as it needs to be. Lucy Holland nails it when she describes it as ‘a book about what it means to have your deepest illusions shattered and still scrape together the courage to begin again’. 

Though I guessed some of the broader strokes, I found the plot extremely compelling. The gods are real – and they’ve got their own problems, flaws, and agendas. 

I can’t really explain why this book has resonated with me as much as it has, but I think it’s got a lot to do with our protagonist. Hessa is a wonderful lead. Her grief and loneliness cut deep but it doesn’t drain her compassion; she listens, she learns, and, although she gets lost from time to time, she finds her own way forward. What would otherwise be a simple tale of revenge and redemption is, instead, an emotionally charged journey towards a new truth and a new identity. I liked this a lot and I'll be scooping the sequel as soon as possible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Slavery

ka_ke's review against another edition

As intriguing as the story is, I found it too slow for my ADHD to truly enjoy and immerse myself in it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail