Here we are. The finale of the Bloodsworn triology. I couldn’t wait to get to this book. I love this series, and I love John Gwynne’s writing (and I still have his other two series to get to!). I think the thing that stood out to me the most was the incredible character development in this one, and I think I’m going to break out this review per character as opposed to just an overall review of the plots and storyline of the final arc of this series (many spoilers ahead).
Guðvarr - Guðvarr may have been the character I was most excited to talk about after finishing this book. I’m not sure why I paid so much attention to a character I hate, but I was enthralled with his character development and the way Gwynne was able to portray his cowardice and hubris so brilliantly. Guðvarr has been a coward the entire series, but boy did it really shine here. His interior monologue is a constant barage of complaining and then immediately convincing himself that he definitely deserves everything good in his life and he’s definitely earned it. His character is just so perfectly unlikeable. Two scenes in the book really stood out. The first was when he was in the forest with his aunt searching for Skald, and they are attacked by various enemies. His immediate reaction is to run and abandon everyone around him. When he is finally forced to fight and survive, it was definitely his skill and cunning that got him out of the bind he was in. The second scene is his final, timely demise. After a short battle where he again, somehow survives he decides he’s finally had enough and decides to run. He then turns to see Lif, his cowardice turning to hubris once again, thinking he will easily kill Lif so he can flee. Lif wins. Guðvarr dies. Everyone is happy.
Biórr - Biórr is great. Even when he betrays Elvar and is a bad guy, he’s great. He’s one you’re always kind of rooting for, and can see SOME sort of redemption arc coming from a mile away. Biórr’s motives are always clear and he so badly wants to do the right thing, and believes following Lik-Rifa is the right thing. Funny enough, his rat-infused instincts are constantly pushing him to do the “right” thing the entire book and he’s always pushing back on those instincts, until the end. When find out what Elvar did, he begins to question the high-ground he believed he was on the entire time. Again, two scenes illustrate his character arc. The first is when they are fighting in Ulfrir’s hall and Rotta is on the brink of being killed. Biórr picks up his axe and cuts Rotta’s tail off to save his life after Rotta continually just yells at Biórr in his mind. The second scene is at the end when Biórr decides to not listen to Rotta’s pleas for help as he finally pushes back on the Rotta/Lik-Rifa side of things. He turns back to what he has cared about most the entire series: the tainted children they kidnapped. He finds Fain and convinces him to just take the kids and raise them in peace, but he is determined to take Bjarn back to Uspa. Biórr earns his redemption, he returns the child to his mom, he feels good, but does not get his happy ending as he is promptly killed (this is grimdark, after all).
Varg - Finally becomes a bloodsworn. Finally becomes family. What a great arc. Going from thrall fightnig for his life to seasoned warrior. I was happy with Varg’s storyline. Vol finally shows him the vision of the last moments of his sister’s life and sees the person who killed her. Gwynne wrote it in such a visceral way you could feel the trauma Varg suffered. But he finally found out who it was who killed his sister. Varg is the underdog who succeeded, and I really liked the way his an Røkia’s relationship unfolded. The tension was always there between them. It wasn’t really romantic…well maybe it was romantic for Vigrið. Varg learning how to control the tainted part of himself over the 3 books was also really great. His relationship with his tainted-ness was the most graphic. His wolf blood constantly trying to get out…and he finally unleashes it and kills Brák and pins him to a tree.
Elvar - Ah, Elvar. I like so much about her, and I hate so much about her. I enjoyed seeing her come into her own as a leader and her trying to be different than her father, whom she hated so much. As she faces harder and harder decisions, she begins acting like her father. She even has self-realizations of this but keeps making dumb decisions. Yes, she freed Ulfrir and all of the tainted, but her hand was mostly forced by her surviving brother having ownership of Ulfrir upon her death. I think she does legitimately have a change of heart, even if it was forced to begin with. Elvar is always at her best when she’s around the influence of Grend. Once he is discoverd to be tainted and she locks him away is when she starts making bad decisions. Her relationship with Ulfrir was also great. The little ways in which they begin to trust each other is nice; culminating in her freeing Ulfrir (while demanding a blood oath in return). Elvar dying was pretty predictable, but I was convcined that Biórr was actually going to be the one who did it, but his wavering forcing Rotta to do it was a nice surprise. Elvar is the most frustrating character, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t written well…she was just the worst sometimes.
Orka - Lukewarm take: Orka is the best character. Just a great conclusion of her story arc. Her story as a mother to Breca is touching. She comes across as the quintessential “mama bear” (or mamma wolf in this case); which is understandable after Breca was kidnapped and she wasn’t sure that he was still alive at the beginning of the book. However protective she is, she cleary wants Breca to be his own person. She allows him to train, to fight, and grow into his own all while fiercely protecting him and charing her companions to be a constant guard over him. Seeing Orka’s progression to slowly start to come back to the Bloodsworn felt natural and not slowly paced. Her hesitancy to still feel a part of the Bloodsworn is clear as she broke her oaths to have a family, but Glornir allows her space for her own kind of redemption arc and re-welcoming into the Bloodsworn. Orka’s focus is singular from the first book through the end of this one: find Breca, kill Drekr. She obviously completest both. The scene of her getting revenge on Drekr was freaking awesome. The poison on the knife and having Breca be the one to finish off (while teachign him the spots to hit) was just…incredible revenge. When the Bloodsworn decide at the end to make Orka’s land their homebase, basically making Orka the Bloodsworn Matriarch of the family hit the feels.
Miscellany - The main thing that I didn’t like/didn’t understand is that Snaka is resurrected out of desperation by Rotta and Lik-Rifa, and is killed almost immediately. I would have liked to have seen more Snaka. Also what happened to his heart? Vesli grabs the heart before Lik-Rifa can eat it, Ulfrir freaks out at the idea of the power eating Sanka’s heart would give, Vesli swoops in and steals it, and just…disappears. Kind of disappointing.
I loved that Hrung helped kill Lik-Rifa the same way he killed Snaka (I would LOVE more background on Hrung).
The paralells of the gods and the people with their tainted blood was excellent throughout the seires and Gwynne did a really good job keeping those consistend throughout. Ulfrir’s tainted were cunning like a wolf, Like-Rifa’s were ill-tempered like a dragon, Rotta’s were conniving survivalists like a rat.
Overall, just a top notch conclusion to the Bloodsworn Saga. I am sad it’s over and we won’t get anymore. But what a way to finish.