A wonderful story!! I really loved the characters and world building for this one. Highly recommend this one!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really really wanted to like this more than I did. Maybe it's because I sort of forced myself to keep reading it when I was doing nothing else with my life but I just kept going in and out of actually liking The Weight of a Soul That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on this book because I really do like anything that has to deal with mythology and Vikings.. so I will definitely have to dive into it again but more around a time where I can actually just sit down and enjoy it.

In this, you will meet Lena. She's an okay character and so was her sister. Nothing was really special about them (at least to me) but again, I was in a weird reading funk with this book. I mean, we also don't know much about her sister Fressa because of what happened to her but I did find the whole situation pretty interesting. This alone was the only thing that made me keep turning the page.

Other than that, the book was just kind of meh to me. Not a lot happened and I feel like I was left with a ton of unanswered questions. I was definitely hoping for another book of some sort - like a novella or two? Just because I doubt that I'm the only one who was a bit disappointed with it all.

Then again, it could just be me. Here's to hoping there might be another book and to taking a second chance on a book in the future.

Enjoyable read. Really like that it has Vikings, lots of fun but could/should have been spread over two books to include a little more detail on everything that was happening.

I really liked Elizabeth Tammi's first novel and this one was about vikings so i wanted to read this. The worldbuilding was great but the pace was little bit slow for me. Overall it was a good story to read.

I recieved an ebook ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Vikings and Norse mythology/religion: two things I know little about and had to almost research to read the book. The plotline was good, the first half was extremely slow to me though. It was a struggle for me to continue the book every time I picked it up until the wedding, then I read the ending within a few hours. I would have liked to have had more insight into the Gods/Godesses and Viking/Norse background either within the book, or maybe a story at the beginning. It just needed more information. The world building was very good, but the character descriptions needed a little more. Up until the night before the wedding, I didn't realize that Lena wore dresses all the time, I visualized her in leather hide pants. Overall, a bit of extra description wouldn't hurt the book and a little more background info would be helpful.

I received this book at netgalley from the publisher for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis off this book I knew I wanted to read it. Vikings, Norse gods and a bond between sisters.

We start the book with Mare and her younger sister Fressa. One day Fressa is found dead. No one knows what happened.
Mare is determined to ask the gods to bring back her sister. But doesn’t know what the real cost is to bring her back.
Because how much is Fressa worth, and why was she killed. While Mare is trying everything to bring Fressa back, more things seem to change. Summer is ending to fast and the clan is starting to question if her family is doing the best to rule the clan.
And Mare learns that the gods are much closer than she knew. And that there is a reason all off this is happening.

I really missed the “Viking” part off the book. I would to see a little bit more exploring. We now only stayed in the village. We know her father travels a lot. And hear a little where he goes. But I would love to have seen a chapter about it.
But the way the gods are written I loved. To read about Hela, Loki, Odin and the Valkyrie was really good.
It’s a fast read but not a book I will reread.

I give it a 3,5 starts.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I don't think I've ever read a book that was based in so much Norse mythology and included visits with the gods. I was expecting a Viking sisters book but this was so much more. Lena and Fressa are daughters of the clan chief. They are incredibly close, and when Fressa unexpectedly dies it sets Lena off on a journey to get her sister back. Lena calls upon Hela to help and ends up visiting the goddess who says the only way to get Fressa back is to find a soul to take her sister's place. The clan is on edge due to the chief always off looting, and the weather not behaving correctly. Lena is in a desperate place, and her character is all over the place at times. I liked the way the clan interacted, and the magical elements to the story. I was surprised at how short the book was given the plot. The author does an amazing job of keeping the story interesting, and concise in that length of pages. I ended up enjoying this far more than I expected to in the beginning. The characters and world are great, the action is a perfect amount and the ending was sad but also fitting.

This book is one I really enjoyed!! I binged this book and couldn't put it down!
Thank you netgalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this!

Norse gods rule the land in which Lena and her sister Fressa live. Fressa dreams of marrying her love Amal when her father returns from his raiding.

But, when Fressa is found dead Lena is so distraught that she decides to find a way to bring her back, so that Fressa and Amal can be married and the three of them can be happy again.

The cost to bring her sister back is high, and the gods strike a hard bargain, while slyly keeping Lena unaware of the truth behind the situation.

Lena repeatedly tries to meet the terms the gods have set for her sisters return. And you will need to read the book to find out what they were and what Lena goes through.

I found the characters well written and the description of the world easy to absorb. I didn't find myself feeling any urgency about any of Lena's situations, but that didn't detract from the tale telling for me. Overall this was an enjoyable book to read. I liked it, hence my rating.

I requested and received this eARC at NetGalley.

I have been a bit of a fan of Elizabeth Tammi since Outrun the Wind I found myself thinking of this as a bit of a genderbent version of Höðr and Baldr but with sisters Fressa and Lena.

It's not quite that, as Lena doesn't murder her sister - but nearly, as a deal is struck between Hela and Lena for a soul of equal weight in return for Fressa's among the einherjar. It was a heavier read than I was expecting. Lena is destined to be chief of her small valley, her sister Fressa is a brilliant warrior -a oddity, but precious to Lena. Fressa is very much in love with Amal, the adopted son of Lena's mentor, a elderly herbal healer. Upon the rate return of Fressa and Lena's often absent father, a startling truth comes to light. Lena, not Fressa is betrothed to Amal, and together they're meant to rule their people. Yet before this can be put to rights, Fressa is found by Lena - dead with the blade her father had given her in her hand - but unmarked.

I haven't seen much writing, or modern Western media, with the bond between sisters portrayed positively and with love/loyalty between their bond and memory, without being wary of a betrayal coming between them in the form of a man, usually. It is the same with sisterhood between friends.

