I loved Barrow of Winter! You can read this book as a stand alone but I recommend reading the other two books first; for better understanding of the world building and background information. I was happy many characters from the first two books made an appearance in this one. I have always loved the relationship between the Gods/Miri and the priests/priestesses and was excited to see those relationships explored further. This series is one of my favorites and would definitely recommend if you enjoy Vikings and high fantasy.

This book is part of the Hall of Smoke world but can definitely be read on its own. I picked up the first book before reading this and I’m glad I did because it definitely made for a richer reading experiences and I felt like I was diving back in to an already well developed world.

I love this book! The world building was phenomenal and the characters were well developed. I also really enjoyed the narrator as she brought to life each of the characters and individualized them. This book was adventurous, emotional and had me on the edge of my seat. The details in this book are amazing and really brought me into the world. This was also a great mood read as since where I live is currently in the dead of winter.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book if you’re in the mood for a high fantasy adventure!

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the Audiobook publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The book: I loved the storyline in the book. I cared about the characters and could feel their emotional struggle. While this is the third book in the Hall of Smoke series, the reader is still given enough information to be familiar with the world if they haven't read the series and lets this story stand on it's own. Readers of the series would be happy with this is a continuation of the world we've seen built since book 1. I thought that the plot was fresh and new and defied any predictions I made. I am a fan of H. M. Long and can't wait to see what she does next!

The narrator: I thought the narrator did a great job with the different accents. Her voice was very easy to listen to and really helped me settle into the world. I would listen to other titles just for this narrator. Well done!

The newest installment in the world of Hall of Smoke, Barrow of Winter follows Thray as she explores her identity and ancestry.

Born to a mortal woman and the son of a Goddess, Thray doesn't yet know if she is immortal, but she is desperate to find out before she marries and begins to build a family of her own without knowing is she is cursed to outlive them all.

Similar to the first two, this book can be read as a standalone but will contain a few spoilers for the first two books. personally, I'd recommend reading them in order but if only one appeals to you, you are able to skip to that one!

Overall, I've really enjoyed this series, but this was the weakest one in my opinion. I found Thray to be an incredibly frustrating character, and did not always agree with her choices which made it harder for me to enjoy this one. That said, if you enjoy complicated FMCs, you may love this one!

read for:
✨️ Viking inspired fantasy
✨️ quests
✨️ arranged marriage
✨️ found family
✨️manipulative and vengeful gods

thank you so much to Titan books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator is phenomenal and does different characters so, so well.

This is a perfect book to pick up during the winter months. I have not read the other two novels in the series because they're stand-alone, but I fully intend to after reading this one. I feel like I might have missed a few nods toward the other novels, but it felt complete and was easily able to stand on its own.

This story follows Thray, a demi-god priestess struggling to find herself in a world in which she doesn't really have a place. When we meet her, she's battling bears because she's that kind of lady. Throughout the beginning of the story, she makes some pretty terrible decisions because she is yearning for family and wants to find her place. Her siblings are fascinating and incredibly varied. Since they're immortal beings with powers, they often behave in a manner that is not completely human and quite morally questionable. There are no easy relationships here and everything has consequences.

The worldbuilding in this book was incredibly deep and utterly fascinating. The clans and gods reminded me a bit of Rebecca Ross' Elements of Cadence duology, honestly. Fascinating and beautiful world. Can't wait to dive back in to the first two books.

Barrow of Winter by H.M. Long is the third book in the Hall of Smoke series. While this can apparently be read as a standalone I don't quite agree. I feel like I lost out on a lot of things I needed to really enjoy this book by not reading the first two in the series. I struggled to connect with any of the characters. They were all unique and well written but the emotions felt lacking. The world building was really good, probably my favorite part of the book. It was easy to imagine the world and understand its complex religious views and politics. The plot was interesting but the slow pacing made it hard to stay focused. Overall all this book was not for me but I think fans of the earlier books in this series would love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 3rd book in the Hall of Smoke series. The world build-up in the complete series is great and meets up to the standards of epic fantasy. However, before jumping into this one, would recommend my readers to read the other 2 books as this one can't be picked up as a standalone.

I was rooting for the main protagonist to succeed, but I found her actions quite confusing as we move along with the story. I feel that to fully appreciate the author's work the series needs to be read one after another without much gap in the story to enjoy it to the fullest. Because I read the other parts a long time back and had some memory holes around the story.

Overall a decent read, but I still like the first part better.
Genre: #epicfantasy #fantasy #adult
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

Thankyou @netgalley @hmlongbooks for the Digital ARC

Barrow of Winter take set in the Hall of Smoke's Viking inspired world. This book is count as third book in the series also could be read as standalone. I personally recommended to start with previous two books before jump blindly into this book like I did. It will enrich the reading experience and get strong grip onto the backstory and connected into all characters.

