Fantasy

The Hunger of the Gods

Downloads：1726
Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
Create Date：2022-03-25 07:51:35
Update Date：2025-09-06
Status：finish
Author：John Gwynne
ISBN：0316539929
Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The Hunger of the Gods continues John Gwynne’s acclaimed Norse-inspired epic fantasy series， packed with myth， magic and bloody vengeance。

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。

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Reviews

Drew ， 2022-03-22 00:00

The second installment of The Bloodsworn Saga is everything you would hope for and maybe even more。 The setting of this series is spectacular。 It’s like a Viking themed Dungeons and Dragons adventure。 You never know what any of the groups/characters might run into and it leaves no room for boredom。 The development of the characters from the first book is done so well， it doesn’t feel forced or systematic it just feels real。 The addition of even more POVs was a fresh and great addition and shows The second installment of The Bloodsworn Saga is everything you would hope for and maybe even more。 The setting of this series is spectacular。 It’s like a Viking themed Dungeons and Dragons adventure。 You never know what any of the groups/characters might run into and it leaves no room for boredom。 The development of the characters from the first book is done so well， it doesn’t feel forced or systematic it just feels real。 The addition of even more POVs was a fresh and great addition and shows just how much a little inner monologue can make a character seem like so much more than they first appeared on the surface。 There were also some really well done passage of time hints like the growing of beards or stubbly hair after reading it was shaved and etc that just do more to make it feel immersive and not draw you out of the story with regimented dates， yes there are specifics drizzled in there like estimates in travel times but again it all flows and doesn’t feel like （here is some info so you know time has passed）。 If you liked the first book you’ll love this book。I really can’t say enough good things about book。。。。more

S。 Bavey ， 2022-03-22 00:00

I read a digital copy of this book which I was granted by Orbit Books， through NetGalley。 Thank you very much to both parties and the author， John Gwynne！I had been very much looking forward to continuing this Norse inspired saga and was not disappointed。 There is a handy recap included at the beginning of the book， which I found very useful to remind myself of who the main characters were， it having been a year since I read the Shadow of the Gods。 The maps were also a helpful addition - the cha I read a digital copy of this book which I was granted by Orbit Books， through NetGalley。 Thank you very much to both parties and the author， John Gwynne！I had been very much looking forward to continuing this Norse inspired saga and was not disappointed。 There is a handy recap included at the beginning of the book， which I found very useful to remind myself of who the main characters were， it having been a year since I read the Shadow of the Gods。 The maps were also a helpful addition - the characters do a lot of travelling across Vigrid in this story of mythical shape-shifting gods， fantastic creatures and saga legends。 There are also many Norse terms peppered throughout the narrative so the glossary of terms was useful too。This sequel to The Shadow of the Gods begins where Book 1 left off， after the dragon god， Lik Rifa has been resurrected and is leading her ‘children’， the dragonborn Raven Feeders back to her home， from where they hope to reassert their dominance across the land of Vigrid。 Times have changed since the Fall of the Gods， and Vigrid has become an uncompromising world that treats the descendants of gods as thralls and refers to them as ‘Tainted’。 Lik Rifa hopes to turn this around and restore the respect her descendants deserve。 The story has expanded dramatically and so too has the cast of characters。 We have the Bloodsworn， the Battle-Grim and now also the Raven Feeders， each band of warriors with its own agenda to fulfill。 Queen Helka， her son Hakon and her retinue play a larger part， and also Prince Jaromir of Iskidan。 New POV characters within the Raven Feeders and Queen Helka’s company enable us to keep up with these groups and add more rich layers to this epic story。The Raven Feeders are fiercely loyal to their dragon god， who they resurrected using magic gained from Rotta the dead rat god’s spell book。 The Battle Grim resurrect Ulfrir the wolf god （not really a spoiler if you have seen the book’s cover！） and are keeping him in thrall to them - hoping he will help them beat the dragon god when they manage to catch up to the Raven Feeders。 As I mentioned， there are more point of view characters in this book than its predecessor， but the original three Elvar， Orka and Varg， still remain。Elvar of the Battle-Grim， along with Sighvat and Grend have sworn a blood oath to Uspa the seidr witch to help get her son Bjarn back from the Raven Feeders。 To do so they must take on not only the fearsome Raven Feeders but the awe-inspiring dragon god as well。 They expect the wolf god， Ulfrir， to help them。 Skuld， daughter of Ulfrir is now also thrall to Elvar。 She and her sisters were guarding the dragon for 500 years in her underground prison。Orka Skullsplitter is still on a mission to find her son Breca who was also captured by the Raven Feeders。 She was once again my favourite character， driven entirely by vengeance and the most badass warrior around。 She also has an endearing， warm motherly side to her in the way she deals with Lif and other allies she encounters， but gods forbid you should get on her bad side， or the wolf within her will rip your face off。 She rejoins the Bloodsworn whose leader she once was and who are shocked to discover that she is still alive。Varg is now a valued member of the Bloodsworn。 His days as a thrall are long behind him， but he is still seeking vengeance for his sister’s maltreatment by the slave traders she was sold to。 He also hopes to one day track her down and save her。 The world building is also expanded in this sequel， with many more territories traversed and described in wonderful detail as the warrior bands travel far and wide across Vigrid。 I particularly enjoyed the magical Galdur Tower which is Skalk’s domain - filled with amazing and horrifying creatures。 The pace of this novel was fairly slow to begin with。 There were a lot of travel sequences interspersed with some fantastic action scenes - John Gwynne’s wealth of expert knowledge when it comes to blood-thirsty fighting with swords and other medieval-type weapons was made use of time and again。 However things did not really take off completely until two thirds of the way through the book for me。 At that point the pace picked up and became much more intense， ramping right up towards the end as the parties all became nearer to their individual goals and various characters’ paths crossed。 We are clearly being lead towards an explosive conclusion in the next book which will be the final chapter in the Bloodsworn saga。。。。more

Jared Besse ， 2022-03-21 00:00

8。0/10 Full review to come！

Jake Gregg ， 2022-03-19 00:00

Was given an early copy for a review。 Best book I’ve read so far this year。 Easily。 Characters were just as amazing as before， plot kept me interested， and the ending was landed。 If you liked book 1， you’ll love this book。 Elvar went from a character I didn’t care for in the first book to my favorite character in the story。 So many more gods， so many fight seems， and so much Viking craziness。 9/10 book， can’t wait for the next one。

LIsa Noell "Rocking the Chutzpah！" ， 2022-03-19 00:00

My thanks to Orbit books， John Gwynne and Netgalley。 I'm not even sure just what to say！ I never properly review a book。 If I ever did， then I'd surely skip on this one！ There is so much going on！ Which really just makes it my kind of story。 I love all the different perspectives！ This second book was nowhere as gung -ho， stones to the wall as the first book。 What it did， "I think" was build up the characters and the world more。 " Not that we needed another excuse to love them！ " Or hate them too My thanks to Orbit books， John Gwynne and Netgalley。 I'm not even sure just what to say！ I never properly review a book。 If I ever did， then I'd surely skip on this one！ There is so much going on！ Which really just makes it my kind of story。 I love all the different perspectives！ This second book was nowhere as gung -ho， stones to the wall as the first book。 What it did， "I think" was build up the characters and the world more。 " Not that we needed another excuse to love them！ " Or hate them too！ But it also managed to make this world and all its various inhabitants more real。 This book was slower then the first。 Don't let that dissuade you， because while it may have been slower， I managed to laugh out loud。 Chuckle， snicker， smirk 😏 and just be generally amused！ Gah！ Oh， yeah。 I really do adore these people！ I will confess that as much as I'm looking forward to the final book， I'm also scared silly。 I know how these things go。 Sadly， many will die， and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that。 Also， can Vesli come live with me？。。。more

Dollie ， 2022-03-19 00:00

I would like to thank Orbit Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review。 I never realized there could be so much punching， biting， gouging and skull-splitting in one story， but this one has it all。 Several gods who all hate each other， as well。 These are the fiercest warriors I’ve ever read about。 They stab and heave and chop throughout。 All I wanted while reading this story was for Orka Skullsplitter to find her kidnapped son， Braca。 And once I read what had h I would like to thank Orbit Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review。 I never realized there could be so much punching， biting， gouging and skull-splitting in one story， but this one has it all。 Several gods who all hate each other， as well。 These are the fiercest warriors I’ve ever read about。 They stab and heave and chop throughout。 All I wanted while reading this story was for Orka Skullsplitter to find her kidnapped son， Braca。 And once I read what had happened to Vol， I couldn’t wait for Glornir to find and save her。 Yikes！！！ There was never a dull moment in this story， and I loved reading it。 I really liked most of the characters， but not that niding Gudvarr。 He was a real arseling。 This is a great story and I’ll be looking forward to its conclusion。 I would recommend this story to any fantasy fan。 It is truly fantastic。 There were so many young strapping warriors， but of course， the warrior who stayed in my thought-cage was Urt the Unwashed。 Yuck！ LOL 。。。more

