The writing was beautiful and flowed very nicely but this book handled very difficult subjects such as rape, DV, slavery and I don't think it was always handled the best. I did enjoy the blend of Inuit and Norse mythology, it was very unique

An enchanting tale forbidden love and warring gods, featuring a viking warrior and an inuit shaman who become allies in a war that will determine the fate of the world. Beautifully crafted.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

An interesting novel. I didn't enjoy it as much as Brodsky's Olympus Bound series (which I very much enjoyed). The Wolf in the Whale is quite different, but still has engaging characters and an interesting plot. I just think it wasn't quite my kind of thing. A shame. Still interested in reading whatever the author writes next.

An epic tale that encompasses about a decade, The Wolf in the Whale is a story of acceptance, perseverance, and doing what it takes to protect yourself and the things you love. The main character Omat is sure of their place in the world when the story begins, but as they grow the lose confidence in themself as the people around them try to decide who they are meant to be. Raised as a boy, made a man by the standards of their culture Omat knows who they are. A shaman, a man, a hunter and a provider for their tribe. But he is forced to become she, and the turmoil that follows is a key part of this overarching adventure story about someone who will do anything to protect the life and land they love.

There is nothing like 90-degree weather outside to make me pick up a book set in the frozen tundra of the Arctic. It is something that I’ve done the past couple of years, don’t ask me why, it just seems to happen.

I have had my eye on The Wolf in the Whale for some time now. I’m intrigued by the setting, the clash of cultures, the what if of history. We know that the Viking and the Inuit were in the same area at the same time. Brodsky explores what might have happened when and if these two cultures collided, and she has crafted an enchanting fictional tale around this chance meeting.

I was overjoyed that Brodsky took her time, let me get to know Omat and the rest of the family; she dropped a few surprises along the way that I did not see coming. I was involved in Omat’s life long before the action started…and when it did, I was primed for the ride.

The Wolf in the Whale was a perfect combination of history, mythology, and story. Brodsky’s writing captured my interest and pulled me into Omat’s world and out of my own. I’ve always had a love of history and mythology, for me the two are closely intertwined, however, some cultures have hogged the spotlight over the years. I really appreciate that Brodsky has initiated me into a new-to-me mythology, one that is as fascinating and complex as any of the old standbys. It never ceases to amaze me, the commonalities that are shared from one to the other; it is these shared features that make the differences stand out all the more, where you can see the priorities, hopes and fears of a culture.

Now to go and find some more Brodsky for my reading list.

*4.5 Stars

Brodsky's writing is enthralling. I couldn't put this book down. An epic narrative that draws on Inuit and Norse mythology, I loved every minute reading this (and then downloaded the audiobook). Omat is a strong hero who overcomes so much in her journey. Magical, heart-breaking, and utterly absorbing.

RATING: 3.5/5

SYNOPSIS

A sweeping tale of clashing cultures, warring gods, and forbidden love: In 1000 AD, a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies as war breaks out between their peoples and their gods-one that will determine the fate of them all.

“There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale.”

Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps-invoking the spirits of the land, sea, and sky to protect her people.

But the gods have stopped listening and Omat’s family is starving. Alone at the edge of the world, hope is all they have left.

Desperate to save them, Omat journeys across the icy wastes, fighting for survival with every step. When she meets a Viking warrior and his strange new gods, they set in motion a conflict that could shatter her world…or save it.

REVIEW

Thanks to Hachette Books and Libro.fm for the audiobook listening copy.

We follow the story of Omat (who was raised to be a shaman) and her Inuit tribe. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of this story but its not that bad as well. This is a rather unique fantasy story without some of the classic fantasy tropes. It is full of mythologies: Inuit Mythology, Norse Mythology, Arctic Mythology. Although there are some books in the market which incorporated mythology elements (especially the Norse Mythology), I personally think that the author manage to weave the three main mythologies and folklore creatively by introducing the clash of cultures between different entities. There is also ample discussions on the difference between religion and believes. The theme of feminism, gender identity were also highlighted throughout the story. I definitely love the part of the story where the author introduced the relationship of Omat and her animals (wolf dogs) as I am a dog person.

