Fantasy

Hall of Smoke

Hall of Smoke

  • Downloads：1533
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-28 11:56:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：H.M. Long
  • ISBN：1789094984
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

An epic fantasy featuring warrior priestesses and fickle gods at war

Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War， with the power to turn an enemy's bones to dust with a scream。 Banished for disobeying her goddess's command to murder a traveller， she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside。

While she is gone， raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood。 Grieving and alone， Hessa - the last Eangi - must find the traveller， atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls。 As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland， slaughtering everyone in their path， Hessa strives to win back her goddess' favour。

Beset by zealot soldiers， deceitful gods， and newly-awakened demons at every turn， Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge。 But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading。 Soon Hessa's trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer。

Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New， Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death。 Bigger， older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world。 And they're about to wake up。

Download

Reviews

Shweta Paropkari ，

Didn't work for me。 Just didn't。 Didn't work for me。 Just didn't。 。。。more

Stina Rundqvist ，

This viking inspired book had me intrigued mostly because of the beautiful cover and the promise of a battle-hardened priestess of the Goddess of War。 We jump right into the story and Hessas whole village， including her husband， is killed and burned down to the ground。 Hessa is now the last one of her kind alive and she is fierce， almost a bit too fierce。 Would have liked to see her more vulnerable for more relatability。 I found myself not connecting to her which was a bummer。 I also had no clue This viking inspired book had me intrigued mostly because of the beautiful cover and the promise of a battle-hardened priestess of the Goddess of War。 We jump right into the story and Hessas whole village， including her husband， is killed and burned down to the ground。 Hessa is now the last one of her kind alive and she is fierce， almost a bit too fierce。 Would have liked to see her more vulnerable for more relatability。 I found myself not connecting to her which was a bummer。 I also had no clue what was happening in the beginning， but as our heroine finds out more， so did I。 That is not always a problem but it made it harder to get involved in the book。 I did like how it all played it out throughout the book， the development was great and the Gods are not always what they seem to be。 The Gods are very involved in the lives of their worshipers and can influence the world and it's people directly， it's fun to read。The vivid descriptions of the soundings are incredible， I could imagine it very easily。 Hessa travels alot， and I do mean alot， and my lazy ass just thought it would have been nice for her to stay awhile at the same place， develop some connections， put her feet up and drink some spirits。 The book has little to no romance in it and the story is based on Hessa's will to survive and protect what is left of her God and people。 I don't mind romance but this book was good without it。 The next part of the story will be released next year and you can count on me reading it！ 。。。more

Faith Williams ，

This book was。。。 fine。 It was definitely unique， and relies almost fully on religious pantheons and warfare to drive the plot。 Some have said it seemed Vikings-inspired， and I could see that。 I saw Algatt-Viking， Eangan-Germanic tribes， Alpa-Roman empire parallels， personally。 The fact that， in this book， the gods walk among the living and actually affect events was very much reminiscent of Norse mythology。There are a lot of aspects of this book I liked， like a complicated main character， manipu This book was。。。 fine。 It was definitely unique， and relies almost fully on religious pantheons and warfare to drive the plot。 Some have said it seemed Vikings-inspired， and I could see that。 I saw Algatt-Viking， Eangan-Germanic tribes， Alpa-Roman empire parallels， personally。 The fact that， in this book， the gods walk among the living and actually affect events was very much reminiscent of Norse mythology。There are a lot of aspects of this book I liked， like a complicated main character， manipulative gods， and vivid descriptions。 At the end of the day， though， I found that I really just didn't care that much about Hessa or her people。 I kept forgetting her name， too。 It was， again， fine。 。。。more

Shelly Campbell ，

I took a long time to read Hall of Smoke， but I want to stress that it was for the best of reasons。 Do you ever start a book and it just clicks？ You know it’s going to be an incredible read when your only a few pages in？ Hall of Smoke was that kind of book for me and I wanted it to last。 I didn’t want it to end :） Hessa is such a grounded， relatable， strong， magnetic character as is the cast surrounding her。 The whole book is chocked full of lush world building and lore。 A fantastic read that I’ I took a long time to read Hall of Smoke， but I want to stress that it was for the best of reasons。 Do you ever start a book and it just clicks？ You know it’s going to be an incredible read when your only a few pages in？ Hall of Smoke was that kind of book for me and I wanted it to last。 I didn’t want it to end :） Hessa is such a grounded， relatable， strong， magnetic character as is the cast surrounding her。 The whole book is chocked full of lush world building and lore。 A fantastic read that I’m sure I’ll enjoy reading multiple times :） Can’t recommend this one enough！ 。。。more

