Thank you to Titan Books for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! CAWPILE Rating: 7.29 (4 Stars) After enjoying the first book in this world, Hall of Smoke, I was excited to read its companion! (You don't need to read HoS before ToNG) You can tell from this book that H.M. Happy UK release day! It releases Feb 1st in the US. In conclusion I think if you enjoyed book 1 you will really like this - it is a worthy sequel and I don't have the best memories of book one haha (as in I can't remember much not it was bad) but I think I enjoyed book 2 a little bit more!!. The book is also pretty fast paced and sometimes I wish it was a little slower but I do think the author does a good job of balancing the action and battle scenes with intrigue and interactions with the deities.
I think the thing that holds me back from loving this series more is that I'm not super attatched to the characters, nothing about them is particularly special or standout to me.
I also really like the prose, it's very sophisticated whilst still being easy to read and enjoy. I liked the atmosphere of the book - I love the barren, perishingly cold landscape and all the worldbuilding details really transport you and create a vivid, richly imagined world. I am a bit of a sucker for relationships where it is an arranaged marriage and they are sort of reluctant allies to begin with but then slowly realise they care about each other and start to fall in love and that book delivers on this trope in a very satisfying but subtle way. I remember liking book one but not loving it and I think I have pretty similar feelings with this one! There were a lot of elements I enjoyed and I liked seeing Hessa a little bit older, wiser, more mature and taking on more of a leadership role but I think something holds me back from completely loving it. After forging a fragile peace in book one, a new threat is growing and Hessa must travel into enemy territory where warring factions, sinster cults and dangerous magic may threaten everything. Temple of No God is the sequel to Hall of Smoke, a Norse inspired epic following Hessa, a priestess of the war godess. I remember liking book one but not loving it and I think I have pretty similar feelings with this one! There were a lot of elements I enjoyed and I liked seeing Hessa a little bit 3.5 stars moreģ.5 stars Temple of No God is the sequel to Hall of Smoke, a Norse inspired epic following Hessa, a priestess of the war godess. With enemies on every side and her fragile alliance beginning to waver, Hessa must decide who to trust – no matter what it may cost her….
A sinister new cult is on the rise, one with the power to suck the life from everything it touches. With the peace she has sacrificed so much for at stake, Hessa must venture into the heart of enemy territory, where warring Arpa factions are not the only danger she must face. She must intervene, for the safety of her people. Already beating back former Arpa legionaries at her borders, Hessa knows she cannot let this chance slip by. In the remnants of the once-great Arpa Empire, three factions are vying for the imperial throne, and the vast well of raw magical power only accessible to the Arpa Emperor. Through great sacrifice, she has forged an alliance between warring tribes and introduced her people to the true god.īut a new threat is growing across the southern border. In the remnants of the once-great Arpa Empire, three factions are vying for the imperial throne, After a brutal war between the gods, Hessa – High Priestess of the Eangen – has brokered a fragile peace. But a new threat is growing across the southern border. Through great sacrifice, she has forged an alliance between warring tribes and introduced her people to the true god. After a brutal war between the gods, Hessa – High Priestess of the Eangen – has brokered a fragile peace.