Haha of smoke is a Viking fantasy with badass heroines and the storyline stresses on religion, culture and devotion towards your loved ones. It was bit slow for me as it takes sometime to get into the story and as the story builds up you will be intrigued and the characters grew up on you.

Oooh I loved this. What a breath of fresh air!

I don't know where to begin, and I don't want to spoil much, but suffice it to say it wasn't what I was expecting at all. In fact, I went in with almost no expectations, and it still surprised me. What began as a usual viking story (village raid, etc etc) quickly hinted at something else - something bigger at play, and I couldn't help turning the pages to figure out what was REALLY going on.

Hessa is our MC, a devout priestess for her god, known as Eang. At the beginning, she's being punished for the crime of not killing someone Eang wanted her to kill. Despite Eang's anger and vague messages (yes! we meet Eang! the gods are very prevalent), Hessa is endlessly devoted to her, and her only chance to get back in her god's good graces is to finish the job she didn't do. She must kill said man.

Thus Hessa is sent on a journey to find him, and find him, she does, only he raises very peculiar questions about her god, perhaps even hinting that Eang may not *actually* a god. Heresy! Or is it? What follows is a whirlwind of events: Hessa trying to find/kill the man, all while running into other gods (who are very much on the page) and people who stir even more questions. Stranger still, every encounter/vision Hessa has with Eang, we can tell something is off. We can't help but dislike Eang for her vagueness and cruelty towards Hessa, who's clearly trying right her wrongs.

I can't say much more, but I loved the twists! I think we get a sense of a much larger world, but it expands into a mind-blowing finale, where we not only learn the truth, but question everything we've been told along the way. The story very much revolves around the mythology and "gods", and while that might be a turn-off for me in usual circumstances, something about it was intoxicating here, and I think it was the constant NEED to know the truth. Better yet, said truth did not disappoint.

Honestly, I haven't read anything like this and I suspect I never will. What a fun ride!

This book was ten levels of intense, even with it's fairly slow pace.

Hessa is the kind of protagonist that is fairly rare in my opinion, especially when it comes to female protagonists, as it's also rare to find them in adult fiction and not along side a male protagonist.

Her journey through this book is something I hope to see more from any protagonist. She goes through the ringer, what she has to endeavor, the lies she uncovers all while being more or less utterly alone after losing her husband and closest family member. She stays resilient. But not in a way that comes across as plot armor. Not in the way that it typically is used. Destiny and fate surround her, and all that. But she still struggles and suffers, nearly dies.

The setting of this book, while very different from most other fantasy I've read was at times hard for me to picture. There was a map in the copy I read, but it was at the back of the book, I wish it had been at the front. The narrative was also strange at times, it was told almost in a reflective way, as if she were telling the story to somebody. That might have been what contributed to the pacing for me.

The worldbuilding doesn't lack in any way because of that either. It still has a very rich mythology with their gods, who are the real gods, and who is pretending to be a god, and those who know what they are in the world. I am very interested in this world and wouldn't mind reading more tales set in it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this standalone fantasy novel by H.M. Long. The story of Hessa captured me almost immediately, a disillusioned but determined warrior priestess who is easy to cheer for. She has no one to rely upon except herself, chasing the whims of other gods and goddesses whose alliances are unknown and unreliable. After her home village is massacred and Hessa barely escapes with her life, she's on the run to find out where her goddess, Eangi, might be hiding. This is Viking fantasy of the highest order, and the whole story is interweaved seamlessly to whisk the reader onto a pretty exciting adventure. I'm glad this was a standalone in some ways; sometimes authors don't know when to end a novel, even if you love the characters and want their stories to keep happening. It's a beautiful story, I hope it gets a wide readership among fantasy lovers. Recommended for fans of Naomi Novik or Neil Gaiman's book "Norse Mythology".

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with this wonderful book, in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

I requested this book on a whim and because of that gorgeous cover. Let me tell you that I’m so glad I did because with The Hall of Smoke, you’re in for a ride.

There was just something really enticing about this novel. Something about the beautiful writing style, the rich and fascinating mythology, the vivid descriptions of the setting, the intriguing side characters, the captivating action scenes, the Gods’ machinations, ... Well, I guess I loved everything about it.