However, due to my personal taste, this is not a book for me. It was okay as i appreciate the creativity of the author as mentioned above. And no doubt, I can see the author has spent a lot of time researching on the 3 main mythologies as well as the setting of the story which took place in 1000 AD (the world building is great by the way). However, i prefer a more fast paced and action packed story with complicated characterization and plots. I am not saying that this is a bad book as there are so many good reviews on this book out there. But its just not for me. Hence, I’ll just give it a 3.5/5 star rating.

I have to emphasize, this review is purely based on my personal taste. This book is still worth a try if you are a big fan of mythology.

I received a ARC of this from Netgalley after requesting it, but later purchased my own kindle copy.

The scenery and details of daily life really impressed me, they seemed very detailed and I believe that speaks of the care and, I guess, love, the writer has for this work. That said, I believe a shaman or angakkuq should be called, not raised or apprentice, but Omat was raised into it, special from birth and I believe that sparked the jealously between Omat and the son/cousin Kiasik that Omat grows up with, but this, like the sexual tension between them is never properly addressed or acknowledged. Omat has few strong woman's role models, Puja, Omat's aunt/mother/sister, but we don't really know what she does or feels until later, unlike Omat's grandfather/father and Kiasik.

Instead when strangers come, Omat is utterly displaced within the community when it's found out by Issuk, a whale hunter with two hunting companions and two wives, that Omat's body is a womans while the spirit and name is of Omat's father and Omat was raised a man. I sort of knew what was coming when the only stories Omat had told were of rape, that of Sanna, how she became sea mother and Malina the sun by her brother Taqqiq the moon. Issuk is supposedly a grandson of Taqqiq.

I am not quite sure why Omat's spirit guide the wolf is favored over the raven with it's connection to Sila, the wind, who's story is not told. Omat seems to gain and have taken away the angakkuq abilities at the whim of gods like Taqqiq and later Loki. Yet Omat was born with the angakkuq powers and was so feared that Taqqiq took measures to try to kill Omat.

Omat's grandfather is hinted at being murdered and Issuk rapes Omat and makes Omat his third wife, this other two wives Uimaitok and Kidla are not kind, or understanding of Omat's state of shock and grief, instead they call Omat stupid/slow and mock Omat for being unable to do "woman's work". Kiasik tries to protect Omat while also seducing Kidla, Issuk's wife.

Strangers again come, this time killing Issuk and all but Omat and Kiasik, who they kidnap. So begins Omat's journey, along the way Omat gains for companions wolfdogs and meets Brandr and encounters a people Omat's people had wronged, later becoming thrall to Freydis and setting in motion Ragnarök at Loki's urging and to save or destroy the gods of Omat's people and of the Viking and the coming Christ.

This is an epic tale of love, family, perseverance, and will. The author deftly narrates the tale of these characters with such heart and spirit that it is impossible to not fall in love with this novel and its protagonists. The writer is masterful in her use of prose, language and the various ways she manages to, not only include multiple viewpoints but, manipulates the communication between characters who would normally not have. She is brilliant in her writing and storytelling and this book is magnificent.

I really enjoyed Jordanna Max Brodsky's The Immortals trilogy, so when I saw this book, I was quite excited. Even though the premise was CLEARLY quite different, it was still intriguing. I have always been fascinated with the lore and legends of various god pantheons, and while this was clearly fiction, it seemed right up my alley. And while it took me longer to read it that it needed to (I put it down about halfway through for some reason, and didn't come back to it until a few months later.), it turned out to be an excellent book. In fact, coming back to the book even halfway through, I picked it up and was engrossed immediately all over again.

The mix of Inuit and Norse gods was somewhat startling, but Brodsky tied them together - along with Ragnarok - in such a way as to make it flow, even when it seems as though they shouldn't. It was also quite interesting to read about Omat being considered a "third sex" in the Inuit tradition - a female with a male's spirit. What makes all of this even more interesting are the author's notes at the end explaining her research and just how much her story was truly based on the history of both peoples.

I definitely recommend this book - it's unique and lovely, with a spirit all its own. Just like Omat.

I love historical books rich with mythology, with excellent women, and with engaging story lines. This title ticked all those boxes for me. The exploration of gender was so great, and I am always, always looking for books with Indigenous main characters! The backdrop of the arctic helped tied all the elements together, and what we received in the end was a atmospheric and lovely story (even with the dark moments)!

One of my favorite books of 2019!

