The Shadow of the Gods

Our Review

I picked up this book expecting solid Norse-inspired fantasy, and it delivered exactly that—with enough grit and momentum to keep me turning pages well past my bedtime. The world feels lived-in and dangerous, built on the bones of a pantheon that's already fallen. There's something genuinely unsettling about a setting where the gods are gone but their power still lingers, waiting to be claimed by whoever's desperate or bold enough to reach for it.

What really grabbed me was how the three central characters pull you in different directions. You've got a huntress on a quest that feels personal and urgent, a noblewoman clawing her way toward the kind of glory that actually means something in this brutal world, and a mercenary bound by oath and hunger for payback. None of them are simple, and watching their paths intersect while the larger machinery of war grinds forward creates genuine tension. The pacing is relentless without feeling rushed—Gwynne knows when to linger on character moments and when to accelerate toward the next collision.

If there's anything to mention, it's that this is very much a book steeped in its own world's logic and violence. It's not grimdark for shock value, but it doesn't shy away from the cost of ambition and survival either. The prose is direct and muscular rather than ornate, which suits the tone perfectly. You're not getting flowery descriptions; you're getting the weight of axes and the cold calculation behind sworn oaths.

This is the kind of opening that makes you immediately want the next installment. Highly recommended if you love fantasy that takes its mythology seriously and isn't afraid to let characters bleed for their choices.