Kristjan ， 2022-03-19 00:00

Although this book is a sequel to The Shadow of the Gods， The Hunger of the Gods “fixes” the main issues that I had with the first book。 First and probably most important， there is a real conclusion to many of the plot conflicts where as I felt the story just ended in the first book （surprise， some bad guys get what they deserved）。 Ideally I was say that these two should just be one book， but each are already fairly long stories， so unless you have a high tolerance for a long plot build-up （or y Although this book is a sequel to The Shadow of the Gods， The Hunger of the Gods “fixes” the main issues that I had with the first book。 First and probably most important， there is a real conclusion to many of the plot conflicts where as I felt the story just ended in the first book （surprise， some bad guys get what they deserved）。 Ideally I was say that these two should just be one book， but each are already fairly long stories， so unless you have a high tolerance for a long plot build-up （or you DNF’d the first book）， don’t feel guilty jumping in here because you will catch up pretty fast。 If you are even remotely a fan of Norse history and mythology， you won’t regret it … because that is what this story is all about。The world building is deep and rich， leveraging the world of the Norsemen/Vikings and is well researched and relatively authentic。 That is probably because the author is a self proclaimed member of a viking re-enactment group （which is boss … I so want to do that）。 Just change up the gods a bit and pick up the story after Ragnarok （or the fall of the gods in this story） and you have the basic milieu found in the Norse sagas so well done the you could feel it （and it is GOT style brutal）。 The main character introduced in book one continue their adventures here; but the narratives begin with over lap and actually move the plot forward now with a coherence that was hard to find in the first book。 Orka is still my favorite as the mama bear in search of her stolen cub， while Varg evolves from his thrall/slave roots into a drengr （norse knight or noble warrior）。 Even Elvar becomes a lot more interesting and relatable … so where I had a hard time connecting with the main characters in the first book， no such issues remain in this one and I am looking forward to reading book three。 I was given this free advance review copy （ARC） ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review。#TheHungerOfTheGods #NetGalley 。。。more

Brent ， 2022-03-18 00:00

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley courtesy of Orbit in exchange for an honest review。Last year I read Shadow of The Gods which is book 1 in the Bloodsworn Saga， and it was my introduction to John Gwynne as an author。 I liked it so much I went out and bought and read the rest of his blacklist bibliography。 Needless to say when Hunger was announced I was immediately on board。Hunger pretty much starts immediately where Shadow left off。 That is exactly what I was looking for because the endin I received an ARC of this from Netgalley courtesy of Orbit in exchange for an honest review。Last year I read Shadow of The Gods which is book 1 in the Bloodsworn Saga， and it was my introduction to John Gwynne as an author。 I liked it so much I went out and bought and read the rest of his blacklist bibliography。 Needless to say when Hunger was announced I was immediately on board。Hunger pretty much starts immediately where Shadow left off。 That is exactly what I was looking for because the ending of Shadow of The Gods is pretty mindblowing and I wanted more。 I was not disappointed。 When reading this you definitely get more of everything。 More creatures。 More magic （which seems to be more prevalent than in any Gwynne book to date）。 More battles。 More gods。 And yes most definitely more Orka Skullsplitter。 These are all really good things。 The action and pacing does not let up。 I especially liked the introduction of more of the gods and tainted with more insight to there and how it all works。 Gwynne continues to write battle scenes in his trademark visceral style and he doesn't shy away from the violence。 It all made for an enjoyable read。However， I have to say some of that is what kept this from being 5 stars。 Yes we got more of what was in book 1， but at times I felt like that was all we were getting。 A lot of it felt like repeats of the same plots in the 3 stories with very little overall plot or character development。 A lot of the book is chase these people to this place to find this person。 Oh we didn't find them yet？ Well we need to leave this place and go to this other place。 It got old after a bit。 I wanted more of the overall developing god war rather than just repeat vengeance plots。 When we got new things it was some of my favorite stuff in the series。 For example in this entry we get two completely new POVS and I was a big fan of both of them。 One of them felt very different with an inner monologue in an almost Joe Abercrombie style。 I loved all the time we spent in his head even though the character is kind of a shit-heel。 I also have to give Gwynne credit for adding a really nice series recap， dramatis personae， and list of Norse terms at the start of this book。 I struggled with a lot of those things in book 1， but this time I had something to refer back to and I did so many times。 The Norse names and terms are tough for me so I really appreciated it。Overall I would say this is a really good read with just a few things that keep it from being top tier Gwynne。 It suffers from just a bit of middle book syndrome， but I know Gwynne can stick a landing so I am still very excited for book 3。。。。more

jordyn reads too much ， 2022-03-17 00:00

For more of my reviews， check out my blog。Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel。The Hunger of the Gods is just as entertaining， just as atmospheric， and awe-inspiring as the first book in this series， The Shadow of the Gods。 It’s rare that a second book will live up to the first — I can think of maybe three off the top of my head — and it’s even rarer that the second book is better。The Hunger of the Gods picks up literally RIGHT after TSOTG finishes。 Seri For more of my reviews， check out my blog。Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel。The Hunger of the Gods is just as entertaining， just as atmospheric， and awe-inspiring as the first book in this series， The Shadow of the Gods。 It’s rare that a second book will live up to the first — I can think of maybe three off the top of my head — and it’s even rarer that the second book is better。The Hunger of the Gods picks up literally RIGHT after TSOTG finishes。 Seriously， there’s not even like…a day time-jump。 Just bam， right back where we left off。 Which is good， because some serious stuff had gone down。 I didn’t want to skip ANY OF IT， so I’m glad there wasn’t a big leap forward。 We’re left in a world where a “dead” god has been released from her prison， and is ready and eager for revenge。 Lik-Rifa， the dragon god， has risen to power again。 The world is not ready for her， and her unimaginable cruelty。 She is terrifying。I’m not going to give away any huge spoilers， because it would ruin the book for too many people。 I’m just going to say this — whatever action you liked from the first book will be once again seen in this one。 Not as a rehashing， but in addition to。 It’s not repetitive or boring。 Not at all。 It’s non-stop action from cover to cover in the best way。What is different in THOTG is that we get two new POV characters， both villains。 This helps immensely in rounding out the feel of the book。 Instead of just seeing what’s going on through the “good” characters， now we see more motivation and reasoning behind the villains’ actions。 All the original POV characters return。 We see Elvar grow into herself， and become who she is absolutely supposed to be。 Varg realizes he does have a place in the Bloodsworn， and that he belongs there。 Orka continues to be the absolute coolest woman in the novel。 She deals with some supreme guilt and loneliness， and she too comes to some revelations as well。The end of the book is a massive cliffhanger and I am NOT OKAY WITH IT AT ALL， JOHN GWYNNE。 How dare you。The Hunger of the Gods comes out April 12， 2022。。。。more

