I didn't release before going in that this is actually part of a series, and it's not the first book of that series either. This did make the story confusing, I did however enjoy the writing and may now look to read the other books in the series!

My thanks to HarperCollins One More Chapter for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Flight of Anja’ by Tamara Goranson. My apologies for the late feedback.

This is Book 2 in her Vinland Viking Saga series, feminist retellings of the ancient Icelandic texts that chronicle the first attempts by the Vikings to travel across the Atlantic and settle in North America circa 1000 AD. It takes place fifteen years after events in ‘The Voyage of Freydis’ (2021).

Anja Freydisdottir has always heard whispers of her mother’s adventures in Vinland. She is a free spirit who longs to spread her wings but she’s trapped by the expectations of Harpa’s 11th-century society.

When Anja’s uncle tries to arrange her marriage to an odious widower, Freydis helps her daughter flee across the Atlantic on a Viking longboat bound for Vinland shores. I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers, though Anja’s quest to find answers about her family history quickly proves perilous.

While Freydis is a historical character, the daughter of Erik the Red whose tale features in the Vinland sagas, her daughter is a fictional creation. Anja certainly has a rough time in Vinland, that stresses how dangerous life could be. Still, she is a strong woman well up to the task.
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I was again impressed with Tamara Goranson’s depiction of both Viking society and that of the indigenous Beothuk peoples. As she writes in her Author’s Note, “my motivation was to present the customs and culture of the Beothuk people in a respectful and non-pejorative manner.” I feel that she succeeded. It was interesting to read of the differences in the status of women in both communities as well as their respective spiritual beliefs.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘The Flight of Anja’ very much, finding it an immersive reading experience. I am now looking forward to Book 3, ‘The Oath of Bjorn’, which is due for publication in December 2023.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Because this was the third book in a trilogy in which I did not read the first two books, I found d the story to be very confusing. However, this book did have very compelling and strong female Vikings. Therefore, I am still interested in this novel and believe it has potential. I recommend this for fans of Vikings!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC to review. I really wanted to get into this book but I could not.

After loving the first one I had hoped I would love this one just as much. To be honest, it just wasn’t as great. I enjoyed it, it certainly picked up and got more interesting as the story went on, but it took me a LONG time to read this one because it just wasn’t holding my attention and other books would catch my eye.

I have mixed feelings about Anja and I feel bad for her in some ways due to the life she had. It was full of lies that she didn’t know until later were lies and the hate she had went away when she found out, but she had no way of relaying her feelings to the necessary person (don’t want to spoil.) The bear. Wow. That really caught my attention (you’ll have to read it to find out.)

Will I read the third book? Likely. I’m curious, what can I say?!?

Thank you to Tamara Goranson, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the beautiful and atmospheric writing. Anja’s journey was harsh but compelling.
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

the premise could have been delivered in a refreshing way but the execution here is very much what you would except from a debut...the writing is not necessarily bad but kind of weak

I was kindly sent this book from @harpercollinsuk One More Chapter through @netgalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this haunting Viking inspired story set in 1012 AD which follows Anya on her journey to find out where she comes from.

This is actually book two in a series, the first being The Voyage of Freydis, which is highly inspired by the Vinland Sagas, written in the 13th and 14th centuries. I, unfortunately haven't read the first book yet and I know it seems strange to read the second book first but I think it really worked for this series. In The Flight of Anya I was able to follow Anya on a journey of discovery which allowed me to connect with her more than I perhaps would have if I already knew Freydis (from book one) backstory.

Anya has grown up in Greenland with Freydis who has taken care of her since birth. She is suddenly plunged into an arranged marriage and with the help of Freydis escapes on a ship to a new land. Here she is attacked by a bear and left for dead until a man named Byorn finds her and takes her back to her birth families tribe. Here she learns that not everything she thought about her mother, father and her birth has been true.

This book delves a lot into trauma, shock and post traumatic stress syndrome. Anya goes through a lot and although she is tough and resilient she isn't immune to being scared and frightened about events that have happened to her. The author being a clinical psychologist, used a lot of her own knowledge in developing Anya's character in this way making her a believable character. This book borders on YA/adult, with beautiful writing a raw characters. I loved it and give it a solid 4.5 ⭐

This book was so fun and kept me interested right until the end. The characters were well developed and the story was heartfelt. I would definitely suggest this for book group!

My Thoughts:

On my own, I found out information about the name Vinland, who the Beothuk people were, Leif Erickson, and other notable history.

The Flight of Anja is book two in the series. I have not read book one which probably would help me understand the background and other gaps in the story.

One of the main problems I had with the story is I didn't always know what part of the world I was reading about. What I mean is what and where is Vinland? And when Anja travels on a Viking ship, I thought the destination (for a while) was in Norway or another Scandinavian country. So, I was lost. I don't like to be lost

Freydis is a huge character. She is an interesting character. She is difficult to switch away from and towards Anja. I was not ready to leave Freydis.

For half (or more) of the book the tone and pace are a mix of on the edge of your seat-engaging-serious-suspicious-tense. Then the tone switches and an additional theme is introduced. There is a lag in between.

