So, this is a first for me! My new job is a lot of data entry that’s repetitive, so my boss said she encourages podcasts or audiobooks to help the day go by. Well, I have a (very overdue) physical ARC of The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne that my library had an audiobook copy of. So, I decided to give it a shot and am surprised on how I did with it!
An ARC copy was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Book Info
Publisher: Orbit Books | Release Date: May 2021 | Pages: 480
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Fantasy | Format: Audiobook | Source: ARC/Library
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið.
Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave – or desperate – enough to seek them out.
Now, as whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods . . .
On the Page
- Animal attack
- Animal death
- Blood and gore depiction
- Captivity and confinement
- Dead bodies and body parts
- Death of a parent
- Death of a friend
- Death of a partner
- Disappearance of a loved one/kidnapping
- Grief and loss depiction
- Indentured servitude/slavery
- War themes and military violence
Referenced
Minor
Content warnings are written up by me, unless specified. Subject to being an incomplete list, though guided by referencing this list and trying to highlight as many as I can identify.
Review
Likes
- Orka, in particular: I just love her and her family so much (so, you can imagine how this book left me in my FEELINGS).
- The very obvious Norse influences: I had to do some Nordic research during graduate school and seeing Gwynne’s in-depth research was so rewarding from that experience.
Dislikes
- The reliance of the phrase, “thought cage”: This would ONLY be noticeable from the audiobook, I think, but I found it annoying how often this phrase was used. It also could be that I also binge-listened to this book at work, so prolly wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
- The narration: Yeah, my first audiobook and I didn’t like the narrator. 💀
Rating
The Shadow of the Gods is a grueling and heart-wrenching foray into Norse-inspired fantasy. It’s my first John Gwynne book (I know, I know). It’s certainly not my last! I am bummed that my first audiobook had me not exactly thrilled by the narrator. (It really irked me all of the female characters were given airy, high-pitched voices.) I’m also so sad that literally my top two favorite side characters were killed. 😭
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Aw man, it’s always sad when you decide to pick up an audiobook for the first time and you don’t like the narrator. Narrators are so important. They can really hurt a book. Glad to see that you ended up really enjoying this book regardless of that. Sad to hear your favorites died. 🙁
This one is on my TBR. I saw a dragon, heard that it was norse inspired, and immediately bought it. I’ve never read any of his books before so this would be the first for me, too. If I ever get to it lol
It’s a good book, so I don’t think you’d go wrong in reading it!
What you mentioned about female characters being given airy high-pitched voices is fairly common with male audiobook narrators, and is why I prefer female narrators as much as possible lol. It does get really irritating after a while!
That’s good to know it’s fairly common! I definitely hope I can find a female narrator soon!!
I love that you’re able to listen to audiobooks at work, Nicole! AND THAT YOUR BOSS ENCOURAGES IT! I wish my brain would let me listen during data entry/cleanup since I am often fighting with excel, but my brain just can’t do it and I hate that for me.
Narrators really make or break an audiobook though and I’m sorry that this one didn’t work. That said, seems like you enjoyed the book itself, which YAY!
Right? I was honestly floored. And I’m a bit shocked my brain lets me do it, to be honest (though, there has been times where I forgot to listen and missed some stuff from the book AND times I messed up the data, so…definitely not perfect at it, so I gotta choose my projects I can do it with).
I’m sorry you can’t do it with the type of work you do, that’s a bit annoying!