But can we talk about Hessa? She was an amazing and admirable MC. She went forward without feeling sorry for herself - and what happened at the very beginning could have broken her much more (sometimes I wonder if it was a realistic portrayal of grief but she did acknowledged her loss, she just tried to not be overwhelmed by sorrow). But she’s trying very hard to redeem herself. In short, she had a mission and she never lost sight of her goal no matter the circumstances and obstacles. And the fact that she was faced with inevitable questions: who can she trust? The goddess she’s devoted to or the stranger she’s meant to kill? Nothing is as simple as it seems.

The conclusion pleased me and I did shed a tear because I was happy to have witnessed Hessa’s evolution and expedition.

I wanted to add that there is no romance in this book, just mention of it, and it was refreshing. I usually love when there is a romance if it doesn’t overshadow the plot, but here it is nonexistent and it didn’t bother me at all. The focus is solely on Hessa’s journey and it was highly entertaining.

The Hall of Smoke is a strong debut filled with layered characters - mainly enigmatic gods and a magical priestess - and many revelations. I’m excited to read what H.M. Long will write next.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Viking inspired story following the adventure of the Eangi priestess Hessa, as her whole world turns upside down in a heartbeat. Her people and loved ones slaughtered,her goddess of war Eang, that she devoted her whole life turns silent and didn't lift a finger to save them....and just because she failed to kill the stranger that she was told to long time ago, and now she's paying the prise.
I love the plot and the complex idea of old gods,new gods,miri and all the plethora of given powers and myths.
Unfortunately for most of the book It was hard for me to keep up, wich god is old,new,miri and that took away from the pleasure and i really wished that there was a prequel,solely devoted to the early history of the gods,creation of miri and their change and rule over people.
Hessa's journey was interesting but i think it was prolonget a little too much in expense of the final that was resolved in a much faster pace ,given all the events that had to unfold and click into place.
And talking about Hessa's adventure , when i finished the book i was disappointed to see the map that would've been helpful for understanding where you are in the moment....but since i am one of those that don't touch the final pages, afraid of seen spoilers i couldn't have known for the map and the glossary.
I was intrigued by Nisien,Estavius and would've loved to know more about them....as for Omaskat ,with so much anticipation and hype i was so anxious to know him,to see what will happen between him and Hessa...only to be disappointed with his arc and how he was handled.
I absolutely hate to write such reviews and i tried hard to love this adventure but alas my heart wasn't into it....and given all the other positive reviews that are majority i am inclined to think that the problem may be in my "TV" .
I will write this review only here in Netgalley, because i don't want to do any harm and make a bad pr for the book!
Thank you again to Titan Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book and write a review!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I will wait until January to post my review to sites like Amazon and B&N.

This book started out very strong. It was so good, I couldn't put down. But as the book progressed and it got more in depth about the God's and Goodness, I found myself a little lost throughout the book until the end when everything was explained.

Hessa is punished for not fulfilling her Goddesses command and while she is visiting and praying for her goddesses forgiveness, her village is attacked. Hessa must now fulfill the Goddesses command and embark on an adventure to do this. But nothing seems as it is. Hessa must make decisions and follow her gut on who to believe and what is right for her people.

Overall this book was fun to read and the writing flow was very good. It gripped me easily throughout each chapter, which is a major thing for me. I tend to lose interest if I can't follow the authors writing style.

This book does have animal sacrifices so if that bothers you, I would be a little cautious in reading it.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

4.5

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the characters and the internal strife. I enjoyed the Viking vibes. The new and old gods were intriguing. Overall, very enjoyable.

Big thanks to Netgalley and H. M. Long for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Hall of Smoke follows Hessa, a young woman who is an Eangi (essentially a demigod of sorts). She is given a task of killing the two-tone eyed man but when she disobeys she is sent to repent to Eang, the God her and her people worship. While Hessa is waiting for her fate to be decided by her God, her village is decimated and everyone, save her friend Six and Six's newborn son, are killed.
Hessa must find the man with the different coloured eyes and kill him to make things right while waiting for Eang to step in and save her followers.

