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A review by thewulverslibrary
Gods of the Wyrdwood by RJ Barker
2.0
RJ Barker's Gods of the Wyrdwood caught my eye and became an anticipated read of 2023. I've never read any of their previous books, but the general praise has been positive, so I went into this with high expectations.
The northlands of Crua are locked in eternal winter, but prophecy tells of the chosen child – who will rule in the name of their God and take warmth back from the South. Cahal du Nahere was raised to be this person: the Cowl-Rai, the saviour. Taken from his parents and prepared for his destiny.
But his time never came.
When he was fifteen, he ceased to matter. Another Cowl-Rai had risen, another chosen one, raised in the name of a different God. The years of vicious physical and mental training he had endured, the sacrifice, all for nothing. He became nothing.
Twenty years later, and Cahal lives a life of secrecy on the edges of Crua’s giant forests – hiding what he is, running from what he can do. But when he is forced to reveal his true nature, he sets off a sequence of events that will reveal secrets that will shake the bedrock of his entire world, and expose lies that have persisted for generations.
I have to say that the world-building was a perfect start and RJ Barker succeeded in developing a deeply rich world that throws you right in with no handholding. The description of the landscapes, creatures and the worlds inhabitants ranged from mystical to magical and this was my favourite part of the novel.
For the plot itself, this was a slow build up and the story was confusing at the start. There were sections that felt like a side-quest in the overall story and other parts that should have been expanded upon. There are certain things that are supposed to be understood just because they are mentioned and others that have yet to come into light. I'm hoping the rest of the series delves deeper into this, but it felt like it was trying too hard to be mysterious when really all I wanted was an explanation.
The characters themselves felt flat at times. The main character wasn't particularly interesting, nor did they bring anything different to the "troubled past, keeping to themselves" trope. The investment wasn't there and whilst other characters were written better, I felt no connection to these and it felt like the characters had no chemistry. The dialogue felt more information-filled, and the pacing was dragging. More story, less description seemed to be a common thought throughout this and whilst I appreciate fantasy stories have to build a foundation, I felt no engagement to this.
The best parts of the novel where when Barker described the Wyrdwood and it's a shame that nothing else clicked with me because I was looking forward to this. This novel was supposed to take us on a wild ride throughout the Wyrdwood and it's unfortunate that the story was in the back seat throughout it all.
The northlands of Crua are locked in eternal winter, but prophecy tells of the chosen child – who will rule in the name of their God and take warmth back from the South. Cahal du Nahere was raised to be this person: the Cowl-Rai, the saviour. Taken from his parents and prepared for his destiny.
But his time never came.
When he was fifteen, he ceased to matter. Another Cowl-Rai had risen, another chosen one, raised in the name of a different God. The years of vicious physical and mental training he had endured, the sacrifice, all for nothing. He became nothing.
Twenty years later, and Cahal lives a life of secrecy on the edges of Crua’s giant forests – hiding what he is, running from what he can do. But when he is forced to reveal his true nature, he sets off a sequence of events that will reveal secrets that will shake the bedrock of his entire world, and expose lies that have persisted for generations.
I have to say that the world-building was a perfect start and RJ Barker succeeded in developing a deeply rich world that throws you right in with no handholding. The description of the landscapes, creatures and the worlds inhabitants ranged from mystical to magical and this was my favourite part of the novel.
For the plot itself, this was a slow build up and the story was confusing at the start. There were sections that felt like a side-quest in the overall story and other parts that should have been expanded upon. There are certain things that are supposed to be understood just because they are mentioned and others that have yet to come into light. I'm hoping the rest of the series delves deeper into this, but it felt like it was trying too hard to be mysterious when really all I wanted was an explanation.
The characters themselves felt flat at times. The main character wasn't particularly interesting, nor did they bring anything different to the "troubled past, keeping to themselves" trope. The investment wasn't there and whilst other characters were written better, I felt no connection to these and it felt like the characters had no chemistry. The dialogue felt more information-filled, and the pacing was dragging. More story, less description seemed to be a common thought throughout this and whilst I appreciate fantasy stories have to build a foundation, I felt no engagement to this.
The best parts of the novel where when Barker described the Wyrdwood and it's a shame that nothing else clicked with me because I was looking forward to this. This novel was supposed to take us on a wild ride throughout the Wyrdwood and it's unfortunate that the story was in the back seat throughout it all.