As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrid, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.
On the topic of collecting a lot of an author’s books before ever reading any of them: It’s a habit I’m trying to tone down. But for a few years, it was a regular practice for me.
One of those authors is John Gwynne. I mean…those big, chunky, badass-looking books in both his THE FAITHFUL AND THE FALLEN and OF BLOOD AND BONE series just called to me. I had to have them. And watching some of my nearest & dearest blogger friends fall more and more in love with his books was so fun to see, and I couldn’t wait to dive into his work & catch up!
And then, well. I didn’t. Which is the plight all readers/book bloggers face, ultimately. Too many books, too little time. The only way to deal with this kind of stress (the ONLY way), is to buy more books. I don’t make the rules.
Anyway, THE SHADOW OF THE GODS is the start of a whole new series for Gwynne, THE BLOODSWORN. This is a Viking-inspired fantasy series, and this first book is blood-soaked & epic in every sense of the word…oof, I fucking loved THE SHADOW OF THE GODS, completely.
The book follows three different POV characters:
-Orka, a warrior attempting to live a more quiet life with her son and husband. Basically the most badass Viking mom you will ever meet. Goddamn…what an amazing character she is! There are some jaw-dropping actions sequences with Orka at the center, and it’s thrilling.
-Varg, an escaped thrall on a mission of revenge. He joins up with a legendary war band known as the Bloodsworn. This is a grizzled, battle-hardened crew, who are not always what they seem. Much adventure & dismemberment ensues.
-Elvar is a member of a different war band known as the Battle-Grim. An eager and skilled fighter, she is desperate to make a name for herself.
The world of Vigrid is both harsh and beautiful, and Gwynne does amazing work setting scenes and describing the different surroundings the characters find themselves in. At times, you really feel like you are in a Viking ship, rowing alongside a crew full of extremely colorful characters, all of whom are quite skilled with blades and axes.
There are some huge surprises in this story that had me pausing, staring off into the distance, and thinking “what the actual fuck?!!” This world is filled with strange creatures, and plenty of monsters of the human variety. This is not a safe, cozy place. You take your spot in the shield wall and start chopping heads.
THE SHADOW OF THE GODS is just awesome, cover to cover. However excited I was to read John Gwynne’s previous work, I’m even more so now!
Massive thanks to Orbit for the copy!!
Grimdark Dad 
Yes! I seriously enjoyed this book too.
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