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A review by spiringempress
The Golden Wolf by Linnea Hartsuyker
4.0
Truly 3 1/2. I'm conflicted about this final installment in The Half-Drowned King series, which lost some of its magic from the previous books. In this book, we are introduced to the children of Svanhild and Ragnvald: Freydis and Einar along with some other sons of Ragnvald. Each takes on a perspective along with other characters as we watch Harald's power over his court fray at the corners and usurpers arise from different corners of the world and even from Harald's own ranks.
This story starts 15 years after [b:The Sea Queen|35887267|The Sea Queen (The Half-Drowned King #2)|Linnea Hartsuyker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1515972098l/35887267._SY75_.jpg|57403779] and Harald is king in title alone. Instead, Ragnvald shoulders most of the kingly duties and Svanhild in Solvi's absence guard the seas as Harald is enamored with his newest wife. At the start of the novel, we learn there is unrest in the kingdom and one of Harald's sons is attempting to start a rebellion. Ragnvald tours the country looking to thwart this rebellion and doubts his decision to follow Harald unwaveringly as different individuals invite him to truly become king.
Interwoven through Ragnvald's story are the narratives of his children, who are attempting to establish their own identity. Included is Svanhild and Solvi's daughter, Freydis, who finds herself held ransom by Ragnvald and Harald's sons, who have accidentally killed a noble's son. Her story takes her to Iceland, where her father, Solvi, has lived in seclusion and she grapples with the legacy of both of her parents. Paralleling her story is Einar, who is the most clever of Ragnvald's children but unfortunately illegitimate. He has also sworn to never leave his brother's side, who is Ragnvald's heir and deals with this destiny throughout the story.
While I am always drawn into Hartsuyker's world and I understand the decision to make this a generational story, I did not like Svanhild and Ragnvald's children as much as the original protagonists. Instead of this story being an epic goodbye to characters that we have grown to love through the series, it focused on the perspective of their children and did a disservice to the brother and sister duo. It would have been more interesting for us to read from their perspective as they grew older and watched their children grow into their roles. Instead, both Svanhild and Ragnvald slowly faded into the background as the story progressed until the story was about Einar and Freydis' legacy.
This story starts 15 years after [b:The Sea Queen|35887267|The Sea Queen (The Half-Drowned King #2)|Linnea Hartsuyker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1515972098l/35887267._SY75_.jpg|57403779] and Harald is king in title alone. Instead, Ragnvald shoulders most of the kingly duties and Svanhild in Solvi's absence guard the seas as Harald is enamored with his newest wife. At the start of the novel, we learn there is unrest in the kingdom and one of Harald's sons is attempting to start a rebellion. Ragnvald tours the country looking to thwart this rebellion and doubts his decision to follow Harald unwaveringly as different individuals invite him to truly become king.
Interwoven through Ragnvald's story are the narratives of his children, who are attempting to establish their own identity. Included is Svanhild and Solvi's daughter, Freydis, who finds herself held ransom by Ragnvald and Harald's sons, who have accidentally killed a noble's son. Her story takes her to Iceland, where her father, Solvi, has lived in seclusion and she grapples with the legacy of both of her parents. Paralleling her story is Einar, who is the most clever of Ragnvald's children but unfortunately illegitimate. He has also sworn to never leave his brother's side, who is Ragnvald's heir and deals with this destiny throughout the story.
While I am always drawn into Hartsuyker's world and I understand the decision to make this a generational story, I did not like Svanhild and Ragnvald's children as much as the original protagonists. Instead of this story being an epic goodbye to characters that we have grown to love through the series, it focused on the perspective of their children and did a disservice to the brother and sister duo. It would have been more interesting for us to read from their perspective as they grew older and watched their children grow into their roles. Instead, both Svanhild and Ragnvald slowly faded into the background as the story progressed until the story was about Einar and Freydis' legacy.