Along the way, Hessa meets other Gods, and groups of people battling in the name of their Gods.

This was a bit of a tough read. There are A LOT of characters and they occasionally have multiple names (human name then their God name) which made it difficult to follow.
Hessa doesn't really seem to have any deep relationship connections, with the exception of Nisien. And even their relationship is a bit ambiguous. I think near the end she compares him to a brother but up until that point it doesn't really feel like a sibling relationship but neither does it seem like a romantic relationship.
Her husband and cousin die in the attack on their village and she just got over it like nothing. I kept expecting to have their relationship with Hessa have some motivating factor or impact on anything and... there wasn't any.

There were so many Gods that their names became muddled after a while and I wasn't able to follow who was connected to whom.

Overall, I'm giving this 3.5 stars. The story line is interesting and the hierarchy of the Gods themselves could be a story on its own!

4.5*

Excellent debut.
So, you know when you request an ARC and they ask you what drew your attention to the book? Well, I honestly wish I could have put the author's description that spoke to my Vinland/GoW/Lagertha obsessed heart. As these things tend to happen, I am also playing AC: Valhalla at the moment, so let's just say this book came at the right time to the right person.

The story: On the surface, it's a pretty straightforward story. We are following Hessa, an Eangi warrior priestess on a quest to fulfil her Goddess's task: to kill a stranger with eyes of a different colour. To succeed means to get back under Eang's wing and make peace with what happened to her family and her tribe. To fail is to forever be damned. But those stakes mean nothing to Gods. Because, when immortals fight, humans die. It starts very focused with a clear view of who the good guys are and who are bad ones, but it grows into more complex story with many layers. As Hessa slowly realizes what is her place and humanity's place on the board when it comes to Old and New Gods, it cuts deeper into themes of faith and prophets, dealing with grief and loss and, perhaps, more than anything else, challenging one's view and understanding of the world.
The world: With so many Vikings references surrounding this book, it's important to say that you will not find a word "viking" anywhere in the novel. H.M. Long actually built and original world with original Pantheon of Gods, but clearly inspired by Norse mythology and Viking way of life. We see various clans who worship different gods depending on where they're settled: by the rivers, in the mountains, etc. Hessa's people, Eangi, are settled alongside mountains and they worship Eang, the Goddess of War. They are great hunters and insanely brave and those who are touched by Eang and can wield a bone-crushing warcry are trained all their life to be warriors and go in raids, no matter if they are men or women- they are equally feared (just like shield-maidens). Eang is a pretty good stand-in for Odin: wise, powerful, self-serving, fickle and with her own "flying spies"- instead of ravens, she has owls. Eang in an important player in the book and her relationship with Hessa provides a complexity Gods in this world have: she is not fully evil and she is not nice. She just cares more for her own goals, which looking at the broader picture may not be as bad for all of them. Beside Eang, this book also have an interesting version of "Loki-like" god and even one with Thor's recognizable telltale signs. But perhaps, the biggest parallel we can draw is a version of conflict between Æsir and Vanir that gets some nice interpretation here and an interesting resolution. So, it's not fantasy with Norse gods, but it's definitely in the spirit of Norse mythology.
Characters: Hessa is easy to like: she is fierce and fearless in a battle, she is loyal and caring and she also shows the signs of vulnerability in her grief, but that's not what left the biggest impression on me. I think that one of the best inner conflicts writers can depict with their characters is the crisis of fate. It's a such a heartbreaking inner battle because it shatters the foundation of everything they are, especially in a world like this one, where Gods play such a big role. Entire book is written from Hessa's point of view and along with her, readers are discovering what's actually happening and the truth behind the world which, up until major thing that set her on that path at the beginning, was a very narrow view. She worships Eang because she is thought all her life that that's the way and she does what Eang tells her because she tells her and Eang is not a Goddess you can question. In a way, the simplicity with which Hessa accepts the strangeness and powers of Gods shows just how deep her belief is, so I felt for her when she dared to think that maybe, just maybe, there is a different solution. If there is anything I would take issue with is that there is a huge chunk of this book that's just too introspective, with Hessa running various question in her head over and over going in circles which, occasionally strangled the pace progression and repeated, but I understand the necessity. Also, I never like reading that, but Hessa's dependency of immortals made her be a passive player for a big part of the novel because they decided for her, but it really fits this particular story to emphasise the triumph of a free thought and singularity over herd mentality which is, by far, the bravest thing Hessa's done.
This is an excellent debut for H.M. Long. This is not a short book, but I flew through it with ease and it kept my attention all the way through. The writing fit the story so well and I had a feeling author has such a firm grasp on her characters and this world she can write countless pages more about it. Recommended.