Monica A ，

THIS is what I wanted Circe to be。

Gabriela ，

Actual rating : 3。5🌟

Sarah Kennedy ，

Incredible story that was entirely unpredictable， magical， and beautiful。

Gabrielle ，

An epic Viking fantasy If you love anything Viking related （Skyrim， God of War vibes） then you will love this book。 It’s epic with rich history and lore but also easy to follow along and learn about as you read。 The main character Hessa is one of my favourite characters of all time- thinking before she speaks and very intelligent。 Would recommend to anyone that loves fantasy and needs to be swept into the High Hall of the Gods for a little while or more。

Fil-Aurelio ，

Love the Viking and The Last Kingdom tv series？ Like me？ Then if yes， this one is for you！ A Nordic fantasy tales/folklore that starts with Hessa’s adventure that you’ll gonna dig in！ A priestess （ a bad*ss MC that I love） that has been banished from an act that she truly regret。 This debut novel is a great one！ At first honestly I’m already intrigue， from the first chapter I’m like ‘woah。。 i need to know what happen right now’！ You’ll going to find the answer to the scene/situations， that occur Love the Viking and The Last Kingdom tv series？ Like me？ Then if yes， this one is for you！ A Nordic fantasy tales/folklore that starts with Hessa’s adventure that you’ll gonna dig in！ A priestess （ a bad*ss MC that I love） that has been banished from an act that she truly regret。 This debut novel is a great one！ At first honestly I’m already intrigue， from the first chapter I’m like ‘woah。。 i need to know what happen right now’！ You’ll going to find the answer to the scene/situations， that occur from first chapter of the book， （you know what im talking if you read it already） not going to spoil it our fellow readers。 Did i say plot twist？！ I love a good one and this one is ‘wow’！ I didn’t see it coming。 Amazing！ Im so hype from the first chapter， then to the second。。。 then from the succeeding part my enthusiasm drops a little bit， phase wise im like ‘where will this lead’ then an adventure， then another， then ‘okay where we going’。 Dont get me wrong i still believe the greatness of the plot and the story， im just a little tired of the detour， but hey i love the fights and action scenes and the story telling of the gods of new and old’s own adventures， deceptions and background story， even each priestesses/priests sacrifices and beliefs。 It is beautifully written that you’ll wish to be in the woods， in a river or in a camping site and hunt！ Can’t wait for the sequel of THIS book！ 。。。more

Bee Reader ，

Hall of Smoke has a vivid world and a strong main character。 A slow and rewarding read。 I loved this one！

Bernadette ，

4。5 stars - incredible world building。 beautiful story telling。 adventurous and entertaining epic that has twists and betrayals， but does not rely on them for shock value。 the character building is by far my favorite part。 wow。oh， and the action sequences were absolutely AMAZING。

