Tag: Woden’s Spear

Blog Tour Review: Woden’s Storm – Donovan Cook

Posted on October 23, 2025October 22, 2025 by fantasyst95

I’m super excited to share today’s historical fiction book review with you. Fans of the genre have had plenty of historical fiction content of late. Today’s blog to review for Woden’s Storm is no exception! Set a little earlier than other well-known authors in the genre like Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy, we get all the drama of in-fighting and war in a slightly different historical setting.

Before we get into my review, thank you to Rachel, Boldwood Books and the author, Donovan Cook, for the chance to read and review Woden’s Storm so I can feature the book/series on my blog again!

If you haven’t caught up yet, my review of book 1, Woden’s Spear, can be found here.

FYI, I received a copy of the book in order to provide my review. However, this is an unbiased review and the views expressed within are entirely my own.

Woden’s Storm – Donovan Cook

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 345

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Original Publication Date: 22 Oct 2025

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Goodreads – Woden’s Storm

A storm is coming.

A storm that will banish the old and deliver the new.

450AD Britain

Octa has the spear of Woden, but the redemption he sought is out of his grasp. With his banishment and the death of his father, he can no longer return to his Saxon homelands. His only salvation is to join forces with Hengist and Horsa, and their Jutish army that beaches itself on Brittania’s shores. But can he trust their motivation or are there greater plans afoot?

The Gods have their own plans, though, and Octa’s fate is not his own to control as Friga, the mother of the Saxon gods, battles to avoid a war with the gods of the Britons and Saxons using Octa as her weapon.

Prince Vortimer, the son of High King Vortigern, is angered by his father’s agreement with Hengist and Horsa as they remain unchecked and their numbers swell. He suspects treachery and encouraged by some well-placed words of a stranger, he rebels against his father and gathers his army to attack the unwelcome visitors.

War is coming to Britannia and as Octa struggles to understand his role and fate, he knows he has one question to answer. Will he run or will he stand and fight?

Purchase Link – https://bit.ly/wodensstorm

My Thoughts

Plot

The gods have a lot to answer for when it comes to driving the plot for this book. Multiple gods and faiths come together and set up a clash for the ages. I love that the diversity and the gods and beliefs of the people set within Britain showcase the diversity of the people at the time.

In modern-day terms, we think of England as one and the same. In Woden’s Storm, that is very far from true!

Following on nicely from Woden’s Spear, Woden’s Storm is full of action, adventure, and the protagonist Octa finds himself in a few scrapes. Octa is a very different character from the first book, and that plays out in the narrative.

Overall, the plot of this second instalment of the series feels different from the introduction, Woden’s Spear. That first book feels more like a personal coming-of-age story; the second book takes a wider scope on events in the country and how Octa’s actions have thrown him into this tumultuous, but entertaining to read, setting.

Setting

If you enjoy early British history, the setting of this book will appeal.

Whilst place names are less intuitive or closely related to those we know today or in later histories (fiction or otherwise), Woden’s Storm is very good to set out this information early on via maps. Woden’s Spear did the same, and given the length of time between reading these books in the series, I appreciated the reminder.

Along with plenty of other books in this genre, there is a good deal of travel and diversity in the places featured throughout the narrative. I really enjoyed this element of action and getting to see more of the sort of familiar, but also a little bit different, land. I personally find the changes of settings help with the overall narrative pacing and my interest in what is taking place in the book.

Having read other historical fiction books where this is less prominent, it’s definitely a narrative device I enjoy in this genre. In my opinion, it keeps events fresh and exciting!

Characters

Much like other books I’ve read in the historical fiction genre, I’ve enjoyed seeing the progression in the Octa’s character from start to present day. He is far from your ideal or stereotypical warrior from this time period. In fact, he is nicknamed Octa the coward. He starts off pretty flawed. It’s a character arc I would like to see more of. I love a flawed or non-altruistic character, so this is refreshing to read about and it’s one of my favourite elements of Woden’s Storm.

Octa isn’t the only troubled character in this narrative. Brigid struggles with her purpose and identity when she can no longer commune with her God, Brigantia. Her brother’s disappearance leaves her stranded. Of course, it is heartbreaking for her, but it raises interesting questions in terms of plot development as to why this might be the case. It’s a folkloric and perhaps a bit less ‘serious’ angle to the narrative, depending on how much you read into it. Naturally, religion is one of the biggest points of interest in history in this period. It feels relevant, yet also lightens the story a little.

I especially enjoyed reading the odd few chapters written from the perspective of the Gods themselves. It adds credibility to the characters and helps us to understand what is going on in the wider narrative.

Narrative Style

Readability of Woden’s Storm did not disappoint.

Much like the first book, I found myself able to read long stints of this book. It was a pretty quick read for me as things go. Short chapters and plenty of action keep the narrative engaging, inspiring you to read on to find out what happens next.

The book’s link is also ideal for anyone who wants to foray into the genre of historical fiction without a huge commitment. At around 350 pages, it’s an approachable narrative in which there is enough content to immerse ourselves, but also not so heavy as to appeal only to readers of more dense/detailed fiction. For me, the book strikes a fantastic balance between action, storytelling, and world-building and character development.

Although I’d argue this book leaves a little towards readers who prefer plot-driven storylines, there is a good deal of character development present so as not to alienate readers of this preference.

Summary

In case it isn’t apparent from this review, I enjoyed following up on Donovan Cook’s The First Kingdom series with this second instalment, Woden’s Storm. This book definitely leaves a cliffhanger, promising a third action-packed instalment to follow. I personally can’t wait to read more about it!

Have you read Woden’s Spear or Woden’s Storm? Is it on your TBR?

