3.5/5- This had so much potential. I loved the premise and the storyline, but I feel like something was missing. As much of the detail that we got before the Sonne, I wish we'd had that much detail during the Sonne and the short battle afterward. It felt rushed. The amount of POV changes kept me from bonding with the MC. And why the trolls?
I did like how it tied up in the end, especially with Filip. I really look foward to Dean's next book.

I love all things related to the Norse, so I was intrigued right away by this storyline. The writing is often engaging though sometimes a bit jumpy. If you like Norse-inspired stories and adventure, this is definitely the book for you.

Fjordensaga: Saga of the Champions is a historical fantasy centring around a trial to crown a new ruler for the kingdom of Fjorden, a setting which heavily takes inspiration from Viking-age Scandinavia. I really appreciated how thoroughly the author researched this time period and mythology, with the first 20+ pages full of maps, pronunciation guides, and a cultural note to fully immerse the readers in the world of the champions.

Since the age of eleven when her mother and younger brother were killed in a surprise attack, Princess Sofia has carried a heavy burden, becoming the de facto ruler of the kingdom while her father - King Eirik - prepares to step down after a 22-year reign. The tradition of “The Sonne” selects the new ruler, and they can decide if they want Sofia by their side, or a different partner. Each territory within the kingdom must select a competitor to put forward for the brutal trial: Karsten, Sofia’s former guard, is the champion for Alderfoss, Hamme’s champion is Jostein, Skip competes for Sander, Nico is Fryse’s champion, and Dag competes for Morge. The champions spend time getting to know one another, but they are all too conscious that soon, four of them will be dead and one will emerge victorious, as the kingdom’s new ruler.

Sofia is attracted to Karsten, and (although Princesses aren’t supposed to play favourites) she gives him her favour and finds herself falling for him - just as he is about to leave and fight to the death. Princess x bodyguard has never been one of my favourite tropes, but in this case it was very well done, and we really got to see the depth of Sofia and Karsten’s feelings, trust, and loyalty to one another. I was fully rooting for them by the time the competition started!

Although this book was fairly short, the characters were well fleshed out and we got a good look into their personalities and feelings. I initially liked the multi-POV, but I was left feeling like Nico’s POV in particular was a bit of a waste. The epic trial and then the final quarter of the book were very rushed, and it almost felt like there should’ve been at least another 100 pages to stop it from being so anticlimactic. Honestly, this book could have been around the 500 page mark and I think it would’ve elevated it to a 5 star.

That being said, this was an enjoyable, quick read with an intriguing plot and likeable characters, and I’d be interested in reading more of this series! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but I think I had too high expectations. I think it was also too long and too short. Sometimes I want a book to focus on the journey and the characters, and in this one I wanted more time with fighting and the throne. I would still recommend this book to friends who enjoy the genre, I just don’t think it was for me!

I was very excited to receive an e-arc of this book thanks to NetGalley. I love viking fantasy books. I enjoyed this one, however I did find myself having to reread quite a bit because of how much it jumps around the characters. This is fast paced which I loved, I just felt a bit underwhelmed by the time it was finished. Overall a solid 3 ⭐️ read as I did enjoy the characters and the story line for the most part.

I am a big fan of mythology retellings and reimaginings and this was no different. The guide at the beginning was a nice edition especially for folks that may not be well known about Norse Mythology! Definitely worth the time to read if these are the kinds of books you enjoy. It will be a definite recommendation to any of my mythology readers!

The first 22 pages are filled with pronunciation guides, maps, what words mean, Norse mythology and how creative license has been taken. What a wonderful addition. Providing the reader with the information the may need to understand the mythology and the lore behind it.
This is easy to read, to get lost in the world of Norse Mythology. It's easy to see why we are captivated by it.
Cleverly composed.

4.5 stars

I love a good mythology related story.

The pronunciation guide and basic intro to Norse mythology at the beginning was thorough and helpful if you weren’t already aware.

There is no one POV, you get to know everyone personally enough to wonder who will make it and will I be ok if they don’t.
The answer is no.

I was LITERALLY holding my breath.

I still can’t.

Loved the strong women characters too.


Thank you Yggdrasil press for allowing me to read and review this fabulous book

Fjordensaga: Saga of the Champions by Kriss Dean is a captivating blend of Nordic, Viking, and Medieval Scandinavian culture that pulls you into an epic, high-stakes world. Set in the kingdom of Fjorden, where a brutal battle for the throne—the Sonne—determines the ruler, the story follows Princess Sofia as she navigates war, tradition, and the fierce competition between five champions.

The characters are compelling, especially Sofia, whose strength and determination shine as she balances the weight of her royal duties. The mystical elements and themes of fate versus free will add a thrilling layer of complexity to the story, keeping you hooked from start to finish.

With a perfect mix of political intrigue, gripping action, and a touch of romance, *Fjordensaga* is an unmissable read for fans of epic fantasy. Kriss Dean has created a rich, immersive world, and I can't wait for the next installment!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Solid 3.5 stars. I love how fast paced this book was! It was a perfect Viking fantasy romance, was everything I hoped for! Am I obsessed? Not quite. Will I be telling all of my fantasy girlies about it? Absolutely.

Not a great story.- the premise was good, but there wasn’t enough set up for me to care about the characters. Given how short the story was, it was a very slow read that I struggled with.

