Review: The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne

Blurb:

THE DEAD GODS ARE RISING.

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 only 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.

Review:

“Real courage is to feel fear, but to stand and face it, not run from it.”

It is no secret that John Gwynne is one of my favourite authors ever to grace this planet. That said, I cannot help but still feel scared with every book he writes, and everytime that fear is removed quickly but it still happens, this was no exception. This was an exceptional read for me, it helped pull me out of a recent slump and I have enjoyed every step of this journey. If you took a long break between Shadow of the Gods and Hunger of the Gods, have no fear, there is a really detailed recap of the story so far, character list and what has happened to them, pronunciations and glossary of words and characters, I have to say I find this wonderful that an author cares enough to add this for their readers. I just want to say before we start the rest of the review, can we please take a moment to appreciate how stunning this second cover is? Orbit and Marcus Whinney have done a fantastic job with this one, it is breathtaking. Now let's get into it!

“Brother. How have I had such good fortune to find these people, after so many years of loneliness and pain?” 

This instalment picked up directly where Shadow of the Gods finished, so it was no surprise that this one was filled with found family, vengeance, saving those you love, and we are not short of those epic Gwynne battle scenes, we all so desperately love. We are straight back into the story with the characters we met before, Orka, Varg and Elvar. The main difference with the story direction in Hunger of the Gods is that now our characters' stories are intertwined, they have to deal with the conflict and each of their own independent missions and deal with the outcomes of those. We also have some extra POV as well with Guðvarr and Biórr. Let me tell you now there are no shortcomings with the emotional rollercoaster, it is in full pelt from the get go, there is no holding back, I hope you are ready!

In the Shadow of the Gods my favourite character was Orka, this has not changed with book 2, she is an incredibly strong and inspiring woman in an epic fantasy and her tale is one of rescue and revenge and it is simply excellent to experience as a reader. Gwynne always manages to bring multiple emotions through his writing, Orka is not only physically strong, she is mentally strong, she is living in a world of pain, ridden with guilt, struck by grief, and heartbreak. There are moments of her remembering Breca and how he was with animals, what his touch was like, his kindness, it makes you want and long for their reunion, hopeful that they will be reunited. This is what makes all of Gwynne’s characters compelling, he makes you feel for them, care for them, understand them in a way not many other author’s can. It was lovely to see that Orka does not have to continue her journey alone.

“Together we are more. But I am the chief, the jarl, the pack-leader, and you the wolf are bound to me, like an oathsworn warrior. Oathsworn obey. He sucked in a deep breath, held it, felt its effect on the wolf in his veins.”

Gwynne has this talent when he writes battle scenes, they are always epic, they are always like you are there, always like we see in the movies. We are filled with the familiar shield walls, warriors battling with their spears, swords clashing, but the newest addition this time around? Animalistic fighting stance techniques, the Bloodsworn tainted powers are coming to the surface, there’s this constant rage bubbling beneath Orka’s surface the whole time, it is always there, but she appears to have learnt to control it for the most part, but the wolf is always there. This is quite the contrary to some of the more inexperienced tainted who have only just started to uncover their power. It is lovely to see that Varg has found a new family and a place he finally belongs since the loss of his sister. As much as the story is dark and bleak there are moments of pure light in the dark, some humorous banter, some lighthearted scenes of the Bloodsworn playing with the orphaned children, they are some much needed light in the darkest of times. 

“To grieve is to be trapped in a world of loneliness.”

Now, a little about our two newest POV Guðvarr and Biórr, who give us some much needed insight to the world of our “villains”, if you are familiar with Gwynne however, they have a purpose and justifiable reasons for the journey they have ended up on. When those who are blessed with the power of the gods are collared, abused and used as slaves when these are the ones who should be respected. Is it a wonder Biórr seeks revenge? Have you ever heard the saying “be careful what you wish for”? Well, meet Guðvarr, in a cruel world where the only woman to ever show him kindness was his aunt, he wants her respect, he will do whatever it takes and whatever he can to earn this. His inner monologues are rather hilarious to read, he has a lot of conflicting thoughts from boisterous claims to what his inner fears really are, and where he ends up and with whom he ends up, he is the very definition of “be careful what you wish for”.

“If more made that choice, in their head and hearts, to live a peaceful life with those they love and value, and just allow others to do the same.”

Once again, it is simply not possible to put into words how much I adore this series so far. The way Gwynne tells his stories, the way he writes his characters, his battle scenes, the world he has created. Everything is simply breathtaking, it is brutal, it is raw, it is emotional and I am always here for it. Yes, Gwynne’s works are dark, they are moody, they are violent, they are brutal. They are also breathtaking, they are emotional, they are nail biting, they are thought provoking, they are heartbreaking. I always find Gwynne’s works have that “old school fantasy” feel to them and in a way they are always comforting, they will live in your thought cage for years to come and you will always come back to them. If you haven’t read this one yet, pick it up before October when The Fury of the Gods comes out, your thought cage will thank you.   

“Life is a knife’s edge, and all can change with the thrust of a blade.”