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gpaez's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bookpixel's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kylie_echard's review against another edition
5.0
Loved every minute of this book!
I want to emphasize how much I love Norse culture and beliefs. It is my absolute favorite. Having “threads” of Viking life be the main star here is everything to me.
Either I’m obsessed with the MMC or the author didn’t describe in too much detail any other male figure in this book. Bjorn is HOT! Literally!
FMC didn’t ~kill~ the vibe every time but she made damn sure her temper got in the way of a lot of pivotal moments. She redeems herself most of the time. Honestly if I was faced with her dilemmas- if it were real life- I’d probably do exact what she does/thinks.
I am so ready for the second book in this duology. What was I thinking when I read this so early on?!
I’m on to read more of this author’s books because if they are anything like this one, I’ll be one happy lady.
I want to emphasize how much I love Norse culture and beliefs. It is my absolute favorite. Having “threads” of Viking life be the main star here is everything to me.
Either I’m obsessed with the MMC or the author didn’t describe in too much detail any other male figure in this book. Bjorn is HOT! Literally!
FMC didn’t ~kill~ the vibe every time but she made damn sure her temper got in the way of a lot of pivotal moments. She redeems herself most of the time. Honestly if I was faced with her dilemmas- if it were real life- I’d probably do exact what she does/thinks.
I am so ready for the second book in this duology. What was I thinking when I read this so early on?!
I’m on to read more of this author’s books because if they are anything like this one, I’ll be one happy lady.
ashley_apairofreaders's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a pleasant surprise in all the best ways and I can’t wait to read more. I’ve been a fan of Danielle L. Jensen since I stumbled across The Bridge Kingdom, but this series might surpass it.
It has everything you’d expect from Jensen: political intrigue, forbidden romance, betrayal, power hungry characters.
The plot surrounds this prophecy of a Shield Maiden. The one to control the Shield Maiden can secure the most power. This leads of course to many power grabs, the FMC being used my numerous characters, and the development of so much more.
Freya was a wonderful FMC to follow. She’s bold, sassy, and fierce, despite her circumstances of sh*tty husbands and terrible family members. The witty banter she provides had me laughing and cheering her on even as she stumbled through challenges. I’m excited to see where her story goes next. I predict it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
4.5/5
It has everything you’d expect from Jensen: political intrigue, forbidden romance, betrayal, power hungry characters.
The plot surrounds this prophecy of a Shield Maiden. The one to control the Shield Maiden can secure the most power. This leads of course to many power grabs, the FMC being used my numerous characters, and the development of so much more.
Freya was a wonderful FMC to follow. She’s bold, sassy, and fierce, despite her circumstances of sh*tty husbands and terrible family members. The witty banter she provides had me laughing and cheering her on even as she stumbled through challenges. I’m excited to see where her story goes next. I predict it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
4.5/5
camimil8872's review against another edition
5.0
This was a new type of fantasy for me. I know very little about Vikings or Nordic mythology. This gave me a bite of it, and I’m very intrigued with where it’s going in the next book.
Freya is just a fisherman’s wife. A god blessed fisherman, but that doesn’t stop him from being someone to hate right off the bat. Don’t worry, Bjorn comes in soon enough. Will his dad get in the way though; and what of Freya’s husband. Why is she so desirable? Fighting constantly with herself and everyone around her, Freya gets what she lays wanted. A chance to be a warrior. Read to find out how she handles this new life.
Freya is just a fisherman’s wife. A god blessed fisherman, but that doesn’t stop him from being someone to hate right off the bat. Don’t worry, Bjorn comes in soon enough. Will his dad get in the way though; and what of Freya’s husband. Why is she so desirable? Fighting constantly with herself and everyone around her, Freya gets what she lays wanted. A chance to be a warrior. Read to find out how she handles this new life.
erin19's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
uhmjolene's review against another edition
3.0
(3/5)
i enjoyed this book a lot but i think my big issue with danielle l. jensen's books is that the protagonists and general people in them are just... humans with magic. it's really hard to be original with that being the case. i found it hard to be impressed by just... a guy with a flaming axe. i think this book also does romance a little too predictably for my taste and the story is generally not hard to figure out halfway through.
what i did like a lot about this book was the norse theme and the whole 'unfated/fated' thing. i think it works very well, even if the main characters are called BJORN and FREYA. for a huge part of this book it feels like jensen just picked the first scandinavian-sounding character and place names she could think of. still, it was a change of pace and i liked seeing fantasy from a different cultural perspective. the romance is tropey but enjoyable and the plot was enough to keep me reading.
i enjoyed this book a lot but i think my big issue with danielle l. jensen's books is that the protagonists and general people in them are just... humans with magic. it's really hard to be original with that being the case. i found it hard to be impressed by just... a guy with a flaming axe. i think this book also does romance a little too predictably for my taste and the story is generally not hard to figure out halfway through.
what i did like a lot about this book was the norse theme and the whole 'unfated/fated' thing. i think it works very well, even if the main characters are called BJORN and FREYA. for a huge part of this book it feels like jensen just picked the first scandinavian-sounding character and place names she could think of. still, it was a change of pace and i liked seeing fantasy from a different cultural perspective. the romance is tropey but enjoyable and the plot was enough to keep me reading.
penny_n's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.5
romywrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a struggle to finish. And now, so many emotions are coming to the surface after having just finished this book. I wish... so many things. I really liked two scenes of this and they were all near the end. The thing with roots and something else that happened in the end. Bruh, the dragging people to Hel was sick. And I finally felt triumphant, but then she had to feel guilty and that stopped my female rage trip hard.
But thenBjorn pulled a very romantasy move. Which retroactively made the sex feel icky. Like, he lied and didn't even tell her. She wouldn't have had sex with him otherwise and I just feel sad for her even though she annoyed me as a book character. You didn't deserve any of this Freya.
Also this book edged me to high heaven. Never before. Literally not till the end of the book. Holy crackers! No! No one else do this. Thank you. Appreciate.
I am interested in the sequel. I hope Freya puts on her big girl boots and goes to town. Please. I am begging.
I am also still mad and am growing ever more so by the second. Someone deserves a bat.
But then
I am interested in the sequel. I hope Freya puts on her big girl boots and goes to town. Please. I am begging.
I am also still mad and am growing ever more so by the second. Someone deserves a bat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, War, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Fire/Fire injury