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esmayrosalyne 's review for:
Gods of the Wyrdwood
by R.J. Barker
Well, Barker clearly gave his wild imagination free rein while writing Gods of the Wyrdwood, because wow… are there some capital W Weird things going on inside these pages. Malevolent sentient forests with creepy inhabitants, flying skyrafts, giant trees and mushrooms, prophecies, chosen ones, elusive and mystical magic, old and forgotten gods, and plenty of political and religious strife; this book has truly got it all!
While this is a fantasy story of truly epic proportions, the tale feels grounded by its intimate focus on our main protagonist, Cahan du Nahere. He is a Chosen One whose destiny was stolen from him, leaving him utterly purposeless and living as a lone wolf. However, his mysterious past is catching up to him and it turns out he can’t keep running forever, especially not from himself.
In true R.J. Barker fashion, there is absolutely zero hand holding in the storytelling here. We are dropped straight into this strange and ominous world and are expected to pick up the necessary clues along the way. Barker deftly straddles the line between intrigue and confusion, leaving just enough breadcrumbs to not feel completely lost, but also never sharing more than strictly necessary.
On the one hand, I sometimes wished I’d had a glossary to make sure I was interpreting unfamiliar in-world terms correctly, but on the other hand I also loved the sense of mystery and intrigue that permeates every aspect of this novel.
If you don’t like heavy exposition or large info-dumps, then R.J. Barker is definitely the author for you.
My favourite part of this book was without a doubt the imaginative and immersive world building. This world is absolutely breathtaking and the setting of the Wyrdwood with all its creepy creatures really captured my imagination. I always love it when a setting almost feels like a character in itself, especially if it has a bit of a haunting presence, and that was definitely the case here. I felt just as unsettled as the characters themselves while exploring the woods, yet at the same time I was completely awe-struck and filled with wonder.
The magic system was also fittingly mysterious and elusive, which allowed for some very cool and surprising displays of power. I particularly loved how it is so intricately tied to religion in this world, as that only made the magic feel more mystical.
All that said, there were some things that held me back from enjoying this story as much as I had anticipated I would.
The biggest issue for me personally was the fact that I just couldn’t connect to the majority of the characters, which I realise is a very subjective quibble of mine.
They are definitely complex and well-written characters, yet for some reason I simply couldn’t get emotionally invested. I think this is largely due to Barker’s sparse and choppy writing style, which just lacked emotion for me.
Cahan is a fascinating protagonist and his moral dilemma around the use of his magical powers is understandable and interesting, but his ‘woe is me’ attitude got a bit much for me after a while.
I did like how his past, which is shrouded in mystery, was slowly revealed through some very gripping chapters written in 2nd person POV though. That close and intimate storytelling technique evoked at least a tiny thread of empathy for him within me, which I very much welcomed.
There is also a second POV character, a narcissistic ruler desperately trying to maintain her position of power, who just didn’t do much for me. The only saving grace in her chapters was her child Venn, who was by far my favourite character in this novel. Venn is Trion, one of the third-gendered people in this world, and they possess extraordinary powers. But those powers unfortunately come at a cost, as the powerful families view them as nothing more than a highly coveted commodity.
Their personal journey was absolutely harrowing and gut wrenching, but also much more compelling than anyone else’s in this entire book. I honestly wished they would’ve been the focal point of the story, because I think that would’ve established the emotional investment that I was so desperately craving.
On top of my personal little quibbles with the character work, I also just couldn’t seem to figure out what the point of the plot was supposed to be. Every time I thought the inciting incident had happened, it turned out to be just another ‘false start’, if you will. It wasn’t until the 70% mark that the ‘side questing’ was over and the actual main conflict of the story emerged, after which the pacing suddenly just cranked up to eleven. To be fair, I quite enjoyed just plodding along and exploring this alluring world in all its glory, but it did make the story feel rather aimless for a large part of it.
Now, I realise this all sounds rather negative, but I honestly still had a really good time with this book and I even ended up reading the final 250 pages in one day. There's something about Barker’s storytelling that just keeps me hooked, so even though there might have been some confusion and frustration at first, I knew that I could trust the author to make it all come together in the end.
And indeed, if you are willing to be patient and put in the time and attention that is necessary to let this story absolutely sweep you off your feet, then this will be an incredibly rewarding reading experience. The slow build up did eventually have great pay-off, which leaves me very excited to see what mind-boggling directions Barker is going to take this story next.
Overall, I think Gods of the Wyrdwood is a promising start to what is no doubt going to be a highly impressive and ambitious fantasy series.
You could definitely use this book as your jumping-off point into R.J. Barker’s works, but I think you might have a better reading experience if you are already familiar with his wild imagination and unconventional storytelling techniques from reading some of his earlier works.