Rachel ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Nice concept。 Poor execution。This book put me in a minor reading slump。 It suffered from two major problems: it didn't make a great deal of sense and it was mind-numbingly boring。The characters: Hessa is okay， but I could never really connect with her and I don't really know why。 None of the secondary characters were developed enough or interesting。 I just couldn't care about any of them。 Omaskat （whose name makes me think of musk rat， I'm sorry） is the most interesting by far， but he's barely i Nice concept。 Poor execution。This book put me in a minor reading slump。 It suffered from two major problems: it didn't make a great deal of sense and it was mind-numbingly boring。The characters: Hessa is okay， but I could never really connect with her and I don't really know why。 None of the secondary characters were developed enough or interesting。 I just couldn't care about any of them。 Omaskat （whose name makes me think of musk rat， I'm sorry） is the most interesting by far， but he's barely in this book。We're told over and over again how much Hessa loved her husband and will miss him， but because he dies very early on in the story， we don't get to see the connection they had， we're just told about it。 So that doesn't have much of an emotional impact either。The world-building: The world itself is fine and vividly described， but the magic system is not defined。 People are given special powers by the gods they worship。 Okay， but what are these runes？ How do they work？ The gods themselves are not well defined， outside of just a few and there are quite a few in here。 What are some of their powers that make them stronger than the other gods， i。e。 why exactly is Lathian so strong？ Everyone claims Lathian is so powerful and the characters should be afraid of him， but he does nothing the entire time except walk across a frozen lake。Omaskat is killed at one point， but later comes back to life， presumably resurrected by Thyvnder （whose name reminds me of 'The Vendor'）。 Why can't the other people who died be resurrected also？ Why didn't Omaskat go to the High Halls like everyone else？ Or is it because no one freed his soul in the first place？ I'm honestly so confused as to how this world operates and what the rules are。The plot: The pacing killed this book。 Most of it was journeying and nothing happened。 If you're hoping for fight scenes， you'll be disappointed， because there really wasn't that many of them compared to all the traveling。The plot can be summed up as: Hessa journeys， Hessa is captured， Hessa fights stuff， Hessa doubts Eang， Hessa travels， Hessa fights stuff， more doubts and traveling。 It's very boring。 Now， this could have easily been fixed if we were able to switch to other characters， get inside their heads， and see what they were doing at any given moment， but because we're in first person POV， we're stuck in Hessa's head the entire time。 I would have liked to see what Omaskat did after Hessa was separated from him。 I suppose if we got some of his thoughts it would have taken away the big reveal near the end， but it wasn't like the story was that suspenseful even with the reveal still coming。 And if done cleverly， we needn't have too much revealed by Omaskat's thoughts。 As it is， I don't care about Hessa's obsession over being tasked with killing Omaskat and the fact that she has conflicting feelings over it because we don't even get to know him。 I don't care about her losses because we never knew those characters in the first place。I don't care about Hessa's friendship with Sixnit because we never see it develop。 We're told about all of this rather than shown。 What we are shown is Hessa journeying through the mountains constantly。 The fact that the summary makes a point of saying that Hessa has an ability to turn a man's bones into dust with a scream makes it sound exciting， but she never really does that。 Most of the time she uses the ability to do something else。As it is， I am glad to be finished and I will not be reading the next one。 。。。more

Andy Moultrie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 FINALLY！ Managed to finish it after a hard week。 Thought？HM’s world was beautifully described; I loved the multiple locations throughout the book on Hessa’s journey。I was sucked in by Hessa’s inner struggles and outer， as well as her interactions with other characters。 Ogam really drew me in， which hurt even more with his betrayal later on！！ I was shook！ And I was never unsure why I was drawn in by Omashack’s character so much - no matter how much I wanted to hate him - I was always intrigued an FINALLY！ Managed to finish it after a hard week。 Thought？HM’s world was beautifully described; I loved the multiple locations throughout the book on Hessa’s journey。I was sucked in by Hessa’s inner struggles and outer， as well as her interactions with other characters。 Ogam really drew me in， which hurt even more with his betrayal later on！！ I was shook！ And I was never unsure why I was drawn in by Omashack’s character so much - no matter how much I wanted to hate him - I was always intrigued and calmed。 It all became clear though。 I just loves the involvement of all the Gods， Goddesses in this beautiful Viking inspired world！ The sequel is 100% getting preordered 。。。more

Lata ，

It’s a battle of the bands， no， I mean， gods！ Though， this battle is partly enacted through the slaughter of the Eangi and Allgatt tribes。 Though this has been going on for years， something， or someone new， has changed the ordinary， regular raiding between the two groups into something really ugly。Hessa， a young Eangi priestess/warrior， is caught up in all this， when she narrowly avoids death after failing to coldly murder a man， at her goddess’ order， while he’s visiting Hessa’s village。Anyway， It’s a battle of the bands， no， I mean， gods！ Though， this battle is partly enacted through the slaughter of the Eangi and Allgatt tribes。 Though this has been going on for years， something， or someone new， has changed the ordinary， regular raiding between the two groups into something really ugly。Hessa， a young Eangi priestess/warrior， is caught up in all this， when she narrowly avoids death after failing to coldly murder a man， at her goddess’ order， while he’s visiting Hessa’s village。Anyway， lots of self-inflected bleeding to invoke gods and magic and fighting strength， and lots more tedious “my god/goddess is better than yours！” taunting and posturing， and eventual secrets revealed over many pages。Hessa was ok as a protagonist， and I guess her slow move from unquestioning believer of Eang， her Goddess of War， to something else was reasonably credible。 I appreciated the author’s creation， but I’m not sure that I really care enough about Hessa and her world to continue to book two。 I did think the book cover was great。 。。。more

