Now that we all have three-second attention spans, instead of adding spoilers to the reviews and extending the article, I decided to publish a spoiler talk after the review. I have a feeling it will be enjoyable. This post will be more like a notebook where I list my spoilery thoughts. I can jump from here to there just so you know.
If you read my review of the book, you know that The Shadow of The Gods is not my favorite John Gwynne novel. And I have my reasons.
Let’s jump right in!
How cool was Orka? Even though I thought her cries of vengeance were cheesy from time to time, I couldn’t help loving her. And, although clues seem to be everywhere, I never really thought that Orka could be the Skullsplitter. When it was finally revealed, I said “ha, that makes sense….” It was a delightful surprise. I liked it.
Of all the real and found families in the book, my favorite was also Orka’s family. They were just a bunch of cool people, and it devastated me when Thorkel, her husband, got killed. It was going to happen, obviously, but I did like him and was sad to lose him.
The sad part is I never liked her travel companions. I thought they slowed down Orka’s story and added little to the plot in the end. Right now, I don’t even remember their names. Their father was a cool guy tho. I liked him. I would rather see him avenge his sons instead.
To be honest, I did not find the parts about the Tainted very convincing. They were extremely cool, and they were show stealers, don’t get me wrong. I liked every scene they were in. But, their population is too large for a group of people who are under such pressure, hunted, and traded. Besides, in a world where everything said about them was true, it was really absurd for them to think that the descendants of Lik-Rifa were myths. I thought that was bullshit. It’s like not even the tainted of Hundur the Hound, who can easily identify a tainted, could detect them. All this time. They are a war band! I think this was one of the weakest points in the book.
So, Varg. I think we all knew he was tainted before the big reveal, right? That wasn’t much of a surprise but by the time it was revealed, he was growing on me so I was like “good for you boi, embrace your powers and run with them” I think Bloodsworn being a band of tainted was a bigger surprise than Varg being one. I liked his company. Bloodsworn is a fun-to-read group of people with strong ties, but I could replace their story with Elvar’s. I think it would be more fun. But considering this was a huge setup for the second book, I’d like to think we’ll have the opportunity to read more of them.
And this brings me to Elvar. She was the character I could connect with the least and care the least about what would happen to her. One of the coolest scenes in the book was thanks to her. I have to give her due, but it was very clear that Biorr would betray the group. But he did it in such a shocking way; it was one of the most memorable events in the book for me. Even more so than the Dragon’s arrival.
Of course, Battle-Grim is not a very lovable bunch of people. And frankly, there aren’t many members who stand out, but I liked Agnar and Grend. I liked the way Agnar went even better. I’d be sad if Grend died in the hands of the Vaesen. It was gruesome. But even in the brutality we witnessed, I cared little about what happened to the group. just Grend.
Ok, Oskutred was amazing. Such a cinematic experience that entire scene is. I loved it all. I mean, it involves a dragon; how can I not?
Overall, I thought The Shadow of the Gods could be much, much better, and that’s why it was a bit disappointing. It’s like the new era MCU series… All setup for the future events, but there is not enough pay-off. While I still can say it was one of my better reads in 2021, it wasn’t the best.
Peek-A-Book 