A quest for redemption, friendship, loss, battling gods, prophecies foretelling the doom of the world, Hall of Smoke is the epic tale of one lone woman's journey to fulfill her destiny. Her journey is set in a Viking inspired fantasy world featuring dangerous mythical beings, axes, magic, and many bearded men. The stakes are high, the allies are few, making this one intense read. I definitely recommend you find out for yourself.

Hall of Smoke is about Hessa, an Eangi warrior priestess who has been banished by her Goddess for disobeying her orders. While she is gone, her village is raided, leaving her to be the last Eangi alive. Thus, Hessa must win back her Goddess' favour to secure herself a place in the afterlife where her loved ones now reside.

The premises of Hall of Smoke was really good, however, whilst reading this did not reflect until the end of the book where the plot finally started to unravel. The first part of the book is a lot about travelling, Hessa travels and in this way, the author tries to build the world as Hessa moves through it. Although, for me personally, sometimes this was overly descriptive which distracted me a lot of the time. Furthermore, by my own mistake, there was a map at the end of the e-ARC which, had I seen it at the beginning, would have helped me understand and visualize the journey a lot better.

Hessa is an awesome character to follow. She is insanely strong-willed and certainly has a mind of her own, unafraid to speak it. Her world is shattered before her very eyes, which obviously makes her doubt everything she knows. She is super badass, and the fight scenes are very well written, leaving you wanting to turn to the next page as fast as possible.

A big aspect of this book is religion. All the different groups of people answer to and worship different Gods. I thought this was super interesting, but also confusing at times. In the back of the e-ARC, there is a Glossary, but even so, the number of different terms disoriented me at times while reading.

Hall of Smoke is an ambitious high fantasy novel. While it is very well-written and original, it is sometimes overly detailed taking away from the story. However, once the action does get going it is super enjoyable. The story does not contain (m)any of the typical fantasy tropes, so it was a breath of fresh air to read.

Hall of Smoke is a hard-swinging mythological tale that grips you from the instant you open the book.

Hessa, a fierce and exciting warrior priestess, guides us through a grand adventure to restore her goddess' grace after defying a divine directive. She is a heroine who feels real, even amidst the fantastical fantasy backdrop. I loved her revelations and interactions with the gods, reminiscent of the Greek tellings who display more human elements and enjoy humanity's deceitful aspects. She also trudges through a harsh world, fanatics, and demons. I particularly appreciated how we watched as Hessa, granted new information and experiences, struggles with doubt and preconceived notions of the world.

The story is well crafted and utilized excellent prose to communicate vivid imagery and emotions. The story felt balanced and never relied too heavily on exposition. None in this story felt cliche, nor did the story fall into tropes or become trite.

This was a solid and fun read; I would definitely recommend it!


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Wow! The worldbuilding was entirely superb, easy to grasp and yet very developed. I love viking fantasy and the story had me completely hooked. The action scenes were so well written that it felt almost like watching a movie. The plot is intriguing and has enough plot twists to keep you reading nonstop!

3.5/5 stars

This was a wonderful Viking inspired high fantasy. Incredibly action-packed, great world-building, and beautifully written. The characterizations for the main character, Hessa, was superb. I think the other side characters could benefit from more explorations, though; it seemed like Hessa and the Gods were the only memorable characters to me. Full review to come!

This book is so phenomenal! Full of epic magic and the struggle for redemption, this Viking high fantasy novel pulled me in right away and didn't let go. It's been a while since I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning to finish a novel (especially with work the next day). This book is what a griping fantasy should be. A unique but recognizable world, a strong hero/heroine that can stand on their own without excessive plot devices, beautifully written and choreographed fight scenes, and stunning prose.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the ARC!

