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fortunaion's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
glitchedshiki's review against another edition
5.0
what a ride
This is not your normal love story- it will make you laugh- make you cry- heal you then break your heart again. Many Norse legends are threaded throughout. I eagerly await the second book and conclusion to this series
This is not your normal love story- it will make you laugh- make you cry- heal you then break your heart again. Many Norse legends are threaded throughout. I eagerly await the second book and conclusion to this series
cat_rector's review against another edition
5.0
Obligatory Five Star Rating from the author because I put in 5 stars worth of effort, love, sweat, and tears.
It should be said from the start that this is a dark fantasy book that *does not* fall under the category of YA. A full list of trigger warnings are available on the website www.catrector.com/post/triggerwarningsgonna. But suffice it to say that this book tackles dark subjects in deeply nuanced ways and is not for everyone.
This book is the result of exploration. Exploration of the world, of the Norse myths, of society and culture, right and wrong, and of my own inner workings. It’s at times light and dark, but more than anything, it’s grey and grey and grey. Perhaps the thing that’s most important to me is that this book is catharsis. Not for everyone, surely, but for me and for some of the readers who helped bring this book to life. Sometimes it was cathartic in ways I didn’t expect.
My hope for this book depends on the reader. I hope some will simply enjoy it and have a delicious time with it. I hope others will see themselves and feel seen in turn. I hope that some will feel all there is to feel and come out cursing me on the other end. I’m told that art makes you feel something, so that is the greatest hope that I have.
And as always, thank you from the bottom of my heart to my critique partner Erin, to the alpha and beta readers, and to the cheerleaders who have made this book what it is today. I love you all and I’ll never forget that you helped me achieve a dream that I never believed was for someone like me.
Thank you.
It should be said from the start that this is a dark fantasy book that *does not* fall under the category of YA. A full list of trigger warnings are available on the website www.catrector.com/post/triggerwarningsgonna. But suffice it to say that this book tackles dark subjects in deeply nuanced ways and is not for everyone.
This book is the result of exploration. Exploration of the world, of the Norse myths, of society and culture, right and wrong, and of my own inner workings. It’s at times light and dark, but more than anything, it’s grey and grey and grey. Perhaps the thing that’s most important to me is that this book is catharsis. Not for everyone, surely, but for me and for some of the readers who helped bring this book to life. Sometimes it was cathartic in ways I didn’t expect.
My hope for this book depends on the reader. I hope some will simply enjoy it and have a delicious time with it. I hope others will see themselves and feel seen in turn. I hope that some will feel all there is to feel and come out cursing me on the other end. I’m told that art makes you feel something, so that is the greatest hope that I have.
And as always, thank you from the bottom of my heart to my critique partner Erin, to the alpha and beta readers, and to the cheerleaders who have made this book what it is today. I love you all and I’ll never forget that you helped me achieve a dream that I never believed was for someone like me.
Thank you.
partyonketti's review against another edition
4.0
This was a different and fun retelling of some old Norse stories that included Sigyn.
yazthebookish's review against another edition
5.0
5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Sigyn, you must be a goddess, because I worship every inch of you. You’re the only thing I’m devoted to. You’re worth more to me than every sunrise, every sunset, every prayer. You’re kind, and you love me, and I don’t deserve any of it. You’re the guiding star I see by. And I need you more than I’ll ever need anything for the rest of my life. I’m here with you, and you’ll never be alone again.”
The Goddess of Nothing At All is an exquisitely rendered and emotionally gripping story narrated by Sigyn Odindottir, who in Norse Mythology is a lesser-goddess and the wife of the cunning trickster god, Loki.
Norse Mythology is heavily featured in this book however the story of Sigyn and Loki is lovingly and brilliantly crafted and Rector penned a unique original story that still remains faithful to its origins.
I would love to go into details about the many elements I loved about this book, but I would prefer readers to go into this book blind and I promise you even if you have little or no knowledge at all about Norse mythology, Sigyn does a good job at leading you into their world.
I would categorize it as a dark fantasy romance because the romance is integral to the plot, but the romance is one of the many facets to this story. It's not a conventional romance per se but it's nonetheless an epic love story.
And in classic myth fashion, expect a generous amount of tragedy and conniving gods and goddesses.
It's a rich tapestry of different stories and you'll be thoroughly entertained and devastated.
“The direction of your life depends solely on you, Sigyn,” Frigg said, her voice as smooth as glass. “Each choice you make weaves a stitch into your fate, and the Nornir watch you, as they watch us all. Choose wisely.”
