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reka111's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
One of you clouds the futures of the others. For better or worse, your fates are intertwined
Genevieve did it again, she enchanted me. I liked this book as much as The Witch's Heart, but it didn't have such a strong effect on me. Honestly, I've been waiting for decades to read it, and now I regret waiting so long because I liked it immensely.
Gunnhild was probably my favourite, not only because she was so strong and cunning, but also because she had a bit of Angrboda in her—at least in my opinion, anyway, I really liked her. Signy and Oddny (whose names I read through half the book as Odin and Sigyn) have been through so much, especially the former, but I believe their wounds will heal, and their broken parts will heal again because they deserve it, more than anything. Although the former was not in the book, I was terribly hurt by her absence, I was excited about her along with Oddny and Gunnhild, I really was. Of the other characters, Erik may stand out, and for good reason; A king cannot be overlooked. He was a terribly difficult and complicated character, maybe he could have done better, but eventually he shows that he is capable of compassion and forgiveness, he was not a monster, but he was not an angel.
The plot was easy to follow, and I really liked that this time we were transported back to the Scandinavian 10th century (the Norwegian one). So much, so much I needed a historical fantasy for my soul, oh my goodness! Although there are scattered foreign words in the text, they do not make reading difficult at all. The phrasing was beautiful — as always. The only problem I had was the pace, which was too fast for me and there were plenty of time jumps, but apart from that, it was perfectly fine.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Transphobia, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Rape and Slavery
lemontea's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Death of parent
Moderate: War
Minor: Gaslighting
kenley11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Trafficking
sarasreading's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The magic system and world building were great, and I was really invested in the characters' relationships, and surprise representation I wasn't expecting.
After also loving The Witch's Heart by this author, I think they've become an auto-read for me now.
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Transphobia, Medical content, Trafficking, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
tfarfan's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Abandonment, Classism, and Deportation
tashtasher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Chronic illness, Transphobia, and Alcohol
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Transphobia
katiemack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I liked this better than Genevieve Gornichec's previous novel, The Witch's Heart, likely because it was less of a straightforward mythology retelling and more of Gornichec's own creation. The dialogue is also stronger and less awkward. One aspect from The Witch's Heart that I was happy to see preserved here, however, is how much agency our women protagonists have--they're incredibly strong, inspiration, smart, and bitingly funny in their wit. There's also a trans character (possible spoiler?) that ends up having a major role in the story.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and War