I had a difficult time becoming invested in the character of Anja. And for reasons I have yet to fully discover beyond the previous above statements in this section. It is unlike me to not have more description to give. In brief, this book is just not for me.

Source: I received a complimentary e-book from One More Chapter, HarperCollins and NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review.

The Flight of Anja is a historical fiction novel set in the Viking era. I've not read book one, but this was totally fine as a standalone book. The beginning was quite harsh and almost put me off reading further, but I did read on in the end and it tuned out to be a quick, enjoyable read. Not as good as Octavia Randolph's Ceridwen Saga (I'm a big fan and this series seems to be along the same lines and topics). Content warnings for rape and assault. Women were not being treated well during this era.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the first book by Tamara Goranson, and this one was just a great!

While it is a work of fiction, it’s still special to read as my ancestry is part Norse. I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction and wants to read more about Norsemen and Vikings.

It was a joy to return to the world that Tamara Goranson has created. Anja's story was gripping and her journey was as turbulent as her mother's was in the previous book. The way Tamara Goranson writes is wonderful - I had raced through the book before I knew it!

The Flight of Anja (Book 2, Vinland Viking Series) – Tamara Goranson

I was given a copy of this story by the publisher in order to provide a review.

Tamara Goranson is a clinical psychologist working with trauma survivors and has a great interest in Viking women, especially those who travelled around 1000 AD to the New World.



Now we are back in the lands of Greenland many years after the events of The Voyage of Freydis. Freydis is much older now and has her beloved daughter, Anja.

Though Freydis is not with Thorvard anymore he still does what he can to make her life miserable. His latest move has been to slowly turn Anja against her. Not revealing the whole truth of her birth and where she really comes from.

Yet when Thorvard tries to marry Anja off to an old drunken brute, Freydis comes up with a daring plan to stop it and change Anja’s destiny. Much like Freydis did all those years ago, they manage to get Anja smuggled aboard a ship headed for Vinland – headed for her true home and her people.

Alas, she finds herself the lone survivor of a shipwreck, washed on the very shores of Vinland. However, that is just the start of Anja’s troubles. But on her journey to discover the tribe of her people and the truth of who her parents are, there are many obstacles she must face.

She discovers the story she was told growing up is painfully different to the truth and that is something that hurts and is hard to accept. And the ghosts of her mother's past seem to haunt her and every turn, almost like she is paying for perceived slights that were not of her own making.



“The Flight of Anja” is a beautiful story of a girl who through many trials and tribulations learns to find herself and her true family. The heartache and betrayal that Anja goes through is really felt by the reader – owing to the absorbing storyline and relatable characters that the author has created. What makes this story more fascinating to me is that this was sadly probably so true for many young Viking people who journeyed to the shores of Vinland all those years ago. And much like The Voyage of Freydis I found this book very hard to put down and just had to find out what happened next. Hence why the wait for the next book in this series I feel will be a painfully long one for me.

The Flight of Anja is the second in a series about Vikings in Greenland and Vinland (North America). Anja, the daughter of Freydis who was the protagonist of the first book, ends up leaving Greenland to escape a marriage and to find her family in Vinland. I hadn't read the first book but was intrigued by the story setting, the beautiful cover, and my love of a good historical Viking book!

I haven't read any books set in Greenland or Vinland and it was so cool! This book shows relationships between Norse and indigenous people and dealt with the complexity of two cultures with different beliefs, social norms, and political structure as they mix over several years. I only knew about this from a historical perspective and really enjoyed getting to see Vinland depicted in fiction. Anja is badly injured by a bear attack and develops a fear of bears from the encounter that continued to affect her throughout the story. I liked seeing Anja learn to ground herself through the fear that she experienced.

Despite these positive areas, I found the rest of the book to be very "meh." I'm not sure if this is just because I didn't read the first book, but I didn't find any of the characters particularly compelling. Anja is on a ship and later injured for a lot of the book and I would have liked more detail in the navigation and medicinal world during that time. I found the mix of formal and informal dialogue to be weird. Some of the descriptions of people and places were nice, but I counted that the word "slurp" was used five times. I think that is a record for any of the books that I have read and definitely for historical fiction. These together made me feel like I was fighting to get to the end.

There is a lot of descriptions of physical pain, blood, and injuries in this book. If that is not your thing, I would proceed with caution.

Overall, I liked the setting of this book and wasn't a huge fan of the rest. I would recommend this book if you are a big fan of historical romance, survival stories, and Vikings, in that order. 2.5 stars from me. Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

TW: physical assault, violence, gore

Anja does not like her mother, Freydis, and thinks she is not her real mother. But when her father wants to marry her off to a wealthy, important, but also old, filthy and mean man, she has to accept Freydis' help to get away to Vinland.

The journey is hard, as is her arrival, and finding out the truth about her parents. She finds her way though, allbeit blundering through hardship, trauma, culture shock and the obligatory love triangle (which to me was the only downside to the book, but it did provide a clear window in navigating and not quite grasping a culture Anja was not used to).

