While I loved the premise, I was unfortunately not able to finish this. The writing wasn’t for me, as it lacked descriptions I would’ve liked to see. The plot felt very rushed, before there was time to establish the relationship between the two sisters the younger sister was dead. With some tweaking I feel this could’ve been a book I would’ve really enjoyed.

The Weight of a Soul is a re-telling of Norse mythology. I always find it fascinating to learn about mythology, so this was right up my alley.

Lena finds her younger sister, Fressa, dead after her father brings the news that Amal, Fressa’s lover and Lena’s best friend, was betrothed to Lena many, many years ago. However, Amal and Fressa were engaged and waiting for Chief Fredrick, Lena and Fressa’s father, to arrive back from looting to gain his approval.

I honestly cannot understand how some people could not enjoy this novel. From the very first moment, Tammi reels you in on a journey about perseverance and the lengths someone will go to for the people s/he loves. The descriptions of the gods, the realistic reactions to tragedies, and family expectations are only a small piece of the skillfully-created novel.

"I love you entirely, Lena. Not as I loved your sister, but as I love you."

The ending was absolutely fantastic. While I had an inkling about the result from the very beginning, The Weight of a Soul still left me grasping for more at the end. Anyone else hoping the green-eyed wink is a promise of good things to come? Let’s say…a sequel? I’m hoping Tammi can delve into the consequences of Lena’s actions and highlight the grief seen in the novel a bit more.

"I will not be scared off from my destiny."

The Weight of a Soul is a story of sisterly love, the heart-wrenching selflessness of a sister, and perseverance all in exchange for the equal “weight of a soul”.

I quite enjoyed reading the book. The storyline was great but it didn't catch my attention very much. The character development was not good enough for me to care about the characters. However the plot was great.

<I>I received this book via NetGalley for reviewing purposes. This has in no way influence my opinion.</I>

I really enjoyed reading this book. Watch my video YouTube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvmCS7t3w_E&feature=youtu.be

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

I love Mythology. If you’ve read some of my latest posts you know this. But you also know that I’ve been very disappointed with, actually most, of the books I read. I’m still trying though. And Norse Mythology is also a topic I’m very interested in. But in contrast to Greek Mythology I didn’t grow up with these stories, so I hoped that it might be easier to like for me.

I actually also read and reviewed Elizabeth Tammi’s debut novel Outrun the Wind and was disappointed. But I said that I would give her a second chance since I could see the potential. And here we are.

I’m glad to say that I enjoyed The Weight of a Soul a lot more than Outrun the Wind. I don’t think it’s only the fact that I’m less familiar with the Norse Mythology and therefore can’t tell how accurately the gods are portrayed but it might have played a role. Just fyi.

What I liked so much about this book though is how much we get to see inside Lena. We are with her the entire time, we get her reasoning, her feelings. I think it works really well for the story Tammi wanted to tell here.

To be honest, I expected a more fast-paced novel where more stuff … happens … but I’m actually glad it’s slow-paced and more focused on how Lena is dealing with everything. I love these kinds of deep looks into a character.

I still think I would have liked … more but overall I’m very satisfied with this. Lena is a complex and interesting character and I love how she does what she does, what her reasons are and that she is uncomfortable. It’s a little like those reluctant hero stories. Only that she’s not the hero here. And I loved that!

Lena goes through a lot of different emotions but I loved how real and collected she always was. It fit so well and was very realistic with her being raised as the chief’s daughter. Prepared for leading alongside her husband one day.

She understands people and power very well, sometimes better than those around her and I liked how aware she was of those things and how she tried to preserve that. Especially when in contrast to her sister.
Their relationship was also really heartwarming to read about. I especially loved a sentence that comes a bit after Fressa dies. Lena talks about how Fressa just knows her without Lena ever having to explain herself or her reasons. She just naturally does, even though they are quite different.
Or the quote about how the very things that Fressa excelled at and that defined her was also the thing isolating her … uff!

Another thing I think is done very well here is the world-building. You can really see the Viking-inspired village in the cold north without the author really shoving everything in your face. It’s effortless and I loved how normal it felt that the gods are involved in Lena’s life.

And although this may sound weird … I actually liked that the mythology side kinda took a backseat to Lena dealing with her grief. I mean, yes, it’s what propelled Lena to do what she does, but it’s still more in the background and I appreciated that.