Parth Patel ，

Hall of Smoke crafts a stunning mythos and then inserts the reader right in the middle of it。 The world is changing and you see a battle between new， old， and even older gods unfold。 Even more interesting， is the PoV character， Hessa-a warrior priestess for this world's current big honcho god。Without spoiling， Hessa is sent along a pretty classic hero's journey meeting gods and different people along the way。 The most compelling parts of the story can be divided into the grand external conflict Hall of Smoke crafts a stunning mythos and then inserts the reader right in the middle of it。 The world is changing and you see a battle between new， old， and even older gods unfold。 Even more interesting， is the PoV character， Hessa-a warrior priestess for this world's current big honcho god。Without spoiling， Hessa is sent along a pretty classic hero's journey meeting gods and different people along the way。 The most compelling parts of the story can be divided into the grand external conflict between gods and Hessa's own internal conflict。 The book addresses some interesting religious and moral themes （"What does God owe us/what do we owe god"， "conscience vs duty"， "destiny vs choice"， etc）。 There are parts of the book early on that drag， and a few scenes leading up to the climax that felt redundant， but for the most part it is a tight， linear narrative。 One of the flaws with this book is how lackluster every character outside of Hessa felt。 Though， I thought that was intentional for parts of the book， as one of the things Hessa struggles with is the transience of the people around her and the resulting loneliness。 The brief and one-dimensional nature almost puts the reader in that feeling as well。 The only time I've considered not taking points off for flat characters。 The setting （except the final destination） itself also ended up feeling pretty bland， especially in contrast to the rich lore。TL;DR- Great debut with an interesting lore and main character。 World-building was a mixed bag， with terrific lore/myths， but bland settings and secondary characters。 Book has a fair chunk of external action/movement paired with strong internal tension throughout。 Strong 3。5/5。 。。。more

Saeryn ，

DNF @ 36% or page 154， just sadly wasn't the book for me。 It had everything I should have loved （Badass woman as the main character！！） But it fell flat。 DNF @ 36% or page 154， just sadly wasn't the book for me。 It had everything I should have loved （Badass woman as the main character！！） But it fell flat。 。。。more

Rachel Sulik ，

I enjoyed this but didn't get lost in it like I expected。 I know most of the chapters were world building but it felt like it dragged a bit and then a lot happened suddenly。 There were some twists and turns and I loved that it followed a heroine questioning everything。 It was sad and somewhat gruesome in a some sections but I didn't feel as much as I would have expected。 Maybe i would have appreciated it more if I were more familiar with Viking mythology。 I will say the descriptions of geography I enjoyed this but didn't get lost in it like I expected。 I know most of the chapters were world building but it felt like it dragged a bit and then a lot happened suddenly。 There were some twists and turns and I loved that it followed a heroine questioning everything。 It was sad and somewhat gruesome in a some sections but I didn't feel as much as I would have expected。 Maybe i would have appreciated it more if I were more familiar with Viking mythology。 I will say the descriptions of geography， etc， were great。 。。。more

Allison Bannon ，

It took me a few chapters to get into this book， but I blame that on the book I slugged my way through before this。 By the time I hit chapter 17， I could no longer put it down， and stayed up most of the night to finish it！ Each chapter was another piece to Hessa's （MC） story。 Another leap in character and plot development！ Highly recommended for lovers of all things Norse。 It took me a few chapters to get into this book， but I blame that on the book I slugged my way through before this。 By the time I hit chapter 17， I could no longer put it down， and stayed up most of the night to finish it！ Each chapter was another piece to Hessa's （MC） story。 Another leap in character and plot development！ Highly recommended for lovers of all things Norse。 。。。more

Megan ，

This epic fantasy pulls you in from the first page。 I felt transported to Hessa’s world， itching to unravel its cryptic mysteries and make sense of the gods and goddesses at the center of it all。 I loved the author’s expert world-building and dedication to writing complex female characters who take the world by storm。。。 sometimes literally。

