Northern Wrath

The Hanged God Trilogy #1

by Thilde Kold Holdt

Following in the steps of Neil Gaiman & Joanne Harris, the author expertly weaves Norse myths and compelling characters into this fierce, magical epic fantasy.

A dead man, walking between the worlds, foresees the end of the gods.

A survivor searching for a weapon releases a demon from fiery Muspelheim.

A village is slaughtered by Christians, and revenge must be taken.

The bonds between the gods and Midgard are weakening. It is up to Hilda, Ragnar, their tribesmen Einer and Finn, the chief’s wife Siv and Tyra, her adopted daughter, to fight to save the old ways from dying out, and to save their gods in the process.

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adult, Epic Fantasy

560 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 2020

Reviews

[William Gwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I decided to start reading this because I heard it is Norse Fantasy and.... well, do I need another reason?

Northern Wrath is an engaging introduction to The Hanged God Trilogy, with a wide cast of characters and an awesome dose of mythological inspiration! I really enjoyed how Thilde Kold Holdt uses Norse Mythology in inventive and creative ways. This is also a very immersive read, with great twists and turns and some incredibly satisfying scenes.

4/5 STARS

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great blend of historical fiction converging with what makes fantasy great. This is viking-age fiction unlike any other out there. Real world characters set in real life Scandinavia.

What I really liked about this tale was the fantasy elements - the characters believe in their mythologies with utter conviction and the gods and other Norse elements are all written as true, which just adds to the immersion.

The plot is pretty break-neck. Lots of well-written fights and believable dialogues between people in the down time. The characters were not as gripping as I would have hoped, seeming like they stayed pretty consistent with no huge changes to their personalities, which is a double edged sword really. Yes, they were convincing and didn't do anything stupidly out of character but they didn't seem to have enough range or depth to make you love them.

Historical / mythological details were on point. I'm a sucker for those little details that add an authentic layer.

[Kirsty Hendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Norse village of Ash Hill is attacked and burned, the villagers put up a good fight, but most are killed. The warriors return home and find their village in ruins, they begin to plot their revenge.

Hilda, Siv ad Tyra are the only ones who survive the battle of Ash Hill. Hilda sets off on her own, Tyra leaves with Siv. They find themselves on different paths with the same objective, to protect the old ways and save the nine worlds from falling apart.

What I liked about this book

The Norse mythology - the author clearly done their research when writing this book. Reading this book sparked an interest and had me reading up about Norse mythology on the internet.
World building - the scene is set perfectly. It's really easy to picture what's going on.
The story - this book is written from several different perspectives. All the individual stories weave together into a story that's full of action, gods and magic.

What I didn't like
There was a bit of repetitiveness from one page to the next, but it's possible that this is just because I was reading an arc copy.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Game of Thrones or who like books where the theme is Norse mythology.

4 Stars
✮✮✮✮

[Traveling Cloak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to be honest and say that I have put off writing this review for a few days. I blamed it on not having enough time, but it is really because I have difficulty writing reviews for books that I enjoyed as much as I did this one. My draft of this has been stuck on “LOVE LOVE LOVE”. Which I think probably expresses my feelings accurately, but maybe does not do the book itself justice. So, here goes.

Northern Wrath is Thilde Kold Holdt’s debut and the first book in The Hanged God Trilogy. And what a phenomenal debut it is! This is a powerful story full of Norse-inspired mythology with thrills around every corner. I could not put it down.

I am not an expert in Norse mythology, but I have always thought it to be really intriguing. I found Northern Wrath satisfied that itch for me, as the story is saturated with it. We get the popular topics in Loki and Thor, Valhalla and Helheim, but there is SO MUCH MORE. The Gods and the afterlife permeate the Viking life and dictate just about everything they do and every decision they make. The magic in the story plays into the Deity system, as well, and Holdt does a great job of making them fit together; in fact, that is one of my favorite aspects of this story: how the Gods, magic, and afterlife all work in concert to create a cultural system that is an enthralling backdrop for what is a really intriguing narrative.

And let’s talk about that narrative. My favorite books are those told through multiple perspectives, because that type of set up best keeps my interest. There is no one storyline to get bored with, but multiple narratives to follow that each have their own obstacles to overcome and those also contribute to the main conflict. Every chapter turns into a surprise, as I feel like I am reintroduced each narrative and its main players whenever the perspective switches. Talk about tension! Northern Wrath is full of it (tension, that is). I am amazed at how well Holdt was able to accomplish this task. Every storyline is important in their own right, as is the main storyline, and how the author was able to construct it all in a nice little package, tear it up, and fit it back together somehow is spectacular.

Speaking of narratives, Ragnar’s storyline was my favorite. I really enjoyed this part in the scheme of things, and I found myself looking forward to when he would pop back up. I am hoping his story continues and even raises the bar in book 2.

That reminds me to talk about the character set, which was out of this world. There are so many characters that one might think it would be easy to forget who is who, but Holdt does an extraordinary job of making every single character so distinct as to really make that a nonissue. Not only was each character well-written, but every journey was rife with emotion. I found myself just rooting for every single one of them.

For me, these are the reasons why Northern Wrath is among the best debuts of the year. I am so impressed with Holdt’s storytelling that I find it hard to believe this is the author’s first published book. For me, Northern Wrath is a must-read and gets my absolute highest recommendation. I am really looking forward to book 2 in the series. I know it is hard to imagine improving on something that is so close to perfect, but I am anticipating the series to only get bigger and better.

[Andrews WizardlyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book crept up on me! I was unsure about it and then somehow I was hooked and unable to put it down!

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Northern Wrath was a book from the gods themselves. Revenge is deadly, the swish of a blade, a whispered promise. This review is going to be exceedingly hard to write, and I hope I can deliver it the justice it deserves. Fantasy should catapult you into another dimension and Northern Wrath achieved that within just a few pages. Thilde Kold Holdt had me all in. The prologue hit like a steam train…I could smell smoke and danger and I was looking over my shoulder at the threatening shadow that promised to become known. My senses was a frenetic buzz of energy and I was totally here for it.

