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.

I enjoyed this book alot, I gave it 5 stars. I enjoyed the amounts of mythology that Elizabeth incorporated into this book. It made me want to read more mythology books immediately afterwards.

I also really enjoyed the relationship that Lena had with both her sister and to Amal. There was genuine friendship between the three of them and none of this three-way love triangle. There wasn't any jealousy or animosity towards any of them. Lena did everything she could so that she could have her sister back but also to have her back for Amal too.

100% would recommend this book for an easy-read. Also, I enjoy reading stand alone books alot more often now and I think that this book is a perfect definition of a stand alone book.

We follow Lena and her sister Fressa, daughters of the frequently away viking chief. Lena has to deal with the very sudden and strange death of her sister, and goes to Helheim (Norse version of Hell) to negotiate the release of her sister's soul from Hela herself. 
The author has obviously done a lot of research into the Norse Gods and the mythology of the World Tree (Yggdrasil), and the descriptions of Hell were beautiful. Hela was a brilliant character, and I would have liked to have focused on her a little bit more, as the actual plot line was very slow and sadly I found myself getting really bored, to the point where I didn't want to pick it up to read. 

This was a lot darker than the usual YA Fantasy which I liked but it was let down by the actual story. The plot twist was a little predictable, and overall, I can't find it in myself to recommend it. 

Trigger warnings for death of a loved one, depression brought on by grief, attempted rape, blood, arranged marriage, some mention of an eating disorder.

DNF-Ed. I couldn’t get into the story completely. I heard raving reviews so I might give it a chance in the future. Till then. Nope for me. .

After having a debut based in Greek mythology, Tammi turned her focus to Norse mythology here. Mythology of any kind is an auto-read for me, though I will admit I was a bit underwhelmed.

This book is about sisters Lena and Fressa, who are daughters of their village's chief, and Amal, who is Fressa's lover and (hopefully) future husband. The book picks up with the arrival of the girls' father from yet another raid; the village's resources are dwindling and rival groups are moving in, making this a precarious time for Lena's village. Soon after Fressa is gifted a mysterious blade from their father, she is found dead. Lena, overcome with grief, attempts to find a way to bring Fressa back - by making deals with gods to trade Fressa's soul for another's.

The premise was very unique, at least for me. I've read about characters going after kidnapped siblings, but never trying to revive a dead sibling through bargaining. I really like Lena's determination and desperation, which makes her do terrible things to get her beloved sister back. However, I do think the consequences of her actions are never quite explored, which is a shame. I think looking at the mental impact of her actions on herself would have been really great.

Lena was also the only fully developed character. Fressa, unfortunately, doesn't have much page time before being killed. Amal himself is a bit...boring and mostly defined in regards to Fressa. We don't really learn much about Lena's village or its dynamics or traditions in-depth, which makes it seem like any generic village - instead of a specifically Viking one.

The Norse gods themselves play a very minor role in the story. I mean, they exist and impact the plot, but they aren't really *present* (other than two key players). Mythology is glossed over a bit, and there's discussion of Ragnarok, but we really don't see much.

Overall, it's a short and fast-paced novel, but I really wanted more substance. Lena was a great character, but she can't hold up the entire story. The ending did go in a direction I had suspected, but I rather liked it so I think that's what is saving it as a 3-star read. This novel is good if you're new to Norse mythology and don't want something filled with too many unfamiliar names and events.

The premisse was very exciting, therefore I was super hyped for this book - I don't think I read a book focused on viking mitology before. However, I had a few problems with this book. It was very slow paced, and I didn't quite understood the reasons behind the protagonist's actions, because we're not driven to care about her sister, who she was trying to bring back. The ending was disappointing. The highs are the mitology (although a very sexist study on the society, but i'm not a specialist in the subject to actually confirm this) and the writing, which is beautiful.

I was quite excited about this book. Sadly, my excitement did not last. The first part was amazing. The ending was ok (although it wasn't very surprising). But I didn't enjoy what was in between. After reading the desription, I expected something different. More mythical creatures and gods, more action. It felt something was missing.
On the positive note - I liked description of some rituals and living in the village. The writing had quite potential, I could imagine the scenery very easily. Wish the story was better.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating book that starts off very slowly.

I really loved Lena as a character and her strength.

I really how there's a sequel!

I think this book had the potential to be great it is just very very slow paced. I liked the characters and most of the storyline but it was just soooooo slowwwwww

I'm still a bit torn about how I feel about this book. I loved Lena but she deserved so much better. Everyone just used her for their own purposes and all she wanted to do was save her sister. I wish we'd gotten a bit more of the relationship between the sisters. Overall, a very quick read (which surprised me). I liked it, but I didn't love it.

Will there be a sequel? Because after that ending it sure seems possible.

This one just didn't mesh well with me. I really didn't care for the characters and the story just felt meh. I think that if I would have liked the characters more that this one would have been better. But, I think in the long run this just was not the title for this reader. I think that plot wise that the middle of the story was bogged down and it really needed to be fleshed out a little better.

This is a very okay book, not great, not bad just okay. My Swedish side loved all of the Norse mythology and Viking lore in this book, well I just any mythology if I'm being honest. Lena the MC is the daughter of the chief and one day happens upon her sister dead. It is quite depressing I'm not going to lie, so be prepared when you start this book that it can get quite depressing at times.

This is a slow book, it does get on track after a few chapters but you really have to power through, the writing is not great but then again not awful, structure-wise it could have felt tighter and better woven and that is why the 3 stars.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, my opinions are my own.

I was granted an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's a story steeped in Norse mythology that focuses on the bond of sisterhood, the power love holds over us and the lengths a person will go for it. It focuses on Lena, the eldest daughter of a Viking chief and her younger sister and best friend, Fressa. Grief is explicitly dealt with in this novel. I appreciated that the author did not make her MC plow through her grief. Instead, the entire novel is mired with it when Lena finds Fressa dead in the woods. It really helps capture the spectrum of grief. Lena is consumed by it, and it's raw and real.
Desperate for answers and to get her sister back, Lena makes a deadly deal with the goddess of death, Hela, to exchange another soul of equal weight to her sister's so she can return Fressa to the land of the living. Lena crosses some stark lines in this novel and has to grapple with the way she does it. In the process, she finds out truths about herself and her sister that alters the course of her world. She also finds herself mixed up in the wills of the often capricious gods she was taught to revere.
The only reason I am not giving this book 5 stars is because it does start off extremely slow, but there is quite the twist at the ending that made it completely satisfying. The last 25% of the book was my favorite. This book is dark, lyrical and beautifully written. I can't wait for the next one!

A wonderfully exciting Vikings-like story about love, vengeance, and honour: perfect for young readers who might be a bit apprehensive at the level of violence shown in the hit TV series. There's plenty of folklore surrounding a novel which uses the Norse gods in its setting and the dialogue was witty as well as informative. This was a rather fun read that I would recommend easily.

This was a good read. Ive always loved mythology and Norse mythology is my favorites. I feel as though with Lenas character she was supposed to be depicted as a brave woman doing these feats for her sister but in all reality I didn't feel like she was a warm character. She was cold hearted. I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words with this particular review probably because I picked this one up back in July, read half of it and just now went back to finish it. I didnt see the plot twist with her father coming. I also dont understand why everyne in the village starting attacking each other. I must have missed something or forgotten a piece of the book. I feel like the wedding was left out because even though it was plot point the actual wedding wasnt necessary as it happened so close to the end. Overall I do recommend this book , just dont do what I did and definitely read it all instead of waiting 2 months to finish it.

The writing was so nice and even though it covered topics that do interest me, this, sadly, wasn't for me.