I loved this book again, and I am very much looking forward to read part 3.

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

I absolutely adored the first book in the series (The Voyage of Freydis) and was delighted to be invited to read this beautiful sequel.

Once again, Goranson channels the epics of the past to take the reader on a journey filled with adventure, danger, and forbidden love - however, this time the tale is centred around Freydís Eiríksdóttir’s daughter, Anja.

Anja sets out on a deadly adventure across the Atlantic in a desperate attempt to find out the truth of her origins and escape an unhappy engagement. However, all is not what it seems as Anja is forced to finally realise the truth about her mother, and the family history that she has fought long and hard to ignore.

Goranson did not disappoint with this epic sequel and continues to build upon the well-developed world of the first book. 

I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, Viking tales and mythology! This fantastic book took me on a whole new rollercoaster of emotions that has left me wanting more - I cannot wait to read the next instalment by Tamara Goranson.

3.5 stars

The first book in this series followed Freydis as she left Greenland and sailed to Iceland to get away from her abusive husband. Now she's back home and raising her daughter Freydis as best as she can, but unfortunately Torvard is still hanging around and causing all kinds of problems. To escape a bleak future, Freydis must follow in her mother's footsteps and sail for the land of her father and hopefully find a better life.

So much of this is about survival and it made the story go by quickly. There are so many perils in traveling alone across a vast distance, especially well before there were engines or modern medicine. Though Anja could be frustrating at times with her insistence that Torvard was the hero and Freydis the evil one, I also pitied her for being brainwashed from a young age. Anja goes through a lot in this story and we see her mature and start to make life choices. I was happy with her progress by the end and I hope she gets the happy ending that Freydis didn't.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the copy

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

The Flight of Anja is the second installment within The Vinland Viking Saga. In the beginning, you see Freydis giving birth to Anja. Then you see her all grown up and being bartered for marriage by her father and uncle. Two people who I'm not on friendly terms with. One would think they could redeem themselves in this book, but no that didn't happen. If anything, it made me hate them even more.

It really hurt to watch Anja idolize her father in front of her mother. Mostly because of all the lies he told to make himself look better. If I was Freydis, I would probably kill the guy and go on with my life. Alas, I'm not and so I sat here and did nothing. Before Anja begins her adventure, you can definitely see Freydis struggle with telling her the truth. Of course, it all goes in one ear and out the other because she didn't believe any word of it.

Along her journey, she basically almost dies but is rescued by Bjorn. Now I liked him and instantly started to ship them together. Of course, we had to go with the little love triangle idea for a while but for me it was always Bjorn and Anja. Together. Forever.

She also eventually learns that her mother was telling the truth. The people of her father's clan tell her what truly went down and accept her. I really liked getting to see the places Freydis went to in this book. Mostly because of how they all praised and liked her. It just makes me said that Freydis didn't join the trip and had to stay behind.

In the end, I'm excited for the next Viking adventure in this series. Especially since it's about Bjorn!

This haunting story of Anja follows her mother, Freydis Eiriksdottir, from Vinland saga - a strong-willed woman, who defied the odds of her society.

Greenland, 1012 AD. Anja Freydisdottir secretly has been resenting her mother and praising her father for his warmth and kindness. Not knowing that she’s been deceived by her conniving father, she, at the age of fifteen, she is about to find out how deceitful he is when he sells her for the highest dowry, which he will be pocketing according to the agreement reached before Anja was born. In exchange, her mother gains freedom from her father.

Anja has been hearing whispers about her mother’s adventures in Vinland, and supposedly her brutality. The side Anja picks is very clear. But she is strong headed like her mother, and with her mother’s push she defies the expectations of her society when opportunity strikes.

Anja’s journey takes her to Vinland, with quite a different turn. In Greenland, she witnesses some brutality towards women from the hands of men. In Vinland, her encounters are first with bears and wolves. The wilderness tests her strength, exposing the dangerous and unpredictable situations. Her survival now depends on the skills she has learned from her mother.

The first part of the story reflects the harsh societal norms of the time, and those were especially brutal for women, who had no saying in any decision making. In the second part, Anja’s bravery and actions reflect the attributes of the Viking warriors, while she is not fighting other men, her fight is tested in the wilderness. In the last part, she experiences something new; a different side of men’s behavior towards women and different rituals of Beothuk tribe, where a woman is honored. She slips into this new place very naturally and feels accepted.

Anja doesn’t seem to be as strong as her mother Freydis, but it doesn’t mean that she is not strong. She has her struggles with coming to terms with deceits she was fed as a child. After a traumatizing experience with a bear, she struggles to find her spirit. But she is human, and continues to make sense of all that has happened to her.

The writing is beautiful and reflects the time period of ruthlessness and the place of harsh climate. The brutality of the time period may not be easy to read for some. This Vinland Viking saga comes alive with a fascinating character that engages readers with her perilous journey.

P.S. This book 2 can stand-alone; however, I highly recommend reading also book 1 – The Voyage of Freydis.

P.S. Kudos to cover-designers, it’s gorgeous.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com