Northern Wrath has the immense ability to have you smirking inwardly at just how good this book is, I cannot stress it enough. The thrill that this story brings to its readers is riveting. The author’s writing is so spellbinding in that you have the rare opportunity to see the events unfold through the characters eyes. The battles, the emotions and the journeys undertaken. It’s vivid and compelling. The author really has an uncanny ability of taking the events from Norse mythology and modern-day life, stretching it to its seams and weaving a tale so addictive, it should be illegal!

Northern Wrath is Thilde Kold Holdt debut novel and the first book in The Hanged God Trilogy. This is an extremely powerful debut novel. Norse mythology has always been a keen interest of mine since I was a child. We have the popular themes contained within; the alfather, Odin, Thor and Loki, Valhalla and the Valkyries and Helheim. There is so much packed into this story. The research the author has conducted is obvious for the reader to see. They systems interconnect, and everything comes together with a nice neat bow. The culture is so rich and raw and if anything, my love for all things Norse has become stronger.

The characterisation and the narrative blew me away. The author has tread the fine line between balancing the fine details, past perspectives, hilarity and family life, fire and blood and it is exquisite. The story is told through multiple POV’s and we have multiple books in one story. It all collectively combined to the main conflict and every perspective was just as important as the other characters.

As for the plot in Northern Wrath…wow talk about fast paced and highly captivating. Battles that are worthy of any Hollywood film production. The rituals, the way of life, everything just had me loving it more by the turn of the page. The author has injected bucket loads of tension and foreboding and it kept me enthralled until the final word had been digested. The narrative has that feeling of being swept away in a gentle wind; it’s best not to fight it, the journey is worth the investment.

Northern Wrath is a beautiful tale, as old as time, as savage as its landscape and its complex. It packs a powerful punch and isn’t afraid to draw blood. I waited on baited breath for book two.

[K.J. Charles]

Bleak Norse grimdark fantasy. It's basically the gods, monsters, and people of the old faith struggling against the incursion of Christianity bringing their world to an end. Extremely violent in the rather pointless way of Norse myth - we're all going to die, the world is ending, the entire purpose of life is to be ultra violent and die in battle. TBH it's honestly kind of hard to regret the passing of this society, especially given its grotesque hypocrisy (how dare Christians come and sack our village while our warriors were away sacking someone else's village?).

If you like grimdark or Norse myth more than I do, this will sing to your soul because it's intensely in that spirit. I wasn't in the mood for "grubs writhing in an immense night" (as Rupert Brooke said accurately of Webster) and needed someone to root for, so DNF at 65%.

[Hamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

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I love all different kinds of mythology. Greek is my favorite but Norse mythology is cool too and I haven’t seen many books dwindling in this area so when I was given a review copy of this book by the publisher, I was ecstatic. As usual it doesn’t affect my review/ rating in any way.

This is a tricky book to review for me because there were many things that were done well and a few things that bothered me and they kind of overshadowed what I liked which explains my current rating. The story is written in third POV and it follows many characters, we have Siv, Einer, Hilda and Ragnor as the main POVs but there are other minor POVs throughout the book.

It is hard to explain what the story is about because every thread is different. For the most part it is about avenging their village which was attacked by Christians. Ragnor’s POV is unique as it is in the afterlife and predicts the fall of Gods. Hilda and Einer are intertwined and their POVs are mainly about the war.

The world-building is the best thing in the book. As expected there is great implementation of Norse mythology and I think the more the reader knows and likes Norse mythology the more they will enjoy the book. As mentioned above every POV brings something different to the table and I kind of like that. Einer is a berserker, Hilda is possessed by a strong entity and then there is the Fylgja which was pretty awesome. Siv is also powerful and not human and Ragnor is dead and is in a loop in the afterlife. I think however that the world building was a bit too advanced sometimes and required previous knowledge of the mythology and I would have preferred some more explanation.

My main problem is with the characters and it is kind of weird because I think they are well written but I couldn’t find myself caring about them that much. There were a lot of great moments but there was always a sense of detachment from them which was my main problem with the story. Also each thread seemed to be going in one direction and they didn’t come together. Obviously they will but it didn’t happen in this book.

The plot is interesting, the beginning was good then it kind of slows in the middle but I was enjoying it again at the end and the writing was never a problem as I thought it was good overall.

Summary: This is a weird book to rate and review because individually it seemed to have all the right elements but when put together it just didn’t work for me and the main reason for that is the characterization. I am not sure if I will continue the series but I know I won’t be reading it a book per month as I usually do with series. I have to wait and see if I am in the right mood in the future again. Still will recommend for fans of Norse mythology.

[Chris Berko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book the world needs right now. I was able to lose myself in the story, forget about everything that is happening, and just have fun. I loved everything about this book. The writing was crisp and clear and that coupled with some crazy original characters made for some pretty vivid reading. There are three or four story lines going at once, all cool and all interesting, and tons of great characters but for me Hilda was a standout. I won't go too much into what makes her so memorable because this book is truly something you want to experience without knowing too much beforehand, but I saw her in my mind so clearly and had such reactions to her it was like when I saw Pinhead in Hellraiser for the first time, I saw the movie before reading the book it's based on so don't sue me, and I was like, the mind that created this is like...wow, but sincerely Hilda's pretty awesome. And the images the author creates, oh my. She describes one character as having eyes that look like two wolves circling a black dot but then say wolves are two reckless and the eyes actually look like two grey lynxes. I mean c'mon, that there is incredible writing. Which brings me to another point and that is: HOW THE HECK IS THIS A DEBUT?!?! This is a mature, finely structured, work of art, that had me totally committed to the characters and story by the third chapter. This for me was a fall-in-love-with-the-cover sort of thing and it being a first novel with nothing else from the author to compare it to there was some trepidation about what kind of product would be delivered and I can report my mind has been blown. I know next to nothing about Vikings or Viking legends or folklore so I also felt like I learned some things while reading this but nothing ever felt force fed or info-dumped. I did some outside research myself so it sort of spurred on this quest for knowledge kick into some really cool subjects. The battle scenes were also huge but amazingly clear as well. In the first third of the book there is a Braveheart mixed with Starship Troopers invasion of a town that is the definition of gritty and intense. Like don't look at the ground you're walking on because you are stepping into the bodies of your neighbors sort of gritty and intense. I had mesosphere-like expectations for this ever since seeing the cover and reading what it was about and it nailed everything, including the landing.