Kate （BloggingwithDragons）， 2022-03-16 00:00

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。I was excited to see where The Hunger of the Gods took the Bloodsworn saga after The Shadow of The Gods， which featured the old， dead gods coming to life again， throwing the world into chaos。 I was really happy to see some improvements from the first novel， but I found that overall， The Hunger of the Gods just didn’t click for me。 The thing I I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。I was excited to see where The Hunger of the Gods took the Bloodsworn saga after The Shadow of The Gods， which featured the old， dead gods coming to life again， throwing the world into chaos。 I was really happy to see some improvements from the first novel， but I found that overall， The Hunger of the Gods just didn’t click for me。 The thing I was happiest to see included in The Hunger of the Gods， which was noticeably absent from the first novel in the series， was the inclusion of a glossary of terms and a character list。 Was I still able to keep the characters straight？ Heck no， but at least I knew what all of the Nordic terms were this time around。 It was a huge help not having to figure out all these terms from context clues。 And I wasn’t too concerned about keeping the characters straight， as in the first novel， I was only invested in the character Orka。Though I was initially really excited about the dragon god Lik-Rifa coming back to life and amassing her followers to take over the world， I found the reality of her very underwhelming。 Sure， she threatens， yells， and sometimes eats her followers， but I never felt any fear or awe towards her。 A god that mainly threatens and scares a bunch of kidnapped children doesn't really strike fear in my bones。 Plus， knowing that a human can come along and slap a thrall collar on a god to make them do their bidding makes them seem inordinately less threatening as a whole。 Though the old gods look incredible and awe-inducing on the covers of the Bloodsworn Saga， they meet that larger than life portrayal in the actual books。 I felt pretty detached to most things that happened in The Hunger of the Gods， with no real tension or emotion during what should be climactic moments。Unfortunately， I just found that author John Gwynne’s writing style isn’t to my taste。 I can’t help but to find the descriptions very basic， not to mention repetitive。 If I took a drink every time someone referred to their inner wolf stirring within them or their “thought cage，” the regrettable term for brain， I’d quite literally be dead and buried。 Similarly， character development and dialogue runs no deeper than surface level。 Each main character has no more than one defining goal—Varg， to avenge his sister’s death; Orka， to find her kidnapped son; Guðvarr to save his own neck; and Elvar to prove herself as more than a spoiled Jarl’s daughter。 Most of the notable side characters are even simpler， being a warcraft trainer， a lifelong protector， or something else。 As such， I just didn’t really care when certain characters fell in battle。 Not only does this happen a lot in a Viking culture， but also to me， almost all of the characters were interchangeable。 A warrior dies？ Replace him with another。 It’s a shame because I really love the idea of the story of the Bloodsworn Saga， with old gods coming alive and their bloodlines rising up against prejudice and enslavement to follow them， but the execution just doesn’t do it for me。 Plus， the Norse setting and Viking feelings are something I’ve always been interested in， but again the reality of it for me is lackluster。 I found myself skimming most of the countless fight scenes again。 There’s only so many ways to write axes， seaxes， and spears impaling people and inner beasts awakening before it gets dreadfully dull。Another thing I just couldn’t get over was how cheesy the dialogue was， for lack of a better term。 Characters constantly walk around uttering the cringiest lines imaginable with zero irony。 These types of lines are probably supposed to be epic or quotable， but I winced or laughed， as I was unable to suspend my disbelief that someone would actually utter these words aloud。 It’s like what Harrison Ford said to George Lucas， “you can type this shit， but you can’t say it！” Here are just a few examples:"The blow not seen is the one that ends the fight。""We are Bloodsworn。。。。Death is a companion we are well-used to。""Walking away from Ulfrir and the Battle-Grim， she felt his loss， like walking away from the heat of a fire into a winter's ice-touched night。""A new age has dawned， the wolf-god's voice howled in her thought cage。 A wolf age a sword age， and blood will flow in rivers。 Remember， I am no dream to blink away with the coming of day; I will see you again， my fierce wolf-child。""Orka remembered the words Thorkel had often said to Breca could almost hear his bear-deep voice in her thought-cage。 real courage is to feel fear but to stand and face it， not run from it。""To grieve is to be trapped in a world of loneliness。""Let her go and you will have a quick death。 Harm her and your screams will fill the world。""I am your death。" I could not fathom anyone referring to someone directly as their "fierce wolf-child。" Nor did I care for the Norse-ified takes on old sayings such as， "feel the fear， and do it anyways。" Other expressions just seemed to me to be trying too hard to appear wise or quotable。 But most of them just seemed unbelievable。 If my wife were being threatened with harm or death， would I really take the time to say， "Harm her and your screams will fill the world"？ I doubt it。 Instead， I'd most likely say something simple in my panicked state， like "let her go，" or "don't touch her。" What was actually said just feels melodramatic and unrealistic to me。 This kind of language also just takes me right out of the moment of the novel to think about how theatrical the writing is。Despite the Norse-inspired world， giant dragon gods that want to take over the world， and a badass female character， I just really don’t think the Bloodsworn Saga， and maybe John Gwynne’s books at large， are for me。 Though I found the novel mildly entertaining， I just couldn't get past the writing style。 I think other fantasy lovers will find a lot to love in The Hunger of the Gods， but they simply don’t work for me and I don’t plan on picking up the other entries in the saga。Connect with Me:bloggingwithdragons。com My Book Review Policy| instagram | tumblr | twitter |pinterest | facebook | email | 。。。more

Mandy ， 2022-03-15 00:00

Uhm…I don’t know how to feel at the moment。 All I know is that John Gwynne is a master storyteller。 I will need some time to process this。updated 3/17/22Wow！ What an amazing 2nd installment。 I loved the first book， but love this one even more。 It has everything we loved from the 1st。 Vikings， old gods， magic， fierce female characters。 Orka Skullsplitter could split my skull， and I would say thank-you。 She has become one of my all-time favorite female characters！！ Do not come between a mother Uhm…I don’t know how to feel at the moment。 All I know is that John Gwynne is a master storyteller。 I will need some time to process this。updated 3/17/22Wow！ What an amazing 2nd installment。 I loved the first book， but love this one even more。 It has everything we loved from the 1st。 Vikings， old gods， magic， fierce female characters。 Orka Skullsplitter could split my skull， and I would say thank-you。 She has become one of my all-time favorite female characters！！ Do not come between a mother and her bairn！Varg is also an amazing character。 Seeing him grow and realize his worth was really fun to watch。Elvar surprised me so much in this book！All the side characters are perfect， even the evil ones。 Svik and Sighvat gave much needed laughs。 I also enjoyed seeing more from Bloodsworn characters。I am eagerly waiting for book 3。 This book ended in true fashion for a John Gwynne book。。。。more

Matt's Fantasy Book Reviews ， 2022-03-15 00:00

Another masterpiece by John Gwynne。 Perhaps the best "middle book in a trilogy" released this decade。Hunger of the Gods somehow improves upon Shadow of the Gods which I didn't think would be possible。 Some of the fun of fantasy books is exploring a world for the first time， but Gwynne finds a way to keep this world interesting even after it was properly made clear in the first book。The pacing is wonderful， with frequent high-energy sequences that do not feel forced。 There are multiple extra POVs Another masterpiece by John Gwynne。 Perhaps the best "middle book in a trilogy" released this decade。Hunger of the Gods somehow improves upon Shadow of the Gods which I didn't think would be possible。 Some of the fun of fantasy books is exploring a world for the first time， but Gwynne finds a way to keep this world interesting even after it was properly made clear in the first book。The pacing is wonderful， with frequent high-energy sequences that do not feel forced。 There are multiple extra POVs in this book， which was welcomed as they give the perspective of some of the "baddies"。 This creates a much more appreciated aspect of "morally grey" characters all around， whereas the first book felt more black and white。 There is also a more epic feel to this book as compared to the first one。 The first one ended on an epic scale， but it took some working towards that goal。 This book started there and ramped it up to 11。 Without spoiling anything， it also ends on a note that makes me want to pick up Book 3 yesterday。Also， I need to mention that other fantasy writers need to take note from what John Gwynne has done in the beginning of this book。 Not only does he have a character listing giving a brief description of everyone in the book， but he has a "what happened in book 1" section that makes it so you don't have to go read the first book again to get right back into the series。 I wish every author did these two things -- it makes the experience so much more enjoyable。 This is yet another incredible book from John Gwynne， and for me cements him as the best active fantasy author。 Every one of his books is a 5/5 for me， which is not true for any other fantasy author。 It's frequent for the middle book in a series to be the worst one （looking at you Mistborn）， but thankfully this book breaks from that trend。I was provided with an advanced copy of this book， so I could give an honest review。 Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity。。。。more

Books_and_Crafts ， 2022-03-14 00:00

✨Book Review✨⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Hunger of the Gods by @john_gwynne_author Releases April 14th！This is how you write a woman！ Orka is one of my favorite MCs to read of all time。 She is strong， formidable and knows her way around a blade。 This story picks up where The Shadow of the Gods left off and oh lord… Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned。 Never get in between a mama and her child。As always in Gwynne’s books the writing and world building sucked me in immediately and completely sunk its claws i ✨Book Review✨⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Hunger of the Gods by @john_gwynne_author Releases April 14th！This is how you write a woman！ Orka is one of my favorite MCs to read of all time。 She is strong， formidable and knows her way around a blade。 This story picks up where The Shadow of the Gods left off and oh lord… Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned。 Never get in between a mama and her child。As always in Gwynne’s books the writing and world building sucked me in immediately and completely sunk its claws in。 I love that the old gods really came into play in this book。 My jaw was dropping right and left。 I’m still processing the ending- in true Gwynne fashion， my heart is in tatters。 There is so much more I want to say about this but can’t come up with the right words to do it justice。 5stars is not enough。 This is a must buy author for me- if that wasn’t obvious having read all of his books！ Absolute must read series！ Thank you @orbitbooks for sending me this ARC 🤍 。。。more

