The Adventurer by Mika Waltari

Review by Samantha M. Siciliano

Hey friends! First of all, before you read this fun review, I would love it if you could push the blue follow button to the right of this review, maybe even add your email address to get updates, and share with a friend you think may enjoy this (or on your social media of choice)! I would greatly appreciate it!

Also, below at the end of the article is a comment box! Feel free to leave comments, let me know what you loved about the book or the review, any questions you might have, or if you have something to add! I love learning and discussing books! Please be positive and friendly to our writers! Enjoy!
Thank you for reading, sharing, and becoming a part of this reading community!

Quick Summary:

The Adventurer is a historical fiction piece following the life of a church scholar/trying to practice doctor, Michael. It spans Michael’s young life, from childhood up to the age of 25, during the early 1500s. There is plenty of political intrigue, religious fascination, inequality (rich/poor, men/women, unequal statuses), strong friendships, and terribly heartbreaking moments. The secondary characters were weaker than they were in Waltari’s first book, The Egyptian, but Barbara and Andy are fun to follow. 

The Review:

Honestly, reading about Medieval times isn’t that exciting to me. I don’t know whether it is because that time period is just not my cup of tea, whether I have trouble keeping track of all the rulers and underlings and how they intertwine, or both. 

Michael’s story was similar to Sinuhe’s in Mika’s first historical fiction book The Egyptian. Both the main characters were orphans, both were adopted, they both had a trusty male companion that seems slightly less intelligent by many standards but are really talented at a thing that is advantageous to the main characters, both of their male companions are treated poorly by the main characters, both deal with the loss of a female lover that they have, both are educated (and they do have a similar profession at one point), both travel vast distances to explore the world, and both lose faith in their religion.

There is plenty of fresh material that is accurately depicted in history. A plethora of names, places, dates, and events in the book that had taken place in history. With Michael, we travel from Abo, Finland to France, to Germany, Sweden, Spain, and lastly Italy! 

There are two major events from the book that have stuck with me even after I had long ago turned those pages. First, the German Peasant’s War. This war had taken place in 1524 to 1525. This conflict occurred because of tense feudal relationships between the rich and peasants, people suffering from economic pains, and the creation of the Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther. The Theses is known for the start of the Reformation and the battles between the Catholic church and peasants. Peasants were fed up with the church and the rich taking advantage of them. The leader of the peasant armies was Thomas Müntzer, who had a prominent voice and was able to round up fellow dissenters of the church. Luther had made himself famous, snuggled up to the elites, and separated himself and his beliefs from these armies. He did not condone violence. As much as I was cheering for the peasants, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well. If you want to know more, you are going to have to read the book or do your own research! 

The second event that has pinned itself in my overworking brain is the witch hunt of Barbara. It is unfathomable to me that people can be so cruel. Cruel isn’t even the best word to describe these situations. The torture that Barbara went through was God awful. People accused of being a witch went through hell.  This part of the book is very brutal and made my whole body tense up and my brain mighty uncomfortable because this torture ACTUALLY happened. In this case, Barbara was sought out by a witch hunter. He looked at her for less than a minute and left. Then he claimed she was a witch and the whole world falls apart for Barbara and Michael. At some point, a witch is asked to either indict herself and answer the following (and more) questions: where did you meet other witches, where did you have relations with the devil and how many times, and who else is a witch? These answers were made up by the accused! So, the witch either creates false information or is tortured until they die or agree they are a witch. If one agrees they are a witch, they are required to talk, or they will be tortured until they do. It doesn’t matter what option a witch chooses, because in the end, they are killed. There is absolutely no way to save oneself or prove their innocence in the eyes of the court/council/church. This scene in the book was graphic, heartbreaking, and very real. 

While I was in the classroom, I taught about the Salem Witch Trials. I had an activity for the very first day where I cut little scraps of paper that had “not a witch” printed on them. After I had passed out each scrap, each student was allowed to look at their paper but not allowed to talk. Then I had them form a circle and said, figure out the witches. They immediately turned on each other and it was a frenzy of accusations flying around the room with the most ridiculous examples. “I saw so and so make a funny face when they read their scrap,” “so and so was fidgety after they read their paper,” “I saw so and so’s paper when they looked.” After about 20 minutes of them arguing they must vote on 3 witches. 

