All in, this is a good debut but sadly nothing special among this genre. It can be read as a standalone and the author said there will a sequel set in the same world but is also a standalone.

It took me a long time to get into this book. I found a lot of the first half a bit confusing and my attention tended to waiver a bit. However, once I got to the half way point, the action really picked up and I understood the need for the set up of the first half. I will say that the whole book feels a bit like set up for the series as a whole, but I will definitely be picking up the next installment as I really enjoyed the last 150 pages here and loved the direction the story and world building went in.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really tried to read this book but I'm very sorry to say that this just wasn't for me. I don't know if it was the writing style or what it was, but I just didn't connect to the story and the characters.

I really enjoyed this story. It had lots of twists and turns and kept me interested throughout. I liked the characters and became invested in the journey.

I was excited to read this one. It's a Vikings inspired fantasy set in a world where gods rule and directly influence their followers. The book was well written and relies more on religion and gods and less on the usual fantasy tropes which was nice. I also found the world very vivid and easy to picture.

Kickass heroine struggling to do her best and questioning everything she's ever known along the way? CHECK
Unique Viking-inspired fantasy world? CHECK
Tons of action and extraordinarily well-written fight scenes? CHECK

If any/all of the above appeal to you, you won't want to miss this one.

The Norse mythology in this story was interesting and it added some vibrancy to the tale. On the other hand, the plot seemed fairly straightforward and the character development was flat. I lost interest halfway through but powered on to the end.

Originally didn’t give feedback because I DNF, but it’s hurting my feedback ratio, so I’ll give you my thoughts. This book was interesting in the beginning and then it got sad and I wasn’t interested in reading after the turn it took. I also never rate books I DNF but this makes me.

I apologize but I was not able to finish this book. I was in a different headspace at the time of requesting / recieving this book and the time I got it.

I've read so much Tolkien/Western-style fantasy in my time. This book was absolutely refreshing in how original it felt, even while following a similar character journey to past heroes.

Hessa is the last of her tribe, forced to wander in search of penance to her Goddess and to save the murdered souls of her people.

That's the basic plot. But there is SO much more!

Hessa is an strong, engaging female protagonist, and to my utter delight, is not at all focused on romantic relationships. She has a partner - perhaps two - in the course of the book, but they're mostly incidental. This is HER tale, her perspective and her pain as she seeks redemption.

Also, the author plays with our expectations, smoothly heading in a certain direction to allow the reader to believe they know where things are going... before turning Hessa's (and our) expectations upside down.

The journey itself is beautiful. We see every aspect of this world that is so close to our own, and the Gods that appear to rule it. We see smatterings of politics. But these aren't the most important aspects of the story.

This is one person's journey through the deepest lows and faced with frequent lapses of hope and faith. I found myself committed entirely to Hessa and her quests, recognising the nods to past fantasy tropes but so glad to find characters pulled from magic to very real humanity every time.

This is the kind of book that I'd love to read for the first time again. It deserves your time and engagement, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

I heard great things about this book last year when it came out. I diligently researched it on Goodreads and quickly added it to my TBR list. And then….I waited over a year to read it. Sometimes this works out well for me, and this was one of those instances! If you wait long enough, sometimes your local library will acquire the audiobook. And sometimes that audiobook will have an excellent narrator. And sometimes all of the procrastination pays off with having a great book to listen to throughout the week while you clean the house and care for kids!

Hessa’s entire life she has been centered around a task set her by her priestess and her goddess: she must kill a particular man when the signs align. But when that time comes, Hessa is swayed by mercy and stalls her hand. Now banished by her goddess and with her village razed, Hessa struggles to re-organize a world that has gone mad. Gods are fighting and dying. Strange beings are rising and claiming that these gods are not even gods at all. And an entire history and world order that Hessa thought she knew is beginning to crumble before her. What’s more, it seems the role that she and the man she spared will play is much bigger than she could ever have imagined.

There were many things to like about this book. Hessa herself goes on an incredible journey of both understanding herself and understanding her world. She starts off as a priestess who, while currently out of grace, still understands who she is and who she serves: her warrior goddess Eang. Throughout time, the goddess’s priestesses have fought and served her, and in return she has given them her blessing and abilities to quell their enemies with a magical scream. But as the story continues, Hessa begins to question Eang and her entire world order.

