The Hunger of the Gods

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of The Hunger of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Trilogy #2) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

The Hunger of the Gods is sheer perfection. From start to finish, I was utterly captivated. It is a merciless, heart-wrenching Norse-inspired epic that never lets you catch a breath. Much like Shadow in 2021, Hunger will be my Top Read of 2022. I can’t imagine a better novel exists. 

What words are there that can accurately describe how much I enjoyed this novel?I read it from cover to cover over the course of 2+ days. Every single second I wasn’t engaged with either family, sustenance, or sleep, I was reading. It is a book I have been EAGERLY anticipating for for over a year. I want to be honest with you: it is RARE that I get this excited about a book. I think the only book that even remotely compares would be Lightbringer (Red Rising #6) by Pierce Brown. 

So, much like Shadow, Hunger is a multi-POV Norse-inspired epic fantasy novel. Unlike Shadow, it features additional POVs to those we already know. Varg, Elvar, and Orka are back and are now joined by Biorr and Gudvarr. While this many POVs might sound daunting at first, Gwynne gives every single one a unique voice with which to tell the story and fortunately/unfortunately, you really begin to become emotionally attached to each one – even though you probably already were with three (3) of them from the previous installment.

What really makes this book so epic is the cliffhanger ending from Book 1 leading into what becomes an even broader expansion of the world-building, lore, creatures and plotting. You thought Lik-Rifa’s emergence in Shadow was going to be the biggest thing to happen in this series? Yeah, think again. When I say Gwynne doesn’t let you catch your breath, there literally is not a single chapter out of the seventy-plus that slows down the pacing. Each chapter brings a unique piece of character growth, battle, lesson-learned, etc. that leads to an explosive ending that still feels like it will pale in comparison to the finale of the series. 

I can promise you this: if you ask me for a recommendation to read over the course of the next 12 months, The Hunger of the Gods is going to be that book. If you haven’t read The Shadow of the Gods, buy it and pre-order Hunger. Understand me when I say you DO NOT want to miss out on this series.

I heard a lot of positives fresh from reading Shadow of the Gods. The follow up, The Hunger of the Gods was quite disappointing. So many people were singing its praises, and I bought into the hype with little hesitation.

But I find myself in the minorty. I didn't like reading this book. It was too ordinary. It felt like a Ron Howard movie, with fake tension and characters I didn't care for. The stakes, however high they might be, feel hollow when the plot is monotonous. This is my first real disappointment in 2024.

Not sure whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. On the one hand it is a very good exercise of norse-themed world-building; on the other hand not much really happens, other than to move all the pieces into position for the third and final book. People do a lot of travelling, and much blood is spilt, but it could have all been done in a much shorter book.

If you liked the first book and want more of the same world, this is exactly what you are looking for. However, if you want a dynamic plot, you might be sorely disappointed. This is not Brandon Sanderson. Hopefully the final book, when it appears, will bring things to a crashing, satisfying conclusion, although I do slightly dread a drawn-out plod through the world before we get there.