I need extra time to understand completely about this epic snowy world. But at least all those efforts was paid off. This worldbuilding is one of the best historical mythology setting I ever read in fiction. The main character is brave to learn and accept her heritage and choose her dangerous path to found her own strength. The writing is mesmerizing but the plot kinda confusing and dragging me, expecially at early chapters.

The audio version is amazing and help me to jump easily into the world surrounding the story. The narrator using strong accents / voices for different characters very well and I think that make all characters flesh out.

Thank you Netgalley and RB Media from Recorded Books for provided my audio copy. My opinions and thoughts are my own.

I received this arc for free and this is my review.

Firstly thank you for this opportunity.

The story:

H.m. Long will never ever disappoint me. Her stories are always an adventure and this third book is no different. The pacing is strong, no lag with filler. I was emotionally and mentally involved from the first word.

The Narrator was excellent and made the story truly come alive. She spoke the action bits and the different characters quite well and engrossed me into the story.

I highly recommend this audiobook

HM Long is one of those auto-buy authors for me. I am grateful to have received an ARC for the 3rd book of this series and will soon purchase a physical copy also. The book was excellent. A true high fantasy adventure (I do not want to be near snow anytime soon!). I was easily able to picture the surroundings, enjoyed the dialogue between characters and the pacing was set at the perfect pace for me. Easily one of my favorite fantasy reads since ACOTAR.
TYSM for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This story hooks right from the start. The lure of immortality is potent. The blooding is intriguing. Knowledge that if you die your mortal life is over, but if you die and return you receive your power and immortality. At 25, how would you deal with this unknown.

I am so happy to have found this author! I’ll be picking up the other books set in this world!

The narrator is fabulous! Loved the accent and all of the character voices.

Ever read a book only to find out after you were done that it technically wasn't the first book in the series? But made 100% sense.

"Barrow of Winter" by H. M. Long is set in the world of "Hall of Smoke" which is on my endless tbr list... But follows a different person so I'm in the clear!

Thank you Netgalley and RB Media for the ARC!

So you think your siblings suck? Thray has a 50/50 shot at being immortal, but to find out she has to die. Which aren't the best odds...so she tries to ignore it and live. But when an exploration fleet arrives at the shore of her village with one of her father's other children leading it, small monekey wrench. They claim there is a way to find out if she is one of them, an immortal, but is cagey on how, but only if she travels to the edge of the world where the Children of Winter live.

Narrated by Samara Naeymi, fantastic reading of people flip flopping on being jocular to murderous.

Reasons to read:
-The story respects your time. There was a moment that I thought it was laying up for a book 2 "meet the party but don't progress the plot" but it skips that because they have excellent communication skills!
-The history of this setting is super cool, Ice pun, and I am going to go back to get context
-There is a lady with axes and I think ageless dogs
-Siblings almost as worse as mine

Cons:
-Doesn't come with bear/wolf things so I can cut down on gas bills

This was the first book I read (listened to) written by H M Long. Overall, Barrow of Winter is a well written epic fantasy book. The world building was phenomenal. The storyline was on point and the dynamic among characters, some endearing, some nonchalant and some downright toxic was brilliantly executed. There is no denying that H M Long is a skilled writer.

I loved the story and the plot filled with intrigue. I really liked how the author portrayed Thray as a grey character who goes through all the motions as any woman would go through. The action scenes were written beautifully and had me hooked. The sense of adventure throughout the book was a plus.

However, I don't think the book should be promoted as a stand alone because even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and Thray's journey to Duamel while navigating the Winterborn politics I felt somewhat disconnected from the characters and the story. I wish I had read the previous two books of the series so I had a good grasp of the gravity of the plot and the backstory.

“Blood does not equal kinship.”

I really enjoyed this book!

Strong female main character looking for answers to big questions.
Vikings.
Vengeful gods and demigods.
Fantastical creatures.
Vast and dangerous wintery atmosphere.
Epic battles.
Betrayal.
Found family.

What more could you ask for? It checks all the boxes for me lol. I was given access to an advanced copy of the audiobook through NetGalley for my honest review, and I highly enjoyed the narration as well. Samara Naeymi did an awesome job giving a voice to each character.

I haven’t read the other books set in this world yet but they are on my TBR. Long has created a world I want to visit again and again, and I can’t wait to explore it further!