After the three selected witches head to the front of the class, everyone takes a seat, and I ask the three at the front of the class if they have anything to say for themselves. Almost always the three students adamantly deny they are a witch (they cannot show the paper as proof). I ask them if they have any information as to if there are any witches still in the town. Some say the name of their main accuser, while many pick others in the class for other various reasons. Then I have those students who were called out by the original 3 to come up and ask if they know of any more witches in the classroom. They must give a name, and they have to explain why they chose that person. I do this until we either get repeat names or most of the class has been called to the front of the room as witches. 

When we are nearing most or all the class joining the front of the room, I ask all students to go to the back of the room if they had a paper that had “not a witch” written on it. Everyone moves and they look confused. There are usually a lot of mumblings and people saying that someone is a liar. I then explain that this was the frenzy of witch hunts during Medieval/ Witch Trials. The students then usually discuss how this is ludacris, and I then start my lesson on how one was accused of being a witch. Talk to dogs? Witch. Float in water? Witch. Someone could claim that they were being controlled by unseen forces? They accuse someone and the accused is a witch. Birthmark? The mark of the devil! Witch! Often, people were accused of being a witch because they were different, a loner, or an outcast. The kids really get into this lesson, and I usually taught it around Halloween.

This book was well written and researched, I was just not a fan of the time period and this history. I also wish that Andy would have been more visible in the book and not conveniently for Michael and the story. I will give it a 3.5/5. 

IN CONCLUSION, MAYBE? READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect by Jonice Webb (Author), Christine Musello (Contributor)

Still Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton

Review by: Samantha M. Siciliano

Hey friends! First of all, before you read this review, I would love if you could push the blue follow button to the right of this review, maybe even add your email address to get updates, and share with a friend you think may enjoy this (or on your social media of choice)! I would greatly appreciate it!

Also, below at the end of the article is a comment box! Feel free to leave comments, let me know what you loved about the book or the review, any questions you might have, or if you have something to add! I love learning and discussing books! Please be positive and friendly to our writers! Enjoy!

Thank you for reading, sharing, and becoming a part of this reading community!

Quick Summary:

Wil Wheaton is an extremely talented writer and actor. I was first introduced to him through his role on the Big Bang Theory. Over the years, I learned more about him through his blog, his web series TableTop, listening to It’s Storytime with Wil Wheaton, listening to his story on PsychCentral’s podcast “Should You Cut Ties with Your Parents?, and then his book Still Just a Geek! This book explores Wil’s experience of growing up in the movie/tv industry, his traumatic childhood, his chosen family, mental health, and individual growth.

The Review:

Wil Wheaton is an amazing author. Reading his book was like talking to a friend that was giving me advice and pointers to help me live my best life. Like Wil, I had a traumatic childhood, I was in a career that harmed but also shaped me, I struggle with living with my mental health, and I am always trying to be a better person than I was the day before. This book resonated with me. I needed to hear that you can say and do things in your younger days that were wrong, and you can grow to be a better person by putting in the work and correcting yourself. 

There were times in this book that I wanted to give young Wil Wheaton a hug. I felt so badly for the traumatic and terrible events that he had to endure. A father that doesn’t accept and love him, a mother that uses him for her own benefit, a brother that is no longer a part of his life. So many people in the film/tv industry (and his mom and dad) let young Wil down continually. However, he eventually figured out that his Star Trek family loves him and cares about him dearly. I know it’s not the same as having your own parents that should be there for you no matter what, but I’m glad he had some adultier adults looking out for him. I enjoyed listening to the stories of his Star Trek family showing their love, commitment, engagement, and joy with Wil. It was stupendous to see Wil rekindle those relationships after some time of drifting alone after he left Star Trek. His once toxic relationship with Star Trek was reformed into mostly positive memories and associations with his role as Wesley on the Enterprise. I adored how Wil now loves going to cons and discussing Star Trek with all of the geeks. I was delighted watching Wil transform his thinking of I hate Wesley Crusher to I AM WESLEY CRUSHER, HERE ME ROAR! Well maybe it wasn’t that extreme, but his fondness now of his role in Star Trek many moons ago was nice. Maybe I’ll be there one day when I think back on my teaching experience.

