First off, can we take a minute to appreciate how unbelievably gorgeous the book cover is?! Secondly, are you looking for a Vikings inspired epic fantasy world with gods and goddesses, magic and quests, journey and redemption? Well, look no further dear readers because Hall of Smoke is here for you and it is the perfect combination of all of these elements and so much more. This fascinating debut builds up a new world ruled by gods and goddesses, a breath of fresh air as it contains less of the general fantasy tropes.
Our main character is Hessa, an Eangi, a warrior-priestess of the Goddess of War Eang. Banished from her home for disobeying her goddess’s order and desperately trying to gain her forgiveness, she sets off on a journey to find the traveller she was supposed to kill and this time, she is determined to finish her duty. Hessa starts her journey across the world, unveiling hidden secrets and getting swept into battles between the Old and New Gods. Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it?
The majority of the book narrates Hessa’s travels from one place to another, combined with the illustrated map at the start of the book, Long creates an exciting and engaging world full of adventures and mysteries as we follow Hessa’s footprints along the world. The worldbuilding is undoubtedly, very successful. Long did an amazing job at describing the important roles in which the gods and goddesses play in the world and the influences they have on their believers. They are not myths or folklores, in this story, they are real. Different gods and goddesses are encountered, and questions are raised. As we follow Hessa’s journey, one cannot help but wonder that something is a little bit off. Hessa is a devoted warrior, incredibly loyal and never questioning orders and decisions that her goddess makes, but it is impossible to shake off the feeling that Eang is hiding something and not being entirely forthcoming with Hessa, who is trying her best to right her wrongs. Even though the people (and gods) she encountered on her journey kept bringing up new doubts and questions, Hessa’s belief of Eang never wavers as she continues on her mission, despite the difficulties.
It’s safe to say that our main character Hessa is an unbelievably strong character. After being banished, she then finds her village raided, friends, and family slaughtered, and she was the only Eangi left in the world. Lost and alone, she sets off on a rough path determined to make everything right and be reunited with her family again. At first, the book contains both chapters from the present time and flashbacks of when she became an Eangi and her time with her family which made the present even more painful as she continuously mourns her lost ones. Romance is not heavily depicted in this novel, (which I didn’t know I appreciated until now), as it effectively shows Hessa’s independence and strong personality. Since it’s written in first person and present tense, we are able to pay close attention to Hessa’s thoughts, her passion, loyalty and confusion throughout this whirlwind of events. Long’s writing continues to surprise me as she describes the world around Hessa vividly and it is easy to picture all the images in mind while reading. Her writing is very well grounded, surprisingly so for a debut novel and the chapters are short so as not to be confusing by putting too much stuff into one single chapter. The pacing might be a bit slow, involving a lot of traveling and flashbacks at first, but gradually, everything will start to make sense as it draws closer towards a mind-blowing finale. All the questions that we’ve raised throughout the book will be resolved by the end.
Personally, I have never read any Viking inspired fantasies and I had no idea what to expect from this, but it’s that lack of expectation which makes this novel even more interesting. Because it contains gods and wars, you can definitely expect a fair amount of fight scenes, sometimes the scenes tend to get quite violent and gore so be prepared for those when picking up this book.
One last thing to mention is that it might be best to keep referring back to the glossary at the end of the book whilst reading, that way, the names of the characters and places would be easier to read and it would make so much more sense!
Hall of Smoke is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 19th 2021.
Will you be picking up Hall of Smoke? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Epic fantasy featuring warrior priestesses and fickle gods at war, for readers of Brian Staveley’s Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne.
Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy’s bones to dust with a scream. Banished for disobeying her goddess’s command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside.
While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Grieving and alone, Hessa – the last Eangi – must find the traveller, atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path, Hessa strives to win back her goddess’ favour.
Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa’s trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer.
Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they’re about to wake up.