Benedict | SFF Oasis ， 2022-03-14 00:00

Enjoy fantasy and sci-fi books but no-one to talk to？ Come join The SFF Oasis， an amazing book discord！ We have buddy reads， trilogy reads， live author Q&As， virtual badges to collect， Dungeons & Dragons， writer's cafe and much much more！ It's completely free and very welcoming。 If you'd like to talk about books with future friends you can join here: http://discord。gg/c2hXSP5MsXI received an arc from Orbit UK in return for an honest review。The story in The Hunger of the Gods picks up exactly whe Enjoy fantasy and sci-fi books but no-one to talk to？ Come join The SFF Oasis， an amazing book discord！ We have buddy reads， trilogy reads， live author Q&As， virtual badges to collect， Dungeons & Dragons， writer's cafe and much much more！ It's completely free and very welcoming。 If you'd like to talk about books with future friends you can join here: http://discord。gg/c2hXSP5MsXI received an arc from Orbit UK in return for an honest review。The story in The Hunger of the Gods picks up exactly where we were left at the end of The Shadow of the Gods and this is a good thing。 It gives us continuity and leaves out a passage of time passing to move the story forward while not giving us any actual story bar a paragraph or two of what if。 John has actually given every reader a huge fist bump by including a ‘story so far’ section which will re-jog the memory of those of you who have read other books since last year。 This itself shows that John listens to his fans， knowing that it can be hard to remember all the previous events and understanding that a section like this can really help a person’s enjoyment of the book as they prepare to re-enter Vigrid。Firstly， I just want to say the cover again has amazing artwork。 Orbit and the artist， Marcus Whinney， have executed this one perfectly。 It screams something big and bad is going to happen， immediately catches your attention and makes you want to read the blurb。 I am already guessing what will be on the cover of the third book and I have it down to one or two options。 Whichever it may be， I’m sure it will look ferocious to match the theme the books have going on。Just like before， we have separate POVs for Orka， Elvar and Varg。 Unlike before， we have some new ones but I will keep their names out of this review so it is a surprise for when you get there。 I personally love chapter POVs like the ones in this story。 They give us different perspectives in a large world and allow us to inevitably have a favourite character （mine is one of the new ones！） so when we get to their chapter we’re excited to find out about them。 This concept has worked extremely well for many books before， including one of my favourite series， A Song of Ice and Fire （Jon Snow’s chapters） and it has worked well here。Of those three Orka is the standout character for her simplistic revenge story。 She is still on the hunt for her son， Breca and this continues throughout this story。 She doesn’t make much character growth but I think because of her age and status， she is a character who is pretty set-up to go。 I liked how she was so focused on this one goal that she took risks that could kill her just to get her son back into her arms。 However， Elvar and Varg make large strides in pushing their character arcs forward， especially Elvar who’s story completely changes from where we first met her。 Varg also grows a lot and finds his place within his group and develops a strong personality within there。 There is a strong found-family vibe going on which is heartwarming and occasionally funny， bringing a smile to my face on numerous occasions。 I found these two characters much more interesting than Orka overall since they change more but I still really enjoyed Orka for being the standout， strong （bad bitch） female type this story is selling。 There is a difference between her path and the other two that sets her apart。 For Elvar and Varg it’s about finding their place in Vigrid， so they share a common goal but for Orka it’s purely about revenge and finding her son。The story is full of brutal action。 As you might expect， there are a lot of fight scenes in this story and John， being someone who is adept at fighting with hand-to-hand weapons as a viking re-enactor， has written them extremely well。 They feel real， vibrant， straight to the point and ruthless in their execution。 I loved how when reading a scene I thought it would go down in a number of steps but it didn’t， it went straight to a sword in the throat and it’s this kind of ‘shock factor’ that makes this world so dangerous to live in， which of course makes it exciting to read。 I like that this has a low number of swords and a higher than-normal number of spears being used。 They’re one of my favourite fantasy weapons and I really enjoyed them taking the forefront here alongside axes， shields and seax’s。One of the biggest and most exciting things in this story is the gods。 You’ll be pleased to know they play a much， much bigger role。 From the end of The Shadow of the Gods you will know of at least one and from the cover of this book you can guess at a second but there are more which I won’t go into here。 They’re big pieces of a moving chess board and I really liked the different ways they’re interacted with depending on who was interacting with them。 Their descriptions and the form（s） they take were interesting and gave a new dynamic to them。 I love how brutal they are and how their interactions with normal people， and tainted people， changed depending on which god it was you were reading about。I love the lore and history John has created in this world。 The gods have really sculpted a place in history for everyone despite being dead for hundreds of years。 They’ve really set the lore from when they were alive and this is evident in every character’s life that you read about， everyone is touched in one way or another by the gods。 I love the influence it has on the world and what this means for certain characters， their beliefs and their actions。There is magic in this story too and it was a cool tool that worked well when needed but didn’t overshadow the realistic fighting you might expect from a Norse-inspired story， giving it a feeling of rarity within the world。 This made those who could wield it more valuable and meant that not every problem could be solved with a magic spell。If you’ve found politics in some fantasy books to be too much then I expect you would love this story。 While there are politics in this book， they’re light and minimal but still provide a satisfying conclusion when they come to their end。 This doesn’t mean that this isn’t an enjoyable book， far from it， it just means that there are more pacey action parts than chunks of tongue-chess to work through （I enjoy politics in fantasy books）。 For anyone not sure what I mean， I don’t mean elections and votes， I mean people betraying each other and arguing over goals， people fighting for what they say is theirs but in a vocal space。Stepping back into this Norse-inspired world was like lighting a firework and waiting for the bang。 It has a big bang and a lot of pretty colours， sometimes too many which is where this let me down slightly。 There are a lot of secondary characters and the comparisons between them were occasionally too confusing for me to fully enjoy。 For example， you have two groups， The Bloodsworn and the Battle-Grim。 These two alone are fairly similar in context and then they have multiple characters within them， and there were a few times where I lost track of who was in which group: Agnar， Elvar， Einar， Gudvarr， Varg…Lif， Lief， Svik， Torvik。 This might not be a problem for some of you but it was just something that lost me a few times and it was only when I saw the word Bloodsworn or Battle-Grim that I was realised who I was with which is potentially why I really enjoyed the new POVs as they were for the most part， separate to this。Overall this is a fantastic， amazing， action packed， god filled story about love， revenge， found family and much more。 If you’ve read the first one then you can expect this one to improve on everything you loved there。 The new POVs are really interesting and probably my favourite addition – the gods， well you’ll have to read for yourself about those。 John has crafted an exciting， rich， vibrant story， full of heart-pounding action and colourful characters that will be talked about around hearth fires and internet forums for many years to come。4。5 rounded up to 5 。。。more

Library of a Viking ， 2022-03-14 00:00

THIS BOOK SAVED ME FROM A READING SLUMPThe Hunger of the Gods is one of my most anticipated releases of 2022。 I loved The Shadow of the Gods and gave it 4。5 stars， and was therefore excited when I received an e-arc of this book。 Moreover， the cover art for this series is incredible。Before I start reviewing this book， I have to mention that this book includes a detailed “story so far” section， a glossary and a character list！ I am so glad to see more books， including a recap in their sequels， bec THIS BOOK SAVED ME FROM A READING SLUMPThe Hunger of the Gods is one of my most anticipated releases of 2022。 I loved The Shadow of the Gods and gave it 4。5 stars， and was therefore excited when I received an e-arc of this book。 Moreover， the cover art for this series is incredible。Before I start reviewing this book， I have to mention that this book includes a detailed “story so far” section， a glossary and a character list！ I am so glad to see more books， including a recap in their sequels， because it can be incredibly challenging to remember all the different plotlines， character names etc。 I was planning on rereading The Shadow of the Gods before picking up this book， but that was not necessary due to a recap being included， so thank you， Orbit！！ So， did this book live up to the hype？Firstly， this series continuously integrates Norse-inspired elements such as lore， legends and using Norse languages， making this book feel like a real Norse epic fantasy！ All the spells are spoken in a language that sounds very familiar to my mother tongue， Faroese。 I am guessing it is Icelandic， but I couldn’t say for certain。 However， the use of language added another layer of enjoyment to this book that most readers will unfortunately not experience。 However， Gwynne always explains what the spells mean or their effects！ The Hunger of the Gods is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2022。 There are so many things that made this such a memorable and enjoyable read！ Firstly， I felt much more invested in the characters in this book！ This book follows Orka， Elvar and Varg after the events of the first book。 Consequently， Gwynne has added two additional POVs！ I enjoyed following every POV in this book！ I remember that I didn’t feel as invested in Elvar’s plotline in the first book， but that was not a problem in The Hunger of the Gods。 All the characters， and even the side characters， are complex and compelling！ Even the new POVs were enjoyable to follow and helped add higher stakes and depth to the world of Vigrið！ I also need to talk about Orka。 In my review for The Shadow of the Gods， I mentioned that Orka had “the potential to become one of my all-time favourite characters”， and I can firmly say that she has entered my hall of fame！ Orka continues to be fierce， compassionate， compelling and complex。 Orka’s sheer will and determination to fight for her loved ones is awe-inspiring。 Fantasy books need more badass mothers！As always， John Gwynne is able to write some of the most vivid and thrilling action sequences。 The battles are epic， cinematic， intense and riveting！ There are few authors that are able to write such great action scenes as Gwynne – and that is high praise coming from a reader who rarely enjoys battle scenes！ Consequently， the themes of loyalty， determination， morality， family， courage and leadership are at the forefront in this book！John Gwynne has improved on everything that made The Shadow of the Gods great！ The stakes are higher， the characters are more compelling， and the world is fleshed out more！ However， this book does feel like a middle book in some ways。 There is a lot of travelling in this book which does slow the pace of the story down a bit。 However， the conclusion is incredible and heartbreaking！ It is worth reading this book just to experience the last chapters of this book！ Even though this book does have some slight pacing issues， Gwynne was able to make me enjoy and feel invested in this story throughout this 600+ page tome！ I can imagine that my rating might lower the more I think about this book。 However， I am giving this book five stars since I enjoyed every page of this book。 The Bloodsworn Saga is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourite series。 John Gwynne has once again been able to craft a cinematic， epic and compelling fantasy story！ I can’t wait for book 3！5 / 5 starsYou can watch my review on Youtube here: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=6zp3o。。。tI received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review。。。。more

