Source: Goodreads

Book Review: Bloodsworn Saga

If you are a fantasy fan, if you love big dragons and fellowship and vengeance, if you want non-stop action, look no further. The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne has all that. Plus amazing covers. See them yourself. Aren’t those some of the most gorgeous covers you have ever seen?

I started reading The Shadow of the Gods because of the cover. It features a sick-looking dragon, which somehow promises action involving the creature. The content of the book delivers on it, though. In the story, we follow three perspectives: Orka, a huntress looking for her missing son, Varg, a former slave turns warrior, and Elvar, a blue-blooded woman wanting to make a name for herself. The stories of these three seem to be unrelated at first. However, later, as we progress into the story, we find that their stories are interconnected, and that they are all unwilling parts of a war that will shake all Vigrid, the land where the story happens. And yes, the war involves a dragon, a giant wolf, and a gargantuan serpent seen in the covers!

This series’s strong point is its action. John Gwynne is truly a master at writing action sequences that are lively and will appear in your thought-cage. Add that to the fact that this series contains non-stop action. In almost all chapters, something attacks something else. Because of this non-stop killing, it is hard for me to put the book down as I want to know how it unfolds.

And then there is Orka. Orka, oh Orka. By FAR my favorite character of the book. Her story of searching for his missing son while avenging her dead husband at the same time is masterfully crafted. Orka is not a perfect character, meaning she makes mistakes here and there. Those mistakes, however, are because she is under constant pressure to find her son quickly, making her spend no time to think, kill first and talk later (if there is someone left to talk to, that is). Very refreshing to see a genuinely badass character written masterfully.

I also need to mention Elvar, a character who shows the strongest growth across the series. At first, she seems shallow and driven only by glory hunting, which made her the least interesting of the three viewpoints for me. But her arc develops steadily. As the story moves forward, she is forced to confront responsibility. She shifts from chasing personal fame to earning the trust of others, and eventually becomes the strategic anchor of her warband. That progression feels earned, not forced, and it makes her later chapters far more engaging than her early ones.

One of my critiques of the book is that sometimes character voices sound too similar, especially side characters. Time and time again, I could not differentiate between them, which made me unable to remember how they are included in the story. Is this Sighvat the Fat talking? Or Grend? Or Solin Spittle? I do not know.

Overall, this book if a must read for a fantasy fan that loves action. You will be hard-pressed to find a more action-packed series (I can only think of the Red Rising series so far).

3.5/5