Spoiler warning. The Hunger of the Gods was a major improvement on its predecessor in pretty much every way. In the second installment of the Bloodsworn Trilogy, John Gwynne has gotten a lot of the world-building out of the way, and the board is set for some really cool action and high-stakes plot advancement. While the first book remained fairly grounded, this book is filled with high fantasy set pieces. The prominence of the gods in the story is very welcome, as are the added perspectives of Gudvarr and Biorr, two more villainous characters than the three point-of-view characters from the first book. Gudvarr’s story in particular was great, and he’s a deliciously villainous scoundrel at every turn. Truly a survivor.
This time, I actually found Elvar’s story the most compelling. Her awakening of the wolf god Ulfir and her assumption of the Battle-Grim leadership mantle make her an incredibly powerful character while her goals and worries remain relatable. Okra’s story also remains strong, even if it takes her yet another book to find her son. Varg’s plot-line was by far the weakest once again, particularly the journey south to Iskidan with the Bloodsworn to rescue Vol from Prince Jaromir.
The Bloodsworn books remain pretty simple action adventure fantasy novels, but I felt far more at home in Vigrid this time. The laundry list of names and places feels less overwhelming and Gwynne’s prose remains very digestible. Even though the tension and dramatic anticipation never rise too high, it remains fairly easy to push through dozens and dozens of pages in relatively little time.
I have high hopes for the final novel in this trilogy, The Fury of the Gods. If the battle between Lik-Rifa and Orna was anything to go by, the climactic battle of the gods will be incredibly destructive and entertaining.
I worry that these novels really won’t stick with me long-term, but for the time being, I’m having a lot of fun.
The Once and Future Lit 