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I love anything viking / norse / gods / mythology.
The book itself was promising but unfortunately fell a bit short for me. I was expecting so much more - though I am usually a high fantasy lover.
The story itself was still enjoyable, with an interesting storyplot, however it really lacked the depth and complexity I was hoping for. The writing was simple, with the use of short sentences, and was writen in a really fast pace. It felt so rushed and there was very little depth to what was happening- which for a book with quite shocking scenes, this could have been given so much more!
It also made it so hard to actually feel any connection to the characters. Yet I think the characters were unique in their own way, and I loved the representation of strong female warriors and leaders!
In all I did enjoy it, it was a good quick read, but I just wish there was more of it! I'd love to hear more about the gods and different worlds!

I wanted to give this book three stars but since it was sold to me as "modern" I couldn't.
First, this book isn't well written. It's more young readers than YA or Adults. Sentences are simple, descriptions of actions and battles are almost nonexistent, and while this makes it easy to read it takes you out of the lush world I can tell Kriss Dean has in their head.
I was surprised that Frig and spoiler spoiler showed up because of the modern I mentioned before. Or was it just modern because we had some guy named Skip? I'm just confused.
This could have been a true fleshed-out saga. Drop any mention of modern. Go back and create the world you see in your mind, flesh out the writing, draw out teh action, and bring me back the true saga this book is supposed to be. That's the book I want to read.

I finished watching the show vikings about a month ago and I've been craving a viking romance and just couldn't seem to find one that gave me the same feeling as the show. This book scratched that itch and lived up to the expectations that I had.This book was filled with to the brim with vikings, lots of action, battles and romance. I love love love Astrid. Her character was so lovable and who she is as a person/personality made her so relatable.

The premise of this story immediately caught my interest, and I truly connected with Princess Sofia’s struggles as she tried to balance tradition, war, and her own inner turmoil. The blend of Nordic and Viking-inspired culture added an interesting atmosphere to the story, and the high-stakes competition held a lot of potential.

However, the execution fell short for me. There were too many characters vying for attention, making it hard to keep track of everyone and invest in their arcs. The tone also felt overly juvenile, particularly as the story progressed, which made it difficult to stay fully engaged. While it had its moments, especially with Sofia as a strong lead, the overall experience left me wanting more depth and polish.

I had really high hopes for this book. I love all things Viking and who doesn't love a good romance.

However, I found myself not wanting to finish the book. I actually almost didn't want to start it because the first 5% of the book was reference pages. It felt very bogged down. I think it might be better to just have a note that those names and pronunciations and such are available in the back of the book. Reading through all of them kind of spoils the book a little bit in my opinion.

Beyond that the book wasn't bad, it could have had more details in some places but a decent read overall.

“Laughing, shall I die. In glory, shall I live forever”

The Viking way of life is just so inspiring to me. The quest for glory, the acceptance of fate, the unwavering sense of duty, and the lack of fear in the face of death make for the fiercest warriors (and lovers) and I just cannot get enough. Luckily, this story gave me everything I hoped for.

“My fate has already been decided. when it comes down to it, if I’m going to die anyway, I might as well do it with a sword in my hand, headed to Valhalla a champion”

Five champions. Four graves. One chance to claim the throne. For centuries, the ruler of Fjorden has been chosen by the Sonne - a battle to the death hosted every twenty-two years. With the Sonne only days away and persistent attacks from neighboring kingdoms, Princess Sofia must balance her own desires and her sense of duty for her people. Despite this being a quick read for me, I found Sofias pov to be very emotional, especially when she finally starts to allow herself to follow her heart.

I only wish we had gotten more of the history between Sofia and Karsten. The few romantic moments between them are beautiful and I’d have loved to see more of how they fell in love.

“Whenever I storm the gates of Valhalla, whether it’s tomorrow or a lifetime from now, know that I did it loving you.”

While things wrapped up nicely, I hope this isn’t the end of this story. It felt open enough to continue and left me with some questions that are hopefully answered in time - and I’m not ready to say goodbye to this world.

Tropes include:
•Bodyguard x Princess
•Norse mythology
•Deadly trials
•Multiple pov
•Grief rep

This was a very quick/fast paced read/book.
3 POV in third person, could be open to more adventures, the romance felt slow and skipped over a bit at times (not that the book really needed it) and the world building was good.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy.

This historical fantasy involves vikings, from the lore to the culture and the gods, it was a nice chance of pace from a lot of the historical fantasy I have read. Combine that with a female main character lead and it led to an interesting read. Many viking historic fictions I've come across has male leads, so reading from a female's lead was interesting. However, I did find that this book was rather short and could use some added character development and downtime for the characters, I would enjoy seeing some of the characters and stories fleshed out a bit to make them feel a bit more like real people rather than characters in a short story.

I got this arc from NetGalley and it was fun!!

If you’re looking for like a heavy world building book I def wouldn’t recommend this it’s a light read for sure. The world is really fun though and the concept is great! I do wish the Sonne happened sooner but the suspense that was built leading to it was really fun. I genuinely think this could have been a 500 page book honestly even potential for a series but for what it was I had fun.

I wish there was more Karsten POV and less Dag. I really liked Dag at first but by like page 120 I was kinda over her and fully team Karsten. Nico POV also felt really pointless, like I said if it would have been a 500 page book maybe I’d like the nico POV either but I think Karsten would have been a better choice for the pages.

The ending definitely had me shaking in my boots I didn’t see it ending like that at all! And I’m glad it turned out the way it did I was STRESSED which is a good sign the book made me feel that way!

Overall, I think it’s a nice easy fun book with some cool lore and vibes!