Scan barcode
sialia95's review
5.0
A sad, exciting, beautiful, scary, and ultimately deeply satisfying collision of two worlds. I learned so much about Inuit culture; I do have mixed feelings about the author being white and telling someone else's story but it seems like she really did her research and the representation feels as objective as a speculative tale can be. Omat's journey is hard to read at times but it is such a powerful story.
zzzzread's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
mikarala's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Interesting concept and exploration of gender identity. I liked the mix of mythology and historical fiction, too. Unfortunately I just found the characters kind of boring and the prose somewhat lacking. It took me a while to finish this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Rape, and Violence
pandoozled14's review
5.0
Fantastic read, the last part of the book was a little bit too much "epic godlike" for me , but the story itself was great.
capybara5's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Slavery
labunnywtf's review
5.0
My 250th Book Read for the Year
Before I start this review, a shout out to Jes Reads Books, and her review of this incredible book. I heard about it through her, I was excited to read it because of her passion in talking about it. And then she went and sent it to me like the amazing person she is. Watch her review, read my review, then add this to your must read list.
Because this book is truly incredible. And there is so much to love for so many different kinds of people. You don't even know you're going to like it, until you pick it up and start finding all of the gems placed throughout.
It is the most severe understatement of 2018 to say that this book is Magical. Set in a frozen tundra in 1000 AD, this is the story of Omat, an Inuit hunter and seer born with the spirit of her deceased father. In this culture, because her father's spirit is within her, she is raised as a proper boy, allowed to (and expected to) hunt to feed their small tribe. She doesn't even realize she is a girl until another woman in their camp explains (QUITE rudely) that she couldn't marry her.
In this world, there are certain taboos that can never be crossed, for fear of angering the gods and causing them bad weather, bad health, or causing the animals to stay away so they cannot eat. One of these taboos is that women are not allowed to hunt. And as times get harder, her family begins to think she is bad luck. Despite her skill, despite her father's spirit, she is a girl. And she is cursing them.
For the first part of the book, we are focused on this small clan. We become so invested in them, and in learning who Omat is, we fall so hard for her. She is fiercely protective of her family, and of her dog, and she is proud of her abilities. She knows she has a woman's body, but she carries a man's weapon, and she has the favor of the gods. They will survive.
Then another tribe comes. And they rejoice. More hands, more food, potential husbands and wives, furthering of their family.
Needless to say, this is where everything goes to shit.
What happens to Omat is truly painful to read about. Slight trigger warnings, though major kudos to Jordanna Max Brodsky for handling a very triggering scene quickly and with just the right sharp cuts.
From this, Omat's life truly begins. Because guess what else was around in 1000 AD?
Motherfuckin' Vikings.
And they don't play with the Inuits.
And neither do their gods.
I literally cannot tell you more than this. This book is magical in literally every sense of the word. From the angakkuq magic, shaman magic, the ability to commune with the Ice Bear and the Great Wolf. From the descriptions of this world, not a fantasy, this is our world, millenia ago. Huge swaths of ice, where burning trees is not done because they are so rare. Where children learn to build igloos as soon as they can walk.
Brodsky's ability to plant imagery in the brain is the best I've read in quite a long time. I've never lived somewhere that got snow more than once every decade or so, but reading this, I had zero difficulty picturing it, and feeling the cold down to my bones.
There is so much pain, so much joy, so much strength, in these characters. Each betrayal is like an axe to the spine, but it makes the rise afterwards all the more joyous. Omat is a powerful human in her own right, and she will rescue herself and everyone else, while she's at it.
Last thing to talk about is the mythology. Or should I even call it mythology? We have everything here, from Omat's spirits to the Norse gods to Christ himself. They are all featured here, and the knowledge that these people all had to coexist at the same time, well before anyone was shrieking about a war on Christmas, and what they had to go through when they came upon each other.
I wanted to immediately turn around and read this book over again as soon as I finished it. It is so beautiful, so incredibly rich and filling. I honestly canNOT recommend it enough. Even if you don't think this may be your kind of book, it really really is.
Last note: There is a metric fuck ton of animal death in here. I was prepared. Or, I thought I was. This is a scenario where you gotta eat, which means you gotta hunt, which means adorable seals gotta go. But the author conveys the respect for these animals in such a way that all of my "noooooooooooooooooo" was mostly put aside.
Mostly.
Thank you, Jes, for gifting me this incredible experience. And thank you, Jordanna, for gifting all of us with this.
Before I start this review, a shout out to Jes Reads Books, and her review of this incredible book. I heard about it through her, I was excited to read it because of her passion in talking about it. And then she went and sent it to me like the amazing person she is. Watch her review, read my review, then add this to your must read list.
Because this book is truly incredible. And there is so much to love for so many different kinds of people. You don't even know you're going to like it, until you pick it up and start finding all of the gems placed throughout.
It is the most severe understatement of 2018 to say that this book is Magical. Set in a frozen tundra in 1000 AD, this is the story of Omat, an Inuit hunter and seer born with the spirit of her deceased father. In this culture, because her father's spirit is within her, she is raised as a proper boy, allowed to (and expected to) hunt to feed their small tribe. She doesn't even realize she is a girl until another woman in their camp explains (QUITE rudely) that she couldn't marry her.
In this world, there are certain taboos that can never be crossed, for fear of angering the gods and causing them bad weather, bad health, or causing the animals to stay away so they cannot eat. One of these taboos is that women are not allowed to hunt. And as times get harder, her family begins to think she is bad luck. Despite her skill, despite her father's spirit, she is a girl. And she is cursing them.
