Blood of Wolves

Adelais has returned to her homeland. She longs for a simple life, one where she is free to love and be loved, one where she can be herself, just a woman, and not the supposed savior of her people. But it is not to be. Even in Duke Ragenar’s court, people clamor to see her and hail her as the örlaga vefari, the fate weaver foretold by prophecy. And even in Duke Ragenar’s court, the arm of those who want to kill her reaches out.

The runes cast to foretell Adelais’ possible future speak of betrayal and victory at great cost. She may not want to be the chosen one, but war is coming, and want it or not, Adelais finds herself at the center of it. And so begins a battle not only between opposing countries, but a battle between the old gods of Vriesland the the new god of Ischyros. One side led by the she-wolf in cloth of gold, the other led by a most holy relic shrouded in gold.

As always, G. N. Gudgion does a marvelous job with his characters. Familiar characters appear in the story, with no certainty as to which of them will survive until the end. New characters are added, and Hjalmar, son of the northern lord Jarl Magnus and friend of Adelais, in particular won my heart. Revna, Magnus’ seidkhona, also quickly became a favorite.

Rune magic played a more prominent part in this book, as Gudgion gives us more of the underlying mythology. Magic plays an important role at several key points in the story, and it’s just fascinating to read about. The Nornir, Norse goddesses of fate, play a part in the story, and we again see the she-wolf shadowing Adelais, bound by love and magic. Gudgion does a fantastic job giving us the wolf’s viewpoint, and I found that added a lot to my enjoyment of the story.

And the runes did not lie. We see twists and turns as fate weaves, plots laid and alliances broken. You think you know where something is going, and then bam! It isn’t at all what you think. The politics of religion is again a crucial part of the tale, and the forces of Ischyros heading off to battle call to mind the Knights Templar and the Crusades.

With Blood of Wolves, G. N. Gudgion gives us a thrilling read, a fitting send-off to a tale told well. This is some of the best new fantasy I’ve read, and since I can’t pick just one of them, the entire series will be in the running for my best books of 2023.

Thanks to Second Sky and Netgalley for a review copy. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.