I want to thank Netgalley and Solaris for the arc, and congratulate Thilde Kold Holdt for writing a truly memorable novel and I'm soooo looking forward to the next installment.

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher (Rebellion) in exchange for an honest review.

A promising and ambitious debut.

This book grabbed my attention completely when I saw the gorgeous cover art by Larry Rostant and I immediately added it to my tbr. For all I knew though it could have been about A lost tribe of Norse gummi bears coming back to claim The Lost City of Marshmallow as it was just one of those covers where you don’t really need to ask questions. Stunning in its simplicity and allure. I confess though, I was no less eager upon reading the blurb about vikings, gods and battles and could not resist requesting an ARC of this epic norse fantasy.

Northern Wrath is the first book in The Hanged God trilogy by Thilde Kold Holdt and the blurb gives a good hint at what to expect of this tale. A dead man walking between worlds, norse gods, mythology, giants, magic and batttlllesssss! HELL YES. The main catalyst for the events in this story is an attack by a Christian army on a small Norse village. Most of the warriors of the village are away at the time of the attack, and as such the village is pretty much completely wiped out. When they return and witness the scene of the massacre their honor compels them to seek vengeance. There is of course much more to the story, but I will leave it to readers to discover for themselves.

He had thought he would not lose control again.The last time had been so long ago.

Sadly, I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would, and that was mainly due to one issue: characterization. There are multiple characters featured as viewpoints in Northern Wrath, and I found myself unable to care much about any of them. As a result, I had to put the story down and pick it up again at various intervals, killing even more of my enjoyment. Why did I not DNF and move onto another book you ask? The plot was interesting enough and I wanted to see where it was all going! Unfortunately though, no matter how much I wanted to, I could not get invested in the characters. The only other issues I had was that the book felt a little overlong and pacing suffered a bit as a result, but these were minor. Also, bear in mind that this is just my opinion, and many other readers did not experience any of the issues I did with this book.

Her hands were bloody, so was her dress, and the smell of iron made her hungry for more. She cast around herself for the next guard. For another southerner to kill, and roared for them to come forth. Every last one of them would die.

All is not negative though. As I mentioned, there is much to love plot wise, and it’s evident Thilde Kold Holdt can really write, making Northern Wrath a fantastic effort for a debut. The worldbuilding was top notch, with the author’s love for Norse culture, mythology and history evident on every page and weaved throughout the story with a deft hand. The author shows us another side to being a Viking, that war and conquest are not the beginning and ending of the story, but that Vikings were just people with traditions and values and hopes and dreams. Do not despair though, fights were brutal, vivid and plentiful; the story never skimped on this aspect and even included a siege. Those looking for action won’t be disappointed.

Likely many readers will adore this book, and I may still pick up the sequel to this one, called Shackled Fates. There’s heaps of promise here despite my indifference towards the characters, and even if I don’t carry on with The Hanged God trilogy, I will be watching what the author comes up with after this. I may have heard she has plans for a book called The Bone Snatcher which will be an epic fantasy set in 7th century Korea. It has pre-order written ALL over it.

***********************************************

Official release date:
• October 29th, 2020 (UK) & October 27th, 2020 (US)

You can pre-order the book from:
• Amazon UK
• Amazon US
• Book Depository (Free shipping)
• Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores.)

• The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change
upon publication.

• You can find this review and more at Novel Notions

[S A M | The Book in Hand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here are a few things you can expect from this book:

A Norse inspired viking fantasy;
A rich and detailed world filled with known and more unknown lore and myths;
Chaotic and bloody battle scenes;
A captivating plot.

On to the full review…

Northern Wrath is a norse inspired Viking fantasy and book one of The Hanged God Trilogy. I think I stand with a lot of people when I say Norse Mythology is an incredibly interesting one, it has so so much involved within its lore and the cultures that belonged to it are also incredibly interesting. Thilde managed to incorporate quite a lot of this in her writing too which is testament to the research and knowledge of this area, which meant she excelled in her world building.

This book has gods, monsters, heroes and so much more and it is all woven well into the world and its plot. I really liked the idea that the diminishing belief in the gods was closing the gateways of sorts to the other realms, and it made the fight for ones belief about more than just their gods but being able to be with their families in the afterlife.

As a debut writer Thilde has done a great job of bringing many of the scenes in Northern Wrath to life from the exploration of the other worlds and the races the fill them to the battle sequences. She manages to really encapsulate the chaos that is battle.

Now let me explain why, for me, this book ended as a three star book on Goodreads, while this book excelled in it world building and its plot was captivating enough for me to finish the book, world-building is my lowest ranked attribute of a book. Characters are my jam, followed by plot and then world-building.

So unfortunately, I’m in a wee bit of a minority here as while I liked this book I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. My two main issues for this book go hand in hand with each other in my opinion. In short I felt like this book lacked the character depth I prefer as a reader and it was much too long.

Northern Wrath has quite a cast of characters, more than I expected to be honest, and at times some felt like they were inserted randomly and generally didn’t need to be a POV at all.

I honestly feel like with more editing both of my issues could be helped massively if not completely resolved. Now, I am no editor nor have I written my own book but I think, from my experience as a reader, that had this book have had less character POVs it could have both spent more time with other POV’s to achieve a greater character depth and cut down the page count by removing the filler.

Let me also remind you these are my personal opinions based on my personal preferences, a book is to many readers completely different things. So I urge you to check out the other reviews for this book as many reviewers I respect and trust have LOVED this book and given it full marks!

THE RANKS:

BUY THE HARDBACK | BUY THE PAPERBACK | BUY THE EBOOK | LIBRARY RENTAL OR SALE PURCHASE

I would still pick this book up in its Kindle form and quite possibly read book two, because like I said it was a good book in parts and I am hopeful, as I am not the only person to share these critiques, that they could be remedied in book two.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an underrated fantasy series it seems. I loved it! I'm woefully un-knowledgeable about Viking mythology, so I went into this wondering if I would be able to understand everything that was going to be happening. My fear was unwarranted as everything was crystal clear. Now, I do believe that if I had known more about that mythology, I would have enjoyed it that much more, but I don't feel any negative impact from my lack of background. The short of it is that this is a great story, and the characters are terrific and relatable and authentic, to say the least. I really want to know more and am jumping immediately into book 2. More people need to read this! 5.0/5.0 stars for me.