That being said, I sometimes had trouble really connecting with the characters. Lena is great, has good traits and flaws and I really grew to like her but the others stayed a little flat for me. I feel like that is always a possibility if you write in 3rd person but focus only on one person (Lena). I always felt a bit distanced. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my time reading.

The book was also a little predictable but I didn’t care all too much because I liked following Lena and her realizing stuff. But I thought you should know.

I think The Weight of a Soul is definitely worth checking out, especially if you like character-focused stories that deal a lot with the emotions of the main character.
The Norse myths were incorporated really well and I had a great time reading this. Glad I gave Elizabeth Tammi a second chance!

Lena and Fressa's bond of sisterhood is unbreakable. Memories and shared smiles form the bones of their connection while their mutual hardships connected their hearts until they beat with one flow. Like trees, the roots of Lena and Fressa's lives intertwined with a dependence on having the other at an arms length away.



Yet what should happen if one day a fatal knife drove itself into a beating heart until there remained nothing but echoes of silence? Such a loss eclipses Lena's soul until her despair calls forth the goddess of death herself - Hela.



Lena believes she can see the light of Fressa's life in the midst of the darkness that surrounds Hela's reckoning with Lena. Before long, Lena's life becomes a dark descent heralded by the path Hela has set before her. Still, Lena's formidable spirit is unshakeable in her determination to recover what she holds dearest in her life.



In an absolutely elegant and emotional read, Elizabeth Tammi takes us by the hand where readers discover the true weight of a soul through Lena's journey. Throughout The Weight of a Soul, Tammi shows us how the paths we choose to walk upon cast dark reflections of who we are. Lena's quest to save her sister at any cost made for a formidable narrative where her bravery and sacrifice of the self is sure to follow readers through all the nine realms depicted in Norse mythology.

even though i'm giving this book two stars, i ultimately don't think it was a bad book.

the premise was intriguing with the norse mythology and viking vibes and all that, but i don't think it was executed very well. the plot was sort of there, but i think more emotion and development should have been put into the characters

for example, one part that could have been elaborated on and done much better is the part where (being vague to avoid spoiling anyone) the main character does something very morally questionable for her sisters sake, but there is no discussion of how this makes her feel. this is her first time doing anything like this, and she does it with no hesitation and almost no regret even though it wasn't even with the right person

overall, i was just bored throughout the book and couldn't relate to any of the characters. the plot and mythology aspect was interesting enough to keep reading, but some more time spent on character development and better pacing throughout the book would have easily made this a 3 or 4 stars from me,

★ I received an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ★

Mixed feelings on this one, while the story was written well the plot itself was not as action packed as I had expected. Based on the blurb this sounds like a dark story about a girl who will do whatever it takes to get her sister back. This may be true, but the story spends most of it's time with the main character Lena crying over her arranged marriage to her childhood best friend and dead sister's lover Amal. Which yes is terrible, but instead of moping around maybe pull yourself together and actually stick to your deal? I just had no investment in the sisters or Amal, and the sisters' relationship wasn't fully developed. Maybe a few flashbacks could have helped? Moreover I felt mehhh about Amal and thought he was a weak unlikable character as well.
I was also surprised that there was not more of an adventure or quest? The character never left her small village other than to randomly go see Hela in her own realm that took 2-3 sentences to get to. With her sister dead and Lena keeping secrets, she didn't really have solid relationships or dialogue with any character so you are just trapped in her cloud of depression for most of the book. Which is disappointing because there are other female characters her age introduced, but none of them are fleshed out. There just needed to be less family drama and more adventure!

With lots of norse mythology and a twist ending you would think this one would be great, but sadly it just falls flat due to lack of action and depth between characters. There was so much potential, but this one is a miss for me.

This nearly ended up on the DNF list, but then my train was delayed so I thought "why not continue". I wish I had stuck with my gut feeling. The plot is mediocre, the pacing is all over the place, and the characters are as dull as a box of hair. There is so much foreshadowing you can see the plot twists a mile away so it's lacking any emotional punch at the climax. A few more rounds of editing could have substantially improved it.

