Review: The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne

***Note 12/16/24: I've just noticed something is going absolutely crazy with the formatting on this review and I'll attempt to resolve it as soon as possible–sorry about this!

The Fury of the Gods (The Bloodsworne Saga #3) by John Gwynne

Orbit

Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024

Paperback. 528 pages.

About The Fury of the Gods:

"The Fury of the Gods is the earth-shattering final book in John Gwynne's bestselling Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance

THE FINAL BATTLE FOR THE FATE OF VIGRIÐ APPROACHES

Varg has overcome the trials of his past and become an accepted member of the Bloodsworn, but now he and his newfound comrades face their biggest challenge yet: slaying a dragon.

Elvar is struggling to consolidate her power in Snakavik, where she faces threats from within and without. As she fights to assert her authority in readiness for the coming conflict, she faces a surely insurmountable task: reining in the ferocity of a wolf god.

As Biorr and his warband make their way north, eager for blood, Gudvarr pursues a mission of his own, hoping to win Lik-Rifa's favour and further his own ambitions.

All paths lead to Snakavik, where the lines are being drawn for the final battle - a titanic clash that will shake the foundations of the world, and bear witness to the true fury of the gods."

Haven't started this series yet? No problem--reviews for the first two books in this trilogy can be found here:
Book #1: The Shadow of the Gods
Book #2: The Hunger of the Gods

Writing a review for the finale of a trilogy can sometimes be a challenge. So much has happened over the course of the series, so much deserves to be said, and spoilers are lurking everywhere. I'll try to keep this review relatively vague in relation to details, but I want to emphasize just how epic this entire story has been from start to finish. Each book in The Bloodsworn Saga has felt monumental, and this final installment is not exception. 

In The Fury of the Gods, we continue to follow all of the characters we've come to know and love (and maybe hate) throughout the series. I've really enjoyed how Gwynne develops his characters over the entire arc of the trilogy and especially in this last book. Their motivations, passions, what they love and stand for, and their struggles feel so tangible that it's easy to connect with them, whether you like them or not. This book really puts the cast in a variety of intense, dire situations, and we really get to see every shade of their personalities and actions--good, bad, and everything in between. 

The Fury of the Gods is packed to the brim with battles of all sizes, so there was plenty of opportunity for Gwynne to flex his action-writing skills. I've mentioned plenty of times in other reviews in the past that action scenes are often one of my least favorite things to read and tend to bore me; I'd usually rather just know who was hurt and what the result of a fight was rather than slog through blow-by-blow description. But that is not so with Gwynne's writing, as I always find his action sequences to be vivid, engaging, and fairly easy to follow--and interesting enough to hold my interest, which is no small feat. 

One of my favorite things about this series that was enormously present in this book is its heart. There's a strong balance of realism and the fantastic, and within this Gwynne never shies away from the bittersweet reality of life. I finished this book feeling very satisfied because there's not necessarily a perfect happy ending for everybody, but neither is it entirely dark and hopeless, either. It's a very realistic and raw reality that I think works excellently for this series. 

All that said, The Fury of the Gods was probably my least favorite of the trilogy. I don't mean that as negatively as it may sound, as this bok is fantastic, it's just that I found the first two books slightly more captivating than the conclusion, and that is likely because I enjoyed getting to know the characters and world so much. Even so, this finale is grand, action-packed, and delivers everything you could want from an epic fantasy steeped in Norse mythology and Viking influences.

Overall, I've given The Fury of the Gods four stars. It combines classic storytelling with Norse mythology and Viking-inspired elements in a way that will appeal to a wide range of readers. If you're someone who loves battles, sweeping journeys, and characters you can't look away from, this trilogy has all of that to offer and more. And while The Fury of the Gods wasn’t my personal favorite of the three, it still delivers a fast-paced, intense, and deeply satisfying conclusion. If you haven’t read any of John Gwynne’s books yet, this trilogy is a great place to start. And if you’re already a fan, you’ll find plenty to love here.

*I received a copy of The Fury of the Gods in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne, Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews, & The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

    

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

The Fury of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga #3) by John Gwynne
Publication: October 22nd, 2024
Orbit
Hardcover. 528 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"THE FINAL BATTLE FOR THE FATE OF VIGRIÐ APPROACHES

Varg has overcome the trials of his past and become an accepted member of the Bloodsworn, but now he and his newfound comrades face their biggest challenge yet: slaying a dragon.

Elvar is struggling to consolidate her power in Snakavik, where she faces threats from within and without. As she fights to assert her authority in readiness for the coming conflict, she faces a surely insurmountable task: reining in the ferocity of a wolf god.

As Biorr and his warband make their way north, eager for blood, Gudvarr pursues a mission of his own, hoping to win Lik-Rifa's favour and further his own ambitions.

All paths lead to Snakavik, where the lines are being drawn for the final battle - a titanic clash that will shake the foundations of the world, and bear witness to the true fury of the gods."

The finale to this epic fantasy trilogy is finally coming and I'm really excited to see how Gwynne wraps it all up–although I may need some sort of recap because it's been a minute since I read the previous books, haha. Also, I've been obsessed with how epic all of the covers in this series have been. 

Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews
Publication: October 29th, 2024
Feiwel & Friends
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…"

I have such a good feeling about this book, and I think this premise from CG Drews will be so good.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
Publication: October 1st, 2024
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 224 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.

The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew."

The pitch that this is a fantasy city "in the tradition of Calvino, Mieville, and Le Guin" is pretty much all I needed to make me want to read this, but I also  think it sounds like an incredible promising premise! I’ve really enjoyed Nghi Vo’s writing in some of her previous books, so I'm looking forward to checking out her work again.