Reviews with content warning for Animal death - The Wolf in the Whale

I really adore this series and this book was no exception, however this was the first I had listened to as opposed to reading and while the narrator did a fine job, it made it harder for me to focus on. I had a lot of ideas as to where the mystery was going and I was kind of close but didn't quite guess it which was fun. I liked that we got a bit of resolution in the time travel, will she stay or try to go, area. I am not sure if Ms. McElwain plans on continuing the series because it was a tidy ending but I hope she does just because I enjoy the stories and plots so much that she is putting forth in this series.

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maecave15's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

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corvidnothous's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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jackierabbit's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I CRIED FOR THIRTY MINUTES WHILE READING.

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alliethegator's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I have a tendency to dislike movies that are longer than they need to be, and I think that translates to books as well. Otherwise, the writing felt somewhat formal, which may be a side-effect of me reading mostly fantasy. I will say, the blending of Intuit and Norse mythology was soooo interesting, I want more of it. The Gods, both familiar and unfamiliar to me were so interesting.

Inuit. Norse. Both are people of dwarfs and giants and ravens and wolves.

We follow Omat, whose body is that of a woman, and whose soul is a man. I don't think throughout the whole of the book, anyone refers to them by any singular pronoun, so I will continue to use they. Omat's journey is a bleak one, full of heartbreak. We follow them as they grow up from a young boy. In this tribe, women do not hunt and do not fight and do not lead. Unfairly, Omat is expected to, after reaching their menstrual cycle, adapt from how they were raised as a man to the life of a woman. To marry and raise children. Omat fights against this expectation.

Maybe I don't need to return to my body at all. Why continue life as a man trapped in a girl's body when I could just as easily fly into the heavens or run with the wolves?

Aside from their struggles against gender roles, they are also born as an angakkuq, a shaman, to their people. They can enter a spirit sleep and speak with the Gods or transform into animal spirits. They are expected to lead, but due to certain circumstances, they instead are thought to bring bad luck. Their tribe is starving.

From there things get extremely bleak as Omat travels across the ice and eventually runs into the Norsemen. Check the tw for this book before reading. I loved reading about Omat and their overcoming of gender roles, Omat and their wolfdogs, of Omat and the Gods, Omat and Brandr, but unfortunately between the formal language and length of the book I found myself losing interest and having to take constant breaks between reading. Honestly, it deserves a chance though if you are willing to give it.

I didn't mind the prospect of leaving this life for a while. I was very tired.

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barefootamy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

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alainral's review against another edition

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Omat's misogyny was very off-putting and didn't make sense. The portrayal of gender inequality seemed exaggerated to me. A modicum of research suggests that women would not be banned from hunting, for instance, even though it wouldn't have been common or encouraged.

Those details just made me...uncomfortable

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hellsploss's review

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adventurous dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The beginning is extremely slow and a lot of it felt like you could shorten the length a bit. The really interesting parts happen at the end and despite being the main character I didn't really feel a connection to Omat or sad at any death in the book. The way Norse and Inuit mythology was woven together felt really thought out and I enjoyed it immensely. Overall I enjoyed this book despite it's flaws, it's 5 in the morning and this is the best review I can write right now, goodnight.

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