Omat is an Inuit who has her father's spirit and follows in her grandfather's shaman steps. Trying to protect and feed her family, she takes to the ice and disaster follows. A Viking warrior meets her and together they forge a path to save or destroy the Inuit and their way of life.

I loved the twists and turns of this book, as well as the religious and fantasy elements. Great read!

This was an amazing book! I thoroughly enjoyed the lush storytelling and unique perspective this author threw me in to. I had no idea what to expect going in to this story due to the very different title but I am so happy I have it a chance!

Life in the arctic is harsh no matter the time period. This story is set approximately 1000 AD. The main characters are the second or third generation of Inuk that have migrated eastward from the west coastal areas. Their physical survival is dependent on building shelter and catching animals, both land and sea, for food and fur. Their spiritual health is overseen by the angakkug (shaman). This might sound a bit like a National Geographic book, but far from it.

Omat is a newborn at the beginning of the story and we follow them through the next 2 decades. While physically born a girl, she is named for her deceased father and is raised as a boy. This is an accepted practise at that time. Their grandfather, Ataata is the angakkug. He seeks knowledge and guidance from their gods. Within their community they also have a complex set of rules that dictates what is allowed and what isn't. For example, women aren't allowed to hunt, but since Omat is viewed as a boy, they learn to hunt.


Up to this point, the story is a bit slow as there is much to learn about the families and their way of life. As Omat gets older and becomes apprentice to the angakkug, some in the community begin to object. This is where the story really got going for me. I was finding it harder to put the book down.

Omat is a boy and wishes to keep living that way. They may be smaller than some of the other hunters, but they have great skills and keep the family fed. They struggle as they mature physically and that helps to push the plot through to the end.

I would have thought that by living and growing in a very small community, that all would have accepted Omat as they were, having seen their skills and commitment to the community. But there is always at least one person who has to stir things up and cause trouble. Have we as humans not learned anything in the last thousand years.

The author did an excellent job of researching and conveying details of the inuk daily life. From the building of the igloo, hunting the seals and other animals and then preparing the meats and skins. This was all worked seamlessly into the story that I didn't realized how much I was learning as I read.

I don't want to give away any plot points, so I will just say that this family group does not stay isolated for long. That brings in a whole new bunch of benefits and challenges.

I loved this book. I felt as though I had been drawn into Omat's extended family. I began to care about the success of their hunts and what they would learn on their 'spirit quest'. As much as I didn't want this book to end, I could wait to find out how Omat would deal with the issues facing them.

I REALLY liked this and had trouble putting it down! That said, I'm not entirely sure why! It has a feel of the Clan of the Cave Bear, without the beautiful language, in the beginning it also reminded me a bit of Julie of the Wolves, which I hated that my mother handed me as a preteen. It brings together so many stories and pathways among people, and then practically brings in a little DC Comics at the culmination. You're just going to have to read it ;) You'll see what I mean, Thanks to the editor who emailed me about this book, yes, I'll read almost anything for free, but this is truly a keeper

This was a heart-wrenching and emotional novel about forbidden love. The characters were very well-written. I like how the author showed the difference in cultures. I also loved the setting. I thought it was very authentic. I recommend this for fans of Avelynn, Daughter of a Thousand Years, and Valkyrie’s Vengeance.

This novel is epic, a large, beautiful snowy masterpiece that I did not want to end. It took me a long time to finish it because I wanted to keep the end from coming. As it is, this novel is huge, beautiful, and worth the time. From the very beginning, when we meet Omat as a child talking to the spirits that guide her people and learning to hunt and be a leader, til the very last page, the story is so moving and powerful that I cannot think of any way that it could be more perfect. This novel really has it all, an epic journey, love, death, battle, suffering, and so much ice and snow that you start to feel cold in some parts when you are reading it. There are parts that can be hard to stomach, some of the violence is very brutal, but the overall arc of the novel really makes these parts feel like an afterthought in the whole of the entire book. 

This novel could have fell flat very easily. For as many pages as there are, there are very few characters, not much landscape, but there are also great battles and action. Sometimes when a person is reading about, as an example, a fight between twelve people, with punches and knives and death, it is very easy for these scenes to get muddled, for the action to turn into too much, and it can become very confused. It is a great author that can pull off these scenes, and I have yet to read someone that writes with the clarity in these scenes as Jordanna Max Brodsky writes. It also feels like the pacing does not waver in these fights, where Jordanna Max Brodsky is cool-headed in being the storyteller, telling us that the readers can be excited and read faster but the writing is going to continue to be steady and strong. I am impressed by so many things in this novel and the writing, and this is just an example. It feels as if she has taken her time to make sure that she has gotten this right, and she has.