This book was - unexpected. I don't think I've read another quite like it, which is a fact that gives pause and also praise, I think. Hessa, the main character and narrator, is an Eangi - a warrior Priestess of the goddess Eang. The Eangi are born with "Eangi Fire" which grants them superior fighting and healing abilities as well as the ability to decimate others in short bursts. Eang is the goddess of war in a New pantheon of gods, each of whom rules over one of the main groups of peoples in this world.

Hessa's conflict starts off seemingly small; she's being punished for failing to comply with the task of killing a particular traveler. She has gone to a remote mountain as penance, to seek forgiveness from her goddess, when tragedy strikes and raiders attack her town. She suddenly finds herself as the very last Eangi, and as the story evolves, she finds herself playing a part in an all out war between the gods.

The setting of this novel is what was really interesting; I don't think I've read many books about characters like Hessa (the nearest comparison would be that the Eangen might be like the Saxons or the Vikings; the Algatt people to the north could be Celts, and the Arpa are Romans, complete with superior technologies and organized legionary forces). The mythology and worldbuilding in this debut novel felt fresh and exciting, and while at moments I was a little lost in the sizable character/gods cast and geography, by the end I was on the edge of my seat. I should also mention that this novel subverts certain tropes - there is absolutely no active romance to be found in this book, as Hessa's husband is amongst those killed in the first chapter, and she doesn't seek out anyone else that way. She does however form a couple of very strong friendships!

Some of the things that I struggled with while reading this book: the start is slow. Hessa begins the book in a spiral of failure and self loathing and self flagellating because she believes she has failed her goddess and been cast out. She spends a fairly long time believing her entire priesthood and many of her people have been killed off because of her mistake. She overcomes all this by the end, which is very satisfying, but in the first several chapters we don't know anything about her failed task, her goddess, the entire mythology of the novel, etc. so it is difficult to empathize, and that makes events drag on for a while. I also wish that characters like Sixnit and Omaskat were better developed; Hessa is SO connected to Sixnit, but I felt like we were barely introduced to her character in the first place before the story whips off.

All that said - I thought this was a pretty great debut novel and I would certainly recommend it, especially to fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and The Fifth Season.
4/5
(Holding review on GoodReads until January as requested!)

Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long is an excellent fantasy novel that has it all: a strong female main character, historical fiction, mythology, action, complex characters, and an epic, gripping, and suspenseful narrative that kept me turning pages to find out more.

I loved Hessa. She is an excellent main character. She is complex, she is strong, intelligent, and has a strong moral compass despite her flaws and faults. When she attempts to atone for her mistakes, she discovers that a lot of what she was brought up to believe in regards to the multitude of gods and goddesses is not as it appears, she starts to question everything she thought she ever knew. The internal vs external struggles, battles, and obstacles were presented in with an excellent balance. I love how Hessa was able to self-reflect, reassess, and alter her beliefs and actions as the story unfolds. I also love the complexity of the relationships that are presented throughout the novel. The full character cast (including the presentation of the multitude of "old vs newer" deities) was described appropriately and with a wonderful literary descriptiveness that allowed the reader to feel as if it was all a part of their own upbringing and belief system as well. I felt I was on a quest right along with Hessa at times.

I also loved the feel of the novel. A very Norse/Roman-esque presentation was given and it really added another layer to a jam-packed novel.

This is an excellent epic fantasy that really checks all of the boxes for me. I loved every minute of it!

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/19/21.

Hall of Smoke is the debut novel of H.M. Long, and what a great debut it is. It’s stand-alone fantasy that starts deceptively small and grows into epic proportions.

The book is set in a pre-industrial, almost tribal world that doesn’t instantly or obviously refer to ours, though the largest warrior culture reminded me of Rome and the smaller ones of both North American native cultures and Asian cultures. It’s a good mixture where nothing is so directly borrowed that it would jar and everything blends together to form something unique and new. The mythologies and habits are rich and they are brought up organically as the story flows. Countries and cultures have formed around different gods and though languages and habits remain fairly similar, the gods’ dislike of one another has transferred to humans too. Wars and raids are regular.