TINA ， 2022-03-14 00:00

I didn't just run， I booked it to netgalley when I heard they had this ARC！ I have yet to read a John Gwynne book that I did not love。 This is the second in the Bloodsworn trilogy and by God's this is just good if not better than the first！ It was easier to read since we know who the characters are and where they come from and who they associate with。 I'm not spoiling anything other than telling you to high tail it to where ever you need to go to get book one if you have not read it so you can p I didn't just run， I booked it to netgalley when I heard they had this ARC！ I have yet to read a John Gwynne book that I did not love。 This is the second in the Bloodsworn trilogy and by God's this is just good if not better than the first！ It was easier to read since we know who the characters are and where they come from and who they associate with。 I'm not spoiling anything other than telling you to high tail it to where ever you need to go to get book one if you have not read it so you can prepare for this book！ God's I can't wait for book three and I just received this one！。。。more

Petrik ， 2022-03-14 00:00

ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review。4。5/5 starsThe Hunger of the Gods tempestuous final chapters have successfully prepared readers for the grand conclusion to come。So here we are again， another year and another book by John Gwynne， one of my top favorite authors of all time。 The Shadow of the Gods was one of the best books released in 2021 for me。 The Hunger of the Gods， the second book in The Bloodsworn Saga， is my second most anticipated books—the first one be ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review。4。5/5 starsThe Hunger of the Gods tempestuous final chapters have successfully prepared readers for the grand conclusion to come。So here we are again， another year and another book by John Gwynne， one of my top favorite authors of all time。 The Shadow of the Gods was one of the best books released in 2021 for me。 The Hunger of the Gods， the second book in The Bloodsworn Saga， is my second most anticipated books—the first one belongs to The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson—of 2022。 Before I talk about what worked so well for me in this continuation， it is mandatory for me to give my praises towards the publisher—Orbit Books—and the cover artist: Marcus Whinney。 If you somehow haven’t seen the cover art of The Shadow of the Gods and The Hunger of the Gods， do it now。 Orbit Books and Whinney has created another epic and distinctive cover seller。 The scope of Lik-Rifa and Ulfrir in the cover arts is massive， and the realism looks downright stunning。 Picture: The Hunger of the Gods by Marcus WhinneyAlso， if it has been a while since you’ve read The Shadow of the Gods， Gwynne has included something handy and helpful for his readers， just proving even further that he cares about his readers。 The first few pages of The Hunger of the Gods contained a detailed recap of The Shadow of the Gods， a character list and what happened to them before， plus Norse terminologies and pronunciations guide。 These are all always wonderful to me。 And I’ve said this repeatedly， a detailed recap should be a norm in a sequel in an SFF series。 Any authors who include this section in their books have a bigger chance of me reading their sequel ASAP rather than putting them on a backlog until their series is completed first。 Now， did The Hunger of the Gods live up to my high expectation？ Mostly yes。 Here’s my review on it， and I’m going to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible。 Other than the first three main POV characters of The Shadow of the Gods and one new POV or two supporting characters， I won’t mention any other characters’ names。 “When we die， it does not take long for us to go back to the ground， to become what we were， once the spark of life has left us。 So I do this to remind me， of where we came from， of where we are headed， and that this life is fleeting。 Best to make the most of it。 To fight hard and fierce。”The plotline in The Hunger of the Gods starts immediately from where The Shadow of the Gods ended。 The three main POV characters—Orka， Varg， Elvar—from the first book have to deal with the aftermath of their respective conclusion。 It is worth noting that the three main POV characters in The Shadow of the Gods didn’t have an intersecting storyline or chapters until literally the last chapter of the book。 In The Hunger of the Gods， the story， conflicts， and missions of Orka， Varg， and Elvar converged in several sections。 Essentially， the three returning main characters embarked upon their own respective rescue mission。 The themes of loneliness， found family， forgiveness， courage， glory， and leadership are still dominant in this brutal Norse-inspired fantasy world and series。 However， Gwynne has added two new POV characters into The Hunger of the Gods， and I think they added the extra depth that the series needed。 But before we get to that， I will tell you what I loved about Orka， Varg， and Elvar’s POV first。 “Real courage is to feel fear， but to stand and face it， not run from it。”Orka and her story arc was easily the biggest highlight of The Shadow of the Gods for me。 It was a simple revenge and rescue story executed magnificently。 With that book alone， Orka has become one of my favorite characters in fantasy。 It should not come as a surprise that I continue to enjoy reading Orka's POV chapters immensely。 Almost every moment of being inside her head was so delightful。 Seeing her incredible strength and determination to protect what she loves remains inspiring。 Technically， a few moments aside， Orka did not develop much as a character。 Considering her relatively older age， prowess， and expertise in war， she was already ahead in wisdom （when she's not too pissed， at least） compared to many other characters in the series。 But I just loved reading about the relationships she built with the other supporting characters。 Plus， the battle scenes in her chapters—especially the final few chapters—were utterly breathtaking。 Also， I am a big fan of the God of War video games。 Whether it's the Greek-mythology original trilogy or the newly released Norse-mythology one， I think they're all masterwork in video games。 And I know John Gwynne and his family are all fans of the Norse-mythology God of War video game， too。 That's why it genuinely made me happy to see this nod to the video game。 “I am sorry，” Lif said。“Do not be sorry，” Orka growled， “be better。”Gif: “Do not be sorry， be better。” From God of WarBut enough about Orka， you all know how much I loved her chapters already。 Let's talk a bit about Varg and the Bloodsworn before we move on to talking about Elvar。 If you've read The Shadow of the Gods， then you will know that the theme of friendship and found family shines the most in Varg's and Elvar's chapters。 This is still the same case here。 Although his chapters were relatively less intense for the majority of the book， I think Gwynne has successfully nailed the balance of see-saw in the calm and the intense moments in Varg's POV chapters。 Remember Svik's cheese story in The Shadow of the Gods， another one regarding how life is not fair made a return here， and it was a great chapter， though less humorous， for sure。 All of this does not mean that Varg's chapters were devoid of pulse-pounding battle scenes。 It's fewer than Gwynne's usual standard， but the Gwynnado in the middle part of the novel that revolved around his chapters were unputdownable。 “Brother。 How have I had such good fortune to find these people， after so many years of loneliness and pain？” Elvar was the main character that took me longer than the other characters to feel invested in The Shadow of the Gods。 However， I knew from the last quarter， and the end of the first novel， that she's going to be a crucially important character in The Bloodsworn Saga， and The Hunger of the Gods proved that。 Elvar's starting and concluding chapters in this book were impactful。 Witnessing how much she has developed since her first chapter in The Shadow of the Gods was undeniably satisfying to me。 The theme of leadership was strong in Orka's chapters， but it's even more evident in Elvar and the Battle-Grim's story。 Also， following the epic bloodbath in the conclusion of Elvar's story in The Shadow of the Gods， the calamity and destruction displayed in the last few chapters of Elvar's story in this book were Gwynne's epic and thrilling battle scenes at their best。 “Life is a knife’s edge， and all can change with the thrust of a blade。”As you can probably guess， Orka， Varg， and Elvar's chapters were compelling for me。 How about the two new POV characters？ Well， I'm glad Gwynne decided to add them into this book。 Having villain’s POV chapters was one of the key ingredients that made The Banished Lands Saga brilliant。 These two new POV characters added an extra layer to the narrative。 And one of the things I appreciate most about one of the new POV characters—Gudvarr—is this， Gwynne is doing something new that he has never done before with Gudvarr’s inner voice。 By this， I mean that Gwynne is emulating what one of my favorite authors and series of all time did， and that is Joe Abercrombie's style on Sand dan Glokta and Jezal dan Luthar in The First Law trilogy。 The arrogance， pettiness， cowardice， and humor somehow made Gudvarr an intriguing character。 This is good， especially considering how much I disliked his actions。 But the contrast between his actions and inner thoughts was well done。 It may not be Abercrombie's level yet—to be fair， no one can do what Abercrombie did with Glokta—but I am pleased to see Gwynne trying out new things and making it work。 Take a look at these two passages， for example: ‘“It’s rude，” Gudvar muttered， “and would not be so brave and foolish as to insult me if those bars were not there to protect it。”I’m glad those bars are there to protect me， he thought。”’Or this “Are you Gudvarr？” the man asked him。How do you know that？ As if I would tell you， you sniveling oaf。The man’s eyes bored into him with a fierce intensity。“Yes，” he rasped。These are the kind of passages you’ll get with Gudvarr’s POV chapters。 Reminiscent of Glokta， right？So now you might wonder， why did I not give a 5 stars rating to The Hunger of the Gods？ After all， I gave all of these praises already。 And despite it having fewer battle scenes than Gwynne's standard in his sequels， the Gwynnado in the middle section and the final 15% of the novel were excellent as always。 However， I also have to admit that The Hunger of the Gods felt like it's filled with the infamous middle book syndrome in several sections。 Remember， this is still a superb book for me。 I loved all the character's POV chapters。 But at roughly 210k words and more than 600 pages long， it seems like almost the entirety of the novel revolved around them （all the POV characters） traveling。 They travel to one place， they do something there briefly。 And then they travel again to another destination， and then they do something again。 I loved all the characters， the battles， and the Norse-mythology world plus creatures， but having these traveling sections repeated until the end of the novel did get tiresome at times。 I strongly encourage you to use the map provided at the front of the book。 It's easy to forget where each POV character is going because everyone was constantly traveling to a place before moving on to travel again。 “To grieve is to be trapped in a world of loneliness。”I am grieving。 Giving John Gwynne’s newest book anything below 5 stars literally pains me。 Other than Malice， which I gave a 4。5 stars rating just like this book， I gave all of his other books a 5 stars rating。 But as we all know already， none of our top favorite authors can keep a 5/5 stars track record lasting forever。 I still love this book so much。 My minor issue with the pacing aside， The Hunger of the Gods have furious battle scenes， savage display of power， intricate world-building， and well-written characters。 A new age of gods and swords has dawned on Vigrid。 If you are familiar with Norse mythology， I doubt it will be difficult for you to predict where the story will go or end up since The Shadow of the Gods。 Despite this， The Hunger of the Gods proved to be another marvel written by Gwynne。 I needed the third and final book yesterday。 And just for fun， I predict the third book of the trilogy will be titled The Battle of the Gods or The War of the Gods。 “Svik should be more like me… He should make a stone of his heart。”“I can see that would help avoid the pain of betrayal， true enough， but it also stops you feeling the joy of friendship or love。”You can pre-order this book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Blackwells （Free International shipping）The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication。You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channelSpecial thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing！My Patrons: Alfred， Andrew， Amanda， Annabeth， Ben， Blaise， Diana， Dylan， Edward， Elias， Ellen， Ellis， Gary， Hamad， Helen， Jimmy Nutts， Joie， Luis， Lufi， Melinda， Meryl， Mike， Miracle， Neeraja， Nicholas， Oliver， Reno， Samantha， Samuel， Sarah， Sarah， Scott， Shawna， Xero， Wendy， Wick， Zoe。。。。more