Meaghan ，

I love most stories that deal with mythology and gods， and what it means to be divine。 This book delivered exactly what I wanted in that regard， and I think in the end I really enjoyed this and the time I spent in the world， but it did feel like a book much longer than it actually was。 For this reason， I don't think this book is necessarily for everyone。 I did listen to the audio of this， which helped in the moments the story may have dragged otherwise。 I may have had more issues with the length I love most stories that deal with mythology and gods， and what it means to be divine。 This book delivered exactly what I wanted in that regard， and I think in the end I really enjoyed this and the time I spent in the world， but it did feel like a book much longer than it actually was。 For this reason， I don't think this book is necessarily for everyone。 I did listen to the audio of this， which helped in the moments the story may have dragged otherwise。 I may have had more issues with the length and pacing of the story had I been reading this using my eyes instead。 The story overall was a really long journey， interspersed with some action here and there。 However， there are many moments where the main character is alone， or isolated in a group of people， and a large portion of this book is told through the main character narrating her story to us vs。 lots of dialogue。 We spend a lot of time with just the main character， to the point that some trains of thoughts can begin to feel repetitive。 However， even with the length of this story and it's many slow moments， I feel like Long did a good job of keeping Hessa's thoughts unique and interesting， and seeing her grapple with her beliefs was interesting。 And， while the story did feel noticeably long， I was never tired of it， forced to pause my audio and take a break。 However， my favorite part of this book had to be how it dealt with divinity， and the many layers the lore of the story had。 I loved how it explored what it meant to be a god， to have followers and powers and magic， and the assumed connection between the two that is tested。 I can't explain much here without spoiling， but the lore of this world felt like a closed rose opening， with each new petal unfurled revealing a new hidden layer of the magic of this world。 It kept me hooked even when much wasn't happening at the time in terms of action/plot。 I can't wait to see this world further explored。 The writing style also matched the story well。 I really enjoyed the descriptions of places and people， and the battle scenes were also extremely well done。 In those sorts of scenes， it's really easy to lose the reader in the clashes of swords and fists， but Hall of Smoke both explained the combat well enough I was able to follow it， while also remaining realistic in a sense。 I also really loved how magic was explained in this story， and how well the very existence of it was woven into Hessa's experience of the world。 For example， her goddess gifted her with fire magic that she channels through her mouth， and there were many moments where the story describes the build up of this magic in her lungs and throat to show Hessa's rising anger or frustration in scenes。 And even though I don't know what it feels like to swallow down rising internal fire and taste ash in my mouth， the fact that Long tied this to emotion makes it easy for the reader to relate to and 'feel' alongside Hessa。Overall， I enjoyed this a lot， and thinking back on it is making me realize just how much。 I can't wait to see what Long writes next， and I'm excited she's writing more in this world！ 。。。more

Kelly ，

I found this book slow moving but character development was strong。 Backstory was sporadic and only involving the main character。 I would have liked more background on the Old gods versus the New gods。 However the world building and cultural was strong。

Linnea Schroeder ，

⭐⭐⭐Within a matter of days， Hessa’s whole world is destroyed。 She is one of the few remaining Eangi -- priestess warriors pledged to the goddess of war， Eang。 Drenched in grief and guilt， Hessa throws herself into a quest for vengeance in a war between the gods that has been eons in the making。 As she attempts to mollify her goddess， Hessa will unravel a web of secrets that are heretical - and that change everything。--What incredible world building！ The intricate histories and loyalties of the g ⭐⭐⭐Within a matter of days， Hessa’s whole world is destroyed。 She is one of the few remaining Eangi -- priestess warriors pledged to the goddess of war， Eang。 Drenched in grief and guilt， Hessa throws herself into a quest for vengeance in a war between the gods that has been eons in the making。 As she attempts to mollify her goddess， Hessa will unravel a web of secrets that are heretical - and that change everything。--What incredible world building！ The intricate histories and loyalties of the gods， the variety of lifestyles and development among the humans， and the connections between them all - everything was just incredibly well done。 I really enjoyed the subtle messages Long incorporated as well， like injustice of small， historical communities being pushed out by larger， industrialized ones。 Further， the concepts of history being fluid and told from the perspective of the victor， as well as mortal enemies needing to ally in order to survive a common evil， were really cool。 Long nails the details here。--Content Warnings: violence， gore， domestic abuse， misogyny 。。。more