[P.L. Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my May 2022 #DebutFantasy reading winds down, I ventured back into the world of Norse and Norse-inspired historical- fantasy, and picked up "Northern Wrath", Book One of "The Hanged GodsTrilogy" by Thilde Kold Holt. What did I think of this book?

Let's put it to you this way: I have never cared so much about a character who was already dead.

The story follows the main POVs of Einer, Hilda, and Ragnar, inhabitants of the village of Ash-Hill, in the cold Viking north, in the land of Jutland (ancient Denmark), within Midgard - the realm of mortals, and worshippers of the old Norse Gods. There are several additional POV chapters, including those dedicated to Siv, Tyra, Sigismund, Muspeldottir, Thora, Finn, and Buntrugg. Yet those first three characters mentioned are permitted the bulk of the narrative voices, and it is their fates that likely the reader will be most concerned with.  

The book commences with Einer's POV, and it is within the first few pages the reader sees young nobleman Einer (maybe) having impossibly slain a huge bear during a berserker fit, and having no memory of HOW he accomplished the incredible feat. 

Ragnar, Hilda's father, is old and dying, and from his daughter's point of view, his death will not be a good one, because he will not die in battle, with honour, like a true warrior. Furthermore, Ragnar has forbidden Hilda, who aspires to be a hero, the chance to be a shieldmaiden, in order to keep her safe. Hilda chaffes at being held back, but the opportunity for glory will come sooner than she expects. 

After Ragnar dies, his soul must traverse The Darkness towards Helheim, the Norse underworld. But it will be a horrible journey, even for someone who is dead. "Death, Pain, Fear." Remember those three words, for they will haunt you as you read the shocking POVs of Ragnar, and you will wonder if there is a fate far worse than merely dying.  

Meanwhile, Einer and Hilda, and their Norse way of life, and worship of the old Gods, are threatened by the danger of invading Christians. The Gods themselves are imperilled too by other powerful forces and the advance of Christianity, but they will not be easily vanquished, and when Gods are fighting for existence, the consequences can be devastating to humans. 

Nor will the Jutlanders suffer an attack on their village without seeking bloody revenge. War will follow, intertwining ethereal and mortal combat, heroes will rise, and the world may just come to an end in the process.  

So, let's discuss the character work in the novel. With any abundance of cast  members in a novel, sometimes characterization can be diminished. Overall Holdt did a good job of crafting engaging characters, and she warrants special praise for how incredible her female characters were (Siv was my favourite of all the characters in the book, followed closely by Ragnar). 

The women in the book are stalwart, heroic, gritty. They are mothers, daughters, wives, with plenty of heart and compassion, and conjointly fearsome warriors, leaders, influencers. While I wished for a bit more exploration of their inner feelings and motivations at times, the characters were all certainly realistic, and very intriguing. 

This book reads VERY quickly for a 600+ page novel, with a plot that spares no opportunity for pause, and I compulsively read this book in the span of  four days: I could not put it down. This book teems with mythology, indomitable warriors, vengeful, traitorous gods, and destiny. So please  don't be scared by the book' chonkiness: fans of the fast read, come hither.

Connoisseurs of battle scenes such as John Gwynne, Miles Cameron, and Bernard Cornwell would likely applaud the ferocious and thrilling clashes that Thilde Kold Holdt depicts in "Northern Wrath". They are absolutely top notch: brutal, visceral, realistic, with the kind of build-up and tension (and attempts at character development PRIOR to the battle so that one cares about the outcomes for the players involved) before the conflicts that I require to be truly invested when the blood starts spraying. High, high accolades for Holdt in this regard.

I loved the fact that in many of the fights, the Gods were by no means passive bystanders, watching from the distance, detached from the momentous clashes. The Norse deities are omnipresent throughout the book, including the battles - either physically present, or imposing their powers to manipulate the payoff. But are these gods truly infallible or invincible, or will they too suffer their losses, just like their human subjects? 

This book is very grim, very dark, and very violent. It is beautifully written, but not for the squeamish. Still, there are moments of hope peaking through the clouds. At the very least, readers can pray that those of their favourite characters who survive, will have the mental and physical stamina left to be able to fight another day, in the inevitable battles to come, further on in the series. 

The sense of wonder, enchantment, and otherworldly powers permeate the novel, as Holdt's impeccable research and writing skill brings the reader up close and personal into fascinating elements of Norse cosmology, as we feel completely immersed in that world. The worldbuilding is fantastic, and Holdt's descriptive prose will make the reader feel as if they too - like our characters - have Yggdrasil, or the deck of a ship, or the slick of blood from a battle, underfoot.

The customs, weapons, religious rites, and culture of the Norse are on full display, and Holdt has created a fully realized, vivid world that will splash new paint on old legends, and make them seem fresh and inventive. 

If you like Vikings, the Norse sagas replete with gods such as Odin, Loki, and the like, mystery, honour, tragedy, darkness, desperate last stands, heroic quests, brilliant storytelling, and characters that you will care about, this is your type of book; it certainly was mine!

4.75 stars for "Northern Wrath"! Very much looking forward to "Shackled Fates", the next book in the series!  

[Cassidee Lanstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 7/10

It is that time of year where I’m ramping up my Norse mythology reads in preparation for Spells & Spaceships Norsevember extravaganza. I kicked off a little early this year with Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt, which I actually won in one of last year’s competitions. A gorgeous, signed and doodled copy from Holdt herself. This is a tale of survival, cunning, and strength amidst the chaos.

As evidenced by my annual anticipation for Norsevember, I’m a huge fan of the mythology that drives it. I would not call myself an expert by any means as I’ve barely dipped my toes into the depth that is Norse mythology, but I have read a few handfuls of books based on it.

I love multiple POVs and I enjoyed the way we switched from ones that seemed more dreamlike to ones that were more grounded in reality. Ragnar’s chapters take on the hazy view of a man caught up in the tide of the Gods. Hilda goes through some excruciating moments but her voice and vision is strong. Einer and Finn’s dynamic makes things interesting and provides tension that threads through the story in a unique way. Siv and Tyra are on a journey all their own, one where we see how cunning and unwavering these women can be.