Kyle Erickson ， 2022-03-13 00:00

This book was determined to be a 4 star until the last 30 pages or so。 So it gets 4。5。 Full review coming later， but essentially this is a great followup to Shadow of the Gods that suffers from middle book syndrome in places。 I cannot wait for book three though！！

Blaise ， 2022-03-13 00:00

https://undertheradarsffbooks。com/202。。。I received an ARC of this book from Orbit in exchange for an honest review。 It has been no secret for those who have followed my reviews that John Gwynne is my all time favorite author。 The Faithful and the Fallen is still my favorite Epic Fantasy series to this day and I was overjoyed to be able to read an early copy for The Hunger of the Gods。 I am pleased to say that this is a fast paced sequel with some wild twist， but ultimately I found myself not bei https://undertheradarsffbooks。com/202。。。I received an ARC of this book from Orbit in exchange for an honest review。 It has been no secret for those who have followed my reviews that John Gwynne is my all time favorite author。 The Faithful and the Fallen is still my favorite Epic Fantasy series to this day and I was overjoyed to be able to read an early copy for The Hunger of the Gods。 I am pleased to say that this is a fast paced sequel with some wild twist， but ultimately I found myself not being as invested in the story as I would have wanted。 This is an unpopular opinion I realize and I will get into my reasoning shortly but this is still a wonderful book and many of you will enjoy what it has to offer。 This will be a spoiler free review but I will be touching upon events from book 1。At the end of book 1， we experienced the release of the dragon god onto the world with the help for the followers。 Orka is still on the hunt for her kidnapped child Breca and she will follow his trail to the ends of the earth to find him。 Now in the company of the Bloodsworn once again， all the soldiers marvel as her legend continues to grow。 Varg， now in the company of Orka， must quickly muster his strength as his quest to find the killer of his sister is still at hand。 His journey will take him to the farthest reaches of the world if he can survive the trip。 Elvar witnessed the dragons release first hand and is at a loss for words。 Now the newly elected captain takes her soldiers into the dragons prison to find hidden treasures but they are not what anyone is expecting。 Blood will be spilled and the only way to stop this unstoppable force is to find an immovable object。 Or in this case， the resurrection of another God。I will leave the summary here as any further details will contain spoilers。 John Gwynne’s writing continues to be top notch as the characters seem to jump off of the page。 The Hunger of the Gods also contains some of the bloodiest battle scenes in all of his work and even some torture scenes as well。 There is so much to love about this book but for me it feel short of expectations for the following reasons。 Two new characters are introduced in this novel and I found myself constantly confused as to which character did what and with which group。 With the fast moving pace of this book， I had to double back several times to read sections and the characters names I had a hard time keeping track of。 Some scenes I had a hard time understanding what was added to the story with its inclusion and this felt to me like a classic middle book in a series。 It pains me to say this but this is how I felt upon reading the last page。The characters and battle scenes still kept me invested until the end and everything is no set up for the concluding volume。 Not every book will click with every single reader the same and sadly this is one for me。 I will happily read the concluding volume and I hope readers enjoy this more than I did and a reread could change my initial thoughts。Cheers！。。。more

Alicia • shethereader ， 2022-03-12 00:00

3。5 stars The Hunger of the Gods is the second installment in John Gwynne's new Norse-inspired series。 Lik-Rifa is alive and fing terrifying。 Orka is ripping through the entire world to find her Breca。 Varg No-Sense is embracing his inner beast。 Elvar is leading the Battle Grim to glory。 The Battle-Plain is more alive than ever with dead gods and horrific vaesen。 It's no surprise that Gwynne continues to bring dark and vivid imagery。 You can't read through a single chapter without feeling 3。5 stars The Hunger of the Gods is the second installment in John Gwynne's new Norse-inspired series。 Lik-Rifa is alive and fing terrifying。 Orka is ripping through the entire world to find her Breca。 Varg No-Sense is embracing his inner beast。 Elvar is leading the Battle Grim to glory。 The Battle-Plain is more alive than ever with dead gods and horrific vaesen。 It's no surprise that Gwynne continues to bring dark and vivid imagery。 You can't read through a single chapter without feeling the grimness seeping into you。 Scenes are bloody， dirty， and downright disgusting with violence。 I LOVE IT。 This series and Gwynne's other series in the Banished Lands are some of my go-to examples for natural worldbuilding。 It's the pinnacle of "show， don't tell" in my eyes。 There's not an abundance of lore added for the sake of making things complicated。 There are no info dumps or little cross-references to keep track of。 It's blunt and in your face。 Just like Orka Skullspliter。The characters continue to hold my heart in this series， and we get to spend a lot of quality time with them in this book。 We see more of Orka's history come to light。 We see Varg and Elvar beginning to embrace who they are in their own ways。 And then we get TWO additional POVs。 While they seem to be added to have "eyes on the scene" in key areas of the story， I didn't mind it too much。 I did have an issue with some of Guðvarr's chapters， particularly his cheesy inner monologues， but I think much of it can be attributed to the fact that he is a complete niðing。Though I enjoyed returning to this land， this book did not grip me quite as hard as the first one did。 The pacing was steady， yet… it felt like nothing was actually happening for much of the book。 Gwynne keeps his chapters short and changes POVs often， so it feels like it's moving， but it's not。 There were whole chapters I read where I'd finish reading and be like "ok they just partied and played a game" or "oh， they were just sailing and talking"。 I distinctly remember one of my praises from The Shadow of the Gods was that every single chapter felt like it pushed the story forward。 That just didn't feel the case in this one。 It was a lot of traveling with some small amounts of action peppered throughout。 It served to bring more dimension to the characters， but the plot suffered too much from it。 I wanted MORE。 More epic clashes。 More twists and turns。 There is so much potential for this world and I feel a little bit short-changed with the amount of plot movement we received。 I think the middle book syndrome really caught up with this one， though I will say we are set up for what will likely be an explosive finale to the trilogy。 I'll be there！As a final note， I still really appreciate Gwynne's storytelling and style。 You can tell he （or maybe his editor） actually pays attention to the readers' feedback。 Since the first book， he has added a character list， a glossary for the plethora of Viking terms， and a "what happened in the last book" summary。 Little things like this go a long way to pleasing readers and giving them the tools to get comfortable in a new world。 I'm not done with his current works yet， but there likely won't be a book from Gwynne I don't end up reading。 I applaud this one as another step in an ever-expanding collection of epic tales。 Special thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。--OH！ Wait， one more complaint。 WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET A FELINE GOD？ A lion？ A tiger？ A tabby cat？ Please sir Mr。 Gwynne… if it doesn't ruin canon too much， can we get one added ASAP？ Because we have a wolf and a hound and at this point， it's just disrespectful。 THANKS！！！！！！！！！！！！！！-- TL;DR5。0 —One of the best I've ever read。 Will be burned into my brain。 Couldn't care less about weaknesses （if any）。 Would recommend to everyone and their mother。4。5 —Loved this read。 Will remember it fondly。 Few weaknesses。 Would recommend to anyone。4。0 —Enjoyed this read。 Will remember it fondly。 Minor weaknesses。 Would recommend to fans of the genre。▌3。5 —Somewhat enjoyed this read。 Might be memorable。 Notable weaknesses。 Would recommend to fans of the genre。3。0 —Somewhat enjoyed this read。 Not very memorable。 Notable weaknesses。 Would recommend to people who like similar books。2。5 —Neutral or Underwhelming read。 Not very memorable。 Significant weaknesses。 Would recommend to people who like similar books。2。0 —Underwhelming or unenjoyable read。 Not very memorable or memorable for the wrong reasons。 Significant weaknesses。 Might recommend to people who like similar books。1。5 —Unenjoyable read。 Not very memorable or memorable for bad reasons。 Major weaknesses。 Probably wouldn't recommend。1。0 —I wish I never wasted minutes of my life on this trash。 I would go out of my way to convince others not to read it。。。。more