Livy ，

This book was really good and I particularly loved the world that it was set in with the complex pantheons of gods and the political landscape that accompanied it。 The characters， including the gods， were very well written because they were all so complex and I loved that about them。 Hessa was a wonderful main character and I thought that it was really wonderful who she changed throughout the book， from her beliefs to her character based on what she encountered and who she met along the way。 The This book was really good and I particularly loved the world that it was set in with the complex pantheons of gods and the political landscape that accompanied it。 The characters， including the gods， were very well written because they were all so complex and I loved that about them。 Hessa was a wonderful main character and I thought that it was really wonderful who she changed throughout the book， from her beliefs to her character based on what she encountered and who she met along the way。 The gods too who frequented the narrative were also complex， as most gods are， and I thought it was interesting how they weren't all moral but selfish and also able to die。 It was all very interesting to read and just made the story much more enjoyable to read。 The plot was full of twists and turns and I was kept engaged throughout because I didn't know what was going to happen next。 I also really enjoyed how it took us through a lot of different locations in the world it was set in because it just made the world feel more real。 That and it made sure that we got a fuller sense of who all the characters were and what they were fighting for。 The ending was so satisfying， everything was resolved nicely and there was a sense of completion in the epilogue that left me wanting more but also not haha。 The writing was really enjoyable to read and， as I've already said it was very engaging and had me on the edge of my seat throughout。 I cannot wait to read the next book that is set in this universe because I know it is going to be just as incredible if not better。 I was kindly provided with a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Nathalie ，

It just didn’t do anything for me。

*AGatheringOfBooks* （Ale） ，

Hall of Smoke is an epic book that puts you immediately into the action， with the tragedy happening to the protagonist's home village and her consequent journey to find answers in a world of gods she has firmly believed in till now， but that it's currently crumbling under her feet。 These are the premises of Hessa's journey: everything she knew has come apart and she has to find a new meaning and a new role in this world that has left her alone surrounded by enemies， both human and non human， aba Hall of Smoke is an epic book that puts you immediately into the action， with the tragedy happening to the protagonist's home village and her consequent journey to find answers in a world of gods she has firmly believed in till now， but that it's currently crumbling under her feet。 These are the premises of Hessa's journey: everything she knew has come apart and she has to find a new meaning and a new role in this world that has left her alone surrounded by enemies， both human and non human， abandoned by the goddess she devoted herself to and without certainties anymore。 The uniqueness of this book lies in the way the journey， both physical and psychological， unfolds; it's a continuous building up of questions and answers 'till the epic finale。 Involved in a conflict between humans， gods and even more ancient deities， "stumbling my way through questions of life and death and deity"， Hessa is set， by the hands of Faith， on a mission she does not truly believe in， but that ultimately becomes the only certainty she has left。 But answers is what she truly is after， and to get them and to protect the few people left she cares about， she's ready to go against her supposed destiny， to accept another god， to betray everything she believed in， to turn enemies into allies， to fight her goddess。 She won't be a pawn to the someone else's plans anymore， and in the epic final battle she will make her own choices， instead of waiting for the events to fall upon her while doing nothing， at the mercy of merciless gods。 。。。more

Audrey Friedman ，

I loved this debut and cant wait to read more of this authors work！ She has an AMAZING sense and scale of world-building， plot （AND plot twists）， sense of humor and humanity and the errors we all make。。。。or at least mostly equal since we have no magic to add to the mix of our world。 Honestly if it was that easy to handle all that and literally have a goddess give you the power of breathing fire and all that， then it would be a lot worse than I think anyone could imagine？