I really liked these characters, but one of my issues was that I felt that I didn’t really get to know them in the way I like to in novels. This is not entirely the fault of the author. Plot-driven readers will undoubtably be enthralled by this novel as there’s a heavy combination of battles, journeying, and mischief! Most people that know my preferences know I’m a character driven reader. I need a certain level of closeness to the characters for it to rank among my favorites.

Happily, towards the end of this novel, I started to feel like I was beginning to know them better. Northern Wrath seems like an amazing set-up for what is to come. The ending of the novel was explosive and engaging, making me excited to see what was up next.

The dive into Norse lore was crafted with an expert hand; you will hardly believe that this is a debut novel in that regard. The writing is gorgeous, tidy, and calculated. This all leads to a superior world-building experience. Anyone who puts world-building on the top of their list will be completely satisfied with Northern Wrath. You can tell that Holdt really loves writing about this field of mythology and that her heart is in her writing.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read to kick off my Norsevember experience and I’m lucky enough to have received a copy of the second book ‘Shackled Fates’ which comes out October 2022. I’ll be diving into that soon with eagerness to see where our characters are headed.

[Terry Rudge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a book.

I am a 🤓 who has the last 7 years worth of books recorded in a spreadsheet with a weighted scale rating (450 + ) books (Hobb not recorded as unfair to everyone else)..

This book is tied 11th... and is most certainly the best book I've read this year.

I dont really feel I can articulate how brilliant this book was but I will pull out some highlights

Characters- gosh, was I invested in every single one. The growth of the characters, Hilda and Einer mainly was just superb. But the brilliance of the character work is not isolated to these guys. The entire cast has purpose, their own story and their own important place on the pages. I just can't really comprehend how so many good characters can come from a single and first book of a series

The world building - genuinely scored 10/10 and only 5 other books have done this. I'm biased, in that I adore historical stories and folklore of viking and Norse retelling. This book just packs everything in. I could see everything. I felt like I was in the shield wall. I war with Odin, I was in the forges. Just phenomenal

Story - the story itself is so incredible. Split across multiple PoV and multiple worlds. All tying together to tell a story that made this book impossible to put down. The battle scenes themselves. Phwoar, chefs kiss. 🤌💋

This series is going to be incredible. I will be back to read book 2, very shortly

[S. Naomi Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating : 4.5 of 5 stars

There are been some astoundingly good fantasy novels come out over the last couple of years, novels that have, in my opinion, brought a breath of fresh air to the genre. Northern Wrath is another one of those novels.

It’s the first in a new trilogy by Danish-born author (and real-life Viking) Thilde Kold Holdt, and it sets the tone for what’s to come more or less from page one. The main thrust of the narrative appears to be the build up to Ragnarök, the Norse tale of the battle of the end times when the gods will die and the nine worlds will be separated forever. Thrust into the middle of this are a dead man caught in the void between the worlds, a shield-maiden tasked with finding a weapon worthy of the gods, the berserker son of a village chieftain, a giantess who has hidden her true nature from those closest to her, and her adopted daughter.

There is a lot going on in this six-hundred page novel, and a lot of characters to keep track of, though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We get a lot of viewpoints to explore, and each character is so well written that you rarely lose track of whose thoughts you are following at any given point. There’s also a lot of action to follow, though again it’s so well presented that at no point does it feel overwhelming or forced; you feel like you are a part of the fights and battles, right there on the front lines as the enemy slams into the shield wall. The writing throughout is exemplary, with a steady flow that keeps you reading long after you should have turned out the lights and gone to sleep.

This really is a fantastic start to a trilogy, and I seriously can’t wait for the next book to land. If the rest of the series is even half as good as this first book then it’s going to be one hell of a ride, and I would not be surprised to see Thilde Kold Holdt’s name appearing on award shortlists at some point over the next year or two.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a re read and I finished it on my lunch break today but what a return to this amazing world/worlds it has been! I am excited to continue the story soon with Shackled Fates! If you haven't picked this book up then I highly suggest that you do.


Believe me when I say this is fantastic! I am so happy I have been able to read this as an ARC, it blends Norse Mythology with a grounded story and the result is something very very special! This is one fantastic story of the Nine Realms, the beginning of a brilliant trilogy! A full review will be on my blog soon!

[Mike Shackle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Viking adventure, full of gods, giants and thunderous battles. The writing style took a little bit of getting used to but, once I got comfortable with it, it felt like an epic tale told around a fire over the centuries. Looking forward to Book 2

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I awoke early this morning to finish the last 50 pages. I don’t understand how more people aren’t reading this Norse inspired fantasy! It has all the elements that you want plus they are handled very well.
I’m not going to summarize the plot because you can read it for yourself. I want to say that the characters and the worldbuilding are just tremendous. From the first sentence in the first chapter I was hooked: “Blood dripped from Einer’s fingertips onto the crisp snow.” All the descriptions from the cold, harsh landscapes to tough, loyal warriors were just perfect.
Once Hilda has some Muspel sight, she can see the fylgja or animal spirits of other warriors, so now we have animal companions, which is one of my favorite tropes! Hers is a snow fox and I like how their relationship grows. Einer is a half jotun and he has a polar bear fylgja. Another interesting character is Ragnar, who dies early on and is the skald of the tribe. His Darkness chapters are so scary, tormenting, and mesmerizing. I wonder what will come next for him. But so much is left unresolved with the main characters, that I’m very much looking forward to the next book.
I don’t want to leave out the Norse elements interwoven into the story. They are just seamlessly mixed in with the lives of the warriors. I so enjoyed reading about Odin, Loki, Hugin, and Munin.
“The last battle shall not be fought in Midgard, but right here,” Odin confirms. “Outside this very hall. The last winter draws close. My bones ache with the knowledge. Soon we shall all fight and die.”

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overview:

🛡️ Norse Mythology
🆗 Viking storyline
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Multi POV
🆗 Warrior characters
🫶 No/minimal romance

Northern Wrath begins with an assault on a viking village by Christians when the warriors are away. This sets multiple characters on different adventure paths. While other POVs do surface, the focus is on: Hilda, a woman who wants to be a warrior, Siv, a lady with a godly secret, and Einer, a warrior.