There is so much going on in this novel that is amazing, that you should just read. One of my favorite aspects is the way that beliefs are portrayed throughout, and not just the beliefs of the Inuit people or of the Norse, but how there is equal validity to all of it. The mythology that is used for all groups is equal and very important. There are parts where I started to think, "Oh yeah. This has been set up to where absolutely anything can happen and be believable because there is a clear explanation for it all." This is true. This is true because Jordanna Max Brodsky has built such a strong story that it all makes sense. What a masterful work. The more that I think about it, the more powerful it becomes. If I had one wish, it would be for everyone to at least attempt to read this novel this year. I imagine most people will be just as blown away by it as I am. The Wolf in the Whale is so incredible that it feels like I have just scratched the surface of the things I can say about it. Just go read it. This could be my book of the year.

This is a very different take on fantasy, I’ve never read anything from the perspective of the Inuit people so I was pretty excited about it going in.

This is a single POV book (I think, I DNF’d) about a girl growing up in a very remote Inuit clan. They are far removed from everyone else and are struggling to make it by, every decision they make can have long-lasting impacts on their group as a whole. One wrong move could be disastrous, and losing members of their clan when their numbers are so few is devastating. They are a close-knit but very pragmatic sort of people. What needs to be done gets done or face extinction. They live in close quarters so things like nudity, sex, sharing partners and all of that are very out in the open and not a big deal. There are strict rules on what men and women can’t do with rigid adherence to gender roles. This makes things complicated for our main character. She was something of a miracle child, when she was born she was barely breathing, it was a difficult birth and her mother died shortly thereafter. She was left out in the snow overnight, assumed to be too weak to live anyway. However, the next morning she was found alive, and it was presumed that her dead father’s soul came to inhabit her body, that she was blessed by a wolf that stayed by her side after she was abandoned and breathed life into her. Since she carried her father’s soul, she was to be raised as a man. She would be allowed to hunt (a huge taboo for a woman) and treated just like all the other boys. However, as a teenager, she found out that she was, in fact, a woman. It was a huge blow and a traumatic event. She vowed never to bleed or take a husband, but things took a turn for the worse when another band of Inuit show up and wreak havoc in her world.

There was a lot of very organic world building in this, the first 30% or so was largely focused on character development and the lore of the world told through songs and stories Omat’s grandfather would tell. He’s an Ongakgook, a shaman of sorts, who is able to commune with the spirits and speak with the animals. The Ongakgook’s other main role is keeping the stories and the lore of their people alive through song. Omat was training to be the next Ongakgook since she was able to speak to a caribou without any sort of training. There are a lot of references to the ancestors, stories about how the gods came into being, and stories of spirits and guides. I found all of that to be fascinating and was really trying to get into the book, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

This book was a struggle for me despite it being on audiobooks. I’m just not that into hunting scenes – I tolerate them at best when they are used sparingly. I can’t help myself, I cringe when I see animals get hurt or killed, even if the rational side of me is saying “this is essential for them to live”, it’s just a gut response. The first 30% of the book was dominated by hunting scenes and small talk amongst villagers. When the outsiders made it into the story the plot did pick up a bit, but there was still lots of hunting, lots of traveling around in snow covered wastelands and I just got bored and kind of grossed out. There’s an off screen rape of the main character and I’m just not into it. I do believe it was handled well, I felt the right kind of angry when I read it. However, I’ve read 11 books so far this year, and 9 of them have had rape in it. I’m just not able to stomach any more of it right now. So, I made it to about 40% before I called it quits, this is sort of an “it’s not you, it’s me” break up. There’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s certainly a very different kind of book, and if it sounds interesting to you I’d say give it a chance.

Netgalley is requiring me to leave a star review. This feels strange since I didn't finish it. But, since it was well written, had good characters, engaging world building but just wasn't for me, I'm giving it 4.

Such a mesmerizing book, dark and uplifting at the same time. A strong female character, Omat, an Inuit girl raised as a boy, becoming a shaman of her tribe. The culture clash resulting from the arrival of the Norsemen is poignant and spellbinding. So well written and readable, definitely recommended.