Unfortunately, Wil’s adults treated him as a commodity to be used instead of a child to be loved. He didn’t have a say in things that he wanted and didn’t want to do. If he made a mistake, he was punished for it. It took a huge mental toll on him. Continually wanting the love and acceptance of his father, Wil was constantly trying to do things that he thought his father would approve of. Wil, it’s not your fault. I’m saying that as much for you, as I am for me. His mother gaslighted him a lot. She simply would not listen and didn’t do what was best for Wil. He was just a kid. It’s not a kid’s job to support their family. It’s a kid’s job to find what interests them and pursue that love and passion, all while being supported by their adults. I am glad that he has a good relationship with his sister, Amy, and that she supports Wil. He also had extraordinary aunts that gave Wil a safe space as a child. I know she wasn’t family, but to his 7^th grade teacher that encouraged Wil to be a writer, way to go! He listened eventually!

Wil’s mental health was important for me to read right now. I am struggling with my own, fighting PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Hey Wil, we have that in common, too! He is successfully living his life to the best of his ability. He has a spectacular wife, two children, many pets, a house, and he can pay his bills. He still struggles, but there is a hope he has that is infectious. I liked hearing that Wil finds joy in his life now. I honestly want that. He goes to therapy, takes his brain pills, and continues to work on himself every day. Wil mentions advice that one of his runner friends told him in the group chat. When you don’t want to do something, ask yourself if future you will appreciate whatever that thing is you need to do. He talks about how he runs because future Wil, will live a happier longer life. He eats healthier because future Wil needs that. Also, he is on a REALLY healthy diet. I think he said he lost 35 pounds. This year I’ve made a lot of changes to my diet as well and have lost about 30 pounds! Need to keep going! Cholesterol is down, weight is down, and blood pressure is down for both of us! Doing the dishes that are left in the sink? DO THEM… You will need that spoon for a bowl of cereal at 1am! I appreciated how Wil made his mental health accessible to all. He has absolutely no shame as having mental health issues can be so debilitating and full of stigma. Wil works so hard to connect to others, share his experience, and help others like me feel not so alone. 

This is what really I wanted to discuss. Wil’s growth throughout his life is impressive. In memoirs or autobiographies, writers tend to polish their words so much, that they don’t discuss their life mistakes, their word usage, and they always try to make themselves the hero of the story (I mean who wants to read something and NOT be inspired?). Wil OWNS his mistakes of harmful words and jokes that are in poor taste. Whenever he apologized and corrected his youthful mistakes, I couldn’t help but think of some of my biggest mistakes I’ve made in my life. He apologizes, he corrects his younger self (politely), and you can tell he has grown so much in his life. It’s obvious that he is comfortable being an advocate for ALL of the people. Instead of hiding from his original Just a Geek self, he put a bright ass spotlight on his mistakes and said duuuuudddddeeeee check yourself. I know you’re trying to be… edgy… but just don’t. THAT takes a big person to call yourself out like that. Kudos to you Mr. Wheaton! It gives me hope that I will stop beating myself up for my past mistakes and try to correct myself and BE BETTER every day. 

Wil Wheaton is a FANTASTIC writer. He is also an AMAZING narrator. I highly recommend reading the book while listening to him narrate. He adds a flair to the reading, more tangents to his already awesome footnotes, and his emotion punched home a realness to the book. I will score this book a 4.7/5. He’s a geek, alright! I dissociated during his computer information talk (I really tried to focus, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I DID enjoy the excitement of him geeking out). I will be finding other writings and narrations by him in the future. 

IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: The Adventurer by Mika Waltari

The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Review by: Samantha M. Siciliano

Hey friends! First of all, before you read this fun review, I would love it if you could push the blue follow button to the right of this review, maybe even add your email address to get updates, and share with a friend you think may enjoy this (or on your social media of choice)! I would greatly appreciate it!

