Omg this was definitely a nice surprise!I really enjoy it, mostly I have to say it has a fantastic world building!I love stories about Vikings so this was highly anticipated!

If you are a fan of myths and legends you are going to like this one!Hessa is an Eangi, a fighter priestess who worships Eang, Goddess of War. The story is about her hard quest for redemption after she ignored the Goddess’s order to kill a man and after all her people were slaughtered by an enemy raid.

Now she is trying to find the man she is supposed to kill.She has an interesting journey!Hessa is a fantastic heroine.She is strong and determined.

The ending was satisfying enough , and I liked the writing a lot!Overall it was a refreshing and interesting story.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of the book for review.

I have just realized that I have actually finished reading this on it's release date! When I started reading it a couple days ago, I found it hard to get into at first. But this is one of those rare books that actually gets better as the cast of characters increases and the vital roles of each player are revealed! The plot actually moves at a steady pace which suits the fact that this is not a very long book. Once I was committed to the story, I actually finished it in one evening.

Hessa is a refreshingly honest narrator. Devoted to her family and her goddess, her struggles are relatable. Her relationships with the other characters intertwine with the plot itself and lay the foundation the author needs for intricate worldbuilding. There is no unnecessary romance, which is a wonderful reprieve from the usual books in this category. Even the supporting cast of characters have their own, well-plotted story arcs but they do not take the focus away from the protagonist and her heroic journey.

I would easily give this a 3.75/5 rating.

I really loved Hessa as a narrator. She was reliable and consistent, and the amount of commitment to her goddess at the beginning of the book is a real example of how religion can be compelling to the level we have read about historically, but with the emotional connection of having it show to us from her perspective.

Throughout her physical and emotional journey, she begins to question everything she thought she knew, everything she was so utterly certain of, and this in itself provides us with a wonderful story.

A big thanks to Titan Books for the digital galley of this book thru Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my known.

Holy smoke! I wasn't expecting to get an early access of one of my anticipated reads this year. Set in a rich Viking fantasy world brimming with fickle gods, magic, and warrior priestesses, I reveled and lost myself in this enthralling novel. Such a solid first book for a duology!

The story followed Hessa, an Eangi warrior priestess of the Goddess of War. Blessed with their goddess's fire, they were known as fierce warriors who could turn their enemies' bones to dust with their scream. Unable to follow Eang's command to kill a traveler, Hessa was banished as a priestess. When she was gone and praying for forgiveness, her village was slaughtered. Now, she seemed to be the last Eangi priestess, she went to find the traveler to fulfill her goddess's command and win her favor. However, on her journey, she slowly unravelled and learned the truths about the gods, and her deep-rooted beliefs and devotion began to waver.

It has been a long time since I read a book that completely sucked me in. Hall of Smoke just did that. With its intriguing plot, on-point world building, well-detailed magic system, and interesting characters, I had this constant feeling to know about it more. The twists and turns were totally unexpected and surprising, and higher stakes were at play. Also, thankfully, there was no unnecessary romance included here. My favorite thing about this was definitely how the gods were not just some "higher" presence. They were prevalent and played key major roles to the plot. They interact with the characters, and their actions greatly affected how the story would go. I rarely read books that had this kind of element, so it was a refreshing reading experience for me.

Hessa, the main character, was a reliable and likeable character and narrator. She was loyal and had a strong sense of justice. Her journey of redemption was full of hardship and heartbreaks, yet she remained determined to surpass those things. Since I experienced and saw the world she lived in through her eyes and thoughts, it felt like I'd been on a journey with her. The truths she uncovered made me question things as well.

Overall, Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long is a fantasy book to watch out for. It is so much more than just a story of redemption. It is thought-provoking, and I'm sure readers will love this. Brace yourselves for this wild, fantasy adventure!

5/5 stars!

Hall of Smoke details a world where the disputes of the gods end in burial pyres. It is a book that asks us what we will do when our hand is forced? A contest of gods wrenching against their powers, choosing their opponents and allies. Who are we to question the gods, to deny their powers, to reject their advances? While I thoroughly enjoyed the ways Long explores humanity's roles in a world of gods, the ending felt abrupt considering the layers of action and intrigue.

