Reviews

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

Frostnacht by John Gwynne

Only show reviews with written explanations

zachreadsfantasy's review against another edition

4.0

A gripping sequel with some pacing stumbles. The Hunger of the Gods is a fantastic second book in The Bloodsworn Saga trilogy, offering an ever-expanding world and a cast of characters that continue to intrigue. The action scenes are riveting, and there are plenty of mesmerizing moments that remind me why I love this series. However, the pacing and plot of this entry drop it down a peg.

First, the good, which vastly outweighs the bad. The characters are compelling, with the new POV of Guðvarr adding an interesting dynamic. Gwynne flexes his world-building muscles, creating an immersive setting filled with rich details. The “magic system” he’s developed is fun and inventive—warriors with unique powers thanks to their descent from animal Gods, witches and warlocks wielding ancient spells, massive Gods returning to wreak havoc, and magical beasts bred by an evil dragon God. These fantasy elements are a blast, and I loved every bit of it.

Now, for the not-so-good. The action is sparse for a Gwynne book. When it does happen, it’s captivating, but too often the characters are traveling from one destination to another, zig-zagging across the map without much happening. This constant movement creates pacing issues, and while Gwynne’s short chapters and knack for cliffhangers kept me engaged, the story felt like it was inching along for most of the book. It’s a bit frustrating when a 625-page book wraps up in the last 50-70 pages, leaving the first 85-90% of the story feeling slow in comparison.

I also had a few issues with the plot. Without giving away spoilers, there were times when plot developments seemed driven by random events rather than intentionality. Additionally, after a slow buildup, one POV character suddenly reappears in a new location after nearly 100 pages, which felt jarring. I understand the intent was to create a surprise twist, but the execution felt rushed. A couple of additional chapters to show the character’s journey and sprinkle in some misdirection would have made the twist more impactful and meshed better with the pacing of the rest of the book.

Ultimately, though, I enjoyed the book and am definitely looking forward to the final installment of The Bloodsworn Saga trilogy. This may not be Gwynne’s best work, but it’s still incredible stuff. I have a feeling book three will take this series to a new level, delivering an epic conclusion in true Gwynne fashion.

The Bloodsworn Saga
Book 1: [b:The Shadow of the Gods|52694527|The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1)|John Gwynne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610375894l/52694527._SY75_.jpg|73710031] 4/5
Book 2: [b:The Hunger of the Gods|57341045|The Hunger of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #2)|John Gwynne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639404608l/57341045._SY75_.jpg|89741960] 4/5

kirbym93's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

ayoung720's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

melon_l0rd's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ahmerdad's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Much better than the first book. The characters won me over and everything felt more purposeful. I expected Gudvarr getting his own POV would be annoying but seeing his situation get worse and worse was very satisfying, I loved to hate him. Everyone is beefing with everyone to the point that the different plotlines are naturally bleeding into each other, or seem like they will. The ending was also very RKCBWJFJXJWJ.

But… the g0ds are very lame. The ending fight was really good but their dialogue and their vibes in general weren’t great. Why are they saying “bitch” so often? Why are they so stiff? Not a fan of how they’re being handled, mostly because they’re in the title of the books so I expected something more intimidating and fleshed out. Also the dynamic of humans controlling them isn’t very interesting since they aren’t compelling or threatening to begin with so this just makes it worse.

This is a bit nitpicky, but how did freeing one of them take years of planning and gathering the right children, while resurrecting them takes a spell with basically no consequences? And making them thralls just needs adding that collar around them? Dumb. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. Very good sequel, everything was improved. 4.5/5