Absolutely brilliant once again! John Gwynne has a very special mind when it comes to his books, characters come alive, the story itself grows with each turn of a page. I gotta say though, its hard to cope with what happens at the end of each book. You just don't want it to end.

5 stars as always. Anyone that hasn't read these or any of John's books I suggest you start.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I enjoyed this book, I liked the character development and it intrigued me, however, that said I think the plot is so complex at times I was a little lost and found it took a few pages to find my feet again. I actually wound up buying the audio for this book, without that option I think i'd have had to put it down. I can certainly say though that its narrated very well and the narrator seems to read it much better than me! *Cheesy grin*

This is my first series I read from the author and I am sure it wont become the last because I enjoyed his writing so much.

Okra, Varg, Elvar didn't know each other at beginning. But they all live at bloody Norse inspired land, 300 years after the dead of Gods. Era when warlords gather powers and competing to each other for glory and richness. I notice this Norse society take feminism in out of charts because they treat women and give them opportunities to serve as warrior as freely as men.
This second book offer additional POV, from villainy side. I enjoyed because give us opportunities to peek inside the enemies territory. Well the plot not as tight as previous one, it still offer alot adventures and equal quantities of epic battle scenes but the real progress of plot isnt much.

I love how author give us layers of information and additional summary of characters and events on previous book. It surely help readers to picked up what they left behind. I love the characters and high stakes danger they must tackle daily. I amazed with Okra strength and warmed inside when following Varg's stories. I hope additional translation for the magic rune and chants.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit from Little Brown UK for provided my copy. Truly grateful and my thoughts are my own.

John Gwynne is a master of storytelling. I recently finished Shadow of the Gods so it was the perfect time to go straight in to Hunger of the Gods and I was not disappointed. The second in the series did not miss a beat.

I love all the different perspective and the addition of chapters told from Biórr, Gudvarr’s really helped to tie in parts of the story we would not have otherwise seen. It was interesting to see more of the Bloodsworn and Raven Feeders motivations. A lot of moments in this book were brutal and felt visceral due to John Gwynne’s cinematic levels of description.

Like all good storytellers John Gwynne writes his characters with no distinct good vs evil. All the characters have their motivations for their actions and feel incredibly human (even the tainted who sometimes give way to their animalistic nature).

The twists and turns in this book were unexpected and often heartbreaking. I really don’t want to spoil the ending but it really hurt.

I need the next book, there are still so many questions.

Thank you NetGalley, John Gwynne and Little Brown Book Group (Orbit) for approving me for this ARC. John Gwynne is becoming one of my favourite fantasy authors. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely loved this second installment of the series and the character development in this novel. The ending had me in knots and I'm eagerly awaiting book 3. Gwynne is so skilled at his character arcs, and we see changes not just in our MCs but also the minor characters with whom they interact. He writes all his characters with such depth and insight. Their thoughts, actions, and reactions are all true to character as well, making them feel so real. I will say that some aspects of the book were repetitive and I don't really feel the need to know what kind of weapons and armor every person in this world is wearing, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. I can't wait for book 3.

The Hunger of God's by John Gwynee

The second book in the Bloodsworn saga. I adore the Viking aspect of this book to the mythological beings such as trolls, dragons.

John Gwynne is one of the top authors of all time. The Shadow of the Gods was one of my favourite books of 2021 and I was so excited to received a copy of the sequel.
The pacing of this book is fantastic and so engaging it hasn't got middle book syndrome.

We have battles, amazing characters fantastic descriptive work with characters causing mayhem.

Firstly , I must express my gratitude for the inclusion of a map, a pronunciation guide, a cast of people divided into separate POV stories, a glossary of terminology, and a summary of each of the POV storylines from the first book!! Even if one of them is a lovely addition to a fantasy book, having all of them there is fantastic and immediately earned the author a lot of brownie points.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Hunger of the Gods includes some of Gwynne’s best writing to date. This book will satisfy fans of the first book in the trilogy, The Shadow of the Gods, and leave them waiting anxiously for the finale.

Gwynne manages to expand the world of Vigrid while keeping a fast past - my only criticism being sometimes it was so hard to keep up with given the huge scale of the world and numerous POVs. But for most epic fantasy fans this will not be a problem. Also, I was a fan of the new POVs introduced for this book.

Overall, I would continue to recommend John Gwynne to all fantasy fans, and as essential reading for those into Norse mythology.

Firstly I have to say how amazing it is to find a map, a pronunciation guide, a cast of characters split into the different POV storylines, a glossary of terms AND and recap of each of the POV storylines from the first book!! Just one of these is a nice inclusion in a fantasy book, to have all of them present is wonderful and immediately earned the book plenty of brownie points from the off.

Onto the book and in the interest of keeping this a spoiler free review I will be pretty vague. I feel it builds upon the threads from the first book brilliantly, after the climax of the previous book and the converging of the different storylines, it does a fantastic job to split them up again in a natural way!

The characters are given a little more depth and some more of the side characters are developed further too. The world is expanded more with the inclusion of new places and new creatures.

