Reviews with content warning for Death - The Goddess of Nothing At All

I couldn't put this book down. It was very good however, I will be sending my therapist bill to the author lol. This book is very dark. I would check trigger warnings, but its so good! Can't wait to read more in this series

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alicia_ann_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was an excellent retelling of the story of Loki and Sigyn from her point of view. I love Norse mythology and gobbled up Neil Gaiman's versions.

While I knew the general outline/outcome of their stories it was really refreshing to hear.it told from this perspective.

I did find that the middle part of the book dragged a bit. There is a lot of history and minor stories in the mythology and some just went on a little too long. Ragnarok was very fast paced and well done.

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jura_atmos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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loonieslibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5/5
My jaw hurts from it dropping every two seconds while reading this book.

Before going into this, I barely knew anything about Norse Mythology. Sure, I picked up some knowledge about the characters and stories through my numerous Marvel movie nights or other pieces of media, but I didn’t know enough to be able to predict nearly anything happening in this book. It’s filled with plot twists, drama, and gore as you can expect from any sort of book based on any mythology. But Cat Rector also manages to add hilarious and flirty banter and loveable yet complex and morally grey characters, while making the mythology very understandable for the reader.

Sigyn is such a wonderful main character. She is powerful, while still remaining feminine. I loved how she wasn’t just a “good girl” trying to change Loki’s trickster ways. Now Loki…God(s). I just can’t help but love him despite him being the most aggravating person ever. I can’t blame Sigyn for falling in love. I also love how nearly all the side characters are three-dimensional as well and not just there for the plot.

I absolutely loved the character of Idunn but I was sad that she completely disappeared during the second half. Of course, I knew why, but it would have been nice to read a bit more about her life after what happened to her.

Lastly, I want to mention that I’m the official captain of the Hreidulfr protection squad. Don’t you dare touch him, Cat. I won’t hesitate to take a plane to Canada. Yes, that is a threat.

It follows the stories in Norse Mythology very closely (now we just see it happening through the eyes of Sigyn) so the shock factor lasts throughout the whole book basically. Don’t expect it to follow the classic structure of a story. I absolutely loved how different it was from any book I had ever read before, but it may throw you off your pace from time to time.

HOWEVER, I would like to thank the author for making the chapters this short. Longer chapters may have become a bit overwhelming considering the heavy themes and frequent twists, but the short chapters were a great way to either keep me going in the book or provide me with a little break.

Cat handled the queerness of all the characters (especially Loki being genderfluid) in such a careful and heart-warming way. The MC is bisexual, Loki is pansexual and regularly shifts into different bodies, and many other characters are queer as well. I would have loved to see Loki in her female-presenting body a bit more during the emotional moments as well as she is just as much a part of their identity as Loki’s male-presenting body.

But if it’s still not clear by now, I absolutely loved this book. The ending had me sobbing so much, I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my skull, but it also left me incredibly intrigued for the sequel. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Sigyn, although considering the first book, I don’t think we can expect book 2 to just be Sigyn on a nice and calm vacation through the nine realms (although she really deserves one!).

Thank you so much to Cat for sending me an arc of this wonderful book. I had such a wonderful time reading it together with everyone who participated in my buddy read.

TWs, tropes, and list of all the rep in GoNaa: https://www.catrector.com/blog/categories/gonaa-warnings

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soswiin's review

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

tinyelfarcanist's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An outstanding debut novel from master story weaver Cat Rector.

From Grace Zhu's awesome cover art to the intriguing synopsis, I knew this book was meant for me.

As someone already acquainted with most of the myths included, this heart-rendering retelling of Sygin's life in the likeness of Circe surpassed my expectations.

The Goddess of Nothing At All has one of the best romances I've read. It includes my favorite depiction of Loki: he's complex, dreamy, and flawed. Sygin, while being a goddess, is still relatable. I loved the portrayal of gods as humane and spiteful, the display of the hardships of partnership and parenthood, and the queer representation.

I was fortunate to be an ARC reader and I want to thank the author for the opportunity to read such an amazing tale. This is a dark novel not suited for the faint of heart.

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