Gods of the Wyrdwood is the perfect slow-burn book for anyone who is craving a refreshing and imaginative fantasy story that challenges your expectations by defying genre conventions at every possible opportunity. Honestly, what a wild, unpredictable and exciting ride!
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
While this is a fantasy story of truly epic proportions, the tale feels grounded by its intimate focus on our main protagonist, Cahan du Nahere. He is a Chosen One whose destiny was stolen from him, leaving him utterly purposeless and living as a lone wolf. However, his mysterious past is catching up to him and it turns out he can’t keep running forever, especially not from himself.
In true R.J. Barker fashion, there is absolutely zero hand holding in the storytelling here. We are dropped straight into this strange and ominous world and are expected to pick up the necessary clues along the way. Barker deftly straddles the line between intrigue and confusion, leaving just enough breadcrumbs to not feel completely lost, but also never sharing more than strictly necessary.
On the one hand, I sometimes wished I’d had a glossary to make sure I was interpreting unfamiliar in-world terms correctly, but on the other hand I also loved the sense of mystery and intrigue that permeates every aspect of this novel.
If you don’t like heavy exposition or large info-dumps, then R.J. Barker is definitely the author for you.
My favourite part of this book was without a doubt the imaginative and immersive world building. This world is absolutely breathtaking and the setting of the Wyrdwood with all its creepy creatures really captured my imagination. I always love it when a setting almost feels like a character in itself, especially if it has a bit of a haunting presence, and that was definitely the case here. I felt just as unsettled as the characters themselves while exploring the woods, yet at the same time I was completely awe-struck and filled with wonder.
The magic system was also fittingly mysterious and elusive, which allowed for some very cool and surprising displays of power. I particularly loved how it is so intricately tied to religion in this world, as that only made the magic feel more mystical.
All that said, there were some things that held me back from enjoying this story as much as I had anticipated I would.
The biggest issue for me personally was the fact that I just couldn’t connect to the majority of the characters, which I realise is a very subjective quibble of mine.
They are definitely complex and well-written characters, yet for some reason I simply couldn’t get emotionally invested. I think this is largely due to Barker’s sparse and choppy writing style, which just lacked emotion for me.
Cahan is a fascinating protagonist and his moral dilemma around the use of his magical powers is understandable and interesting, but his ‘woe is me’ attitude got a bit much for me after a while.
I did like how his past, which is shrouded in mystery, was slowly revealed through some very gripping chapters written in 2nd person POV though. That close and intimate storytelling technique evoked at least a tiny thread of empathy for him within me, which I very much welcomed.
There is also a second POV character, a narcissistic ruler desperately trying to maintain her position of power, who just didn’t do much for me. The only saving grace in her chapters was her child Venn, who was by far my favourite character in this novel. Venn is Trion, one of the third-gendered people in this world, and they possess extraordinary powers. But those powers unfortunately come at a cost, as the powerful families view them as nothing more than a highly coveted commodity.
Their personal journey was absolutely harrowing and gut wrenching, but also much more compelling than anyone else’s in this entire book. I honestly wished they would’ve been the focal point of the story, because I think that would’ve established the emotional investment that I was so desperately craving.
On top of my personal little quibbles with the character work, I also just couldn’t seem to figure out what the point of the plot was supposed to be. Every time I thought the inciting incident had happened, it turned out to be just another ‘false start’, if you will. It wasn’t until the 70% mark that the ‘side questing’ was over and the actual main conflict of the story emerged, after which the pacing suddenly just cranked up to eleven. To be fair, I quite enjoyed just plodding along and exploring this alluring world in all its glory, but it did make the story feel rather aimless for a large part of it.
Now, I realise this all sounds rather negative, but I honestly still had a really good time with this book and I even ended up reading the final 250 pages in one day. There's something about Barker’s storytelling that just keeps me hooked, so even though there might have been some confusion and frustration at first, I knew that I could trust the author to make it all come together in the end.
And indeed, if you are willing to be patient and put in the time and attention that is necessary to let this story absolutely sweep you off your feet, then this will be an incredibly rewarding reading experience. The slow build up did eventually have great pay-off, which leaves me very excited to see what mind-boggling directions Barker is going to take this story next.
Overall, I think Gods of the Wyrdwood is a promising start to what is no doubt going to be a highly impressive and ambitious fantasy series.
You could definitely use this book as your jumping-off point into R.J. Barker’s works, but I think you might have a better reading experience if you are already familiar with his wild imagination and unconventional storytelling techniques from reading some of his earlier works.
Gods of the Wyrdwood is the perfect slow-burn book for anyone who is craving a refreshing and imaginative fantasy story that challenges your expectations by defying genre conventions at every possible opportunity. Honestly, what a wild, unpredictable and exciting ride!
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.