I really tried with Northern Wrath. Since it was our Broken Binding pick for the next 3 months, knowing that I paid for special editions of all three books certainly helped that motivation. I did DNF, but I can recommend the book to a certain crowd.

I really could not help but thinking this would make a really cool TV show. It is comparable to a lot of popular Grimdarks and you could almost compare it to a viking version of Game of Thrones. The main difference for me is how sure most of the characters were of themselves. Each POV character (for the most part) is extremely uncomplicated. They are warriors who want to go to Valhalla. They like to fight and honor their gods. The closest thing to a messier character we get is a literal child- so if you can imagine the more masculine moments of The Black Company, thats sort of what we are getting with these characters.

For me, a darker fantasy needs to have more internal conflict and moral complexity. I found myself curious but bored. I am drawn into the main plot which is how I got so far in the series- but the book never really strayed from its straightforward "cool viking" path. The human characters were also insufferably religious, and that requires a certain tolerance even for a fantasy religion.

While some characters are tied to the human world, many minor POVs are also connected to Alfs, Giants, and Gods. These are always a lot more fun and I would have been curious to see more of them.

Northern Wrath is great if you enjoyed books like Black Company or Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes. Its very focused on its battles and warrior characters and does not spent much time with politics or character drama. I think it has a really strong appeal for the right person, but I look for more morally grey characters and interesting politics in my fantasy, especially when its going over 400 pages.

[Jord MiddleofNowhere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pending

[Jamedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I have received an ARC of this book in order for the review. This hasn't influenced either the review or the score.

Northern Wrath is the first book in The Hanged God trilogy, by the Danish author Thilde Kold Holdt. It's such an interesting proposal, in the lines of historical fantasy that has quickly grown as one of my favourite subgenres, and also, a great debut novel, starting a really ambitious trilogy. It also reflects a great labour of investigation around Viking traditions, their mythology, and their rituals.

While we are going to follow mainly the POVs of Einer, Ragnar, and Hilda, inhabitants of the village of Ash-hill; there are several more POVs in chapters, helping to portray the full situation of what's happening at any time. Sometimes the jump between POVs makes it a little bit confusing to follow the thread that Kold Holdt is weaving, but I personally like the use of this resource.

Kold makes an excellent job of portraying the Viking traditions, using different resources such as chants, some rituals, and the way of fighting. I would like to stop a moment to praise also the way she describes fighting, because despite the many times it might be confusing, you end up grasping a full picture of all that is happening (I would call this the analog of what people named ordered chaos for Peter Jackson's films). The work on characters can also pass a little bit unnoticed, due to the huge amount of POVs, but in the case of the main ones is something remarkable, giving also the adequate spotlight to the women paper in the Viking society, much more equalitarian than the one in the Christian ones.

Supernatural elements take a little bit to appear, especially because they seem to be contained to the path of Ragnar, which is really oniric, but which drew the most attention from me; it's a world setting where supernatural elements slowly are getting into.

I really enjoyed my way through Northern Wrath. I think it's an excellent debut, and I would totally recommend it for the fans of American Gods, or the ones that enjoyed The Children of God and Fighting Men. There are small details that could be improved, especially on the craft side, but again, for such a chonk of a book, it's amazing. And I can say that this won't be our last time reviewing The Hanged God trilogy.

[twinklesandstars · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL THE DAMN STARS.... I cannot stress how freaking perfect this book is. Grim dark, deliciously Norse, filled with characters you cannot help but to he completely enthralled with.
I didn’t want this book to end, it was perfect.

I’m writing this seconds after finishing it, and I’m dying for the sequel.
So many questions right now. And what a fantastic row of cliffhangers just waiting to be untangled in the sequel.

Damn it, you all need to read this. As a proud Viking, as a Norse goddess myself, this book was a masterpiece.

[L'ours inculte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il restait quelques jours au mois de février et j’avais lu toute ma PAL de #FebruarySheWrote (vous avez remarqué que j’ai chroniqué que des autrices pendant presque un mois ?), donc autant finir avec du sang, des bastons et de la grosse mythologie nordique ! J’avais Northern Wrath sur la liseuse depuis un moment, et j’avais aucune idée de ce qui m’attendait.

C’est l’été, le soleil brille, les guerriers de Ash-Hill sont partis pour la saison des raids comme tous les ans. Les vieux, les enfants, les non-guerriers s’occupent des tâches quotidiennes tranquillement quand les chrétiens débarquent du sud pour bastonner du païen. Alertés au dernier moment, les villageois leur opposent une défense héroïque mais ne peuvent empêcher le massacre. La jeune Hilda survit de justesse mais elle doit suivre la voix des runes qui la poussent à chercher des armes divines, elle ne sait pas encore quels démons elle va lâcher sur le monde. Siv, femme du chef du village, fuit pour mettre la jeune Tyra à l’abri mais elle sent les neuf mondes qui se délitent, les dieux et les anciennes coutumes se meurent, elle a un rôle à jouer, et un secret. Einer et les guerriers rentrent au pays pour découvrir le massacre, ils doivent maintenant chercher des renforts pour résister à l’envahisseur, mais les allégeances changent chez les vieux alliés.

Northern Wrath est un récit qui mêle merveilleusement bien le récit historique et la mythologie. En effet, on réalise assez vite que le bouquin ne se passe pas dans un monde secondaire mais bien dans l’histoire de notre Europe du nord, où l’autrice donne vie à toute la mythologie nordique pour la mêler au destin des hommes. C’est progressif, on démarre sur un conflit très humain pour voir petit à petit les éléments surnaturels qui se déploient dans les mondes, et on découvre les fylgja, les berserkers, les jotun, les nains forgerons, les neufs mondes et les dieux qui vivent au-delà de la perception humaine. Le fait de les découvrir du point de vue des hommes, de voir déployer ces croyances en vérité petit à petit, donne une solidité et une richesse à l’univers présenté par Thilde Kold Holdt.