Author Bio

Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series which combines fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world, and is inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology.  He was born in South Africa and currently lives in Lancashire, UK.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @DonovanCookAuthor

Twitter: @DonovanCook20

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/DonovanCookNews

Bookbub profile: @cookdonovanbooks

Monthly Wrap-Up – March 2025

Posted on April 2, 2025 by fantasyst95

The end of March has come and flown by! Where is 2025 going? Regardless of how I feel about being a quarter of the year already, time waits for no man (or woman). And so, it’s time to share my monthly wrap-up for March 2025.

I did pretty well with my TBR for March. I didn’t get to all the books, as I often don’t nowadays. Still, I got to most of them and enjoyed the books I read. That’s a big improvement from February! Shall we take a look at what those were?

Books Read

Woden’s Spear

The first book on my TBR for March was a blog tour commitment. For the first time in a long time, I agreed to take part in some blog tours and help out where they lacked support and needed filling. Woden’s Spear was the first of two books I committed to – the second is coming up later this week. It was also a new author to me. I said yes to it because I liked the setting and genre it falls into.

After weeks of not much luck with the books I’d chosen to read, Woden’s Spear made a refreshing… return. I enjoyed going back to something familiar that I know I like. It kickstarted my reading again in the best of ways. I’d even go so far as to say that having the deadline changed the dynamic and got my focus back on books!

If you want to take a look at my full review of Woden’s Spear, here’s a link to that post.

A Promised Land

A Promised Land was an audiobook carryover from February. It was the one book on my February TBR that surprised me in a good way. I didn’t finish it that month due to the length – over 29 hours total!

As of the beginning of the month, I carried over the final 12 hours of A Promised Land and finished the book 11 days later. A Promised Land was an eye-opener for me in that previously, I’ve avoided politics. It’s not a subject of particular interest to me, but it was good to get out of my comfort zone. Arguably, Barack Obama is one of the few political figures I don’t mind – they’re very few and far between! That made a huge difference to the listening experience. That, and Barack narrating the book himself, made it a lot more personal!

The Housemaid

Next, I listened to The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. We picked up this book for our book club, which met on the last day of the month.

It’s the first time I’ve opted to read our workbook club pick in audio format, but it worked! Admittedly, I found myself frustrated with Millie when I first started the book. She didn’t half put up with some bad behaviour; there’s a good reason why, but as someone who wouldn’t, it got to me. However, the book got A LOT more interesting as the narrative moved on, and the second perspective changed the book entirely.

Thriller fans – no spoilers here… but I can’t recommend the book highly enough!

Calamity

One last audiobook I squeezed in before the end of the month is Calamity by Brandon Sanderson. I literally finished this on Monday, squeaking it in just in time.

I picked up Calamity as it’s the final book in Sanderson’s The Reckoners series. After a long break, I picked up the second book earlier this year. I was determined to finish it soon and not leave it years again before finishing the series. The great news is that I have a completion under my belt to go towards my resolutions for the year. The bad news is that the series is done, and there aren’t any more books with these characters…

Normal Women

Finally, the last book I have to share with you in today’s monthly wrap-up is one I’ll carry forward into April.

Normal Women by Philippa Gregory came onto my radar after I listened to a podcast based on the research for this book. I really annoyed that podcast – and I’m enjoying the book too.

It’s a bit of a slow read though, so it’s one I’ll likely end up chipping away at. Throughout March, I read the first few chapters and as of this monthly wrap-up, I’m a couple of hundred pages into Normal Women.

In truth, I think this book would be easier for me to listen to than read. I tend to prefer listening to non-fiction. Even still, it’s been quite informative so far. My perception of history being unfavourable to women isn’t always true – women lost a lot of rights by the time Henry VIII secured the throne.

Here’s to continuing with this book in the next few weeks!

Summary

Thankfully I have better news to share in this monthly wrap-up and reading progress has been better.

If you’re still with me, thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up. Have you picked up any good books recently? Do you have any recommendations for me?

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Sunday Summary – 9th March 2025

Posted on March 9, 2025 by fantasyst95

It’s the end of yet another week, friends! You know what time it is. I’m here today to catch you up on all the details in today’s Sunday Summary update. Grab a cuppa and make yourself comfortable.

Before we get into the books I’ve read over the course of this week, let’s recap the blog posts I’ve shared. The first of those posts was my monthly TBR for March. In that post, I shared my hopes for a more successful reading month than I had in February. This month, I have a few carryovers, a blog tour commitment, and a book club pick that I need to prioritise. Outside of that, though, I’m looking to read around the theme of Women’s History Month.

Next, I shared a Shelf Control post on Friday. In this regular Friday feature, I shared my excitement to pick up the second book in a sci-fi space opera series. I started a number of years ago. If you’re intrigued to find out which series this is, there’s a link to that post so you can check it out for yourself.

Books Read

A Promised Land

Listening progress with A Promised Land has been much better this week than in the last couple combined. As of this post, I still haven’t quite finished this book, but I only have 2 hours and 20 minutes left.

Listening to A Promised Land has been a great experience. Before reading this book, I have typically stayed away from politics. However, it’s helped open my eyes to some of the issues that being in politics creates and why it feels like things often don’t get done. That’s always been one of my bugbears about people who take this kind of office. However, having seen a lot of the in-fighting and often childish ways politicians block each other, it makes more sense now what happens (even if I want to smack my head against the brick wall for why they’re doing it!).

Children of Virtue and Vengeance

In last week’s Sunday Summary, I shared my hopes that this book wasn’t going to be another DNF. Unfortunately, though, after reading a little bit further into the book, I made the decision to put it down.

Honestly, I was struggling to connect with the characters and the storyline. I wasn’t invested in where it was going. Rather than try to slog through yet another book I wasn’t wild about, I took the decision to put it down and instead refocus my efforts on the books in March’s TBR.