For the first part of the book, we are focused on this small clan. We become so invested in them, and in learning who Omat is, we fall so hard for her. She is fiercely protective of her family, and of her dog, and she is proud of her abilities. She knows she has a woman's body, but she carries a man's weapon, and she has the favor of the gods. They will survive.
Then another tribe comes. And they rejoice. More hands, more food, potential husbands and wives, furthering of their family.
Needless to say, this is where everything goes to shit.
What happens to Omat is truly painful to read about. Slight trigger warnings, though major kudos to Jordanna Max Brodsky for handling a very triggering scene quickly and with just the right sharp cuts.
From this, Omat's life truly begins. Because guess what else was around in 1000 AD?
Motherfuckin' Vikings.
And they don't play with the Inuits.
And neither do their gods.
I literally cannot tell you more than this. This book is magical in literally every sense of the word. From the angakkuq magic, shaman magic, the ability to commune with the Ice Bear and the Great Wolf. From the descriptions of this world, not a fantasy, this is our world, millenia ago. Huge swaths of ice, where burning trees is not done because they are so rare. Where children learn to build igloos as soon as they can walk.
Brodsky's ability to plant imagery in the brain is the best I've read in quite a long time. I've never lived somewhere that got snow more than once every decade or so, but reading this, I had zero difficulty picturing it, and feeling the cold down to my bones.
There is so much pain, so much joy, so much strength, in these characters. Each betrayal is like an axe to the spine, but it makes the rise afterwards all the more joyous. Omat is a powerful human in her own right, and she will rescue herself and everyone else, while she's at it.
Last thing to talk about is the mythology. Or should I even call it mythology? We have everything here, from Omat's spirits to the Norse gods to Christ himself. They are all featured here, and the knowledge that these people all had to coexist at the same time, well before anyone was shrieking about a war on Christmas, and what they had to go through when they came upon each other.
I wanted to immediately turn around and read this book over again as soon as I finished it. It is so beautiful, so incredibly rich and filling. I honestly canNOT recommend it enough. Even if you don't think this may be your kind of book, it really really is.
Last note: There is a metric fuck ton of animal death in here. I was prepared. Or, I thought I was. This is a scenario where you gotta eat, which means you gotta hunt, which means adorable seals gotta go. But the author conveys the respect for these animals in such a way that all of my "noooooooooooooooooo" was mostly put aside.
Mostly.
Thank you, Jes, for gifting me this incredible experience. And thank you, Jordanna, for gifting all of us with this.
absadoodley_'s review
2.0
CW for the Book:
Sexual Assault, Infanticide, Violence, Incest
"The mistress reeled in a slippery fish when she pulled you from the sea."
More than a fish, I thought, watching the old woman go. A shark.
Omat was born with her father's spirit in a woman's body. As a result, she was raised as a man and was expected to be the next Shaman of her small village when her grandfather passed.
But the world is advancing, and the gods are picking up their weapons. They have turned against their people, and all of a sudden, Omat's village is left starving.
So Omat does the only thing that she can do, and that is try to save her people. But she will either be the world's undoing, or it's renewing.
I don't know. I have very mixed feelings about this book.
I did want to like this book. But it felt prolonged at times, and I feel sluggish now that I've finished it. I did find this to be a profound read, and I did enjoy some parts, but it was a... very shocking book for me. I didn't dnf it, because I did think it was good, but I was also so very happy to finish it.
This book felt like a reading assignment. I believe that there's potential with the idea of the book, but it just didn't feel executed properly.
With my limited understanding of the cultures, I do feel that Brodsky did a decent job of portraying the cultures and weaving a story from them. While there were indeed things that caused me to feel rather sick, I want to say that it... wouldn't be that shocking if these things had happened in history.
The Wolf in the Whale is most certainly not a light read, and it's not supposed to be fun. I picked up this book thinking that it would be a fun read, and I was proven very much wrong. I might reread this book one day in the future when I'm not in the bookish season that I currently am. I do think that there are things to glean from this story.
Sexual Assault, Infanticide, Violence, Incest
"The mistress reeled in a slippery fish when she pulled you from the sea."
More than a fish, I thought, watching the old woman go. A shark.
Omat was born with her father's spirit in a woman's body. As a result, she was raised as a man and was expected to be the next Shaman of her small village when her grandfather passed.
But the world is advancing, and the gods are picking up their weapons. They have turned against their people, and all of a sudden, Omat's village is left starving.
So Omat does the only thing that she can do, and that is try to save her people. But she will either be the world's undoing, or it's renewing.
I don't know. I have very mixed feelings about this book.
I did want to like this book. But it felt prolonged at times, and I feel sluggish now that I've finished it. I did find this to be a profound read, and I did enjoy some parts, but it was a... very shocking book for me. I didn't dnf it, because I did think it was good, but I was also so very happy to finish it.
This book felt like a reading assignment. I believe that there's potential with the idea of the book, but it just didn't feel executed properly.
With my limited understanding of the cultures, I do feel that Brodsky did a decent job of portraying the cultures and weaving a story from them. While there were indeed things that caused me to feel rather sick, I want to say that it... wouldn't be that shocking if these things had happened in history.
The Wolf in the Whale is most certainly not a light read, and it's not supposed to be fun. I picked up this book thinking that it would be a fun read, and I was proven very much wrong. I might reread this book one day in the future when I'm not in the bookish season that I currently am. I do think that there are things to glean from this story.
vtrumpredd's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
a_beautiful_soup's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Animal death, Confinement, Violence, Death, Sexual violence, Child death, and Dysphoria
littlemegs's review
adventurous
emotional
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
2.75