John Gwynne: The Hunger of the Gods

Hi everyone

The Hunger of the Gods is the second book in The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne. 
I got my copy from Bol.com.

"THE DEAD GODS ARE RISING.
Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest. As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own–and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance. Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her. Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god. Their only hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead…and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth." 

This book was amazing.

One of the things I loved was that the book opens with a recap of The Shadow of the Gods, the first book in the series, along with a list of characters and a glossary of terms. I absolutely love when authors do this. I tend to wait until all the books in a series are published before reading them because I forget details about characters and events, so these lists and summaries were incredibly helpful.

The world of The Bloodsworn Saga is absolutely magnificent. It’s a brutal, fully realized world that feels expansive and alive, with different species, countries, and cultures. Gwynne has created something complex, vivid, and completely engrossing.

The story itself is simple; most of the novel follows the characters as they travel from location to location, interrupted by fights or skirmishes. It’s a classic second book in a trilogy, where much of the plot is setup for the final book. While this structure is very obvious, I didn’t mind because it was still so engrossing. There’s so much happening; political maneuvering, character development, and high-stakes tension, that it never felt dull.
As always, John Gwynne’s battle scenes are astounding. The story is brutal, muddy, and bloody, just as I’ve come to expect from his writing. The action is visceral and immersive, making every fight feel real and consequential.

Orka remains my favorite character. I love that she’s a mother and older than the typical protagonist; she has lived, experienced the world, and carries the weight of her past, yet she’s still loyal, strong, and fierce. She feels real in a way that’s rare in fantasy.
Gudvarr’s POV is new to this book, and while I absolutely hate him, reading from his perspective helped me understand him as a character, not just a black-and-white villain, but a nuanced, egotistical figure. It added depth and complexity to the story, making everything feel more gray than black and white.
I also loved the addition of the gods returning and their human and non-human descendants joining the cast. It’s an interesting and exciting dynamic that adds another layer of intrigue to the world.
John Gwynne has a true gift for bringing characters to life. He doesn’t just tell their stories, he lets us understand them, flaws and all. It’s one of the reasons I love his writing so much.

Have you read The Bloodsworn Saga? Did you love The Hunger of the Gods as much as I did?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Sarah J. Maas: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Hi everyone 

A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.
This YA series was hugely popular about ten years ago, but I never got around to trying it; until now. 
I read it on my e-reader.

"When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever."  

I found this book to be very, very mixed.

At its core, the story is basically Beauty and the Beast with a few twists. Unfortunately, the "beast" in this case is Tamlin, a gorgeous, boring, one-dimensional Fae king. Our "Beauty," Feyre, is the typical YA heroine; a young woman who doesn’t realize how beautiful and special she is. The comic relief comes from Tamlin’s best friend, but honestly, all the characters were so irritating.
Feyre’s lack of common sense was frustrating. Why does she never listen? Does she have to experience everything firsthand before believing what she’s told? And how is she illiterate when her family was once wealthy? It just doesn’t make sense. I did like her strength, skills, and self-awareness; she knows what she’s capable of, but she was also so stupid at times. Why would she want to go back to a life of slavery for her ungrateful family? And don’t even get me started on how dumb it was that it took her three months to solve the riddle.

The plot itself was confusing. Feyre was living in poverty, kills a Fae, and as "punishment," she gets to live in luxury and yet she still wants to escape? It wasn’t until halfway through the book, with a massive infodump, that the "punishment" even made sense. In the original Beauty and the Beast, at least the reader knows about the curse from the start.
And don’t get me started on the final part, when Feyre is trying to save Tamlin. The tests, the riddle, and Rhysand’s behavior (which bordered on unnecessary and problematic) were just utterly ridiculous. This very bad Fae gets completely undone by a stupid riddle? Feyre is falling for a man who sexualizes her?

That said, I did enjoy some parts. The world and the different types of Fae were interesting, and I would have loved to explore them more instead of getting infodumps. The development of Feyre and Tamlin’s relationship was enjoyable; not too romantic or dramatic, but obviously very predictable. There was enough action and political intrigue to balance out the romance, and the pacing was good.

It’s pretty easy to see where the relationships (between Feyre and Tamlin, and Feyre and Rhysand) are headed. I do like that it’s not going to be a typical, straightforward love story, but I really hope there’s no more attempted sexual assault in the next books. That was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

I’m not convinced I’ll be reading the next books in the series. It was entertaining in a no-expectations, no-thinking kind of way, but also very exasperating at times.