Unlike many other fantasy books that include a sprawling pantheon of new gods, this one is unique in the fact that the gods themselves are very much characters in their own right. They walk the land, fight amongst themselves, and interact with their followers. It was such a unique take to have these gods present in this way. Like Hessa, we see Eang and her fellow gods and begin to question the stories they tell about themselves and the roles they play for their followers. Eang, of course, is central, and her coolness and cruelty towards Hessa immediately raises eyebrows. But an entire lived experience and history of one’s own people is not easy to dismiss, so Hessa’s journey towards self-discovery and her decision to take the reigns of her own choices is slowly earned over time.

Beyond the sprawling history of gods (there is Eang and her fellow gods, a set of gods that she and the new gods defeated, another set of gods who may have come before those, and then another god making his own way onto the scene, to the dismay of Eang and her brethren), the world itself is quite large and peopled by a variety of cultures with their won practices and gods. I believe there is a map in the physical book, so this was definitely a struggle with the audiobook. I really enjoyed the narrator, so on that front, it was a complete win. But with such a big world with so many lands and peoples, I had a hard time keeping track of where exactly Hessa was on the map and where she was headed.

The story is also very narrowly focused on Hessa and her own personal experiences. There are a few side characters who play important roles, but no side-kick, no love interest, and no quirky best friends. Her world is burned down on the first page, and the story doesn’t shy away from the very unbalanced individual that is Hessa after this fact. While I always enjoy love interests and friendships, Hessa’s story was also completely satisfying on its own.

Readers who enjoy sprawling epic fantasy where you’re plopped down in a completely new world with very little initial explanation, this is definitely a book for you! It’s a nice balance of focused character work and grand-scale storytelling.

Rating 8: With a world equally peopled by its gods as its human characters, this is epic fantasy at some of its best.

I LOVED reading this! I'm not sure why I put off reading this for so long - it was fantastic. I'm a huge fan of Viking-inspired fantasy reads, but there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of books like this available - so when I came across this book I was EXCITED. Hall of Smoke was refreshingly different and had me gripped from the first page.

Women with axes will ALWAYS trump women with swords - add in battles between gods and you're on to a winner. I thought the concept of this was really interesting - I loved the exploration of the different deities and realms, and Hessa's character had a lot of depth - she is a brilliant main character.

I enjoyed the lack of romance in this book - I feel like we're rarely able to enjoy non-romantic friendships when reading, so this made a welcome change!

This had a perfect balance of character development, captivating plot and beautiful world building - delivered at a pace that keeps you hooked throughout the book.

A new favourite of mine, and one I'd absolutely recommend!

This was a rich and absorbing fantasy tale, full of fierce characters and a complex mythology. The author really puts her main character, Hessa, through the wringer, but she remains a sympathetic figure throughout. This is a strong debut, a worthy fantasy standalone, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Y'all just had to let this be a quiet release, didn't you?

As a priestess, Hessa has lost the favour of her war goddess. By failing to kill a man as she was prophesied to do, she sets off a chain reaction that results in her entire village and every loved one being murdered by an enemy mountain clan. The only way she can return to her goddess's good graces is to follow through and find that man. What follows is an adventure across a world steeped in rich mythology, flippant and dying gods, political intrigue, and bloody battles between mortal and divine.

The writing in this debut novel is truly beautiful. Every description was so haunting and kept me glued to the story. It created such a fabulous atmosphere and painted the world so vividly. I chose to read the audiobook and the slight Scottish accent the narrator set a surprisingly perfect tone.

I really liked Hessa. This sounds kind of stupid, considering she's the main character, but she was the one constant of the story, and I enjoyed following along with her. She is highly capable of defending herself, even without her goddess' fire, and her resourcefulness was admirable. Not once did I doubt her on her adventure, even when things looked quite dire.

This book boasts some seriously expansive worldbuilding. There is an entire pantheon of fictional gods across multiple lands, inspired by Norse and Roman mythology. Unfortunately this is where the book lost me a bit, because there is a lot to remember. I also got a little bored of the side quests, for lack of a better word, which added to the difficulty of keeping things straight. Many characters are met for a chapter, and then never heard from again.