Sigyn's story resonated deeply with me and Rector did brilliant job with her characterization. She was splendidly multi-dimensioned which left me torn between wanting to throttle her or hug her. Many of her actions are questionable yet most of the time you can't help but root for her. She is in a way a tragic figure and the way she reacted to certain situations or the actions she undertook felt realistic and I don't think many authors are brave enough to do that. Moments of her anguish stood out to me the most because it gutted me to see her so torn.
Despite the ominious setting and the inevitable coming of Ragnarok, the book still had wonderful moments of comic relief and many characters stole the spotlight, especially Loki who is delightfully wicked.
In a room full of gods, I was nothing at all.
What I appreciate the most is the inclusion of many important themes that deal with love, family, betrayal, identity, sexuality, morality, and grief. Loki is gender fluid and Sigyn is bisexual so there are quite a few conversations surrounding their sexuality and identity.
I must say that I expected to be, due to the dark nature of the book, extremely unsettled, but it's not as dark as I thought. I was still disoriented and gutted by many moments in this book.
Although some scenes felt dragged out but the unforgettable experience this book gifted me is what made it deserving of a 5-star rating from me.
Trigger Warnings: Vulgar language. Gratuitous violence and torture. Mental, emotional, and verbal abuse Unhappy situations for LGBTQA+ characters. Mentions of sexual coercion and rape. Death and violence towards animals. Discrimination and fantasy slurs. Death.
“Sigyn, you must be a goddess, because I worship every inch of you. You’re the only thing I’m devoted to. You’re worth more to me than every sunrise, every sunset, every prayer. You’re kind, and you love me, and I don’t deserve any of it. You’re the guiding star I see by. And I need you more than I’ll ever need anything for the rest of my life. I’m here with you, and you’ll never be alone again.”
The Goddess of Nothing At All is an exquisitely rendered and emotionally gripping story narrated by Sigyn Odindottir, who in Norse Mythology is a lesser-goddess and the wife of the cunning trickster god, Loki.
Norse Mythology is heavily featured in this book however the story of Sigyn and Loki is lovingly and brilliantly crafted and Rector penned a unique original story that still remains faithful to its origins.
I would love to go into details about the many elements I loved about this book, but I would prefer readers to go into this book blind and I promise you even if you have little or no knowledge at all about Norse mythology, Sigyn does a good job at leading you into their world.
I would categorize it as a dark fantasy romance because the romance is integral to the plot, but the romance is one of the many facets to this story. It's not a conventional romance per se but it's nonetheless an epic love story.
And in classic myth fashion, expect a generous amount of tragedy and conniving gods and goddesses.
It's a rich tapestry of different stories and you'll be thoroughly entertained and devastated.
“The direction of your life depends solely on you, Sigyn,” Frigg said, her voice as smooth as glass. “Each choice you make weaves a stitch into your fate, and the Nornir watch you, as they watch us all. Choose wisely.”
Sigyn's story resonated deeply with me and Rector did brilliant job with her characterization. She was splendidly multi-dimensioned which left me torn between wanting to throttle her or hug her. Many of her actions are questionable yet most of the time you can't help but root for her. She is in a way a tragic figure and the way she reacted to certain situations or the actions she undertook felt realistic and I don't think many authors are brave enough to do that. Moments of her anguish stood out to me the most because it gutted me to see her so torn.
Despite the ominious setting and the inevitable coming of Ragnarok, the book still had wonderful moments of comic relief and many characters stole the spotlight, especially Loki who is delightfully wicked.
In a room full of gods, I was nothing at all.
What I appreciate the most is the inclusion of many important themes that deal with love, family, betrayal, identity, sexuality, morality, and grief. Loki is gender fluid and Sigyn is bisexual so there are quite a few conversations surrounding their sexuality and identity.
I must say that I expected to be, due to the dark nature of the book, extremely unsettled, but it's not as dark as I thought. I was still disoriented and gutted by many moments in this book.
Although some scenes felt dragged out but the unforgettable experience this book gifted me is what made it deserving of a 5-star rating from me.
Trigger Warnings: Vulgar language. Gratuitous violence and torture. Mental, emotional, and verbal abuse Unhappy situations for LGBTQA+ characters. Mentions of sexual coercion and rape. Death and violence towards animals. Discrimination and fantasy slurs. Death.
dinipandareads's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by Storytellers on Tour and I'm so thankful that it got put on my radar because this is one of my favourite reads of 2021. Special thanks to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5 realm-ending stars!