Recommend for: Elizabeth Tammi fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

The Weight of a Soul is a beautiful story of love, loss and sisterhood. The biggest reason I was excited to dive into this novel is that it explores the relationship between two sisters who would do anything for each other. I love it when that dynamic is involved. The second part that drew me in was the Norse mythology. I don't know a ton about it, but as I was reading, I realized I knew at least a little more than I thought.

Right from the start, you know that Fressa and Lena have a close bond where they would protect each other and do anything for one another. That bond is put to the test when Fressa is found dead, and there is pressure for Lena to marry her sister's fiance, Amal, which neither wants to happen. Fressa, Amal and Lena grew up together, and Lena never had the desire to strike up a romantic relationship with him, especially knowing how much her sister loved him.

Lena is a complex character. She becomes consumed with grief after losing her sister and is in denial that Fressa has died. Lena becomes more and more obsessed with the idea of traveling to the world of Helheim, where most people go after they die, to try to strike a bargain with Hela, the Norse goddess of death.

You can look at Lena's decisions in several different ways. Traveling to what seems like a hell (Helheim) can seem like a dumb thing to do, but when you take into consideration Lena has this overwhelming grief that she doesn't know what to do with, it actually makes sense, at least to me.

I view Lena as brave and dedicated to Fressa to risk her own life to save her sister. The decision she has to make in order to get her sister back forces her to think about how far she's willing to go to get what she wants, but she agrees to it right away. Would I have agreed to it? I'm not sure, at least not one hundred percent, but I would have a hard time saying no. I'd want my sister back no matter what.

The Weight of a Soul is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I loved the backdrop of the story with the Norse mythology as well as the questions I had about Lena's choices; mostly thinking about the morality of whether she should or shouldn't do what Hela is asking her to do. I love a book that makes you think, and this one definitely gave me a lot to think about.

The synopsis made me think it's going to be like a female-lead edition of Rick Riordan's books set in a Norse world. I was very much looking forward to it. I was also sort of wrong. There is so much more happening in this book than one could actually conceptualize at first. It was absolutely stunning in it's description of everything happening and the weight not just of Fressa's soul, but the knowledge of what must happen that's crushing Lena along side it.

I do apologize for being a little late in my review, but some family concerns came up that prevented me from being able to actually sit down and read for more than a few minutes at a time. There was just so much going on in the last two weeks of November that make me wish I had read this earlier than I did.

Anyway, The Weight of a Soul by Tammi Elizabeth follows Magdalena Freding, the heiress to a small Scandinavian village. In a very quick succession, her sister is engaged to an "outsider" raised by the village, her father returns from a raid and gives her sister a dagger, they find out that her sister's fiance was Lena's betrothed, and then her sister dies. This all happens within the first like twenty pages. I think I was barely fifteen minutes into the book when things went down.

I couldn't believe it. It was all so much in quick succession that it was nearly difficult to wrap my mind around, but I managed. I felt bad right away for Lena and her mother. Everything was spiraling around them in a way that they couldn't possibly fathom. Then Lena goes and does something that will land her in hotter water than imaginable!

I really liked the way everything was described in such vivid detail that I could picture it clearly in my head. Tammi Elizabeth certainly had a way with describing Lena's transition from the banks of a river somewhere in Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, Denmark....it was a big place, though likeliest is Norway) to the icy paths of Helheim. Everything was done in such striking ways. I really loved the prose the way that it was presented to me in such a fascinating manner that I struggled to put this book down.

One of the biggest drawbacks I found in this was the marriage subplot. It wasn't necessary. Yeah, it did spur Lena into working all that much harder to find a solution to her problem, but it just compounded her own grief and sense of twisted loss to the point where Lena was sometimes hardly able to function long enough to even think about what she was doing. She would make rash decisions based on surface thought only. It was literally tearing her and Amal apart to know what their parents had in mind for them and their rigidity about it. I hated that. It put Amal and Lena into positions that they had to struggle hard to get out of.

It's part of the synopsis that Lena is supposed to be searching for a soul that weighs as much as her sister's does, and I thought right away that there were only two souls that would possibly have matched. Amal and Fredrik. It was made obvious that Amal loved Fressa more than any other living creature, meaning he would know her soul inside and out and would a good match for it in weight. In the end, it was a surprise who the proper balanced soul to Fressa's was.

