sassyowlreads's Reviews (910)

The Shadow of the Gods is the first book in John Gwynne's new Norse-inspired series! It follows the intertwining journeys of three individuals: Orka- the warrior and loving wife and mother on the hunt for answers, Varg - the former slave turned mercenary on a quest for vengeance, and Elvar - the noblewoman seeking battle fame and glory. The dead gods do not get their own points-of-view but they are the driving forces always in the background.

The pacing of The Shadow of the Gods was very steady and compelling with an infinitely more manageable number of points-of-view to follow. For the first half of the story, I was a lot more interested in Orka and Varg's journey but Elvar's eventually becomes more interesting. Orka stole the show for me but I'm pretty invested in the all three character's outcomes.

The world-building is top-notch and I'd expect nothing less from John Gwynne. Magic, mythology, and Viking lore are seamlessly blended into the world of Vigrid and Gwynne manages to depict it masterfully without having any large sections of information dumping.

Overall, this is an excellent to start to what I expect to be a phenomenal fantasy series. 

Thanks so much to the Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

I didn't love this book quite as much as the first book but it was still great! The romance was heart-wrenching and the battles were brutal! My main complaint is not having enough of Reyker. I will definitely be reading the 3rd book when it comes out!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

Ariadne is perfect for fans of The Silence of the Girls! Ariadne explores the sad fates that befall mortal women time and time again when they have the misfortune of catching the eye of a God. I enjoyed the addition of Phaedra's point-of-view as I knew little of the mythology surrounding her. If Ariadne is the cautionary tale for what happens when gods get involved, Phaedra is the sadder story of what it meant to be a woman who was forever subjected to the whims of men.

Like Circe and other mythology retellings I have read, it is a slower read and takes time to become invested but the story was no less enjoyable for the slower pacing.

Barrie Kreinik is a wonderful narrator for this book!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio-arc! 

 John Gwynne always knows how to end a book! 

I wasn't going to count this since it's so short but I read a lot of long book so it evens out!

I listened to Geoff Castellucci read this on Youtube and wow, are the the big publishers not knocking down his door to get him to narrate audiobooks??

 This is predominantly a story of oppression. As a Jewish women, Esther suffers the oppression all Jews were subjected to by Rome but also the oppression all women were subjected to by men. But it is also a story about family and survival.

As I read, it was clear how much research went into it. I have always been interested in Ancient Rome (thanks to high school Latin class) and have read quite a bit of historical fiction set in Rome so it's interesting to see it from a non-Roman perspective. The Author's note reveals that Esther and several other characters were real people and I thought Kaufmann did a wonderful job bringing them to life with seemingly little to go on. This is a great debut overall and I'll definitely be reading more by the author.

Rebel Daughter is being marketed as a YA book but I don't necessarily agree with that. The being said, I think lovers are adult or YA historical fiction will enjoy this.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc! 

 I don't read many standalone fantasy books so it was a nice change of pace knowing from the beginning that everything would be resolved. Which brings me to my least favorite part of a standalone fantasy book, how much has to be fit into a single book, usually at the expense of character and plot development. This was no exception and regrettably made it a forgettable book.

That being said, the romance was sweet and the magic was interesting. I'm not at all mad that I read it and it made for a nice change from the longer series I've been reading.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc! 

 
This is an absolutely incredible book! The Anishinaabe culture is the foundation of the story and it is beautiful and raw. However, learning about the Anishinaabe culture and traditions wasn't even my favorite part, much to my surprise. My favorite part was seeing the strong bonds between women in the community. There was still the occasional catty remark but at the end of the day, the Anishinaabe women were there for one another.

The mystery of the story was very intriguing and had me continually changing my suspicions. By the end, I was pleased and surprised with all the turns it had taken and I'll leave it at that.

Isabella Star LaBlanc is my new favorite audiobook narrator and her narrative added so much to the book for me. Instead of stumbling over Anishinaabe words I'd never heard before, LaBlanc read them perfectly as if Daunis herself were saying them.

A huge thanks to Libro FM and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio copy. 

 An excellent sequel! Sword of Compassion picks up pretty much where Katana of Trust left off, skipping what would have been unexciting traveling scenes. It starts with Masaru, Shou and Katashi arriving at the Date Palace where things quickly go awry.

I really enjoyed getting to see Shou's bond with Masaru grow stronger while they face both mystical troubles with the Kami and more earthly problems such as attraction and familial discord. The prophecy is always there, driving the overall plot and it finally reveals the meaning of the 2nd verse and gives a peek at the 3rd.

The Japanese inspiration is just as enjoyable in this book as in the 1st and once again, I'm surprised at the amount of world-building that occurs in such a short book. I've been left with questions and burning suspicions so I can't wait for the 3rd book!

Thanks so much to A.C. Ward for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! 

 This is such a good series! It can easily be read as one long, continuous book with a prologue.

It's a tale of adventure and magic set in the same world as Alisha Klapheke's Enchanting the Elven Mage and Kingdoms of Lore series but I can attest that it can be read without reading either.

Despite being 5 books long, the series is still under a thousand pages but has more world-building than some series 2 and 3 times as long. I really enjoyed Vahly, Arcturus, and Nyx's characters and was intrigued by every encounter with the Sea Kynd. It added extra depth to experience the story unfolding from both Vahly and the Sea Kynd's points of view also.

If you enjoy bingeing a series, this is one is very bingeable!