Vous l’aurez compris dans mon petit résumé, on va suivre plusieurs points de vue qui vont chacun partir dans leur quête propre, avec pour point de départ commun le massacre d’Ash-hill. Hilda est une jeune guerrière à qui on a refusé la place de shieldmaiden pour partir en raid, mais ses talents de combattante ne font aucun doute après le premier combat. Son développement est impressionnant, elle va devenir une protagoniste iconique, guidée par les Runes, un vent qui la pousse et lui murmure à l’oreille ce qu’elle doit faire pour servir les dieux mais tout va pas se passer comme prévu. Elle finira marqué, maudite, possédée, une héroïne qui s’en prend plein la gueule mais qui affronte les épreuves avec hargne, et se pare au fur et à mesure d’attributs qui la rendent vraiment impressionnante, narrativement et « visuellement ».

Einer et les autres guerriers et guerrières qui rentrent des raids focalisent la partie la moins « surnaturelle » de l’histoire, on va suivre le clan qui voyage et cherche des alliés, entre politique et bastons, quelques raids pour se ravitailler. On va voir un monde qui change à travers leurs yeux, des chefs de clan voisins qui se mettent à vouloir être rois et renier les traditions, se convertissent et complotent. On situe d’ailleurs un peu l’action dans l’histoire quand ils vont chercher du soutien en Normandie, où règne le petit-fils d’un certain Rollo. D’un autre côté, Siv va nous révéler son passé secret qui va se mêler aux créatures mythologiques, on découvre les géants et leur capacité à changer de taille, la colère de leurs ancêtres les « forefathers » qui peut les submerger et les perdre en combat dans une rage incontrôlable.

Tout ces points de vue (ainsi que le voyage de Ragnar le scalde dans l’au-delà, mais on va pas tout dévoiler hein) se mélangent dans une trame complexe et rythmée qui saute entre les neuf mondes et nous offre une fresque magnifique. Et tout ça est évidemment ponctué de moments épiques ! Bien sûr ! Entre les bastons impressionnantes derrière le mur de boucliers, les duels, les sorties enragées de berserker, la tension d’un monde qui change, les visions des pouvoirs mythologiques qui se déchainent, tout ça apporte un souffle qui m’a emporté. Je me suis régalé et j’ai acheté la suite, Shackled fates, dans la foulée. Le tome 3 sortira en octobre et conclura tout ça.

Entre ses personnages iconiques, sa manière subtile de déployer la mythologie dans le monde pour nous la faire découvrir progressivement dans toute sa complexité, ses moments épiques, Northern wrath est un roman vraiment passionnant à découvrir si vous lisez en anglais.

https://ours-inculte.fr/northern-wrath/

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley and Rebellion in exchange for an honest review

Death, Pain and Fear

Nothern Wrath depicts the end of the Viking Age and has our protagonists coping with the inevitable arrival of Christianity. The Old Gods are fading and uncertainty runs rampant. I thought it was an interesting premise and also something that I have rarely seen as most of the mainstream Viking media just talks about them invading England. This is a much more compelling approach.

The premise is really made to shine with the help of a massive cast of characters. Most of the characters are really compelling and make for an interesting read. As a general rule of thumb - the more mythological the author dared to go with her characters the more gripping their stories were. I utterly loved following Hilda, Buntrugg and Einar and Ragnar since their stories were just so magnetic. The only characters that I was not sure about by the closing of this story were Siv and Tyra. I felt like they were too separated from the "main" cast and I was not that invested in their journey.

I will also mention that in addition to the primary cast the author interjects viewpoint chapters from other people who interact with the main cast for us to get another angle on events. There were times when this was used perfectly to enhance the reading experience but there were other times where I questioned the necessity of this.

I do have to commend the level of detail the author put into representing the Viking culture and mythology in this novel. I felt like I learned so much when reading this book and part of that was purely due to the way this information is presented to the reader. There is absolutely no hand-holding and it is up to the reader to do the research. I just know a trip to the internet is up when I read something like this:

Once again, they arranged the warriors on the hnefatafl board. (Hnefta-what now?)

This happened many times during reading this book but to me, it made things more interesting and I learned quite a bit more about the culture as well. There is a potential negative there for some people though - for me it was sometimes hard to know the motivations of the different gods and giants since I was not familiar with them and things were not always explained in-depth in the text. That may just be the outcome of weaving mythology into the story as I doubt even the real Vikings truly knew what their gods were up to at all times.

Overall it was a great ride and even though there were some missteps the positives far outweighed the negatives. I will definitely be continuing on with this series and do recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in the Viking culture.

[Vignesh S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book of 2021 where I cannot connect with the characters as much as I like the plot. Being a character based reader this reduced my enjoyment very much.

The story starts in a village called ash hill and the story revolves around a revenge attempt the mens of ash hill is trying to make against southerners for something they did at the start of the book.

As I said before, the plot starts moving at the very early part of the book. For me the plot started even before I started caring for my characters. This was a big let down for me. If I don't care about the characters, how will I react to the things happening to them?

But other than this huge issue for me, I liked the exploration of Norse mythology and other aspects of this book. The author really researched very well about Norse mythology and Norse way of living for writing this book. That made me give this book 3 stars. Otherwise it would be a DNF or a 1 star book for me.

If you don't care about characters and character depth and more of a plot reader, this book may be for you.

[Cass (the_midwest_library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this would probably be a really great book for people who love Norse mythology. I tend to not....and yet I keep trying hahaha

Unfortunately while this book has some strengths I just found it a bit boring. I love a character driven story and the characters just felt a bit flat for me, and not very memorable. Especially the female characters which I just overall was not for me.

The writing was good though, I would read something else by this author. I thought the narrative voice was strong and the plot was enjoyable overall.

[Tamlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Mike Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Northern Wrath is a fun, gory romp through the frozen North, with Vikings! The characters don't have a lot of depth, and aren't terribly dynamic. The plot is a pretty straightforward revenge tale, without much in the way of twists or originality. The fantasy elements are lifted straight from Norse mythology, and are given enough context that it was possible to follow what was going on, although I constantly felt that if I was more well-grounded in my lore that I could have gotten a lot more out of this book. I didn't love every minute of it, and for a book that I didn't love, 700 pages gave me a LOT of those minutes. But when Holdt stuck to writing about Vikings doing Viking stuff, it was great.