The old gods are awakening and they are ready to unleash their newly awoken powers. But where do humans lie? In this world where we can make deals with the gods, how much power over our own lives do we truly have? Hall of Smoke presents a world of smoke and murder, of demons and danger. I enjoyed this epic fantasy in terms of the world building, the constant pace of action, and the thematic exploration, but I didn't feel as connected to the main character as I wanted. Hessa is everything I would have thought I'd love instantly.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this book. about 1/5 into it. I found the protagonist interesting but there was way too much info-dumping for me to really get into it. 3-star rating to keep it from affecting the overall rating too much

This book grabbed me from the very first page. Hessa is an Eangi - a warrior priestess of the goddess Eang. As the story opens, she reveals that she has displeased her goddess and awaits a sign from Eang about what is to become of her. But as she waits, a dark fate befalls her family and her village.

I was immediately invested in Hessa, and I was dying to see what would happen to her. Her voice is compelling, engaging, and accessible. I loved the slow unveiling of the mysteries in her past, as well as her journey toward redemption. I've read several "Viking" inspired fantasy worlds, but this was the first one that felt truly real to me.

I would absolutely recommend this to lovers of Viking stories or YA fantasy readers looking to branch out into Adult fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hessa, is a warrior priestess. She is brave, strong, and on a mission. I enjoyed the character of Hessa, through the grief you can feel her pain but also route for her during her travels and the events that take place. I enjoyed reading her backstory to learn more about the times before the events of his novel. Overall, I felt she was a solid character to follow as a main character.

Long's writing of the history and environment in Hall of Smoke was well written and easy to follow. I felt the history was interesting and helps translate to the current culture in the story. The pace of this story is slow, and it took me to the halfway point to get into it. However, I can not say this is the fault of the story or because I don't read fantasy very often. Overall, I think the story was well-developed and an interesting concept.

I gave this novel a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ review. I felt the story and characters were solid; however, the pace was on a slow side. This was a great debut novel! Great Job H.M. Long!!

Thank you Titan Books and H.M. Long for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hall of Smoke is releasing on January 19, 2021 💛

HALL OF SMOKE - H.M. LONG

This is a Viking and Norse pantheon-inspired fantasy, where the gods directly influence the lives of their followers. When Hessa, a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, returns from an attempt at atonement to find her village murdered by raiders, she unknowingly sticks her foot into the beginnings of an ethereal war. As she struggles to complete her goddess-given task, Hessa must try to determine who is the most righteous in this war that she knows almost nothing about.

I know little about the Viking/Norse pantheon, so this was fascinating to read. This is a novel with a complex plot, world-building, and scene-setting. There are a a bunch of different nations with their own gods and all having various political and martial relationships with each other.

The story is mainly Hessa's journey to complete her task, with much of the driving factors of the plot being obscured. And these are slowly revealed to Hessa and the reader as she progresses. While I didn't necessarily feel connected to Hessa, I was enthralled with the pantheon and trying to understand them and what was going on behind the scenes as more and more was revealed. There were some unexpected twists and turns which are fun.

While, overall, the novel was a little slow for me and I honestly don't understand how the powers work, I was invested in story and the end was satisfying. And so if you like a military-minded fantasy about questioning power, filled with active gods, and focused mostly on the journey of a single character you will enjoy this one.

Thank you to @titanbooks and @netgalley for an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The beginning of this book was amazing. I was instantly grabbed by the opening and the pacing through the first third of the book was quick and action packed. It pulled me in and made me want to learn more about the world. However, there was a point in this book where the character was taken to one spot of the world and then she had to travel all the way back to where she started so she could fulfill her quest. The whole chunk of the journey was hard for me to slog through.

Hessa was a really intriguing character, but she was the only character we learned anything about. I get that she is the MC but there were a ton of other characters we meet and they were all surface level. There may have been two or three other characters that are given any semblance of a personality at all. This, sadly, took me out of the story and made it hard for me to connect with Hessa's journey. I just wanted to get into more worldbuilding and how the magic system actually worked. I love stories where gods are real and concrete, and I wanted more of it. We don't really get super deep into the gods and who they actually are until 70% of the way in. Now, the ending was really good, but I don't think it made up for the whole middle of the book just being a bit boring to me.

Overall it just wasn't a book that stood out to me in sea of fantasy. There will be people that love this book because it is really well written. I just found that it wasn't for me.

What an epic tale of gods, war, religion and the struggle for power.

