The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne – Review

Published: October 22, 2024

Publisher: Orbit

Series: The Bloodsworn Saga #3

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 572 (Kindle)

My Rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis:
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.

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At long last, I’ve finished the final book in The Bloodsworn Saga! I have had a copy of this for what seems like forever (July 2024) and found myself not in the mood for epic viking fantasy prior to its release in October 2024. Then I decided to pick up the audiobook because the narrator is quite talented, but I still found myself just not really invested in the story. The book isn’t bad at all! I just didn’t find myself hooked the way I was with the first installment and it ultimately took me a month and a half to make my way through the audiobook.

The Fury of the Gods picks up right after the events of The Hunger of the Gods – Lik-Rifa and Rotta are determined to destroy Ulfrir, the recently resurrected wolf god. While the gods certainly throw their weight around in this book, the true focus is the various warrior factions that have allied themselves with the gods. I remained the most invested in the journeys of Orka and the Bloodsworn because to be honest, the others blurred together somewhat. Elvar is trying to consolidate her power now that she rules in Snakavik since she killed her father. Lik-Rifa’s warbands really blur together into one, so I shall not comment on them at all.

While there was plenty of battle and action and even some deaths that one might consider tragic, I was simply not emotionally invested in this story. I was listening merely to make progress and I found it neither particularly enjoyable or unenjoyable. I am absolutely in the minority on this because the book has over 15,000 ratings and has a 4.49 rating on Goodreads, so if you’ve enjoyed the previous books you should definitely check this out. This just ended up being an unmemorable read for me, though I wouldn’t write off a re-read changing my opinion of it in the future.