The story is set in Jutland, around the time that Viking life was in decline. Southerners and Christians are spreading North from Denmark and points south and the Old Ways are in danger of being left behind by history. While the Viking Warriors of Ash-Hill are out raiding, murdering and pillaging, as Vikings tend to do, the undefended village of Ash-Hill is put to the flame by the zealous Southern Christians, who's military arm has caught up with their harmless missionary presence. As far as revenge stories go, it was really hard to find much sympathy for the Vikings of Ash-Hill, coming home to find their families slaughtered and their homes destroyed. By the time this early event happens, we've already seen battle, ruthless murder, and human sacrifice, and I must say, if I was a Southerner I would want Ash-Hill incinerated myself! It's not a stretch to say that the Vikings are devoid of any modern moral high-ground, which you really need in a revenge story, if the revengers are to carry any sympathy.

There are three main protagonists, Einer, the son of the Chief of Ash-Hill, Hilda, Einer's childhood friend who longs to become a shieldmaiden, and Siv, the mysterious runesmith who guides Ash-Hill's spiritual life. I found Einer's story to be the most interesting, while I found Einer himself to be the least interesting character. Most of his story could have happened without him. He floated along as second-in-command while his father Vigmar made poor decisions and the wily Finn made life difficult for him. Although Einer is a berserker, who is overcome by a blinding battle rage, he is also slow to anger and quick to forgive and lets Finn shit all over him through most of the story. He literally stands by looking morose while Finn tries to steal his ship, his girl, his sword, his father, his birthright, and even his life. Some Berserker! Still, his story has the least magic, and the most of gnarly Viking warriors just doing Viking stuff, sailing, fighting, drinking, fighting, telling stories of olde, and fighting. His chapters were a joy to read, in spite of him.

I found Hilda to be less likable, for opposite reasons. She is a hot-headed, chip on the shoulder, young woman who longs to be a shieldmaiden and fight shoulder to shoulder with Einer in battle. She's been frozen out by Chief Vigmar from ever joining the raids despite being a capable warrior. She becomes one of the very few survivors of the Ash-Hill massacre and flees to meet up with the warriors who left Ash-Hill defenseless while they raided the coast. She proceeds to stumble upon supernatural event after supernatural event, until she finds herself some sort of powerful warrior sorceress. Through all her traumatic story she doesn't actually learn anything about herself or life. She doesn't grow or progress as a character at all. All you need to know about Hilda, is that she is type of person who captures her spirit animal and ties it with a chain rather than befriending it and earning it's trust. Yuck.

Siv is the most interesting and dynamic character of the three, but her story left me lost. This is where I felt that I could have used more Norse mythology education. Siv is an ancient being who knows how to travel between the nine-worlds and can perform powerful magic. I understood very little of what she was doing or why after the Ash-Hill massacre. She just sort of jumped from one supernatural encounter to the next. I felt like her whole story was just a vehicle to talk about ancient magic and gods, and the nine worlds of Norse mythology rather than an interesting plot that moved from point A to point B.

This isn't a character driven book. Fans of George RR Martin or Joe Abercrombie will find little here to keep their interest. Fans of Vikings, mythology, battles, and gory writing will find a lot to like, without all that troublesome character development getting in the way.

[BookishBenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a SFF Blog! You can find it over at sffoasis.co.uk

This debut story is actually the first physical arc I was ever sent by a publisher and was also the first Viking inspired story I had read. For these two reasons, this book holds a special place in my heart and I'm hoping that this review, based off of my previous review on my old YouTube channel, ignites an interest in yourself to read before the sequel is released this October 2021.

Firstly I’d like to thank Hanna at Rebellion for sending me this book, it was my first experience with a publisher and she made the whole process enjoyable and seamless, introduced me to this brilliant author (who I ended up interviewing last year) and has also set me up for many more books by Rebellion of which I have reviewed and continue to do so.

Now, before I read this book I had no knowledge of Vikings. The only knowledge I did own was that of what I'd seen in the opening scene in the movie Gladiator and two seasons of the famed Amazon show, Vikings.

Thilde (pronounced TILDA) is a debut author and what this means is that this is her first published story. This is an important point to remember here because sometimes you get debut authors and they write some nice books but they don't necessarily hit the nail on the head first go. Thilde did.

Thilde has created multiple worlds filled with believable life. There are many people in the book who flesh it out despite them not being main characters. They work well because they feel real and that they deserve to be there and haven't been thrown in just to "flesh it out". The worlds that Thilde has created aren't strictly fantasy since Midgard (Earth) is here already but her worldbuilding is great and brings it all to life really well. I especially found the book chapters labelled as Darkness very interesting and cannot wait to see what happens in this world in Shackled Fates (book #2).

Thilde has written Northern Wrath as a multiple pov (point of view) story. If I remember correctly there are four povs but three of these are on Midgard which is where the main story is being told. The various protagonists Thilde has wielded onto the pages all carry very believable goals. They each have their own wants and needs and this is seen through their actions and conversations which reinforces the idea that they are real vikings who have existed before us. I think each person will have their own favourite character. For me it's probably Hilda but the others are equally as good fun!

Now with Vikings you expect fighting, drinking and shouting. Fear not, there is plenty of that to go around. Even better, it's been written really authentically and well. You will be pleased to know this has well choreographed and brutal fight scenes between Vikings and their enemies. The details about the fights are just what’s right - not too much that it turns it into a history lesson and not too little that you feel like someone is trying to write what they see live at a boxing match. There are some really smart pieces of action in here too. I can remember messaging Thilde as I read this last year and shouting about how cool a certain fight, which occurs in the sea, was. Really genius imagination.

This has been bittersweet to write this review because essentially I don't have the time to re-read Northern Wrath before I read my Shackled Fates arc (advanced review copy) but it's so nice revisiting the book and helping others to see how good this book is. I don’t want to say too much with what to expect in this book but there are more than just humans in here. I love the fact the chapters are broken down as different character perspectives too. It's my favourite style of story.

Rating 5/5 - I love this book and I love Thilde's writing style. She creates realistic but brilliant battle scenes and makes you want to help the characters reach their goals. She's a great author who has authentic research that goes into her books (She has been in a viking ship and rowed across the sea for example). Thilde has already written the third book in this series, Slaughtered Gods and the second book, Shackled Fates, is out in October 2021.

You can order this book from Thebrokenbinding.co.uk and use the code BLURB5 for a discount!