I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long Published by Titan Books on January 19 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 432
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: An outstanding epic fantasy debut, Hall of Smoke surprised me at every turn.
Wow, that was a debut? I couldn’t be more impressed. Hall of Smoke was such a nice surprise, an epic fantasy with Norse mythology and Viking influences that captured my attention and never let go. Even better, Long’s writing is top notch and suggests she’s been writing for a very long time. I’m so glad I took a chance on this book, especially since epic fantasy isn’t my “go to” genre these days!
The story takes place in a large territory known as the Arpa Empire. Hessa is an Eangi, a follower and priestess of the god Eang. When she was only fifteen, Eang commanded Hessa to kill a man named Omaskat, but instead, when Omaskat came to her village and asked for shelter, Hessa was moved by his kindness and respect and decided to let him go. Now she’s been banished from the Hall of Smoke, the sacred hall where Eang’s followers worship. Hessa has gone high into the mountains to atone for her sin and to see if Eang will give her a second chance at redemption. But before Eang can answer her desperate pleas, a battle cry from below alerts Hessa that someone is attacking her village. Hoping to save her family and friends, especially her beloved husband Eidr, Hessa rushes back to help fight, but she’s horrified to find the Hall of Smoke burned to the ground and everyone dead.
This life changing event sets Hessa on a fantastical and dangerous journey where truths will be revealed and her beliefs will be shattered and rebuilt.
Long has created an intricate and exciting world full of gods, priestesses, monsters and more. There are dead gods, waking gods, gods disguised as humans or animals, and gods who have been bound in trees. There is a lot of movement in this story, as Hessa leaves home and travels to different parts of the Empire. Long has a talent for description and bringing her setting to life, and I could easily picture Hessa’s arduous journey through the chilly winter landscape, climbing mountains, sheltering in caves and traversing rivers. One of my favorite world building elements was the High Hall, a heaven-like place where only gods and the dead are welcome. Hessa finds herself captured and drugged at one point in the story and is able to visit the High Hall in a fugue state. And don’t worry too much about Hessa, because she turns things around to her advantage and gains a great deal of power during these scenes.
In fact, one of the things that most surprised me about Hall of Smoke was how unpredictable it was. I expected Hessa to do one thing, but she ended up doing something completely different. And the same thing happened with many of the other characters. I grew to love and trust a few of them, characters who seemed to be looking out for Hessa’s best interests, but later I was shocked to discover that they had been lying and plotting against her the entire time! Long kept her story fresh and interesting by subverting many of my expectations, and I couldn’t be happier.
I also loved the many small details that Long included in her story, details that might not seem important at the time, but later take on great significance. For example, Hessa has a treasured hairpin that her husband Eidr gave her, and it’s the only thing she has left of him. The hairpin crops up over and over during the story and actually saves Hessa’s life at least once. This attention to detail, and the fact that Long took the time to not only incorporate the hairpin into Hessa’s tale but to do it in such a way as to make it a seamless part of the story is just one more indication of Long’s writing talents.
As far as the characters, Hessa is definitely the star of the show, although there were a handful of other characters who really stood out for me. Hessa goes through so many changes in this story. At first, she is a devout follower of Eang with a rather narrow worldview of how things work. After all, she has never left her home of Eangen and has spent her short life focused on only one thing: honoring a goddess who has sworn to always protect her followers. But when Hessa is forced to leave home and Eang stops communicating with her, she slowly begins to question her loyalty to Eang. I loved watching her character growth as she is forced to reevaluate everything she’s ever believed in.
A couple of other favorite characters were Nisien, a Souldorni horseman who becomes a steadfast friend to Hessa, and Omaskat, the man Hessa is supposed to kill. Omaskat comes and goes throughout the story, and each time Hessa is more and more convinced that she did the right thing by not killing him. I absolutely loved the son of Eang, a winter god named Ogam. Ogam appears to Hessa during her journey and offers assistance and information, and I was surprised by how funny his character was. Being a god, he can communicate with Hessa through the wind, and I loved the way he popped up unexpectedly during the story. At one point I thought he and Hessa might have a romantic connection, but I was actually happy that Long kept romance out of her story, because it really didn’t need it.
As for negatives, I have to mention that there are a lot of characters in this story, so many that the author felt the need to include a ten page glossary of names at the end of the book. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for that glossary, as I referred to it many times. But be warned that all the different characters and groups of people and gods do get confusing at times. Long packs a lot into a mere four hundred pages, and somehow the story ended up feeling both epic and intimate at the same time. I was delighted that the author focused on Hessa’s journey and that we got to experience everything through her point of view. Long could have easily told her tale in multiple POVs, but I don’t think it would have been nearly as effective.