Overall it does a great job as a 2nd book in a series, it picks up where the first book left off, moves the plot and characters forward and sets things up for the 3rd book too!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.*

“Real courage is to feel fear, but to stand and face it, not run from it.”

John Gwynne is one of the top authors of all time. The Shadow of the Gods was one of my favourite books of 2021 and I was so excited to received a copy of the sequel.

I had super high hopes for this book and was not disappointed; this is a super strong sequel and probably the best “middle book” in a trilogy I have ever read. I actually think I preferred this to the Shadow of the Gods, which I didn’t think would be possible.

I loved everything about this book. The pacing was fantastic, the world was immersive and interesting, the plot was exciting and engaging, and the characters were unique and complex. I loved that this book included multiple POVs; I felt like it really helped build up suspense and gave colour to the ‘morally grey’ characters.

This book was epic and truly cemented Gwynne as one of my top fantasy authors of all time. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

#TheHungeroftheGods #NetGalley

The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne.
Book Two of the Bloodsworn Saga.
Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest. As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own - and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance. Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her. Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god. Their hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead . . . and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth.
Really good read. I loved the story and characters. Looking forward to the next. 5*.

This book is an epic fantasy book. The scale and the intensity of Gwynne's writing left me stunned.
I love the characters in this book.
I'm eager to see where the series leads and to read more of Gwynne's work!

The Hunger of the Gods follows directly from the The Shadow of the Gods with the imprisoned dragon-god Lika-Rifa freed by Queen Hekla and her dragon-born warriors – with the Tainted children made thralls and sworn to serve Lik-Rifa.

Bloodsworn and Tainted warrior Orka continues her hunt for Queen Hekla and vengeance for stealing her Tainted son Breca. But Orka has the blood of the wolf-god Ulfrir in her veins and aided by vessen monsters. She is formidable and ferocious when the wolf-blood overwhelms her.

Elevar of the Battle-grim warriors aims to fulfil the blood-oath to find another stolen Tainted child. But to battle Queen Hekla, her dragon-born warriors and the dragon-god Lik-Rifa, Elvar makes a thrall of a winged-god and using mad writings of Lik-Rifa, she raises Ulfrir the wolf-god from his bones and the winged thrall Skuld forges a collar for Elvar to make a thrall of Ulfrir. That accomplished, Elvar and her Battle-grim warriors follow after Lik-Rifa and wait for Ulfrir to regain his legendary strength before the battle which could remake or unmake the world.

Final Thoughts

The Hunger of the Gods continues the epic dark fantasy where Gwynne’s talent for reimagining Norse mythology and world-building is compelling.

Conclusion

A good sequel in the Bloodsworn Saga. An enjoyable dark fantasy of Norse-inspired sagas and mythology with extensive world-building and strong, well-defined characters. A recommended read!

This is my first series I’ve read by John Gwynne and it’s defiantly lived up to my hopes! Very in depth and real feeling world building. I found these books quite slow paced, but in a way I found enjoyable and essential for the story. Will be reading more from this author for sure!

A very enjoyable sequel to Shadow of the Gods, this book is a little slower paced, but still epic and actioned packed.
I'm excited to see where the characters go in the final book.

John Gwynne can do no wrong for me and in this new series, he excels himself in this new Norse mythology inspired world.

This and the first are what got me out of my reading slump!


Loved Loved Loved
5 ⭐️

Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

John Gwynne is one of my favourite authors and so of course this is one of my favourite series.

It begins with a beautiful acknowledgement, pronunciation guide, cast of characters and a recap of The Shadow of the Gods which I truly appreciate. It is told by the multiple points of view of Orka, Varg, Elvar as well as some from the other sides of the battle. I love that there are such complex, ferocious women in the bloodsworn saga.

Orka is on her quest to find her son, while the Bloodsworn and the Battlegrim are on their own journeys. All these paths intertwine in some way, without forgetting that Lik-Rifa the Dragon God has been released and building her own army. There is a lot going on and the tension builds throughout the book.

John Gwynne has a way of creating battle scenes that are so beautifully detailed and intense you feel like you are there in amongst it. I was completely enraptured with every page of this book and every character. They all have a special place in my heart; whilst others I hated venomously.

There is magic, another language, lots of battles and cunning thinkers which will leave you on the edge right to the very last word. There is also laughter and relationships between all the groups which makes it an entertaining read. This review is only a glimpse of what is in this book. It’s brilliant, pick up the series!

5/5 stars and cannot wait for the third instalment.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

Gwynne is still a master of medieval fantasy. Hunger of the Gods is an excellent sequel for this new series. Varg, Orka, and Elvar's stories finally intertwined in this big plot. There few moments that I felt that the story is quite prolonged in some parts just to adjust the whole story and to thicken the plot which makes these parts quite dull and repetitive with the addition of several POVs, which is a little hard to be invested with each character.

Still Orka is the best!

But Gwynne's writing is still superb and at its finest!

Still looking forward to the final installment of this astounding series!