So I was leery, especially with some discoveries made along the way and a line about Ragnarok that I know goes...

"Brothers will fight and kill each other,
sisters' children will defile kinship.
It is harsh in the world, whoredom rife
—an axe age, a sword age —shields are riven—
a wind age, a wolf age— before the world goes headlong.
No man will have mercy on another."

But it was a chilling delight that Lena kept determinedly to the deal. I do wonder if there will be a sequel where somehow a einherjar might be freed, by beginning Ragnarok.

Maybe they'll meet in battle after all?

Maybe not.

It's always intrigued me that despite what gods and monsters die (Sól and Máni, Odin and Fenrir, Thor and Jörmungandr, Freyr, Týr and Garm, Loki fights Heimdallr)- Frigg, Freyja and other goddesses are not mentioned to die, so they might be imagined to have survived ...or if some mistake of a eternal battle like in the Hjaðningavíg might instead occur...

Not my cup of tea. I couldn't get into the story and didn't care for the characters.
I liked the style of writing but it was not enough.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Absolutely wonderful read! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and prose so much. Would definitely recommend it to anyone!

The Weight of A Soul
By: Elizabeth Tammi

About:
When Lena’s younger sister Fressa is found dead, their whole Viking clan mourns—but it is Lena alone who never recovers. Fressa is the sister that should’ve lived; Fressa was a warrior, and the only one in their clan who could wield a weapon with untold powers.

Lena cannot rest until she knows exactly what killed Fressa and why—and how to bring her back. She strikes a dark deal with Hela, the Norse goddess of death, and begins a new double life to save her sister.

With her sister’s life in the balance, Lena is willing to risk it all. She’s even willing to kill. As Lena gets closer to bringing Fressa back, she finds herself in the middle of a devastating plan to spur Ragnarök, a deadly chain of events leading to total world. destruction. How far will she go before the darkness consumes her?


My Thoughts:

I was at first really confused by the dialogue. There was no sense of where it began it just jumped into. There was no character diversity. Lena's melancholy brooding over her inaction weighs the story down, and the flat characterization of most secondary characters and inconsistent pacing also detract from the reader’s experience. The Viking-era setting clashes with the characters’ modern speech patterns. While i liked the viking idea it wasnt quite done right. Not my cup of tea but I'm not saying it was all bad either. Towards the middle the storyline comes together but it was still lacking...

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I could relate deeply with the underlying emotional aspect of this story. Survivor's guilt, loss, grief, love, intensity, and ultimately a quest for resolution. This was a great read for me. Will read more from this author in the future!

The emotions that the book managed to portray was pretty good, however overall I do not think I was the intended audiendiance. My main issue was how hard I found it to connect with the main characters in the story, and however much I was intrigued by the backdrop of a viking clan, it fell through for me. It was not terrible however, I enjoyed it enough to finish reading it and think that some people will really enjoy it.

I've always loved Norse mithology so it was obvious I was going to enjoy this fantastic novel. Apart from that, I absolutely loved the relationship between the main characters and how the story was told. Although the novel wasn't perfect I recommend it if you want to have a great time.

Thank you to the publisher.

What a disappointing read. The Weight of a Soul follows Lena, daughter of a Viking Chieftain who makes a deal with Hela, the Norse goddess of Death and Hel, to bring her sister back from Valhalla in exchange for another’s soul. This bargain forces her to ask the question of what determines the value of a soul and makes her question what it means to take a life.

The story has such an exciting start to it, and the representation of Helheim and Hela leaves the reader with a strong impression, but the rest of the characters, fall flat. Moreover, even though Lena is given the most time to develop as a character, she still does not have a strong enough personality to connect to the reader. After the loss of her sister, she loses herself, and while her grief is understandable, her path to the end of the novel alienates her from the reader. Her progression and development is well done, of that, there is no doubt, but her personality is not enough to carry the novel.

As for the other characters, they do not bring anything to the table. Amal and his mother, well his mother is wholly unlikeable in the way she changes her mind. Yes, it is due to her age, but she makes no apologies for it. Then Amal, he is pretty docile, and the fascinating thing to come from him is the fact that he was from somewhere else and can read runes. Yes, this is only used for the opening pages and never fully realized for later on. It is just an interesting tidbit. As for Lena’s mother and sister, well, her sister does not get enough time to develop and her mother; she is another frigid character.

These characters do not make the reader care about them.

Moreover, while the focus of the story is supposed to be about Ragnarök, as hinted at in the book blurb, there is hardly any build to it. The Norse Gods are hardly in the novel, even if they play a significant part in the overall plot of the story, it would have been nice to see more of them and how integral they are in the storytelling.
The story eventually leads to a predictable ending and does an excellent job of presenting Lena with a strong challenge, creating just enough tension to make the story interesting enough to read ultimately.

This had all the makings of a great Nordic tragedy and sadly the writing didn't meet my expectations. I enjoyed all the Norse mythology however inconsistent terminology and the loose plot really brought this down from what could have been a 4/5 star read to a 2.5/3 star.

The characters were also lacking I felt, it felt rushed, and I think I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to get a real feel for the characters, if their bonds had been stronger rather than just weak suggestions.

A great premise, some good moments, just not executed as well as I had hoped.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Offering in the YA Norse inspired fantasy genre have been extremely disappointing lately (Sky in the Deep, I am looking at you…) Happily this was not the case with this book. Tammi uses Norse myth to build a dynamic fantasy world with engaging characters and a fast paced plot. I am a big fan of a strong sister bond as an essential part of the plot and pitting that against the will of the gods was simply excellent. Highly recommend this.