The final battle was suitably epic and thrilling, and Long ties up most of her loose ends and gives readers a satisfying conclusion. I did see on her website that we can expect a sequel next year, which makes me very happy. Lovers of epic fantasy are not going to want to miss this book.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Great review!
I almost, so almost started reading this one last night because I had heard so many good things about it.
I decided not to in the end because I am trying so hard to clear a bit of a backlog I have built up and so I have sort of predetermined what books I am reading this month and I just don’t have the time to add another one in!
It sounds excellent though and I think it will be on my reading list for February as it is sitting on my Netgalley shelf bringing down my score lol 😀
Ha ha, well I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!
Norse mythologies are always fascinating (and I have to admit that since watching the series Vikings on Netflix my curiosity was intensified…) and this novel has the added bonus of a main character that sounds both intriguing and relatable: I am particularly interested by your mention of her unpredictability, which should make the journey all the more satisfying 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE PHLEBOTOMIST, by Chris Panatier
It really was a fascinating story!
Norse mythology and Viking influences It sounds indeed EPIC!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Tudor Queens Book Tag
Right up your alley, Stephanie!
Yes! So glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did. I neglected to mention the hairpin in my review, but you’re absolutely right, it’s a talisman, a memento, a tool, a connection, and object as worthy of awe as any magical sword.
Yes! All of that, such a nice detail.
I do love Norse inspired creations! Love the review! I’ve heard mostly good things about this, too. I do have on question though: with the amount of characters present, did you find yourself using the glossary much? And what format did you get the book in? (I actually tried to figure this out without asking and failed ) Because while I’ll page through the glossary on a physical book every now and then, I find it so aggravating to go back and forth in an ebook.
Thanks Tammy! Glad you enjoyed it!
I read a paperback so it was easy to refer to the glossary. I honestly mostly read it while I was writing my review, so I would spell the names right, lol. Yeah, ebook glossaries are hard!
I’m so glad to see such a positive review! I’ve had my eye on this one, but had no idea what to expect. I really love the sound of it, and I’m glad to hear how unpredictable it was. Details also are always important to me.
It was so well written, and I just love those little details as well:-)
Can you just review all of the 900+ books on my want-to-read list plz and thx. It would save me a lot of hassle trying to figure out if it’s a book I’m going to like or not.
(By which I mean you’re always so detailed and give the perfect amount of info without crazy spoilers. A++.)
Awww thank you Heather!! Not sure I can get to all 900+ but I’ll try;-)
Excellent review! I would like this but on audio. That seems to work best for me with epic fantasy. And I spend less time deciding how to pronounce the names.
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews
Thanks Anne! I think audio would be really good:-)
The unpredictable nature of the story really appeals to me. Some of the fantasies I read feel so formulaic so anything unexpected sounds grand to me.
I know, it’s nice to see a book that breaks the mold:-)
Really looking forward to starting this one! Probably tomorrow or the day after, if everything goes well with my current book!
Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for the great review, Tammy. I have been curious about this one and am so glad you enjoyed it! I love the tie in to mythology and look forward to reading this for myself someday.
I hope you get the chance to read it:-)
I love your enthusiasm for this one, and based on your fantastic review I strongly suspect I’ll enjoy it. Aside from the great cultural influences, what really caught my attention was when you said “somehow the story ended up feeling both epic and intimate at the same time.” I love that!
Thanks Todd!
Glad to see that the book lived up to your expectations! And even better, that it can be read as a standalone for now.
~ Lex (lexlingua.co)
Yes, I liked where it ended, no cliffhanger which is a good thing:-)
Okay so this was only vaguely on my radar before but now you’ve got me interested. I’ll have to see if I can squeeze it in between all the other stuff I want to read. 🙂 Thanks for the review, Tammy!
It’s worth checking out, I was surprised how good it was:-)
Great review! I am currently reading this and enjoying it a lot. I am not often a fan of travel/ quest type fantasy books but this one really works for me. I hope to finish it soonish because I need to know where this is going!
Sounds like a great read! I have it on my TBR. I didn’t remember anything about what it’s about til I started reading your review – I love a fantasy book with lots of gods, so this sounds perfect for me. I’m especially glad to hear it all wraps up a satisfying conclusion…
Dagnabit. I really fancy this. My poor tbr though. What’s a girl to do.
Lynn 😀
I am so glad you enjoyed this one! I was curious to know your thoughts about it and now I really hope to read it soon!!