Hessa is an Eangi - a warrior priestess blessed with the power of fire from Eang the Goddess of War. She was given a vision with instructions to kill a certain visitor to her village. However when the time comes, shes reluctant to break Hearth Law and kill the smiling kind man she has invited into her home. Unfortunately this means she is exiled and forced to seek atonement in the temple of the goddess. It is during this time of atonemenet that her entire village is wiped out by a maurading party. Devasted by the loss, she goes seeking the man she didnt kill to make it right with her goddess so she can free the souls of her loved ones and hopefully join them in the high halls after death. Hessa's journey takes her all over the empire where she faces all manner of perils . The gods of New and the Gods of Old are waging a war and your faith could mean life and death depending on where you stray and whom you encounter.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting, Hessa is a strong character who despite being dogmatic in her faith soon starts to open her eyes and question the nature of her reality (hehe). She meets a whole host of characters whom you dont know whether to trust or not. The world building is well done as is the mythlogy of the gods. They feel like a cross of Norse, Roman and some Asian deities, There is a strong theme of blind faith and devotion to gods that runs through the book especially as they are often so fickle or twisted in their intentions.

Have I said I really enjoyed this? 4.2 Stars /5

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Warfare violence

Hall of Smoke is a fantasy story set in a world where Gods and Godessess can freely interact with their followers and at the same time their prayers are significant to each other.

So the story starts where Hessa the main character-eangi, who is banished because of disobeying a a task that she must complete in which she failed to do so. Now, Hessa journeyed to complete it after being freed by the person whom she is tasked to kill in order to be forgiven.

𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓

The story mainly relies on the Gods/Goddesses, the history, Hessa’s journey on fulfilling a task- and is basically a plot driven story. The writing-story telling itself is lovely, I love how it was narrated flawlessly and at the same time can be considered as a slow-burn plot as to how the author tells it. I really appreciate how the author does not shoved many informations in a single scene and instead takes her time to tell the story and let the reader absorbed all of it before shoving another one.

The world building itself is simple and at the same well thought and written. I really enjoy the history of the Gods and Goddesses and wished we could get a prequel story about them. I find some of them complex and at the same time full of mystery that needed more exposure.

I enjoy the action scenes. The fighting scenes really reminds me of how the Vikings fight- with the axe thing and the character description.

I also wanted to point out that sometimes, the narration and the telling can be a little too much in which I find sometimes dragging. As well as how the author describes the geogprahic or the scenes in some parts of the story.

The part at the almost end the uncovering of truths and betrayals and some twist, I felt that it was lacking, I wasn’t that mind blown nor that affected until the very end.


𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

This is one of the reason why I’m hesitant to give Hall of Smoke a higher rating. The characters doesn’t seemed to be that interesting to me. They lacked personality and development. I just can’t connect or I failed to be attached to them.

Most of the times, the main character and the supporting ones doesn’t seemed to be the that important to the storyline because of their lack of development and sometimes were overshadowed by the development of the plot.

The Gods and Goddesses might be a little bit interesting as I find them complex but not enough to be attached. I think, Eang- The Goddess of War of the New World and Ogam- which is her son, are the only one whom I find more interesting because of how they were written but not that much to make me love them.

Although I really liked that Hall of Smoke does not have romance in it and more shows of Hessa’s indepedency.


𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋

This is good read. The writing-the story telling is so good. I really enjoyed the history of the Gods and Goddesses- which is my favourite thing in this book.

I might have had a problem remembering their names as they really have unique ones but I’ll get to remember them, thanks to the glossary and the map at the end of the book .

I’ll have to say that I’m in the middle of okay and liking this book. I enjoyed the story telling, Hessa’s quest to fulfil the task and at the same time uncovering truths and betrayals which I find lacking and underdeveloped and some scenes that I felt the execution was anticlimactic and felt lacking.

I just hoped that the characters were developed, this might be a plot driven book but the character also have an impact on the overall result of the story-which the book failed.

Overall, this is a good read. 3,5 ⭐

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.

See this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5/5 stars

I wanted to like this so much more than I did! Unfortunately, it missed the mark in a couple of places. I love all the ideas behind it, but they just weren't executed right for me.