Have you read A Court of Thorns and Roses? Did you feel the same way, or did you love it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Birthday Bookhaul

Hi everyone

January 24th was my birthday! I had a lovely day celebrating with my husband and our two daughters. The weekend after my birthday, we gathered with my parents, my brother, and his wife to continue the festivities. My husband’s birthday was on the 12th of January, and we celebrated with his family the day after his birthday.

The best part? Everyone (except my husband) gave me money for books! They all know how much I love to read, and honestly, it’s the perfect gift for me.

So, I bought myself some very anticipated new books! I ordered all of them from Bol and they arrived over the last couple of days. 
Here's what I got.

- James S. A. Corey: Memory's Legion

- Eowyn Ivey: Black Woods Blue Sky 

- Rachel Joyce: Miss Benson's Beetle

- Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Before the Coffee gets Cold

- Stephen King: Firestarter

- Stephen King: Needful Things

- H. P. Lovecraft: Cthulhu Mythos Tales

- Edgar Allan Poe: The Complete Poetry

- John Steinbeck: Travels with Charley

- Andrea Stewart: The Bone Shard Daughter

- Xiran Jay Zhao: Iron Widow

Have you read any of these? If so, which one should I read first? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Stephen Aryan: The Coward

Hi everyone

Because I loved Stephen Aryan’s Age of Darkness and Age of Dread series, I went ahead and bought both books in his Quest for Heroes series at the same time.
I got both of them from Bol. 

"Kell Kressia is a legend, a celebrity, a hero. Aged just seventeen he set out on an epic quest with a band of grizzled fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world, but only he returned victorious. The Lich was dead, the ice receded and the Five Kingdoms were safe.
Ten years have passed Kell lives a quiet farmer's life, while stories about his heroism are told in every tavern across the length and breadth of the land. But now a new terror has arisen in the north. Beyond the frozen circle, north of the Frostrunner clans, something has taken up residence in the Lich's abandoned castle. And the ice is beginning to creep south once more.
For the second time, Kell is called upon to take up his famous sword, Slayer, and battle the forces of darkness. But he has a terrible secret that nobody knows. He's not a hero - he was just lucky. Everyone puts their faith in Kell the Legend, but he's a coward who has no intention of risking his life for anyone..."

This was a fun and very entertaining quest-like story. 

I loved the idea of these "heroes" discovering who they really are; whether they’re cowards or brave, male or female, human or not. Aryan does such a great job of exploring the difference between legend and reality, especially how society conveniently forgets the flaws of its heroes. It’s a theme that feels so real and relatable, and it added a lot of depth to the story.
One of my favorite tropes is strangers becoming a team, bonding and working together toward a common goal. This book was right up my alley! Watching these characters grow, clash, and eventually trust each other was so satisfying. Aryan’s writing is, as always, easy to read, not too flowery, and very accessible. He has a knack for balancing humor, action, and introspection in a way that keeps the story engaging and fun.
I particularly loved the coward/reluctant hero aspect of Kell’s character. His PTSD and survivor’s guilt were handled really well, it felt authentic and raw, not just tacked on for drama. The characters were all distinct, flawed, and compelling. I loved them all, and it hurt to lose some of them. That’s how you know a story has gotten under your skin, when you care this much about what happens to the characters.

There were only two things that didn’t quite work for me. The first was Britak’s chapters. They felt like a setup for the next book, but in this one, she was rather superfluous. Without her chapters, this could have been a perfect standalone. I’m not particularly compelled to read the next book because of her, especially since the main storyline wraps up so satisfyingly on its own.
The second thing was Willow. I was disappointed by how little we learned about her. It felt like a cheap and easy way to add diversity to the cast by including a non-human character, but without giving her a real backstory or depth it doesn't add but detract from the quality of the book. Willow could have been so much more than just a plot device.

All in all, The Coward was a fantastic read; fun, action-packed, and full of heart. 

Have you read the books in the Quest for Heroes series? Did you feel the same way? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena 

Wrap Up: January 2026

Hi everyone,
The first month of the year (and, let’s be honest, my least favorite month) is finally over! But even though January can feel a bit dreary, it’s always a great time to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea or coffee. So, I wanted to share a Wrap Up of the books I read this month.

Here's what I read:

- Terry Pratchett: The Truth

- Christopher Buehlman: The Blacktongue Thief

- Naomi Alderman: The Future

- Stephen King: Under The Dome

- Karyl McBride: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?

- Ray Celestin: Palace of Shadows

Did you read anything amazing in January? Or maybe you’re starting the year with a new favorite? I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading!

Happy reading!
Helena