Ashley Granger ， 2022-03-12 00:00

Just as good， if not better， than the first。 I loved it， kept checking the percentage and getting sadder as the pages kept turning， knowing it was going to end and now I have to wait for the next one！Also， me in Missouri: So， like， any Viking reenactments around here？？

Connie ， 2022-03-12 00:00

The Hunger of the Gods is book 2 in the Bloodsworn saga and the action continues from where it left off in book 1。 Lik-Rifa - the Dragon God - has been freed from her prison and is planning bloody vengeance。 This is a Norse inspired epic fantasy that just gets better and better。 The characters， Orka， Varg， and Elvar， from the first book have really grown and we get new POVs from a couple of other characters， one of which is often humorous in bleak situations。There's a lot going on in this story The Hunger of the Gods is book 2 in the Bloodsworn saga and the action continues from where it left off in book 1。 Lik-Rifa - the Dragon God - has been freed from her prison and is planning bloody vengeance。 This is a Norse inspired epic fantasy that just gets better and better。 The characters， Orka， Varg， and Elvar， from the first book have really grown and we get new POVs from a couple of other characters， one of which is often humorous in bleak situations。There's a lot going on in this story and there were a few twists that I didn't see coming。 The cover is fabulous too。Looking forward to book 3 and hoping that one of my favourites pulls through。Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC。。。。more

Karen ， 2022-03-12 00:00

1st reading : 9th-12th March 2022Rating : UNIVERSE out of 5- 15th book in the month of March 2022- 67th book in 2022 reading challengeDisclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley + in exchange for an honest opinion。 Thank you Netgalley for the ARC！TW : Animals death， blood， child abuse， child death， drug abuse， domestic violence， emotional abuse， graphic murder details， graphic torture details， manipulation， major characters death， physical abuse， racism （races within the universe）， slaveryW 1st reading : 9th-12th March 2022Rating : UNIVERSE out of 5- 15th book in the month of March 2022- 67th book in 2022 reading challengeDisclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley + in exchange for an honest opinion。 Thank you Netgalley for the ARC！TW : Animals death， blood， child abuse， child death， drug abuse， domestic violence， emotional abuse， graphic murder details， graphic torture details， manipulation， major characters death， physical abuse， racism （races within the universe）， slaveryWARNING！ This book is a grim dark fantasy so the book is full of things that some people may find offensive and disturbing。 It contains some graphic murders， tortures， and mentions of abuse。 Please read the trigger warning first because everything that I have mentioned in TW section are there， in the book。 Before I start raving about this book， I want to warn you again to read all the TWs in my TW section above because even me， who is really into grim dark fantasy books， found that some of the contents within the book are highly disturbing。 It’s very different from the first book。 If you’re someone who is easily triggered， please don’t read the book。 You can also find a brief introduction about the universe in my first book review。This book is my number one most anticipated book that will be released in 2022。 I pre-ordered my signed copy from Waterstones in January 2022 as soon as I see them on the web。 I got the first book as an ARC from Orbit through Netgalley and I really enjoy the book。 It made to my top 3 best books in 2021。 Since then， I’ve been monitoring Netgalley's web because I want to get the ARC of the second book （mainly because the first book ended with a super terrible cliff-hanger， I hate cliff-hanger）。 One day， I finally found that the ARC of The Hunger of The Gods can be requested through Netgalley and I did as soon as possible。 I actually felt afraid that I will have to wait until April （probably May） in order to read the second book but in March 2nd 2022， I finally got approved and received the ARC。 I actually plan to read it as soon as the copy arrived to my Kindle library but I decided to wait until I bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite 11th gen。 My journey started from March 9th until March 12th。 This book is even better than the first book。 I cried， got mad， laughed throughout my journey reading this book。 What I really appreciate about this book is that there are three sections before the first chapter。 Those three sections are characters list， difficult words within the universe （about the magic system and hierarchy system）， and a summary of what happened in the first book。 I actually still remember some events that happened in the first book so I don’t re-read it this year but I read the summary that was given within the ARC。 Those sections definitely help me understand and remember more details about what happened in the first book。 This is the second book within the Bloodsworn Saga so at least the readers know what to expect in this book。 This book is easier to read because we have already known the characters， their gangs， the hierarchy in this universe， the magic system， the legends， and the places within the universe。 I don’t have to guess a lot as what I did in the first book。 This book consists of 78 chapters with 5 characters’ POVs。 They’re Orka， Varg， Elvar， Biorr， and Guðvarr。 3 protagonists and 2 antagonists。 If I have to rank from my favorite to my least favorite POV， then it would be Orka-Varg-Elvar=Biorr， Guðvarr。 As I said， the readers have information about characters and nearly everything within this universe so the pacing is not that slow like in the first book。 The pacing is perfect （not too fast and not too slow）。 This book is focusing on political intrigue and revenge。 I also want to say that the cover of this book is HIGHLY not spoiler-free。 You can definitely guess what will happen after Lik-Rifa’s resurrection。 All characters are grey morality characters。 Even our protagonists did kill a lot of people and also had slaves （except Varg）。 I can’t really pinpoint who is the real ‘antagonist’ in this world。 This is just basically a war and battle among grey morality characters。 Bad shits happened to nearly all characters， not only to the ‘protagonists’ but also to some of the ‘antagonists’。 My top three characters in this book are Orka， Vol， and Uspa。 If I have to give a little spoiler about the characters， I will say something like this : Orka - the badass mother who every child wants to haveVarg - ‘the innocent with no sense’ brother Elvar - youngest sister who is vengefulBiorr - a confused dudeGuðvarr - a coward and the ‘why don’t you die already？’ bad guySkalk - ‘I want to see you die in the most painful way’ dudePrince Hakon - our comedianBreca - best boy Myrk - ‘I want to bitch-slap you’ girl So what’s the update in this book？ Orka - （view spoiler）[ALIVE - finally meet Breca but is unconscious in chapter 78。（hide spoiler）]Varg - （view spoiler）[ALIVE - losing one ear and currently still hunting for Prince Jaromir （hide spoiler）]Elvar - （view spoiler）[ALIVE - She is the chief of Battle-Grim after winning in holmganga and then before the end of the book she killed Jarl-Sigrun， her father， and also killed Thorun， her older brother， and became the new Jarl of Snakavik。（hide spoiler）]Biorr - （view spoiler）[ALIVE - currently battling Orka and the bloodsworns that came with Orka to the children’s tent。（hide spoiler）]Guðvarr - （view spoiler）[ALIVE - a coward but somehow he’s still alive up until the end of the book。 He’s currently with Raven-feeders having a battle with Orna and Queen Helka’s drengrs。（hide spoiler）]DEAD - （view spoiler）[Arild （a drengr - tortured by someone from Skalk’s minion）， Huld （Battle-Grim -during holmganga with Elvar）， Ketil the Silent （Battle-Grim - killed by Ulfrir， Reva Hare-Legs （Bloodsworn - killed by Biorr）， Ingmar Ice （Bloodsworn - killed by Prince Jaromir）， Kalv （Raven-feeders - killed by Skalk， Kraka （Sieðr-witch - killed by Biorr - captured when she wants to get Bjarn back to Uspa）， Jarl Storr （Lord of Snakavik and Elvar’s father - killed by Ulfrir and Skald by Elvar’s command）， Thorun Storrson （Elvar’s older brother - killed by Elvar）， Fain （Stroloft and Kalv’s father - killed by Orka）， Queen Helka （ruler of Darl - killed by Jarl Sigrun）， Prince Hakon （Helka’s firstborn - killed by Guðvarr），（hide spoiler）]UNKNOWN - （view spoiler）[Edel （Bloodsworn）， Einar Half-Troll （Bloodsworn）， Orna （Eagle God）（hide spoiler）]Ambition is overrated I tab， highlight， and take notes while I read this book。 It’s such a nice experience as I read this book as the first book that I read using my very first Kindle。 I highly recommend all the readers to tab， highlight， and annotate the book while you read it。 You’ll understand better that way。 So far， this book is my number one favorite book that I read in 2022。 It’s also the best new release in 2022 that I’ve read so far。 It’s hard to predict whether this book will be a trilogy or a quartet or maybe a series with more than 5 books。 I personally think that it’s going to be too short to complete this whole epic saga in three books。 I’m basically okay with any number of books within this saga。 This is the second book by John Gwynne that I’ve read so far。 He’s definitely one of my favorite authors。 He’s also now one of my auto-buy authors。。。。more

