The Hunger of the Gods

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Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel.

The Hunger of the Gods is just as entertaining, just as atmospheric, and awe-inspiring as the first book in this series, The Shadow of the Gods. It's rare that a second book will live up to the first — I can think of maybe three off the top of my head — and it's even rarer that the second book is better.

The Hunger of the Gods picks up literally RIGHT after TSOTG finishes. Seriously, there's not even like...a day time-jump. Just bam, right back where we left off. Which is good, because some serious stuff had gone down. I didn't want to skip ANY OF IT, so I'm glad there wasn't a big leap forward. We're left in a world where a “dead” god has been released from her prison, and is ready and eager for revenge. Lik-Rifa, the dragon god, has risen to power again. The world is not ready for her, and her unimaginable cruelty. She is terrifying.

I'm not going to give away any huge spoilers, because it would ruin the book for too many people. I'm just going to say this — whatever action you liked from the first book will be once again seen in this one. Not as a rehashing, but in addition to. It's not repetitive or boring. Not at all. It's non-stop action from cover to cover in the best way.

What is different in THOTG is that we get two new POV characters, both villains. This helps immensely in rounding out the feel of the book. Instead of just seeing what's going on through the “good” characters, now we see more motivation and reasoning behind the villains' actions. All the original POV characters return. We see Elvar grow into herself, and become who she is absolutely supposed to be. Varg realizes he does have a place in the Bloodsworn, and that he belongs there. Orka continues to be the absolute coolest woman in the novel. She deals with some supreme guilt and loneliness, and she too comes to some revelations as well.

The end of the book is a massive cliffhanger and I am NOT OKAY WITH IT AT ALL, JOHN GWYNNE. How dare you.

The Hunger of the Gods comes out April 12, 2022.