Also, below at the end of the article is a comment box! Feel free to leave comments, let me know what you loved about the book or the review, any questions you might have, or if you have something to add! I love learning and discussing books! Please be positive and friendly to our writers! Enjoy!

Thank you for reading, sharing, and becoming a part of this reading community!

Quick Summary:

The Egyptian is a historical fiction piece following the life of an Egyptian doctor, Sinuhe. It spans Sinuhe’s life over the course of 5 Pharaohs during the 18^th century. There is plenty of political intrigue, inequality, friendships, culture, sadness, and harsh realities to mess with every emotion you have. The secondary characters are amazing at adding to the story and intertwining with Sinuhe in very interesting ways. 

The Review:

Having taught ancient history to 7^th graders for 5 years, I knew quite a bit about what I was reading. The wonders of the Nile, the lives of different classes of people within Egypt, and agriculture. However, as I tell my students there is always more to learn! I learned about many customs of Egyptians and surrounding lands, researched on medicinal practices of Egypt during the time (damn were they smart!), was constantly looking up information to see if it was true (yes there was a tradition in Mesopotamia called the Day of the False King). I loved reading about the different cultures that Sinuhe and Kaptah met throughout the book. 

I enjoyed how Sinuhe wrote his story. It was simple, but also very informative (and very well researched by Waltari). Written from his home in exile, he starts his story with the beginning of his life… or what he knows of it. I had a glimpse into his childhood. Choosing a career at such a young age must be so difficult! I told my 8^th graders when they were picking classes to not worry about what they wanted to be, but to focus on what you like learning because that is how you find the career you will want! Sinuhe was much younger than my 8^th graders when he had to make his career choice! I followed him through his education, into young adulthood as a new physician, travelling the world he knew of and making plenty of friends while enjoying new cultures, returning home as an older man, becoming physician to the Pharoah, entertaining his life as a doctor, and ending his book by describing his exile. It was well written, with plenty of adventure, mishaps, mistakes, growth (although slow sometimes), friendships, and losses. 

Sinuhe did a great job using the five senses to describe his experiences. I was able to smell the fish being cooked in the poor quarter (reminded me of my mom’s fish), I felt the connection he felt to the Nile (I grew up on a lake and there is nothing like it), the descriptions of the landscape and the world through his eyes were gorgeous and sad, I could hear the side conversations of people near him and his home, I could taste the honey cakes, the wine, the beer, the Crocodile Tail. Everything was so descriptive and enveloped me as I read. 

My favorite male secondary character was Kaptah, the slave of Sinuhe. I loved their relationship. Starting out as master and slave to growing into a full-blown friendship of love was awesome. Kaptah may not have been book smart, but DAMN was he street smart! He not only was surviving but thriving when he was able to grow Sinuhe’s income and be a free man. I need a friend like Kaptah to manage my money and make me wealthy! Seriously though, Kaptah is a lovable guy. I enjoyed reading his ramblings about how Sinuhe wasn’t doing something right or he didn’t have a wise idea and Kaptah had to set him straight. He reminded me of an octopus because he was able to somehow weasel his way into survival, whether that be by promising people what they desire or cutting and abandoning ship (like losing a limb and regenerating it). My favorite Kaptah scene was the Day of the False King. I could not stop laughing when he was king for the day and the King of Babylon had to do his bidding! 

My favorite female secondary character was Merit, the life partner of Sinuhe. I saw a lot of strength in her and she brought out the best in Sinuhe. I liked that she was an independent woman running a bar (called the Crocodile’s Tail- love that name) and made the tavern different from other taverns. I think my favorite memory of her was when she went with Sinuhe to Akhetaton with Thoth. It was cute to see them acting like a family and seeing that Merit and Sinuhe didn’t feel lonesome for a while. A common theme throughout the book is how Sinuhe is alone throughout his life, so I did enjoy the happiness that they brought each other. Another scene that was beautiful was when Sinuhe was treating many patients, and Merit joined in, helping Sinuhe in any possible way. I just pictured this going so smoothly and like they were dancing in sync with each other to heal as many people as they could. 