Barrow of Winter follows Thray. The book starts when she is 16 years old. First I'd like to say i have not yet read the othe two books but i absolutely love the atmosphere the author had created in this book. Thankfully this could also be read as standalone.
This book had everything i love. The fascinating magic the fiercely strong female protagonist and an amazing fantasy world. You find Thray constantly finding herself in situations where she could die.
I received an advance copy of the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job bring the story to life.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for this audio arc.

dnf @36%

I haven't read the other books in the Hall of Smoke series because the author said that Barrow of Winter could be read as a standalone. And I agree to an extent. the mythology is well explained but I felt disconnected from the characters and I wasn't invested in the plot. I would've been more interested if I had read the other books first. Overall this wasn’t the right book for me, but I suspect that fans of the other books in the series will enjoy this one.

I asked for this book to review after seeing HM Long talk about her books on TikTok. I have been meaning to read her other two books for ages, but haven't gotten to them. When this popped up on net galley, I was excited to get the chance to review it. I was under the impression that this book was set in the same world as her previous two books, Hall of Smoke and Temple of No God, so I figured it might be a good jumping in point. It is a standalone, but I was a little confused in the beginning about what was going on in this world, but after a few chapters I was able to quickly catch up. A character that I know to be in her other books is mentioned, but is not a key player in the narrative. The world that HM Long has built felt very rich and kind of viking/celtic inspired, which I appreciated a lot. Each of her characters were well thought out and felt unique. I really enjoyed her storytelling and I am definitely going to go back and start the series from the beginning and re-read this third standalone book to see what details I can pick up that reference the earlier books that I might have missed because I haven't read the first two. The audiobook narrator was very good as well. I loved her accent and voice, plus she made each character sound like an individual rather than using the same voice for everyone. The audiobook option is not available yet on goodreads, so I will be posting this on the paperback option until the audio option becomes available, then I will switch it over.

A tenderhearted, plot driven folklore tale with a strong female lead - perfect for fans of Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale for it's wintery atmospheric backdrop, and light magical elements. I listened to the audiobook under the covers to stay warm and cozy during this chilly adventure.

Our main character, Thray, reminds me of Madeline Miller's Circe in the best possible way. A woman stepping into her power, choosing her own path, and keeping us walking beside her on an uncertain journey to an unexpected, but satisfying ending.

I listened to the audiobook, and cannot speak highly enough of the art behind Samara Naeymi's voicing. There are many characters, both male and female, and each is given a distinct cadence, tone and pitch which brings the reader further into the story.

I follow H.M Long on TikTok and Instagram, because her content is on point and she often recommends other amazing fantasy, action and female-lead books. Find her @hmlongbooks.

#BarrowofWinter #NetGalley

I haven't read the other books in the Hall of Smoke series because reviews said that Barrow of Winter could be read as a standalone. And I agree to an extent. The world, its people, and their beliefs are explained well enough to understand the concepts that the novel touches on, but personally I would've been more invested if I had read the other books first.

Barrow of Winter has an intriguing start that grabbed me. Ships carrying unknown people visit Eangen, where Thray is a priestess. Thray and the people of Eangen find out that these newcomers are from the north, and that the person in charge is one of Thray's demigod half siblings. Thray desperately wants to learn about her heritage so she and a small group follow these northerners to their land called Duamel.

The atmosphere with viking-like warriors, magic, strange creatures, gods and demigods created an immersive experience for me. Plus the fact that the MC is forgoing the life she knew to travel to the unknown gave a sense of adventure and spurred me to keep on reading.

I liked that Thray is a fearless warrior priestess with her own faults (the way she treats Havar, her fiance, is... questionable to downright not good). She's written well and I think readers will be able to understand her reasons for going to Duamel and learning about her family history, demigod powers, and possible immortality, even if it was mostly for selfish reasons.

The parts with action are great, but I felt like there wasn't enough to sustain my interest. Most of the book is about Thray and her small group of Eangen navigating Winterborn politics. Usually I like these types of plotlines but because I haven't read the first two books, it was hard to understand the gravity of the situation. So it really dragged on for me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to dnf because nothing much was happening. I think it took too long to fully understand that the Winterborn aren't all they make themselves out to be. And since I listened to this as a standalone, it made it that much harder to understand the stakes.

Overall, I think this is better read as a sequel to the previous books instead of a standalone. That way, you can understand the entire backstory and possibly become more invested in the characters and the world in general.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for this audio arc.

Barrow of winter

Barrow of Winter is the third book in a series and can supposedly be read as a stand-alone. I personally do not fully agree with that.

I felt disconnected from the characters (some of which might have been introduced in the previous books) and the plot wasn’t exciting me either.

The audiobook narration was alright.

Overall this wasn’t the right book for me, but I suspect that fans of the other books in the series will enjoy this one as well.