A review by jennhammel
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

adventurous challenging slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

 I loved this book from page 1!

It's incredibly immersive. You're instantly pulled into the world with rich visual descriptions. The atmosphere is so beautifully built. You can perfectly visualize the forests, the mountains, the villages, etc.

With beautiful imagery like this:
"It was spring, signs of new life in the world below, but winter still clung to these wooded hills like a hunched old warrior refusing to let go of his past."


and this:
"It was a crow-dark night, cloud blotting out the moon and stars. People walked in the street, indiscriminate shadows, red-tinged when they passed close to torchlight."


How could you NOT be absorbed into this magical world? A world of dead gods, magical creatures, and mysterious dark forces at work.

The pace is very slow and at times felt disjointed, where it would seem that things are picking up and then they'd slow back down, but you get the feeling that the author is strategically moving each character's storyline forward towards a greater purpose. Slowly, the reader's connection and investment in the characters grows as the stage is set for main events later on.

There are three POV's in this story - Orka, Varg, and Elvar.

Orka

"Sometimes there are no choices. We are swept along in a current not of our own choosing. She clenched her jaw, teeth grinding. I will be the current. I will be the course."


Orka's story begins with her husband and son, living a secluded but joyful life. After family friends are found dead and their son missing, a mystery begins to unfold.

Varg

"Ah, and time is beating like a drum," Skalk said, nodding. "Rushing by. Oaths bind us, drive us, do they not?"


Varg is an escaped slave who is desperately looking for help from a witch so that he can keep an oath made to his sister.

Elvar

"We are the Battle-Grim," Sighvat bellowed in his deep-bellied voice. "We are the slayers of the vaesen, hunters of the Tainted, the reapers of souls. If you have not heard of our battle-fame, then we will gladly teach it to you."


Elvar is part of a group called the Battle-Grim, searching for a "Tainted" man and his family that are on the run.

If you like world-building, badass characters, and mythological creatures, you'll love this one.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 
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