It took everything in me to not throw my Kindle across the living room when I realized who Fredrik was and what he was scheming. The man had been lying their whole lives! I couldn't believe it, and yet I could believe it. This book was setting up perfectly as the first in a series. I don't know if it will be a duology, trilogy, quartet or what, but I am very excited to find out. I want to know what Lena does from her new position in Valhalla. I want to know what Kiali-turned-Loki does on the lamb with Fressa and Amal. I want to know all of it.

Overall a 5/5 for me. I will definitely look for this in physical form the minute I see it in the stores. I will also eagerly await the next book in the series. I have to know what is happening. I thank NetGalley for letting me read this ARC and apologize for my taking bloody forever to actually get to it.

This just felt flat. The synopsis was promising but I was just bored. There was a little too much romance for me. I wish there was more of a balance to it.

Magdalena is the oldest daughter of the tribe’s chief. As her father is away, she spends most of her time with her younger sister Fressa and her best friend Amal, which is apparently in love with her sister. She couldn’t be happier for them when they announced their engagement. They got already approval of Nana, Amal’s mother but it was a harder task to be approved by the father of a girl. When her father finally came back to his tribe, he wasn’t surprised but also wasn’t happy about the engagement of his daughter. Most of all because Amal was promised already to someone’s else. Fressa devastated run away from her family. Lena after the argument with her parents followed her sister but as she finally found her it was too late. Her sister was dead.

Lena couldn’t resign to live without her little sister. She was ready to do everything to bring her sister back. She went to beg the goddess Hela to give her sister back. Unfortunately, her sister wasn’t taken by Hela but by the Father of all – Odin to Valhalla. To be able to bring her sister back to life from there, she had to give him the soul the warriors as good as her sister was. She agreed to the deal and began a hunt.

My thoughts:

I think I have as many things I liked and hated in this book. The concept of the story was very good and interesting. I was very excited to read it last month and I had a lot of expectations, so I was very disappointed with the main character of the book when I got to know her better through the book. As much as I liked her at first, I started to hate her in less than half of the book. At first, I thought she is kind of person who would do everything just to keep her family happy and save but with the time I saw that all she does is very selfish. She wanted her sister back nothing else mattered for her. She was able to hurt other people just so she could be happy at the end. She isn’t the only one who behaved like this. Amal the fiancé of Fressa as much as he was saying he loved her, he started to care more about becoming a chief than about a death of the love of his life.

My favorite part of the book was the gods pictured in it. I felt strongly the Marvel vibe when I first saw the names of Loki, Hela, and Odin in the story. Hela and Loki were perfectly pictured, and their characters were shown as I had imagined. They are the power that steers all the decisions of the characters in the book. People don’t even know that they are being manipulated in everything they do, especially Lena. They had everything in control the whole time and reached their goals at the end.

I can’t say that the book was bad because it was very well written, and the idea was great but maybe it just wasn’t a story for me. It’s very easy for me to get irritated by the characters so maybe that’s why I couldn’t enjoy the book as much as other people.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Flux and Elizabeth Tammi for providing my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I gotta say, the reviews for this one so far do not do it justice. I found The Weight of a Soul to be beautiful, heartwrenching, and full of love. And so, we shall discuss!

What I Enjoyed:

This book is quite literally about the worth of a soul, and how far you're willing to go to save those you love. That is the question Lena must answer when her sister Fressa dies- of reasons no one can discern. Lena and Fressa have always been close, this much is clear from the start of the story. Lena can barely muster the strength to go on, yet her clan (and her parents, the leaders) want her to marry her sister's beloved and Lena's own dear friend, Amal. Lena cannot bear to lose her sister, nor can she stand to marry her betrothed, so she's bound and determined to bring Fressa back. And this is where the Norse mythology comes in!

I'll go ahead and admit it- I am a complete novice in Norse mythology (and most mythology if we're being honest). The author did a phenomenal job in introducing me to the world while still providing a cohesive plot and characters I grew to truly care about. I'll get into this more later, but I feel like I learned so very much about Norse mythology. And not just the facts, but the feelings behind it as well.

Ultimately, the book is incredibly morally gray. Would you or I make the same choices Lena make? Can you really place a price tag on a soul? It's these questions that really made me think throughout the book, and even after I was finished. And if you know me, you know that's kind of my fave.

Not Bad Stuff, But "Worth Mentioning" Stuff:

While I really enjoyed the mythology, it was a darn good thing I read this on my Kindle and was able to look up stuff. There were a lot of people/places/things that I simply had never heard of. Upon looking them up, I was good to go, and frankly I personally love learning new stuff (especially in a book like this). But you know, just take it into consideration is what I'm saying. I will also say that I did predict a kind of big thing, but it didn't really lessen the impact, either.

Bottom Line: A beautifully told story about loss, love, and hope in an historical and mythological Norse setting.

The Weight of a Soul is considered both young adult fantasy as well as historical fiction. It was written by Elizabeth Tammi and published by Flux Press. The book was released on December 3, 2019.

This story is set in a small village where Lena, the daughter of the Chief, sees her world unravel the day Fressa, her beloved sister and warrior, is found dead. The cause remains a mystery, yet everyone, including her friend and sister’s lover, seems to accept it.

Feeling like she has nothing left to lose, Lena enters the world of the Norse gods to demand an explanation and for the wrong to be made right. She strikes a bargain with the goddess of death, Hela, who will test Lena to see exactly how far she will go to bring her sister back. With this agreement, Lena is about to discover how much her quest for the truth will spiral out of control.

This book is well written. I enjoyed both the story and how the author took us along in the quest. I’ve always been curious about Norse mythology and enjoyed learning more about it. Lena is a strong female figure who loves her sister unconditionally, which made her loss even harder to bear.

Even though I enjoyed the story, I can’t say I loved it. It was a little slow for my liking even if it picks up a bit in the second part. Sometimes, I found myself struggling to relate to the main character. While I understand the grief and how much Lena wanted her sister to return, the extent to which she would go made feel queasy. Overall, it is a good story, but I could easily take a break between chapters. For me, this book gets only three (and a half) stars.

I received a complimentary copy of The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi from North Star Editions through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Weight of a Soul was released on December 3rd.
.
Lena is the oldest daughter of her Viking clan's chief. When he returns from a year of raiding, Lena's life changes forever. Her younger sister Fressa is engaged to their childhood friend Amal, but Lena's father refuses to let them wed, insisting Amal is meant to marry Lena and become the next chief. Fressa takes off running and when Lena finds her in the woods, her younger sister is inexplicably dead. Lena and Amal use rune stones to contact Hela, the goddess of death. When a white, three-legged horse appears, Lena mounts without hesitation. The horse carries her to Helheim, the land of the dead, where she encounters Hela. The goddess of death says she can get Fressa back, but Lena must give her a soul that equals her sister's. This sets Lena down a dark path in the pursuit of her sister's life.
.
I love the premise of The Weight of a Soul and I had high hopes for this book, but only some of them were met. Lena's character is hard to like, but not in a good anti-hero sort of way. The use of Norse mythology was good, but the drama didn't feel as high-stakes as it should have. Overall, it was a pretty good story and a great concept, but the execution felt lacking to me. Still, the wintery vibe of this book is a good fit for this time of year!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and Flux for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Okay like I was mentioning in the beginning, I was so freaking not expecting this to be a Norse mythology saturated book that didn’t fully involve Valkyries because most of the ones that I read were about them. This one got so interesting because it dealt with death, but more on the human side and what someone would do in order to save someone that they love with all of their lives. What kind of deal would you take in order to save them?

I will say that I was extremely sad at how little we got to learn about Fressa before she ends up being killed under mysterious circumstances – Not a spoiler FYI, it’s in the synopsis – and I was honestly dying to see more of her before that! It seemed like it was getting good with Fressa and then all of a sudden she’s just dead. And no real cause of death that could be found on the body.

Lena – full name Magdalena – was extremely broken after finding her sister dead. And I could totally understand it because right before that happened, there was really bad drama between her and their family. All because of the responsibilities of being a Chief’s daughter and all that. Ugh, I hate rules.

But anyway, after finding her sister dead without any explanation, she and her mother completely shut down. Her father goes off to blame some other clan for Fressa’s death even though he literally just got back from a year of being away from home, and that’s the closest to being normal that this whole family can feel. Lena ends up somehow meeting Hela, the Goddess of Death, and she makes a deal to exchange her sister’s soul for another soul, so Fressa can come back to life.

Not to mention their village has been encased in darkness for some reason earlier than usual, and apparently the end of days are coming. So that’s another problem.

I feel like Lena had to basically fight against her nature to heal, since she has been the apothecary’s apprentice for years. But under Hela’s deal, she somehow has to bring her a soul. And how else can you bring a soul to the Goddess of Death except… killing? And then the whole Ragnarock thing as well… is Fressa’s soul so much more involved in this apocalypse than everyone thinks? Especially since the knife that their father gave Fressa when he came home somehow lit up at her touch, and gave the message “Master of the Wolf”. Whatever that means, right?


I was just really into this novel, and I’m surprised that I went through this so quickly. I was so intrigued by Lena’s journey, and honestly I don’t know how she was able to go through something like this. Although I do know that if I were in her place, I don’t think I would have done it any different. Maybe certain things that I didn’t agree with, but I would have done whatever it took to get my brother back, especially if I felt like he wasn’t supposed to die. And under the circumstances that Lena found Fressa, there was no way she should have died. It just didn’t make sense.

Apparently this is Tammi’s second book, and while I haven’t read her debut yet, I felt like this was done really well, and I thoroughly enjoyed my journey reading this novel.

I wanted to like this book, I really did but I can’t rate it higher than 2 stars because “it was ok” was literally my first thought when I closed my Kindle.
I liked the premise of the story, I think the way it all started was intriguing and exciting and I also liked some of the things we discover in the end, even though I did guess two of the revelations early on (one thing that had to happen and who really was one of the characters, sorry about being vague but I’m trying not to spoil the story), the writing is actually really good but the characters seemed flat to me and the pacing was weirdly off.
Lena is a hard character to like, I get that she was grieving but a lot of her actions didn’t make much sense and her inner thoughts are all over the place. She’s described as very smart but honestly I think she never truly showed how smart she was, most of her actions are impulsive and almost irrational at times. I didn’t actually felt/saw the bond between Lena and her sister because there aren’t enough significant moments between them that showed it, I think it might have worked better if Fressa died a little later in the story or if the flashbacks had focused more in their relationship and significant moments between them. There was so much of Lena in the story that it became very repetitive, another POVs might have softened this, especially Fressa’s. I didn’t care much for any of the characters, in my opinion Loki is the most interesting character but we only get glimpses. The mythology is an interesting aspect and I did enjoy the way it’s entwined in the story. Like I said the pacing was weird, it started out ok, then the middle was very slow, it seemed like nothing was happening and then the ending was a bit rushed. There were some loose ends at the end but I think there’s going to be a second book so it makes sense.
Overall, it was ok. I don’t think I’ll pick up the second book but I’ll keep track of the author because I definitely liked the writing.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Flux Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Death, Murder, Conspiracy, Arranged/Forced Marriage, Assisted Suicide

"Lena realized that just as she had always expected the summer to stay, she had always expected her sister to be at her side. Because for her whole life, the summer meant sunlight--always--with no unexpected night cutting through it. Her sister had fallen asleep each night across from her, and Lena assumed she would wake with her each morning."

How do you like your Norse stories? I like mine hearty. The Weight of a Soul is certainly that. It delivers a tale of young love, Norse gods and goddesses, and fate with strong allusions to impending doom.

The story centers around two sisters who are daughters to the clan chief, Fredrik. Magdalena (Lena) and Fressa are sisters, as well as best friends. Lena is the eldest, and has studied all her life to become the next town healer and eventual leader. Fressa, conversely, has been brought up with the blade, and is known to be very skilled with it.

Fressa, young and in love with Amal, is found dead shortly after her father returns from one of his year-long raids. The unhappy reunion proves even more bitter, as their father denies Fressa’s engagement to Amal, revealing that Amal was betrothed to Lena since the moment he arrived in the clan from Baghdad. Lena, Fressa, and Amal are all crushed by the news. Lena certainly doesn’t want to marry a man whom she sees as a brother, and one who is already, in his heart, devoted to her sister. After the engagement is broken off, Lena finds Fressa dead in the woods. As her world turns upside-down, Lena realizes at the loss of her dearest companion that there are larger forces at play, and each have a stake in what develops in the lives of these villagers.

