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A review by helynalc
The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I wish I wrote a review of this right after I finished it, but alas, I was not in the headspace. So, I really need to somehow do justice to this now. :)
First of all, I've read a lot of good books recently, but this was the first time after a long time when I honest to gods did not want to go to sleep and was impatiently waiting for the morning and every little snippet of time during the day when I could finally return to reading this book. It was sort of addicting; I just needed to know. Even though sometimes it felt like watching a trainwreck in slow-mo.
I'm not an expert on Norse mythology, and at this point most of my knowledge of Norse gods comes from Marvel movies, but I have a lot of vague memories of reading some bonkers myths in middle school and loving them. I loved the way the author collects some of those original myths and binds them, presents them in a new way. And you know, it shouldn't work. Like, some of those things are just so. weird. and tonally all over the place and like what even are they trying to tell me, that they shouldn't come together into a cohesive story. But they do. It works. Of course, the structure of the novel is a bit different from what we might be used to, but the emotional and character arcs barely feel it in a negative way...and there's a lot of weird "myth-logic" in these stories! The gods are sometimes laughable, sometimes fight like children...they are very, very human in that. Other times, I just couldn't believe how one could even try to fight against them.
But the romance works, the humor works, the betrayal, the lies, the dark stuff, they all worked for me.
I know I had a lot of incoherent thoughts about predestination, self-fulfilling prophecies, and the cycle of prejudice and hate while I was reading the book. How one can be so vulnerable and powerless against intolerance and the will of the many, and gossip, and just a truly, truly despicable authority figure. Yes, I hate Odin and I'm not afraid to say it. He was the cause of all our suffering and he should be cancelled.
But also, wasn't he also just a victim on some level? I mean, no, obviously, he's the worst and not a victim at all, but you know, Spoiler he read the prophecy, it was all there for him from the beginning. He believed in it, and by believing it, basically brought it forth himself. He pushed away Sigyn every. step. of the way, he treated Loki horribly HOORRRIIIBBLY, and he made all the wrong decisions even with a wife who frickin'...sees the future! And he paid for it, hell yeah, but we paid for it too, we who were rooting for Sigyn. It's like...all of them became victims of the stories they told themselves...or let others tell them. If judgment is written on your forehead from the start, is it surprising you will bring ruin? If everyone tells you you're a monster, what does it take to not become one?
Well, apparently it takes to be Sigyn. It felt like she was the only one trying and succeeding to break out of these molds, these toxic cages all of them put around themselves. And...she did it. It cost her almost everything, but she didn't give up. Ever. She wanted to become a goddess so bad, but by having it denied from her over and over and over again, she became something more.
See? I have so many thoughts! And I cried so much on this freakin' book, okay? It's so sad, the whole thing is so sad, but apparently I love to torture myself, because I loved it. And honestly, congrats to the author for making Loki so...aggravating, and awful, and just all around ldskjdlkjgldhg...and I still couldn't help but to feel for him, and like him.
I'm so happy I found this book and it is one of the most memorable reads of my last few years for sure.
First of all, I've read a lot of good books recently, but this was the first time after a long time when I honest to gods did not want to go to sleep and was impatiently waiting for the morning and every little snippet of time during the day when I could finally return to reading this book. It was sort of addicting; I just needed to know. Even though sometimes it felt like watching a trainwreck in slow-mo.
I'm not an expert on Norse mythology, and at this point most of my knowledge of Norse gods comes from Marvel movies, but I have a lot of vague memories of reading some bonkers myths in middle school and loving them. I loved the way the author collects some of those original myths and binds them, presents them in a new way. And you know, it shouldn't work. Like, some of those things are just so. weird. and tonally all over the place and like what even are they trying to tell me, that they shouldn't come together into a cohesive story. But they do. It works. Of course, the structure of the novel is a bit different from what we might be used to, but the emotional and character arcs barely feel it in a negative way...and there's a lot of weird "myth-logic" in these stories! The gods are sometimes laughable, sometimes fight like children...they are very, very human in that. Other times, I just couldn't believe how one could even try to fight against them.
But the romance works, the humor works, the betrayal, the lies, the dark stuff, they all worked for me.
I know I had a lot of incoherent thoughts about predestination, self-fulfilling prophecies, and the cycle of prejudice and hate while I was reading the book. How one can be so vulnerable and powerless against intolerance and the will of the many, and gossip, and just a truly, truly despicable authority figure. Yes, I hate Odin and I'm not afraid to say it. He was the cause of all our suffering and he should be cancelled.
But also, wasn't he also just a victim on some level? I mean, no, obviously, he's the worst and not a victim at all, but you know, Spoiler he read the prophecy, it was all there for him from the beginning. He believed in it, and by believing it, basically brought it forth himself. He pushed away Sigyn every. step. of the way, he treated Loki horribly HOORRRIIIBBLY, and he made all the wrong decisions even with a wife who frickin'...sees the future! And he paid for it, hell yeah, but we paid for it too, we who were rooting for Sigyn. It's like...all of them became victims of the stories they told themselves...or let others tell them. If judgment is written on your forehead from the start, is it surprising you will bring ruin? If everyone tells you you're a monster, what does it take to not become one?
Well, apparently it takes to be Sigyn. It felt like she was the only one trying and succeeding to break out of these molds, these toxic cages all of them put around themselves. And...she did it. It cost her almost everything, but she didn't give up. Ever. She wanted to become a goddess so bad, but by having it denied from her over and over and over again, she became something more.
See? I have so many thoughts! And I cried so much on this freakin' book, okay? It's so sad, the whole thing is so sad, but apparently I love to torture myself, because I loved it. And honestly, congrats to the author for making Loki so...aggravating, and awful, and just all around ldskjdlkjgldhg...and I still couldn't help but to feel for him, and like him.
I'm so happy I found this book and it is one of the most memorable reads of my last few years for sure.