The main character is Hessa, a warrior priestess of Eang, the goddess of war. The country and people are called Eang too and the priests Eangi, which was confusing at times. She’s the only point of view character and the narrative is in deep first person, which works very well. She’s young (nineteen, maybe), but thanks to the constant wars, an experienced warrior. The priests and priestesses of Eang aren’t chosen; they are born with a special gift from the goddess, a fire that both makes them superior soldiers and heals them too. Other gods haven’t gifted their followers with anything similar.

The story begins at a low point in Hessa’s life. She has failed to perform a task from her goddess to kill a visitor to her town, and as a consequence has been stripped from her position as a priestess. While she’s in a remote shrine to pray for forgiveness from Eang who refuses to answer to her, her entire town is butchered by followers of a different god—an unprecedented occurrence. She’s the only priestess of Eang left in the whole country and she’s in disfavour. But her goddess finally appears and promises her that all will be forgiven if she finishes the task given to her. From that point on, throughout the book, she’s carried by one goal: finding the man she was meant to kill so that she can have a place in the hall of death with her loved-ones.

But things aren’t easy or straightforward when one is alone and facing several enemies. While she tries to locate her prey, Hessa learns that the entire world is in upheaval, and not just among humans, among the gods too. As her goddess increasingly fails to come to her aid, she starts to question her devotion and the task given to her. Little by little, as her faith unravels, the stakes become higher, until Hessa finds herself as a pivotal player in gods’ war against each other.

This was a very satisfying story. The plot flows organically from one event to another, with Hessa learning and growing along it. The pacing isn’t fast, but the chapters are fairly short and there is constantly something going on that makes you want to keep reading. Because of the first person POV, the side characters remain slightly vague, and none of them become more important to Hessa than her task, but I liked most of them. And I especially liked Hessa. She’s resilient and determined, and capable of adjusting her worldview when the old one becomes untenable. And in a true manner of epic fantasy, the person who has lost all becomes the most important person in the world. Since this is a stand-alone, the ending is satisfying and doesn’t leave you with a need to read more.

The book is well-written and the language is beautiful. However, there was a glaring, recurring grammar mistake that became so irritating that I have to mention it, just in case there’s time to fix it before the final version is published: the first person singular objective case pronoun is me, not I. It was so seldom in correct form that the mistake had to be deliberate. Other than that, the book was a joy to read.

Hessa is an Eangi, a warrior priestess for the goddess of war. The story starts with hessa trying to atone for disobeying a command from her goddess. Whilst she prays for forgiveness misfortune comes to her village, raiders destroyed it and all her loved ones are killed. Hessa goes on a mission of redemption, a second chance given to her by her goddess, to try and gain her place in the high halls where her loved ones must now reside.
During her journey she finds not all she has been lead to be leave about the ‘gods’ are true. The gods she knows are dying and when her prayers go un-answered her faith in her goddess wains. There are more powerful old gods re-emerging. Hessa must make hard choices and choose her path to try to save what remains of her people and homeland.

This book is laced with mythology and gods. At first I found it had to keep track of all the gods, especially as there are new gods, old gods, miri, immortal gods etc. But once you get to get your head round it it gives the story a deeper context and draws you in. It has history.
The fact it took me so long to get my head round all the gods slightly brought the enjoyment level down for me as I really had to make a conscious effort to remember who was who, but once you get it it’s much more enjoyable and easy to read.

I liked how Hessa creates friendships without them becoming romantic, it’s a nice change from the predictable friends to lovers trope.

I enjoyed reading about hessas struggles with ‘right and wrong’, how she had to make choices based on her new found knowledge and not the beliefs she has grown up with serving her goddess, her opinions and decisions changed throughout the book and it felt really natural. Her constant questioning of her goddess and other gods she met made me feel really connected with her and her goal.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a real interest in gods, mythology or power struggles.
It has a very Viking’s vs Romans feel, a new empire trying to consume the old.


I will publish this review on my good reads in January as per your request.