A review by kitvaria_sarene
The Waking of Angantyr by Marie Brennan

3.5

The Waking of Angantyr by Marie Brennan is hard for me to rate. 

On the one hand I really loved the dark and bleak setting, as well as a syringe female character who just won't give up. She defies the role she has in society, and she fails a lot along the way. She does get up and try again every time though, through sheer grit and determination, on her quest for a better life, and revenge for her ancestors.

She's not the easiest character to like, but I found her fascinating, so I was easily enthralled by her story. Especially the voices she hears had me intrigued instantly.

So who is it hard to rate then? I think it's mostly down to style and structure. This is a retelling of an old Norse poem, and I personally just don't always get on too well with those. I like a more fluent storyline to follow along, and some of the heroics and tragedies just don't engage me as much as a more modern take. I often find I enjoy the setting and characters a lot more than the actual story with these. 

I do however appreciate just how much this differs from her Lady Trent series, in tone as well as in style. I adore authors who manage to not be stuck in one particular corner, but are versatile.