I am very curious about the second book. I thought this was a series and finished in the mindset that there was more to come, but apparently both are standalones. Guess I'll have to wait and see.

Yikes. I had a lot of trouble getting into this book and honestly, none of the characters were developed enough for me to care. I ended up having to DNF this book because it also put me in a really bad reading slump because of how painful it was to get through.

This is a Viking inspired story, and it definitely intrigued me from the beginning. Then again, I am usually a fan of characters who speak to deities or gain power from them. I attribute this interest to the fact that I mostly play clerics in D&D. Hessa is a warrior priestess of a Goddess of War, which I found interesting. I also found it interesting that from the beginning, Hessa is having issues in her relationship to her goddess due to not following a command.

A village raid occurs, leaving Hessa’s friends and family gone…and Hessa is left alone, now facing the task of seeking out the person she let live when her goddess tasked her to kill them, and seek atonement so that she can be with her loved ones in the High Halls after death.

There is action and intrigue and religion in this story…and being Viking inspired and following a warrior priestess of a war deity, yes there is some violence involved. There is also some ritualistic self-harm, so be warned if that is something that might trigger you.

I’ll be honest…I read this book what feels like last year, even though it was early this year (thanks pandemic and reading/blogging slumps) so I don’t remember it all that clearly, but I can say that I did enjoy reading it, and I will likely read it again before it’s companion novel is released next year. However they are both simply standalone novels set in the same world, so it is not wholly necessary to read them in a particular order.

I wish I could have a better review written up for this book, because I did like it. I do own a finished copy of it as well, because it is a book I liked. I do recommend it if you like a good blood-soaked adventure story with a number of characters (seriously there’s a glossary of characters and terms in case you get lost in all of it). This is definitely a book I will read again, perhaps even multiple times throughout the years.

A riveting fantasy adventure story with mischievous gods and a warrior priestess, a trained fighter bestowed with the magical power to heal her wounds and vanquish the enemy. Throughout the book, Hessa's character is beautifully fleshed out and we see her grow up as she adapts to the world's harsh truths. Driven by her quest for redemption and revenge, Hessa starts to question her beliefs as soon as realizes there was more to the world and to the gods than she knew. Along her journey, she makes unlikely allies and fights formidable enemies. The world-building is carefully crafted immersing the reader into a world ruled by gods reminiscent of Norse mythology.
Although I loved Hessa's character because it was so well crafted, I can't say the same about the other characters. I feel like the supporting character were underdeveloped and I failed to connect with them, but maybe that was just me.
I recommend this book to fantasy lovers passionate about mythology and stories about gods that roam the earth, a strong but flawed character and a journey in seek of redemption.

Beautiful, brutal, and bewitching, Hall of Smoke is one of those stories that draws you in and takes hold of you. One of those worlds you keep thinking about long after you've put down the book. Long's world building is exceptional and does not rely on info dumping or lengthy exposition. Instead, the reader is allowed to discover the world as our hero, Hessa, moves through it, fighting against her enemies and trying to meet her fate. Hessa is a hero who feels real, even though she exists in a world where gods walk among mortals and where mortals embody the powers of their gods. The visuals Long conveys are rich, the imagery gorgeous and devastating and full. The story moves quickly, yet it doesn't feel rushed, and the plot is solidly developed.

Hall of Smoke is a stand alone, a full story that leaves the reader feeling satisfied. But, it also leaves the reader wanting to spend more time in this world with these characters. Which is great, because this book has a companion novel in the works!

It’s action packed with lots of mystery and adventure. I had so many thoughts and theories whilst reading this.

I am very sad because I imagined I would enjoy this book so much more than I actually did. I wanted to love this book so much because it sounded... perfect? Nordic mythology flair, a strong female main character, no romance? It should have been my dream book.
But I had my issues with the writing. I couldn't really get my head wrapped around the plot because I couldn't connect with the author and th writing style and the characters, well... The characters were really disappointing to me., but maybe my expectations were just different. I am not saying that the book was a bad one. I am just saying that it was not a great book to me.

I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hall of Smoke is a compelling debut involving Vikings and mythology where the gods control the mortals. The MC was a really strong character who was willing to do what it took and the plot was slow in the first part but catches up later and it was really a wild ride. I would recommend it to those who enjoy dark fantasy as a genre and love powerful storylines.