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

adventurous dark fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

 

When I say that this might very well be my favorite book of 2021, I truly mean it. This was honestly so flawless, and I have absolutely nothing negative to say about it. I’m still thinking about it even now, and I think I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. It’s going to be tough to put into words how much I loved this book, but I’ll give it a shot.


Like it says in the synopsis, we get three POV’s: Orka, a huntress on a quest, Elvar, a noblewoman who has given up her life of comfort to seek battle fame, and Varg, a thrall who is in search of vengeance against those who murdered his sister. The chapters are short and always end in a way that makes you eager to get to their next chapter, which makes this book fly by. I loved how well fleshed out all three main characters were, and how each of them clearly has some secrets that they aren’t ready to share with the world. Even the side characters felt fleshed out, and when you have two warbands that you’re shuffling between, that says something that it was incredibly easy to keep them all separated and not get anyone confused with anyone else.


Speaking of the world, the world-building was absolutely stunning. It was incredibly easy to become immersed in this deadly Norse-inspired world full of monsters, warbands, and the bones of the dead gods. Everything down to the way the characters were written and their actions helped give you the sense that you were actually walking along with the characters.


Gwynne also doesn’t pull punches when it comes to the brutality of this world. The battle scenes are truly epic, and I found myself constantly wondering when this book will get picked up for an adaptation because I NEED to see this on the big screen in all its bloody glory.


This is one of those books that you can almost see the threads of everything heading in one direction, but you always have this sense of dread that things are going to go horribly wrong for these characters. There was a lot that I didn’t see coming, and the ending was perfect, even though I’ll now have to wait quite a long time for the sequel.


And the most ringing endorsement that I can give this book is that I gushed about it to my dad, which is something I hardly ever do with a book since he isn’t a reader. However, I couldn’t hold back my enthusiasm as I talked his ear off about these characters and how flawless this book is.


If you haven’t caught on yet, I adored this book and it reminded me why I love adult fantasy so much. There is so much to this book, even more than what I can say here in my review because it’s something that you need to experience for yourself. I’m (impatiently) waiting for the release date so I can get my hands on a physical copy, and I’m telling you now, you should mark your calendars for May 6th and add this book to your immediate TBR. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings