⋆⋆½ (rounded up to 3)

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK & One More Chapter for allowing me to read this ARC!


Content Warning: death, murder, violence, domestic abuse (physical, sexual, verbal and emotional), stillbirth, miscarriage, rape, sexual assault, racism, misogyny, animal death, gaslighting.


Freydis Eiriksdottir, sister of the famed Leif Erikson, has gone down in history as a traitor, thief and murderess. This story, however, is Freydis's -- told from her perspective, instead of by men who doubtlessly are biased against her due to her gender and the fact that she does not act as a woman "should." One of the first people to ever travel to North America, Freydis endures abuse at the hands of her husband, Thorvard, and fights for her freedom and the ability to choose her own life.

This concept and premise immediately captured my attention. Viking history fascinates many of us, including myself; I found the idea of reading a book not about one of the famous men of this era, but one of its most stigmatized women, very exciting. The basic idea is that we're following Freydis on this great journey not only across the Atlantic Ocean, but also on a personal mission for freedom. As someone who loves a character-driven story, I thought this would turn out to be a perfect fit for me.

Unfortunately, though, that wasn't quite what happened. Even the very first pages are filled with details of the brutality Freydis suffers at her husband's hands, and while I am by no means a squeamish reader, the graphic quality of these scenes is hard to stomach. I could handle this fine, I thought, if this is a novel about surviving and overcoming -- and in a sense, well, yes, it is. But rather than Freydis ever actively taking the reins, it seems as if everything is just happening to and around her; she's almost more like a mannequin that has been inserted into these situations.

It doesn't help that the writing -- first-person, present tense, not my favorite at the best of times -- feels slightly bland and unexpressive. She's telling us how she feels, rather than showing it through actions, telling us what's going on and all the details without any of the emotion behind it. Freydis suffers from being unlikable, so stubborn that, at times, she lashes out at people who are obviously trying to help or look after her. It doesn't make her seem strong, but rather naïve and sometimes downright unkind.

Those issues aside, I do want to say that there are interesting parts in this book, particularly when either the Norse culture is being discussed, or the culture of the Beothuk, the Indigenous peoples that the Greenlanders encounter upon arriving in Vinland. There are quite a few instances of racism, so please be aware of that, but I think the relationship that eventually unfolds between Freydis and the Beothuk was beautiful and wonderfully sweet.

All in all, this wasn't terrible by any means, just confused. What it could benefit from is perhaps some editing and a bit more focus. It felt slightly lost, more of a compilation of events in Freydis's life rather than a composed set of chapters with a purpose or goal. Many other problems I had with this book can't be discussed without spoiling too much. All I'll say is that while this book is dedicated to those who have suffered under the darkness of spousal abuse, I would not recommend this to people currently in abusive relationships or just out of them. It's just too depressing.

I enjoyed this book. I found it similar to Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, which is perfect because that was the mood I was ready for. If you like strong women and Norse mythology this is it.

I wanted to like this more than I do. I thought It would be a fun adventure story about a woman fleeing an abusive relationship and flourishing on her own. Instead the abusive husband follows her and continues to harass her. She endures multiple miscarriages, the death of one of her only true friends, and the forced return to Iceland. That said it could have been an interesting story but I just couldn’t get attached the characters Freydis’ brother is only as helpful as his society will allow him to be and her mother is even less helpful, and Freydis is trapped with in her society. Once she goes to Vineland she still faces her husband’s abuse and then the risk of famine. Overall she has a tough life and the minute things start going well for her, her husband comes back with a vengeance.

This was an okay book. It wasn't great but there wasn't anything truly horrible about it. I found about 50% of the way into the book, I didn't care anymore. The characters were uninspiring (so much so I forgot a lot of their names while reading) and the plot was kind of all over the place.

If I was really into Norse mythology and knew this myth previously, I might've liked it better. But I think the book shouldn't rely on readers who know the characters already to be interesting.

Overall, if you love Norse mythology, give it a go. Otherwise, there are better mythology retellings out there.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and OneMorePage for allowing me access to an ARC of this book

I am a huge fan of mythology and retellings of myths. I loved Ursula Le Guin's Lavinia and Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad, so I was sure that I would adore this book.

AND I WAS RIGHT!!!

This was a wonderful book. I loved the way that Freydis was portrayed in this, and her character really leapt off the page, allowing you to feel everything that she was going through, making it feel all the more powerful when she finally begins to feel happier and freer towards the end.

I loved this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it to any historical or mythological fiction fans

I really wanted to like this book because the synopsis sounded so interesting but it was not a book that I enjoyed reading. I felt like I needed to know more about Freydis and we never really got a chance to do that. I also felt like the book just felt bleak the whole time without showing any letting up and it made it really hard to get through. I appreciate what Tamara Goranson was trying to do but it just didn't work for me.

The title, The Voyage of Freydis, doesn't lie, this book pretty much is just the story of the voyage the main character, Freydis, took to Vinland.
I really thought I would like this book, the description makes it seem like an epic journey with a female lead who finds the strength to overcome the obstacles in her life. This is not that book.
It starts with the why she takes this journey, but instead of moving on to the actual journey or the planning of the journey it just continually beats her down to the point its exhausting and uninteresting. There's so much tragedy in her life that eventually events thay should come off as traumatic have no impact. This might have been fine if this lead to character development but she just sits around feeling sorry for herself, while never doing anything to help herself. She occasionally comes up with plans to get herself out of her situation but lacks the drive to follow through with them, which results in her coming off as unlikable.
Best part of the book was Achuk, he made Freydis likeable but this seemed too brief. There was opportunity for Freydis to grow as a character but she reverted to her unlikable self in favor of a final confrontation with the apparently indestructible and all powerful villain in the story.
The book ends so abruptly after, that we never get the whole impact of the final confrontation. The book just ends without solving any of the problems presented in the beginning of the book.
There are future books in this series, but it is unclear how they are connected and if they could provide conclusions to everything left unfinished in this story.

I received an advanced copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

One of the more unpopular greek retellings so I enjoyed reading it to learn more of Freydis, however I found it a bit unrelated as the either the writing or character was bland. I wish I could have been more captivated but it just fell a little short.

I love all things mythological and historical especially when it deals with Norse mythology and Vikings. I don’t know much about Freydis so I really enjoyed learning more about her especially after reading about Erik the Red. This has definitely made me want to read more about Viking history and five back into Norse mythology,,

As a huge fan of historical fiction and especially those novels that highlight the stories of women in history, I was certainly intrigued by the synopsis for this story. Unfortunately, it did not hit the right notes for me. While I appreciate bringing to light the effects of spousal abuse on a woman, I reached the point where all I could say was, ok, I get it, can we move on now? I empathized with Freydis' situation but never really found that I liked her very much. The section where she lived with Achak was the most enjoyable, but to then have Freydis just end up right back where she started at the beginning of the story just felt light such a letdown.

Content Warnings; Physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

2.5 stars down to 2

What an incredible book. I love tales of the old Norsepeople but hadn't come across the story of Freydis before. Tamara Goranson has woven such an incredible tale here. There is a physical journey taken here but also a spiritual journey, of sorts, taken by Freydis as she escapes from her abusive husband and finds who she is. I have never felt so angry on behalf of how a character has been treated before, but all of Freydis' pain and shame she felt just radiated off the page, as did her hope and happiness in later parts of the book. I finished this in two sittings, I didn't want to put it down and I also didn't want it to end. I am really excited to see what Tamara Goranson writes next.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for giving me access to this book for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book because of the mythology and lore involved, and did find these parts of the book enjoyable. However, I really struggled with the plot and writing and found the main character very unlikeable. While the author does a very good job of making you feel sorry for Freydis, she was unnecessarily headstrong and aggressive, but simultaneously very meek and helpless, which was very confusing during some major plot points.

The end of the book is very abrupt, and for a book called 'The VOYAGE of Freydis', not much of the book actually focused on the journey she took. In the end, Freydis is right back where she started with no apparent change to the hopeless situation.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Tamara Goranson for providing me with an ARC of ‘The Voyage of Freydis’ in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of mythology and historical fiction, I can honestly say that I absolutely adored this retelling of the tale of Freydís Eiríksdóttir. Not only was I immediately gripped by the blurb but the author maintained my attention throughout, taking me on a rollercoaster of emotions as Freydís attempts to find her place, and her freedom, in the magnificently well-developed world of the novel.

Reminiscent of the epics of the past, Goranson takes the reader on a journey that is fraught with danger, friendships, and unlikely allies in this wonderful and modern retelling. Ultimately Goranson gives this powerful woman a new voice that undoubtedly challenges the past portrayals of Freydís from the two Vinland Sagas and paints her in a new and brave light.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, Viking tales and mythology! I cannot wait to read the next instalment by Tamara Goranson.

This is a great historical fiction book based on the story of Freydis Eiriksdottir, daughter of Eric the Red. Interestingly enough, there is not much about her in the history books but Goranson created a fantastical read of what could have been. It's a shame that throughout history great women are not recognized as readily as the men. Maybe that's why that call it his-story. We need more she-stories out there like this one. Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins, UK, One More Chapter for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Whilst I enjoyed parts of this book, the main character faces unrelenting misery, and the book overall was not for me. It may be for other readers, but I just found it to be devoid of any prospect of hope for Freydis

I really enjoy retellings based on mythology, but couldn’t get into this. Freydis’s narration felt disjointed and rambling, and I got lost right away. It felt like I was getting a lot of information thrown at me with no context.

I loved this book surrounding Vikings. It was interesting to read and learning about Freydis. I love historical fiction and this book definitely peaked my interest. Anyone who loves Vikings and historical fiction definitely should pick up this bool.

Trigger warnings: Spouse abuse, gaslighting, infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, slavery, dubious consent, attempted rape, rape, maiming, death of pets/animal companions, racism, starvation, attempted murder, murder... and probably more that I'm missing.

The Voyage of Freydis is a historical fiction set in the age of the Vikings, following Freydís Eiríksdóttir, a legendary figure who history hasn't painted in the most positive light. This book sounded like an absolutely fantastic read to me; based on the synopsis I thought it was going to be a coming-of-age of sorts, an epic adventure and voyage highlighting Freydis breaking free from her chains and becoming the powerful (if controversial) figure she is thought of in history. Instead... I got this.

This book follows Freydis as she attempts to escape an abusive marriage to a wealthy Viking (Thorvald); to win her freedom, her safety, and her independence, part of this being a voyage to Vinland (Newfoundland?) with Icelanders and... that's about it. Nothing else really happens.

The book ended up being a real chore to read; Freydis is just beaten upon (verbally and physically) by her husband and those that she should be able to trust. The entire first half of the book is just misery after misery with nothing positive to break up or give the author hope. It felt very much like when you're watching a movie and that one character goes "well it can't possibly get any worse", and then it does. Over, and over, and over again. In this book, things certainly can - and do - get worse.

Every time I thought things might finally be looking up for Freydis, something would just come out to pull the rug out from under her (and you, as the reader) and it was just excessive. Now whilst I wasn't really a massive fan of Freydis as a character, I think that part of that may be due to the fact that I felt she was being portrayed as a victim, who things were happening to, as opposed to being an independent agent that could make a change to her experienced reality. There were definitely moments where she came across as self-centred, entitled, rude, and reckless, but this to me was just overshadowed by almost everything else :/

The author's note at the end of this book calls Freydis "the voice of all spousal abuse victims"; a character who has had their world turned upside down and had their life become something that belongs to another. The author encourages those struggling under the same or similar circumstances to seek help and escape, which is definitely good advice, but given how everything is portrayed in this book [spoilers removed] this is certainly NOT a book that I would recommend to anyone who has suffered abuse of the kind depicted in this story. It didn't give any hope to me as a reader, if anything - it destroyed it.

I am usually all for a retelling of a historical story from a woman's perspective, especially one that has been villainised in said stories. So the story of Freydis Eiriksdöttir, pulled from Icelandic tales called the Vinland sagas, sounded right up my alley.

Unfortunately, I can't honestly say I enjoyed reading this. It's basically an entire book of abject misery with no humour or hope to balance it out. Certainly I'm sure lives were brutal and difficult in that time. But it was just so relentless, it didn't really make for enjoyable reading. The entire first half of a confronting portrait of an abusive relationship - definitely big trigger warning there. Finally in the second half Freydis escapes on a voyage across the sea and you think maybe things might look up for her, but no it's still all just misery and hunger and sickness and injuries.

One of the most difficult parts for me was that I didn't find Freydis very likeable. In fact, it was hard to know what her actual character was at all - she was sniveling and weak one minute, raging and reckless the next, so that I never really got a feel for who she actually was. I get that her abuse was terrible, but she constantly made choices that put other people in harm's way. Literally 20 people die because she suddenly decides to be a strong warrior after cowering in the corner for ages - why was her life more important than all those others?? Literally so many people die or come to harm because of her self centred, reckless choices. Despite apparently being chastened by her abuse, she somehow still comes across entitled and self important. She wants the indigenous people she meets to "worship her because of the colour of her hair" - like excuse me??

In the author's note at the back, the author signs off by encouraging those suffering abuse to leave, like Freydis did. But SPOILER ALERT - it didn't bloody work, did it?? The whole book I was waiting for the moment of redemption and vengeance against Thorvard - but it never comes. He wins! Even though Freydis runs all the way across the ocean, he still finds her and continues to control her life. What a miserable bloody story!! The message I get is that you can try to run but you'll never truly escape your abuser. I absolutely would not recommend this book to anyone who has suffered abuse.

Basically, a fairly unlikeable woman has a miserable life and lots of people die. Not really sure what the point of this was but I didn't enjoy it.

Trigger warnings for spousal abuse, infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, questionable use of indigenous characters to further the white character's arc.

I wasn't sure what to rate this book, mainly because it was completely different from what I was expecting it to be. Based on the title and the summary, I was expecting an epic, something that was full of adventure and exploration and based more strongly in the storytelling structure of the Sagas that the original Freydis appears in. This was not that at all. There was a ton of potential in Freydis' character, she's mentioned in two sagas, but not extensively, all we really know is she's the daughter of Erik the Red and she sailed to Vinland. There's a lot of room to write an fascinating character, and unfortunately, her character fell completely flat. Full trigger warning to potential readers: this book heavily features abuse and sexual assault, often excessively so in my opinion. It is particularly prevalent throughout the first bit, but crops up throughout the entire book. Freydis is married to an abusive man, one she tries to escape for the entire book. She thinks she's made her escape through a voyage with Icelanders to Vinland, but the husband follows her there. Her whole character is preoccupied with the abuse she's suffered, and nothing is done to make her character much beyond this. Her narration also falls flat, and much of the action in the book is not well described. I also was uncomfortable with how the Native group Freydis lives with for a while in Vinland were handled in the book, it seemed often very callous.

In the end, I kept waiting for the book to pick up, get better, and for Freydis to grow as a character, and none of this happened. There's not much of a sense of adventure, the majority of the book is about daily life in 1100s Greenland. The end was abrupt and unexpected, and I didn't like it at all. The premise was strong, and some of the writing in parts was good, but weak plots and characters plagued this book.