Tyra Leann ， 2022-03-09 00:00

5/5 stars。 A big thanks to the publisher， Orbit for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。Full review at FanFiAddict: https://fanfiaddict。com/review-the-hu。。。This is an incredible sequel and I cannot understate that enough。 Everything that was great about book one somehow only improved in book two。 My time with Orka， Varg， and Elvar remains a treasure。 5/5 stars。 A big thanks to the publisher， Orbit for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。Full review at FanFiAddict: https://fanfiaddict。com/review-the-hu。。。This is an incredible sequel and I cannot understate that enough。 Everything that was great about book one somehow only improved in book two。 My time with Orka， Varg， and Elvar remains a treasure。。。。more

Scott Saunders ， 2022-03-09 00:00

After finished the epic The Shadow of the Gods （SOTG）， I needed to jump straight back into the battle， so to speak， so firstly a huge thank must go to the publisher and author for approving my request on NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased honest review。The Hunger of the Gods （HOTG） start off immediately after the epic conclusion of SOTG。We have Orka still on the hunt for her missing son。 Varg is trying to come to terms with his new life with the Bloodsworn， plus plot his revenge。 Finally we h After finished the epic The Shadow of the Gods （SOTG）， I needed to jump straight back into the battle， so to speak， so firstly a huge thank must go to the publisher and author for approving my request on NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased honest review。The Hunger of the Gods （HOTG） start off immediately after the epic conclusion of SOTG。We have Orka still on the hunt for her missing son。 Varg is trying to come to terms with his new life with the Bloodsworn， plus plot his revenge。 Finally we have Elvar and the Battle-Grimm continuing with their blood oath task of trying to save Uspa son。An initial plus point in HOTG compared to SOTG was the extra POVs from the other side of the battle and I for one was so happy to see this。 One such POV was that of Biorr， it was very interesting to see Biorr POV， what were his motives， and how would his time with the Battle-Grimm affect him going forwards。We also got to see the POV of Gudvarr the snot nosed weasel with his only focus being self-preservation。Both of these POVs were great to follow。 What you come to expect from a second book in a series is growth in terms of both world building and storytelling。 There is no exception with HOTG。As our cast of POV grows it’s natural the world will grow with it， it was so good to see more of Vigrio。From a story perspective we really start to see the scope and grand scale come to the fore front。 You can easily get sucked into thinking these books are just huge battle scenes with little substance。 Of course， this view is total false， the story telling perfectly grows in line with the other key ingredients of this book， namely pace， world building and action。 It would be remiss of me not to mention the writing in this review。 John’s writing style is just so accessible and easy。 If anything the writing seems to be getting sharper with ever book。 One of my favourite parts about this book is starting to see some of the POVs storylines starting to converge。 Seeing Orka and the Battle-Grimm interact was just awesome。The pacing in this book is much faster than SOTG。 The final 20% of this book was such a thrill ride， If you blinked you will missed it。 I really struggled to put this book down， which was a great thing。The HOTG is explosive， bloody brilliant second book this is series。 John Gwynne has managed to raise the stakes from SOTG and leave the reader wanting more， I’m so excited to read the next book， I have no doubts this will be even more epic than HOTG。5/5 ⭐️ rating 。。。more

Joelene Weeks ， 2022-03-07 00:00

This is my most anticipated book of the year and it didn't disappoint！ I took my time reading， savoring every minute wandering the Battle-Plain， lost in this "world of tooth and claw。" John Gwynne is a masterful storyteller， and the Bloodsworn Saga has been nothing short of pure excellence。 Book 3 can't come soon enough！ This is my most anticipated book of the year and it didn't disappoint！ I took my time reading， savoring every minute wandering the Battle-Plain， lost in this "world of tooth and claw。" John Gwynne is a masterful storyteller， and the Bloodsworn Saga has been nothing short of pure excellence。 Book 3 can't come soon enough！。。。more

Nick Borrelli ， 2022-03-07 00:00

John Gwynne's books are always difficult for me to review because so much happens， the characters are really complex （in a good way） and there's often a rich and detailed history to his tales that are hard to encapsulate in a short review。 So I will do my best， although I feel like no matter what I come up with it won't come anywhere near doing this book or series justice。The second in Gwynne's Bloodsworn Saga picks up immediately following the events that concluded the first book。 Orka is still John Gwynne's books are always difficult for me to review because so much happens， the characters are really complex （in a good way） and there's often a rich and detailed history to his tales that are hard to encapsulate in a short review。 So I will do my best， although I feel like no matter what I come up with it won't come anywhere near doing this book or series justice。The second in Gwynne's Bloodsworn Saga picks up immediately following the events that concluded the first book。 Orka is still desperately traversing the continent looking for those who tore apart her family， while hoping that it still isn't too late to save her son。 Her rugged determination throughout this entire series is really what carries this story for me。 I haven't come across a main character who I've immediately connected with quite like I have with Orka。 To say she's a true badass would be an understatement。 She has more than earned her moniker of Orka Skullsplitter， which is one of the cooler names in fantasy I have to admit。The POVs in this book are slightly expanded。 In book one the focus was pretty much on three main characters， however we get a little bit of a wider scope in THE HUNGER OF THE GODS and this makes sense given that the story is expanding considerably as well。 That being said， I didn't mind the fact that we experience some other characters' journeys and it wasn't confusing as their stories intersect with the main characters much of the time。 So Gwynne has definitely given us a broader view of the players in book two and the results are spectacular。One thing in particular that I really loved about this book is that Gwynne peels back the curtain a bit further on the mythical aspect of this Norse-inspired fantasy epic。 The gods begin to emerge more and it really takes this already engaging plot to another level entirely。 No longer are we dealing with disputes and battles among humans， now ancient （and in some cases downright evil） gods are attempting to influence matters。 Consequently， the magic that was only somewhat present in The Shadow of the Gods is considerably ramped up in this entry。 I didn't think it was possible for me to be wowed by a John Gwynne book more than I already have leading up to this point。 But he continues to amaze me with his ability to introduce unique compelling storylines， magnificent otherworldly creatures， interesting characters who you care about so deeply， and that trademark Gwynne writing that is always tight， witty， and filled with memorable quotes that you can't help but highlight and refer back to later。 There's also an interesting dichotomy when dealing with a book like this。 I wanted to savor every page and slow down to enjoy it more， but at the same time I couldn't help devouring it in huge marathon sessions because the story is just that great。 So I finished fairly quickly for an almost 700-page doorstopper and now I am quite sad that I will have yet another long wait for the next one。 But that's also the joy of reading amazing books， that anticipation for something that is potentially even greater down the road。 And I can say without hesitation that this series fits the bill。If you are looking for one of the best Norse-inspired epic fantasy stories， then you really must pick up this series。 John Gwynne has certainly done his homework and created one of the greatest escape reads I've ever come across。 Resurrected gods， warring clans， perilous quests， mesmerizing magic， a landscape that transports you to an amazing new place， and a sense of wonder that attracts us all to fantasy books in the first place。 As far as I'm concerned Gwynne has only further cemented his place among the very best writers in the genre。 Just run and get your copy the moment it hits the shelves， you will not be disappointed。。。。more

Lexi ， 2022-03-06 00:00

This book is probably objectively good but I lost all passion and interest in the story between the release of book 2。 This is just not my thing apparently。

Sarah Rice gallego ， 2022-03-06 00:00

Again， this book has the most amazing cover art！ The hunger of the Gods is the sequel to The Shadow of the Gods and dives in straight where the first novel left us。 We're thrown into the aftermath of the dragon God， Lik Rifa's， vengeful release into the world， We continue to follow Varg as he becomes accustomed to his new life as a tainted warrior in the Bloodsworn， watching as his saga song grows and he manages to make enemies at every turn。 Elvar has huge decisions to make as she deals with th Again， this book has the most amazing cover art！ The hunger of the Gods is the sequel to The Shadow of the Gods and dives in straight where the first novel left us。 We're thrown into the aftermath of the dragon God， Lik Rifa's， vengeful release into the world， We continue to follow Varg as he becomes accustomed to his new life as a tainted warrior in the Bloodsworn， watching as his saga song grows and he manages to make enemies at every turn。 Elvar has huge decisions to make as she deals with the death of Agnar， her chief and the betrayal of Biorr， her lover， whilst still ensuring she keeps her blood oath。 And of course， the amazing Orka， still hell bent on finding her son and avenging the death of her beloved Thorkel。 I didn't think I could be in awe of her anymore after the first novel， but then I read this one！This book packed with action and bloody battles， norse mythology， betrayal and heartbreak。 We're privy to the POV's of two more characters who really help to bring the narrative to life。 This was such a fantastic read and I'm ready for the next instalment in the saga。Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review。。。。more

Paul Sparks ， 2022-03-05 00:00

When I read Shadow of the Gods I enjoyed it immensely but thought at times it felt slow， also it was told from the person of the main 3 characters， this absolutely incredible sequel is NOT slow and follows not only from our “heroes “ pov but from the characters we would like to meet orka or varg and not in a hello let’s have a drink kind of way！ I have already preordered the audiobook as I want to enjoy it again

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Hunger of the Gods

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Hunger of the Gods&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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

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