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thebibleighophile's review
challenging
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? Yes
5.0
jamiejamie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
4.5
Oh boy. I almost quit this one and I’m so glad I didn’t. The beginning wanders quite a bit, and I’m not quite sure it all came together in the end - but the middle to end was tight and powerful and oh so good. I’m not sure we needed the character of Venn. I didn’t really get their importance - I feel like they were just setting things up for future books in the series.
r_loretta's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
the_bookishmum's review against another edition
Gods of the Wyrdwood is my first experience of RJ Barkers work and though it is well crafted it struggled to hold my attention. At first I was really drawn in by Cahan, the main character, as he is claimed by the Skua-Rai as the new Cowl-Rai, where he will live as a god. It does not take long for him to realise that this is not a position that will last and he is discarded for the next very quickly. After that I started to lose interest, the character development felt a little flat and there was so much going on I struggled to care for any of the characters at all.
clairemika's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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
4.5
marciabrilhante's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Gods of the Wyrwood is an epic political fantasy that is set in a unique world and it’s a story of faith and resilience. The story follows Cahan, a man known as the Forester, who lives on the edge of society, since he doesn’t show loyalty to any god or group.
The world is complex and full of creepy plants, dangerous creatures and different magics. We have a dual timeline throughout the book, since we follow Cahan in the present and the past. Barker is an exceptional writer, the characters were well developed, and the world building is rich, and the atmosphere felt wild.
Overall, this book was exceptional, and we could feel the balance between what’s dark and dangerous. I felt like this is a tale of epic proportions, with old and forgotten gods, a lot of tentacles, prophecies and so much more, but it was grounded, focusing in Cahan. It was a great start to a new impressive and unpredictable fantasy series, and I can’t wait to read more in this world. I recommend it to fans of epic fantasy with an unusual setting.
Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.
The world is complex and full of creepy plants, dangerous creatures and different magics. We have a dual timeline throughout the book, since we follow Cahan in the present and the past. Barker is an exceptional writer, the characters were well developed, and the world building is rich, and the atmosphere felt wild.
Overall, this book was exceptional, and we could feel the balance between what’s dark and dangerous. I felt like this is a tale of epic proportions, with old and forgotten gods, a lot of tentacles, prophecies and so much more, but it was grounded, focusing in Cahan. It was a great start to a new impressive and unpredictable fantasy series, and I can’t wait to read more in this world. I recommend it to fans of epic fantasy with an unusual setting.
Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.
novelshire's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An epic, political and environmental fantasy set in a world that feels completely distinctive.
Gods of the Wyrdwood follows Cahan, a man now known as the Forester, who lives on the edges of society because he is Clanless - he doesn't show loyalty to any god or group. However, in his youth, Cahan was taken from his home to be the Chosen One facing brutal training and the awakening of a kind of parasitic force inside him called a Cowl. But then another religion rises to power with it's own Chosen One and he vanishes into obscurity.
This is a deeply complex world with different magics, weird creepy plants and dangerous creatures.
There's absolutely no hand-holding, you have to pick up the terms, the politics and religious structures as you go along and try to fathom out what the real goals are for the characters.
The world is harsh, the religion(s) generally cruel and designed to crush the spirit, and that means that a lot the characters are also like that. There's a lot of distrust, antagonism and provocation that the main characters must deal with.
On the other hand, there's a lot of wonder in the world too - the Wyrdwood may be full of dangerous things but it's also full of interesting things- enormous trees (like, really enormous), unusual wildlife and a magic running through the whole thing.
I have no idea where the series will go after this, but I can't wait to read more.
Thanks to Orbit UK for a netgalley review copy
Gods of the Wyrdwood follows Cahan, a man now known as the Forester, who lives on the edges of society because he is Clanless - he doesn't show loyalty to any god or group. However, in his youth, Cahan was taken from his home to be the Chosen One facing brutal training and the awakening of a kind of parasitic force inside him called a Cowl. But then another religion rises to power with it's own Chosen One and he vanishes into obscurity.
This is a deeply complex world with different magics, weird creepy plants and dangerous creatures.
There's absolutely no hand-holding, you have to pick up the terms, the politics and religious structures as you go along and try to fathom out what the real goals are for the characters.
The world is harsh, the religion(s) generally cruel and designed to crush the spirit, and that means that a lot the characters are also like that. There's a lot of distrust, antagonism and provocation that the main characters must deal with.
On the other hand, there's a lot of wonder in the world too - the Wyrdwood may be full of dangerous things but it's also full of interesting things- enormous trees (like, really enormous), unusual wildlife and a magic running through the whole thing.
I have no idea where the series will go after this, but I can't wait to read more.
Thanks to Orbit UK for a netgalley review copy
owarcher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
adam_penny's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0