In Hall of Smoke, we follow Hessa, a warrior-priestess of the goddess of war called an Eangi. Eangi have the power to kill an enemy with nothing more than a scream. Banished for disobeying her goddess's command to murder a traveler, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside. She comes home to find her village razed and the inhabitants dead. As old powers emerge and her beliefs are challenged, Hessa tries to find a way to right her wrongs and fall back into her goddess's favor. But is that what she really wants?

I think the one failing that killed the book for me was the pacing. I don't mind slow pacing normally, but I swear absolutely nothing happened for about 100 pages after Hessa's village was raided. It regrettably led to places where I was disinterested or even bored while reading.

I swear, the pacing messed up every aspect of this novel for me. I think I would have liked the characters, but after the pacing put me off I had a hard time appreciating what else was happening. Hessa had a fantastic character arc, but she was one of the only characters we actually followed. All the side characters were very side characters. It was a book about Hessa and no one else, which I understand, but I would have liked more main-ish characters.

The character that comes closest to being a main side character was Nisien, who I really liked because he was also a very complex character. He used to be a soldier in war, but he was released from duty and got to go home. Ever since he regarded his time in the army with a mix of the shock that comes with battle and a strange sense of nostalgia. Seeing him manage that was very interesting, and a definite highlight of the novel.

The relationships were more told than showed, especially with Hessa and her husband, Eidr. She always told us that she loved him, but we never really got to see any depth to it. I think that's one of the problems with killing off characters so early in the book: the audience doesn't have time to get attached.

Again, I'm so sad that I didn't like this book more than I ended up rating it. I was very excited, and it pains me to give it this rating. This is only the author's debut novel, so I still think that she could churn out something amazing. I wouldn't exactly recommend this book, but I'd keep an eye on the author to see what she makes next.

Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior with the power that reminds me of a berserker, that can melt her opponents' brains if they are close enough. She is isolated in the beginning of the novel because she disobeyed her Goddess and failed to kill a man called Osmaskat who seeked hospitality at her village. This act will cost her everything and set her on a journey to try and correct this mistake. Through her journey she learns that the Goddess she warships has little regard for her and that there is a big battle brewing between the old gods and the new.

This was a very original read, with a well thought out and rather unique world building. But it was also rather slow paced, and lacked a certain emotional build up. I'm not sure why that is so, we get Hessa's POV and she has a big internal struggle, questioning everything she grew up to believe in as well as a tragic background and a massive case of survivor guilt. But as she travels and forges bonds with several characters, the less I could understand or connect with her emotions or feel for her. However, on the plus side side she has many cool fight scenes and an interesting set of powers.
Thank you so much to Titan books and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book..#HallofSmoke #NetGalley

This was such an interesting but fun read! I loved the unique magic system, and how we're just immediately thrown into the story, with backstory being fed to us gradually. Plus I'm always here for stories featuring gods being jerks and stories featuring large, fluffy dogs.

Hall of Smoke is a Viking inspired fantasy novel which follows Hessa’s journey on her quest for redemption after she disobeyed her Goddess’s orders to kill a traveller. What an epic adventure this is and I became totally immersed in the story. Most of the book is centred around Hessa’s trek to find the traveller she should have killed previously and the characters she encounters along the way. It is well written, the plot is engaging and it is well paced and flows nicely from one event to the other. There are some fabulous action-packed fight scenes and the story is overflowing with interesting and unique characters and creatures.

The world is rich and detailed and the author takes the time building up and developing this world. The culture, religion and mythology is fascinating and the politics and relationships between the different tribes is very intriguing. The rivalry between the warring gods made for some intense reading.

The vast cast of characters makes it a little difficult to follow at times and I found the character glossary at the back essential to keep track of who is who. Hessa is hands down my favourite character and leaves the biggest impression. She plays an excellent leading role as she is such a strong and determined warrior with a unique magic system. I enjoyed the flash backs to her life before the events at the Hall of Smoke and we learn a lot about her back history. I was really drawn to Osmaskat’s character, I found him really intriguing and Ogam is another favourite, I enjoyed his humorous repartee with Hessa.

Hall of Smoke is a beautifully written novel with an exquisitely detailed world. It is long but engaging, with an intriguing plot and enough plot twists to keep the reader fully invested in the story. There is not much romance in the book, personally I would have liked to have seen more, and for Hessa to have found love again, but I will definitely be reaching for the next book.

Thank you to Titan for the beautiful paperback and eARC of this book.