“As I sat there in my garden, I spoke with my heart and said ‘Be still, foolish heart; the fault is not yours. All is madness; good and evil have no meaning; greed alone, with hatred and desire, rule the world. The fault is not yours, Sinuhe, for man is man and will never change… The only good man is a dead man.’” I understand that life is in no way easy or perfect, but it was difficult to read of the tragedies and injustices. I know that as a species we have become better on paper, but there are still these negative beliefs, actions, and stereotypes that float around in our societies. Many of the societies in this book viewed women as less than men. There was rape, murder, lying, selfishness, people trying to gain the upper hand on each other, racism, classism, and war. As my therapist says, life is mostly negative, finding the positive every single day is harder, unless you are delusional. There are many more negative emotions than there are positive ones! So yes, this book was hard to read sometimes, because it made me uncomfortable, angry, and frustrated. However, at the same time, these injustices are happening every single day, right now. I do like to believe we are better, but unfortunately, the news still highlights these issues today. 

I cannot relay enough how well written and researched this book is. I will give it a solid 4.8/5. I will definitely be reading this one again!

IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: Still Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton

The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne

Review by Samantha M. Siciliano

THIS IS THE THIRD INSTALLMENT IN THE BLOODSWORN SERIES! If you haven’t read my review for the first or second book, they were posted on June 1, 2025 and June 12, 2025 (the post before this one). 

Hey friends! First, before you read this fun review, I would love it if you could push the blue follow button to the right of this review, maybe even add your email address to get updates, and share with a friend you think may enjoy this (or on your social media of choice)! I would greatly appreciate it!

Also, below at the end of the article is a comment box! Feel free to leave comments, let me know what you loved about the book or the review, any questions you might have, or if you have something to add! I love learning and discussing books! Please be positive and friendly to our writers! I try my best to post on the first of the month! Enjoy!

Thank you for reading, sharing, and becoming a part of this reading community!

Quick Summary:

The Fury of the Gods is a POV Norse fantasy that follows the journeys of five main characters: Varg, Orka, Elvar, Biorr, and Gudvarr. Four gods are now alive and free, trying to find their places in the world 300 years after Gudfalla. There are epic battles, characters, and spectacular world building. If you love reading about intense battles, this is the book for you! Welcome, to the Fury of the Gods.

The Review:

I finished this book hours ago and I am still sitting here, trying to figure out how to write a review, without spoiling the ending of the book. John Gwynne did a fantastic job of utilizing his characters to tell the story of what was happening throughout the major battle for Vigrid. It was awesome to read from the perspectives of each warring side to understand the motivations of the POV character as well as what the gods were thinking, the battle plans, and to just hear from some of the secondary characters that we have grown to love. I think Gwynne was really able to weave the characters together in a way that not only enhanced the story, but allowed the reader to feel like they were right there in the moment. 

The battles and the war for Vigrid where beyond impressive. I was grimacing when weapons struck hard against bodies, I felt my stomach lurch when weapons or shields were pulled away, I was tense when the gods were throwing each other around. And at the end, I felt like a warrior rising from behind my book. I read about all the destruction and dead that were surrounding the characters and thanked my lucky stars that I survived, as well as some of the characters I cared most about. Unfortunately, we lost some to the soul road. That made me want to savor what the future would now hold for the survivors. Also, two characters that I wanted to become a couple did and that made me absolutely so happy! If you are not a fan of battles or reading about them, you may find this book a bit boring. But I really enjoyed the fast, heated pace of the battles. 

The best part of the book was that it wrapped up so nicely. The characters were able to avenge family and friends, communities were able to start rebuilding in the new world, and oaths that were made were kept. 

I know this review is short and really doesn’t go into details of the book, I just don’t want to spoil the ending because it really is so satisfying. This book receives the whopping 4.5/5 stars. The only reason for the lower star is because I would have liked more with individual character development. This book was more about actions and planning and being the most cunning which was great. However, I just love little quests and excursions that help characters develop more. Overall, I am so glad that I have read this series. I will have these books in my thought cage for a very long time.

IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne

Review by: Samantha M. Siciliano

THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK IN THE BLOODSWORN SERIES! If you haven’t read my review for the first book, it was posted on June 1, 2025 (the post before this one). 

Hey friends! First of all, before you read this fun review, I would love it if you could push the blue follow button to the right of this review, maybe even add your email address to get updates, and share with a friend you think may enjoy this (or on your social media of choice)! I would greatly appreciate it!

Also, below at the end of the article is a comment box! Feel free to leave comments, let me know what you loved about the book or the review, any questions you might have, or if you have something to add! I love learning and discussing books! Please be positive and friendly to our writers! I try my best to post on the first of the month! Enjoy!

Thank you for reading, sharing, and becoming a part of this reading community!

Quick Summary:

The Hunger of the Gods is a POV Norse fantasy that follows the journeys of five main characters: Varg, Orka, Elvar, Biorr, and Gudvarr. Some of the gods are back from the dead, or, released from their prison. There are epic sagas, character developments, and spectacular world building. The one thing I loved about this fantasy was that there were no flashbacks. You were finding out the past of the three main characters when they talked about it with others.

The Review:

I think John Gwynne did an even better job of pulling me into the second book, and I have no idea how that is even possible. I was super hesitant at first when he added two new POVs, but about 100 pages in I loved it. I was getting fresh insight into what was happening all over Varid and Iskidan by first-hand accounts. At the end of every chapter, I was wanting more from that character. At the beginning of every new chapter, I was reminded why I didn’t want that characters last POV to end and reading as fast as I could to find out what was next. Hell, I was even cheering for the anti-hero at some points because I wanted the far more assholish character to pay for what they had done!

Time to discuss characters, and if you don’t want spoilers… well I would stop here! 

Let’s start with Varg. Watching Varg No-Sense grow has been awesome! He is becoming such a skilled team member that really cares about his Bloodsworn brothers and sisters. He has become proficient in controlling the wolf within his blood. Hell, even Svik and Rokia are shocked at how much he has grown throughout the book! I think my favorite chapters included him on the Sea Wolf puking his guts out. I’m just kidding! But seriously, my favorite battle for Varg was between the Bloodsworn and the Tongue Eaters. I was not expecting them! I thought for sure they are going to get into a battle on the sea, but I thought it was going to be with typical humans, not tongue eaters! Varg’s disgust towards them is exactly how I felt when Glornir pulled a tongue eater out of the mouth of one Jaromir’s men. Shock and disgust. I felt that in my soul, ha! Varg and the Bloodsworn spent most of the book chasing after Vol, Glornir’s partner and the seidr witch of the group. They were really going to the ends of the Earth to locate her and save her from her captors throughout the book. Also, my favorite secondary character is in Varg’s POV, Svik. He is just so damn funny and wise. I enjoy reading the love he has for Rokia and Varg. It’s very cute and fun. Also, Svik and his cheese, am I right?

Orka. Man, this woman pulls at my heartstrings. I feel my inner wolf wanting to rise and attack when I am reading from her POV. She has Lif with her and he has grown a lot and has become more confident in himself! Orka also takes on 3 Bloodsworn who want to follow her and help her on her quest to find Breca, her son. I really enjoy how she doesn’t want to be chief, but she does take on the responsibility of a chief and try to protect everyone in her group. Her ability to play mind chess with her opponents is just so damn impressive. There were a few times I went “Oh shit, this is going to go south quickly” to “Holey moley, how in the world did they pull that off?” My favorite battle for them was when Orka and her team took out the Skraeling at the farm in the north. I loved the strategy, the excitement, and the comradery when they meet others on the farm. I hope they show up again in the third book!