As prepared by the author on their website:
List of trigger/content warnings
List of representation
OKAY SO... Help. This book took my fragile heart and stomped all over it? I literally just finished it and all I want to do is sit on the floor in a puddle of all the tears this book made me cry, but I feel like if I don't try writing some kind of review now I won't be able to later cos I'll be lost! I'm seriously hopped up on all the feels, friends.
If you love Norse mythology, unapologetically queer characters, characters who refuse to give up or back down no matter how many times they're discarded or beaten down, heart-achingly sweet romance and heart-breakingly painful betrayals, complex and morally grey characters that you want to protect forever and rage against, then I would 100% recommend that you read this book because it gives you all that and more. So much more! It's a raw story about people (albeit deities), the wonderful and horrible decisions they make, and the consequences of those actions. It's about trust and betrayal, love and loss, honesty and lies. It's well-written, engaging and so full of heart and emotion. I honestly can't believe this is Cat Rector's debut because it's one helluva forking debut and it deserves all the love and attention!
What Rector says at the beginning is true: don't be fooled by the love and happiness at the beginning because it really doesn't last. If you're at all familiar with Norse mythology or even the concept of Ragnarok then you'll know exactly where the story leads but that doesn't make it any less painful to watch the lives and realm crumble because, of course, these characters are going to grow on you and you're going to care about them and it's really going to suck ... Or was I the only one that went through that?
As prepared by the author on their website:
List of trigger/content warnings
List of representation
OKAY SO... Help. This book took my fragile heart and stomped all over it? I literally just finished it and all I want to do is sit on the floor in a puddle of all the tears this book made me cry, but I feel like if I don't try writing some kind of review now I won't be able to later cos I'll be lost! I'm seriously hopped up on all the feels, friends.
If you love Norse mythology, unapologetically queer characters, characters who refuse to give up or back down no matter how many times they're discarded or beaten down, heart-achingly sweet romance and heart-breakingly painful betrayals, complex and morally grey characters that you want to protect forever and rage against, then I would 100% recommend that you read this book because it gives you all that and more. So much more! It's a raw story about people (albeit deities), the wonderful and horrible decisions they make, and the consequences of those actions. It's about trust and betrayal, love and loss, honesty and lies. It's well-written, engaging and so full of heart and emotion. I honestly can't believe this is Cat Rector's debut because it's one helluva forking debut and it deserves all the love and attention!
What Rector says at the beginning is true: don't be fooled by the love and happiness at the beginning because it really doesn't last. If you're at all familiar with Norse mythology or even the concept of Ragnarok then you'll know exactly where the story leads but that doesn't make it any less painful to watch the lives and realm crumble because, of course, these characters are going to grow on you and you're going to care about them and it's really going to suck ... Or was I the only one that went through that?
iainreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The first half of the book was good and interesting, sometimes a bit repetitiv just nothing outstanding, But the second half was really : wow. Super intense and emotional. I think while reading the last like 50 pages I was just sobbing. Writing was very good and I always felt the emotions with Sigyn.
samleigh's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
hamkiss's review against another edition
5.0
I've got this book as an ARC from the author, thanks for that!!This book was fantastic!!
I'm from Sweden so I'm pretty familiar with most of the stories, but in this book they are written from the perspective of Sigyn Odindottir, which is a godess I was not familiar with at all.
This story starts rather sweet, but boy oh boy does it get dark. I really enjoyed the fact that some mistakes are unfixable and some relationships is not going to be reinstated. That really makes the darkness feel genuine.
The story has a lot of LGBTQA+ characters and that's always welcome in my opinion.
The language in this book is all around good it can sometimes be a bit wierd when books in english uses Swedish and Norwegian words, but in this one i found no problems with that.
There is one chapter, chapter 65 that I really loved, it's where Sigyn has this inner monologue about here feelings that's just so sad and raw and human. It's simply beautiful!
Last but not least Hreidulfr is fantastic
I'm from Sweden so I'm pretty familiar with most of the stories, but in this book they are written from the perspective of Sigyn Odindottir, which is a godess I was not familiar with at all.
This story starts rather sweet, but boy oh boy does it get dark. I really enjoyed the fact that some mistakes are unfixable and some relationships is not going to be reinstated. That really makes the darkness feel genuine.
The story has a lot of LGBTQA+ characters and that's always welcome in my opinion.
The language in this book is all around good it can sometimes be a bit wierd when books in english uses Swedish and Norwegian words, but in this one i found no problems with that.
There is one chapter, chapter 65 that I really loved, it's where Sigyn has this inner monologue about here feelings that's just so sad and raw and human. It's simply beautiful!
Last but not least Hreidulfr is fantastic