Alessio D'Avino ，

I enjoyed this book A LOT。This is Vikings， God of War and the latest Tomb Raider videogames， all mixed up in a story that follows the solitary journey of Hessa， a woman who has almost lost everything。The worldbuilding is quite interesting， with some elements taken from our reality but accurately rewritten。 The magic system and folklore are not that different from others I’ve already encountered in this type of stories， but they work beautifully with the whole concept。 Hessa’s character has so ma I enjoyed this book A LOT。This is Vikings， God of War and the latest Tomb Raider videogames， all mixed up in a story that follows the solitary journey of Hessa， a woman who has almost lost everything。The worldbuilding is quite interesting， with some elements taken from our reality but accurately rewritten。 The magic system and folklore are not that different from others I’ve already encountered in this type of stories， but they work beautifully with the whole concept。 Hessa’s character has so many different facets， you actually learn to love her on a deeper level。 She fights， she bleeds and survives。 Definitely a protagonist with an immense potential。I’m 100% going to read the sequel！ 。。。more

Ashley ，

This book took me a while to get through but I loved it。 The world that was created for this book was amazing and so interesting。 I loved all of the different Gods and how they were as vicious as Gods in true myths typically are。 I loved the main character and was amazed at all that she was able to endure。 I can't wait to read the second book in the series when it is released！ I give this book 4 out of 5 stars。 This book took me a while to get through but I loved it。 The world that was created for this book was amazing and so interesting。 I loved all of the different Gods and how they were as vicious as Gods in true myths typically are。 I loved the main character and was amazed at all that she was able to endure。 I can't wait to read the second book in the series when it is released！ I give this book 4 out of 5 stars。 。。。more

Justin Wiggins ，

Epic。

Charlotte ，

Actual Rating: 4。5‘I was the first to offend the goddess this season。’Another highly anticipated 2021 release of mine that lived up to my expectations; ‘Hall Of Smoke’ was an unputdownable， action packed fantasy with high stakes and a vivid setting。 There were plenty of monumental moments and sequences where the word ‘epic’ swiftly sprang to mind。 The setting was fascinating， the main character – Hessa – intriguing and the danger extreme。 Towards the end， upon realizing how few pages were left， Actual Rating: 4。5‘I was the first to offend the goddess this season。’Another highly anticipated 2021 release of mine that lived up to my expectations; ‘Hall Of Smoke’ was an unputdownable， action packed fantasy with high stakes and a vivid setting。 There were plenty of monumental moments and sequences where the word ‘epic’ swiftly sprang to mind。 The setting was fascinating， the main character – Hessa – intriguing and the danger extreme。 Towards the end， upon realizing how few pages were left， I did worry slightly that the books climax would feel rushed but I’m happy to report that it didn’t。 This novel ended in a satisfying manner with incredibly high stakes and plenty of nail biting moments。 Although I will confess that a few more answers about Omaskat would have been welcome。Early on， with the abundance of unfamiliar names， I did feel slightly lost at times， mixing some of these up， but honestly this is a fault of my own as I didn’t realize there was a glossary at the end of the novel to help with this （so please do use it if necessary）。 Besides any issues linked to this I found the writing easy to follow yet vivid and enchanting。 The level of planning that must have gone into crafting all of these places is incredible and learning about them all was a true joy。Hessa was a fascinating individual to form the focus of this story。 Her people， the Eangi， were tremendously intriguing and her struggles were believable， heart-felt and intricate。 It was impossible not to feel for everything that she was going through although I do wish that I’d gotten to see more of her life before the tragic events at the beginning of the novel。 Starting the story off as H。M。 Long did is definitely a good move – it’s immediately gripping， creating the sort of start that leaves you itching for more – but I’d have loved to have seen a few more flashbacks to Hessa’s life before ‘Hall Of Smoke’。 These would have added further emotional depth and also fleshed her people’s believes and myths out further。Similarly I would have loved to have seen a little more concerning some of this world’s other lands and Gods。 As this is primarily Hessa’s story perhaps they would have been hard to weave into the novel though。 The same goes with some of the gods’ demises; I’d have liked to have learnt more but am unsure how it would have worked。 Maybe more novels in the future could help me discover some of these things？ Surely I’m not alone in desiring more from this setting？ And yes I’m already itching to check out the author’s upcoming novel set ten years after the events of this delightful debut。I definitely do recommend checking ‘Hall Of Smoke’ out， especially if you’re a fan of fantasy novels。 For a debut it was remarkably strong and the world is one that I could quite happily revisit time and time again。 I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for more books by this author in the future。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hall of Smoke

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hall of Smoke&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hall of Smoke&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0