Review – A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne

A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne
Series: Seven Kennings #1
Publisher: Random House – Del Rey
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Date Read: April 2, 2020
Length: 640 pages
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
★★★★☆

From the author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, a thrilling novel that kicks off a fantasy series with an entirely new mythology—complete with shape-shifting bards, fire-wielding giants, and children who can speak to astonishing beasts

MOTHER AND WARRIOR
Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons—all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men.

SCHOLAR AND SPY
Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light.

REBEL AND HERO
Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all—if it doesn’t destroy him first.

Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine—and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend.

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I ended up really enjoying this book.  I have had the book for a while but was a bit intimidated by its size.  Since I am spending almost all of my time at home with the current health crisis, I decided that this was the perfect time to finally tackle this story.  This is a very different book than Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles and I enjoyed seeing him take on high fantasy.   It did feel like a very dense story and I felt like it took me longer to read than a lighter story of the same length might have.  I had a good time with the book in the end.

I liked the way the story came together.  There are a lot of points of view in this book but they are all shared through the tales from a bard.  The bard, Fintan, takes on the persona of each individual as he shares their story.  I will admit that it was a lot to keep track of at the start of the book but as I continued to read, I got to know each character and started looking forward to learning more of their story.  I did like the way that all of the different points of view came together to tell a story that stretched across more than one group of people.

This story is set in a very interesting world.  We actually get the opportunity to see more than one realm in this story and I found it interesting to see what each group shared and how they differed.  The different lands had individuals with special abilities.  Those abilities changed from place to place but each required anyone seeking the power, or kenning, to risk their lives.  If they survived, they would be blessed with a special ability.  Each land had its own kennings which were often closely related to the terrain in which they lived.

I found this book to be quite exciting at times.  There was quite a bit of action spread throughout the story.  I also enjoyed getting the chance to see the political workings of each of the groups.  I found the personal journeys of some of the characters to be the highlight of the book.  I really wanted to see things work out for these characters as they faced incredibly difficult challenges.

I would recommend this book to fans of high fantasy.  This book transported me to a world of unique people with extraordinary abilities.  I grew to care for many of the characters as they worked to keep their people safe.  I cannot wait to read more of this exciting series!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing – Del Rey via NetGalley.

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