Rating: ★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 290 pages
Author: Melanie Karsak
Publisher: Clockpunk Press
Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Born hearing the call of Valkyries.
Dreaming of distant shores.
Torn between the past and the future.
Destined to become a legend.

Iceland, 976—Freydis Eiriksdottir, born to a völva mother and berserker father, lives a quiet life on her remote farmstead in Iceland. Busy dreaming of the sea and haunted by the loss of her mother, she has no idea what the Norns have in store for her. When her father, Eirik the Red, marries the daughter of a powerful chieftain, the course of Freydis’s life changes forever.

Deciding that Freydis would be better off with the gothar, Eirik sends his only daughter to serve the Norse gods. Freydis learns the ancient ways and discovers that her world is endangered—a rising new religion threatens to reshape everything.

Amidst the uncertainty, a distant land beckons Freydis. However, as Freydis forms a close bond with Brien, an Irish thrall, she confronts the harsh realities of their world.

Readers will relish this sweeping Viking saga that chronicles the life of Freydis Eiriksdottir. Dive into The Vinland to Valhalla Saga, a thrilling Viking historical fantasy series by New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak.

Thank you to BOMM Tours and the author for an ebook.

GRR.

I had pretty high hopes for this one. If you say Vikings, I AM THERE. And I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover too.

But, lo and behold, this was not everything I hoped for. Quite the opposite actually.

For half the book Freydis is young, 10-12ish approximately, and good heavens are things slooooowwwwww. I also got really tired of her repeating 20 names in a row every time something kind of significant was happening. It felt like trying to hit a word count number more than anything.

And the romance?? She meets a boy her age during this way too long beginning and then it SKIPS SIX YEARS and they’re in love??? I MISSED EVERYTHING. No way am I invested in a romance where I missed the entire relationship.

Bogged down by scenes that don’t matter, and infinitesimal plot movement, I will not be continuing this series.

Overall audience notes:

• Historical Fantasy
• Language: none
• Romance: one open almost scene
• Violence: moderate-high
• Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault, murder, ritual sacrifice of domesticated animals

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