"Only one thread of thought allowed itself clarity within her, and it was the knowledge that Fressa’s death had coincided with the alarming occurrences. The blade and the darkness were tied to her sister, somehow. Lena knew it. A blade of light, a sky of black. And her sister, between them--dead."

From the moment Lena discovers her sister’s body, she knows that something is amiss. The oddities began when their father gave Fressa a blade after he returned from his raid. The blade, which seemed no more than ordinary, transformed in Fressa’s hands. Little did Lena know that this blade would lead her down a dark path to strike a deal with Hela, the goddess of death, in order to restore her sister back from the dead. Lena, desperate to return balance to her world, begins living a second life in order to appease the goddess’ demands. Through these escapades, Lena discovers that she isn’t alone, and is being watched.

"Lena nodded, urging him on. Her chest thrilled at the reminder that Fressa’s capability with this blade marked her as different--she was either blessed or cursed by their gods, and she had not lived long enough to find out which one it would be."

After Fressa’s death, Lena and Amal’s mothers see no point in delaying the marriage between her and Amal. Desperate to stop the amalgamation, Lena begins to enact Hela’s plan, and therefore, forsakes herself in doing so. The further Lena travels down the path to regain her sister, the more she loses herself, and the truth that she does matter.

"But remembering what the initial intention had been for Lena and Amal, and knowing how hard Amal had recoiled and raged against it, all without Lena ever knowing...it hurt. Deep, penetrating, and almost tender in its unexpectedness. She had never wanted Amal. She certainly did not want him now."

As their wedding day approaches, Lena spirals into despair. This portion of the story is where the only major hiccup occurs in this book. While the plot moves along steadily for the first third of the book, the middle slows down extremely. This is mainly due to the fact that it reflects the tone of Lena, and what she is going through. The entire tone of the story shifts into a heavy-ladened monologue of Lena’s suffering through this difficult situation that her station is forcing her into.

"They have made you a murderer."

While I didn’t exactly connect with any of the characters, I connected with Lena’s deep emotions throughout this entire story. The choices she made, however very wrong, I could understand the place where she was at and the exacerbation she felt. (I would NEVER condone murder, so don’t misunderstand me, here!) Caught between her despair and loneliness, she does everything she can to appeal to Hela, and virtually sacrifices her sanctity to do so. Her character reflects a sort of martyr--not in the definition, but more in the sense that she’d sacrifice everything for her sister. This show of devotion to her sister is touching, despite the terrible choices she makes in the pursuit.

I didn’t like that Lena never actually emerges from her dreary state. She continues to spiral downwards until she is basically put out of her misery by another. It is until this point that she fails to notice that she has any self-worth, and is where the story “lost” my ardor. While this aspect was lost on me, I still appreciated the process, and the insight into Lena’s experience even while she chose the dangerous and damaging path that she did.

There was another topic touched upon that I really appreciated, which was the inclusiveness upheld within the clan itself. Amal, being an “outsider” at birth, has and is treated as an equal to those who were born into the clan. Several times, this statute is cleared noted, and those who do not agree with accepting others would be punished for disagreeing.

"You know well enough that clans are not of blood, but of chosen and championed bonds. Many of us come from lands far from this valley, found from trade or family or travel. The sole thread weaving us is the choice we made, and continue to make each day, to each other. If you feel otherwise, we will certainly be glad to discontinue your rations."

Despite what I discussed about Lena’s character, I did like this book. I liked how real it felt, even if it was Lena’s desperate despair that I sensed. In all honesty, I ached for her character, and wished Because she never really grew from that, I’m only rating this 3.5 stars. I was rooting for her to, despite the inevitable pain, grow through her experience. Instead, she continued down a destructive path until someone literally made her stop upon her own request. It was at this point that she realized that she had some value--more value than she ever realized.

Vulgarity: None.
Sexual content: There is a scene where Lena plans to sleep with a man (not really) so that she can kill him, but her plan almost goes awry and he almost succeeds.
Violence: Moderate, surrounding the topics listed in the content warning above.

My Rating: ★★★1/2​

The first thing that grabbed me was Norse mythology. Yes please!! I adore stories told in this manner but this one was good not fantastic. I found the main character irritating at times and the overall story a bit slow. I enjoyed it more towards the end. Overall a 3/5 star read from me.