Rating: 5/5
Summary from Amazon:
"THE GREATEST SAGAS ARE WRITTEN IN BLOOD.
A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out. As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrid, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn. All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods."
I hardly even know where to begin with this one. It's always so hard for me to talk about books that I thoroughly enjoyed. This was just such a well-done start to a new series. It has everything that you want out of a fantasy novel, but it also has the addition of being based on Viking culture. There's magic, monsters, fallen gods, battles, twists, journeys, it's just everything I need from a long-form fantasy book. The way that Gwynne had the different perspectives play out and overlap was very clever. It's always so satisfying to see different plot lines overlap. The whole tone of the book was very dark and gritty. From the vivid description of battles to the raw energy that seems to emanate from the book as a whole; this book was very graphic. Of course, this is what I expect to see from a viking-inspired fantasy series that centers on war bands. Nothing felt sugar-coated and I personally like that in an adult fantasy book. There was excellent world-building and the start to some quality character development that I expect to see more of as the series progresses. There was a pervasive message of the importance of family (both the family that you're born into and especially that of found family).
I throughly enjoyed the way that magic was woven into the story. Magic was, by no means, a focus in the book. Rather, it was included almost as a way to link the people in Vigrid (not the correct spelling, but I don't have the correct letters to type everything 100% correct), to the fallen gods that they've all grown to disdain. Most of the magic in the books is possessed by those who are "tainted", AKA those who have god blood within their bloodline. The god that they are associated with directly connects to the powers/abilities that they have. Most of this we learn firsthand or through history that we learn often through the usage of saga tales told by characters. Given the importance places upon sagas and. battle fame within the culture of this world, it makes sense that we learn about histories and even some characters second-hand through tales. This connects back to the careful world-building of the book. There were also some excellent characters in the story, many of which I think we will get to learn more about as the series progresses (Grend and Biorr are two that I'm particularly interested in, especially given the very end of the book). There were some very strong female characters (particularly Orka) who were very refreshing protagonists as well.
I don't have any technical concerns for the book. I thought it was very well executed in a way that was very readable. It wasn't overly complicated, but the tone itself felt very appropriate given the subject matter and the culture that the book emulated. My only qualms were that I personally did not care much for Elvar's perspective. I just didn't vibe with her character. I'd also have liked to have been told more about the different kinds of Vaesen. Just a bit more extensive work with them as a species I suppose. On a different note, something I'd like to see in the next book is some kind of glossary/dictionary/index in the back of the book. I know that there are plenty of fantasy novels that will include a glossary at the end of the book when they've introduced a lot of new information to the reader. I'd personally like to see something similar in the sequel, especially since some of the words can be hard to look up with the plain, English alphabet. Plus, there are so many named characters, it would be nice to be able to refer back to something when you've forgotten a name.
All in all, this was a very solid start to a new fantasy series. I read it physically, but I honestly think that this would be a fantastic audiobook (I might just end up listening prior to the release of the sequel). I cannot wait to read the next book whenever it comes out! Thank you so much to Orbit Books for sending me a copy to read and review, it was an absolute blast! If you like Viking-Inspired books or if you're looking to get on board with a new work of fantasy, this is the book for you! The Shadow of the Gods is now available everywhere!