Hall of Smoke follows Hessa, a warrior priestess who is atoning for her mistakes when her village is attacked, as one of the only survivors, Hessa’s journey to redeem her mistake and kill the man she was supposed to leads her to answers she does not expect.

I did enjoy the concept of the book; I liked the setting and world that the book was set in and there were a lot of interesting characters throughout including various gods/goddess’. I just found the writing style was not for me, the book was really hard to read – it was way more descriptive than I thought it would be and although I liked the world building at the start, I felt like the way everything was always described made the book drag on and a longer read than it needed to be. The first half of the book was hard to get into because the main character is constantly moving around, there is not enough time to get to know the new characters and process the information before she moves on, it was very repetitive and dragged out.

The second half was better, I liked the action scenes and the reveals that the main character uncovered however I do still think that the book dealt with way too much. So much goes on in the book and yet because of the slow pace it seems like you have learned very little about what is going on, the ending itself felt really rushed and was disappointing – I expected it to be more dramatic with the way it was build up and yet hardly anything happened before things got resolved.

3/5

Thank you Titan for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

A fantastical high fantasy adventure with a magical warrior and the gods that rule this realm.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Hessa is an Eangi – A warrior that worships the Goddess of War that gives her powers to kill her enemy with a scream.

While banished for disobeying her goddess decree to murder a stranger, her village is razed to the ground. Hessa must strive to win back her goddess favor. Through her journey she learns that the gods are dying and her trust within her goddess starts to fade, she is caught between a battle between the old gods and the new.

WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT?
A heart pounding quick read, the pace does not let down as Hessa goes from one part of things to another in this story. I really enjoyed watching this novel unfold, the story had many layers and questions that needed answered.

The only concern I had is that I felt I wasn’t given the time to properly come to connect with Hessa before being thrust into the chaos. I did feel the god aspects were interesting but again, it was hard to fall in the middle of this story without context. Maybe a map at the beginning would have been helpful but I felt lost sometimes.

I would of enjoyed a slower build up about her and her life. I felt the style was more not really to my taste but the concept was enjoyable and the many aspects of the world were fascinating.

A must read for epic/high fantasy readers that love adventures. A great new voice in epic fantasy.

Rating: 3.5
Hall of Smoke by H.M Long
Standalone
Publish Date: 19 January 2021
Cover Rating: 7/10
Adult – Fantasy - Adventure

A viking-inspired world reminiscent of Skyrim, a fierce Xena-esque warrior-priestess capable of melting her opponent's bones with her power, and a brooding war between an old and new generation of gods.

What's not to be intrigued by? Sign me up, point me to the nearest monastery. This was a wild ride.

I mean ride, literally. 80% of this book is travelling.

Hessa of the Eangi is a devoted zealot of the Goddess of War. She was tasked with killing a man for reasons unknown, and her failure at the beginning of the book is the impetus for her banishment and subsequent quest for redemption. She travels around her homeland, running into friends and enemies alike, of the human and god variety, in search of this one mysterious man whom she may kill to please her goddess. Along the way, she comes to understand, and to explain to the reader in detailed exposition, the complex politics of her homeland and the new wave of dogma threatening everything she knows about her religion.

The structure of this tale is very loose and linear and may deter folks who enjoy a traditional plot structure. There is a lot of meeting people, leaving, coming back, getting familiar with characters who then leave just as characterization was starting to form. The development of Hessa's relationships to other people doesn't really get the chance to take root in anyone particular.

That aside, this story is action packed. Combat sequences are aplenty, very convincing, and well articulated. Hessa is a stoic, admirable heroine with her own insecurities to work through, and watching her redemption arc was satisfying. The world itself is unique and feels solidified by the lore, though at times the exposition feels unnecessarily heavy handed.

Would highly recommend to lovers of a viking inspired story.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out super strong. I was hooked in the beginning but then it just slowly tapered off for me.

The story with the gods, the new and old, the mortal yet undying gods was really interesting but I just could not connect with the characters.

It felt like there were so many different plot lines and different things happening all at once that I struggled to keep them all straight in my head.

The middle was a lull for me. Lots of traveling and meeting people, more gods, and their backstories, and honestly, I just didn't find myself caring.

The end picked back up and I liked how the last few chapters wrapped everything up.

The writing was really good I just don't think this was one for me, but it was still really good especially if you are a fan of Vikings!