Elvar was a freaking star this book! I loved her! I wanted more every chapter. I was impressed by Elvar’s deep cunning and how she had been thinking ahead of me by tenfold. I couldn’t keep up with my predictions! I enjoyed two epic scenes with her that I just cannot stop thinking about. The holmganga between her and Huld to decide who was going to become chief of the Battle-Grim and the encounter with Elvar and her father, Jarl Storr. When Elvar and Huld were battling, I really didn’t want it to happen. In my mind, I thought Elvar was going to die because of her weak shoulder. But she ended up winning and becoming chief because of her deep cunning ability. I was amazed and I am pretty sure I held my breath reading through most of that part. However, this was absolutely NOTHING compared to her encounter with her father! I mean, WOW. I literally read that chapter twice because it was so absolutely good! I knew shit was going to go down, but SHIT WENT DOWN! Also, I did get my wish from my first review, we do learn more about Elvar’s mother.

Like I said, I wasn’t a huge fan of the two added characters at first, but after about 100 pages, I was all in. I knew what the motivations for the characters were and I became less mad at them, and then I hated them both at the end of the book again. Reflecting on this book, these two characters were essential in gaining knowledge of what was happening to Lik Rifa’s, Queen Helka’s, and Skald’s movements. I think it only brought more information, pizzaz, and insights into the book.  

I’m going to start with Biorr. Biorr is a very complicated character. I loathed him entirely at the end of the first book. However, he started to grow on me again in his new role with his community. However, I didn’t like that he was working for Lik Rifa, but I did enjoy seeing how much he was struggling with his earlier decisions and how that impacted him. It really made him seem like a guy who was just caught in a hard place. And then he has to become a real asshole again near the end of the book. I can’t tell if it’s out of fear that he makes his decisions or if it is because he is a sincere asshole. Either way, I’m angry at him… but also let’s be honest, if I was working with a dragon god and a rat god that could read my thoughts, I’d probably be scared shitless and do what they told me and be miserable in my thought cage. 

Gudvarr was an asshole at the beginning. Then turned into my anti-hero. And then he turned into a fucking villain again. I was on such a roller coaster with him. I honestly am sitting here and wondering how the hell I talk about this sleazy asshole without giving his whole story away. The whole book he is just thinking about what is good for himself, not anyone else. He thinks he is almighty and powerful and just deserves the best for himself in life without working for it. He rides on the coattails of others. He starts out by following his jarl of an aunt. Then he thinks he will get more power and fame if he aligns himself with Queen Helka and Skald. Then he is a supreme asshole again (but also called it because he is a dick). I swear he is just the worst! His nose dripping all the time is disgusting, too. But he is so well written and crafted by John Gwynne. 

Seriously, all these characters are so well written and will somehow make you cheer them on at one point. They will make you grab your hair as you read and go OMG, WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED, and HOW did that work!? John Gwynne is a very talented author that just amazes me as I sit back and reflect on what I have just finished. It was amazing!

Prediction for book three: the gods somehow become free and Snaka comes to life…

IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

Review by: Samantha M. Siciliano

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Quick Summary:

The Shadow of the Gods is a POV Norse fantasy that follows the journeys of three main characters: Varg, Orka, and Elvar. It’s kind of an apocalyptic read in the sense that the gods had fought an insane battle and ended up destroying themselves, so those left behind are finding new ways of life (about 300 years later). There are epic sagas, character developments, and world building. The one thing I loved about this fantasy was that there were no flashbacks. You were finding out the past of the three main characters when they talked about it with others.

The Review:

Boy oh boy, where in the hell do I start?! This book was fantastic. I should preface this with the fact that this book was picked out by my wonderful husband as he knows I love Vikings, mythology, and character development. This book had it all! This was my first experience reading John Gwynne and he freaking knocked it out of the park! When I first started reading the book, I kept on forgetting that this was fantasy and there was magic (that wasn’t overpowering in the sense that they could knock out whole armies) both natural born and learned and mythology. 

The first thing that I loved was that he placed me right in the thought- cages of the characters. I was learning about their lives, their motivations, and their pasts as I was reading. At the end of almost every chapter (which were mostly short and great for an ADHD mind), I was wanting more from that character and was upset that I had to read a new character! I loved that I was able to predict quite a few things, but there were some twists that I did not see coming in which my jaw dropped! There were several times I told my husband that I was loving this book and wanted to read more but couldn’t because I was tired and afraid I would miss some important detail. 

The world building was so much fun! I was taken into mead halls and taverns where I could smell the smells and almost taste the foods. Then there are places like Snakavik which is a ginormous head of a skeleton in which a large community lives in! There is an actual city, in the head of a former god. HOW FANTASTIC IS THAT?! Or the Boneback Mountains which is the spine of a former god! I was onboard amazing ships with large crews. I travelled through acres of woods. And there was a map to help me understand where I was relative to each of the characters I was reading about. 

Okay here’s where I talk about the characters, and if you don’t want spoilers… well I would stop here! I really just need to write about them and I want to talk about them to anyone who will listen! I liked how these tropes were not new, but fresh. They weren’t the exact stereotypical tropes you read about in every fantasy book! I have heard that Gwynne likes to pull the rug from underneath you when you least expect it, so I will keep looking to see if one of these characters (please don’t be Orka or Varg) will die. I don’t think my heart will be able to handle it!

We will start with Varg first! Varg is a thrall (slave) that escapes his enslavers and enters into a life of being a Bloodsworn member. First, of all, I had absolutely no idea that the whole time I was reading, the name Varg means wolf. To find out he was part of the Tainted (part human and part descendent of a god). He belongs to clan Ulfrir, which is the wolf god. IT WAS LITERALLY IN FRONT OF MY FACE THE WHOLE TIME!!! But I had figured out he was Tainted before too long when he would talk about his life as a thrall. The thing I loved about Varg is he didn’t know much about being a Viking and life in the Bloodsworn, which was really nice because I was able to learn about Viking customs and traditions as well as the brotherhood/sisterhood of the group. They are fiercely loyal to each other and want to protect each other. Also, I really enjoyed watching Varg go from only having a great relationship with his sister and not trusting others, to learning to embrace others and care about them as they did him. He definitely had the most character growth in my opinion. His motivation to find out what happened to his sister was what drove him into this new life and it was great to see him find a new home.

Then there is Orka. Orka had to be my favorite character, just because I am hot headed and understand a need of protecting those closest to me. Orka is married to Thorkel and they have a son named Breca. They live on a farm, have a few animals, and 2 vaesen. Their names are Spert and Vesli and they help protect the farm. Unfortunately, Orka’s farm is attacked by outsiders, killing Thorkel and kidnapping Breca. Orka’s motivation is to find her son and demolish anybody who stands in her way. But before she parts to find her son, she ends up going into the town nearest to her house and seeing two acquaintances of hers, Mord and Lif, beaten and tied up for trying to kill a person in the Jarl’s guard. She releases them and they join her on her mission even though she really doesn’t want them too. I think the main reason is that she doesn’t want to be responsible for any more people and their fates as she knows how dangerous the mission she is on will be. Orka’s actions are very much guided by her morals and how her son views the world, and I thought that was really cute as it showed her softer side, which wasn’t easy to always see with her aggressive behavior. She is a badass warrior that I just want to keep talking about but won’t as I’m not going to completely spoil the book for the readers!

Then there is Elvar. I would say she was the least interesting out of the three characters to me, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t like reading about her! Her character motivation wasn’t something I expected. She is a member of the Battle Grim, but she has a royal bloodline. I really appreciate that she wanted to make her own name for herself, not just stay royalty and live a life she wouldn’t have enjoyed. She has a chosen family of Grend and the Battle Grim. Grend is always there protecting her and keeping an eye on her as he had made an oath to Elvar’s mother… I need to know more about Elvar’s mother. She has a close connection to the group’s leader, Agnor who is a very strong, smart, and strategic warrior. Elvar is not a weakling. She fights with her heart and spirit and truly wants to earn her own battle fame. She must make two very difficult decisions in the book and I did appreciate those mental battles and unclear maneuvers. 

I would rate this book a 5/5! I was wanting to read all day and night, urging myself to read just one more chapter! I loved the beautiful character developments of not only the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. The world building was not overwhelming and there weren’t flashbacks that lasted 30 or more pages! None at all. I’m on my next adventure to figure out what the hell happens to all of the characters in book 2! Thanks John Gwynne!

IN CONCLUSION, READ THE FRACKING BOOK!

Up Next: The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne