Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir

by Georgia Summers

When their mother is burned at the stake, Sýstir and Ada have two run or die. For fans of The Ten Thousand Doors of January and Circe, this lyrical tale of magical realism rooted in Nordic folklore is written by a no.1 Sunday Times bestselling author.

Young Sýstir’s world is small and seemingly quiet, but shrouded in secrets. Outside of the cottage where she lives with her beloved mother and adored older sister, lurks the constant danger of being discovered by the villagers for what she truly unwanted, dangerous, Huldra. When their mother is accused of being a witch and dragged to the stake, the sisters must run for their lives. 

Sýstir finds herself alone in the Dark Forest that she later comes to know as Trollheim - a magical realm for mythical beings and a sanctuary for those with nowhere left to turn. Here she finds a kindred spirit in the rogue Troll Agagkantor who takes her in and encourages her to live life as her true self, to understand and use the powers she has been hiding away. However, Agagkantor carries secrets of his own and Sýstir comes to realize that her loyalty might have been misplaced. In the end she has no other choice but to sacrifice everything in order to protect that which matters most - her home.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Mythology, Adult

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2026

About the author

Georgia Summers is half-British, half-Trinidadian, and spent most of her life living across the world, including Russia, Colombia, and the US. When she’s not doing bookish things, she’s planning her next great adventure. She currently lives in London, but she dreams of one day living in a haunted château with a ghost that cleans.

Reviews

[Elfundertheshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

This is a love letter at its core. To the transformative nature of forests and the magic that is intrinsic, in the creatures that belong there. No judgement, only mutual, symbiotic camaraderie. It weaves in the familiar notes of our childhood fairytales, that dream-like quality of having this ethereal world just out of reach. You could slip in unnoticed if you only knew the correct trap doors.

Yet, in the same breath this story does not shy away from taking on themes of identity, self-discovery, found family, and familial trauma. It threads the dark notes through the story as adeptly as it weaves in the whispers of healing magic through music.

The majority of the book takes place across several winters (fitting for its Nordic folkloric themes), as we follow Systir from childhood into young-adulthood. What stuck with me the most is that the author takes care to put in age appropriate character behavior through dialogue, world view, and the malleable shape of Systir’s mind as we see her grow. A heart-touching nod to the fact that even though trauma alters the mind at a fundamental level, we ought to remember the person underneath — a balance I find is tricky to accomplish.

Passages in this book have the same effect as the relief after we break through the surface of water and breathe in fresh, clean air - the relief from tension breaking.
This is not a perfect book, that however is as subjective as anything can be
I wish we could spend more time with Systir in her late teens and watch her learn to survive the wilderness and succumb to her fragile grief laden mind while doing so. It would have made me understand the depths of her sudden isolation and disdain more closely. This could serve as a stronger bridge between her kind, innocent childhood and her hardened, almost autipilot existence in adulthood. While the writing is fast-paced and pulled me in instantly, the pacing dropped around the 40% mark and things felt tad repititive here. Then again the ending does not disappoint it picks back up swimmingly.

Overall, this is for those of us who miss the innocence 0f childhood, but are hyper-aware that adulthood has tainted a lot of our memories as we recall them.

[Maria P · Rating 5 out of 5]

° ˖✧ 𝓣𝓛;𝓓𝓡 ✧˖°
An emotionally devastating folklore-fantasy perfect for readers looking for a tragic tale bridging YA and Adult fiction, with an uncomfortable reflection into the human experience and characters you can't help but love despite their flaws.

° ˖✧ 𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 ✧˖°
4.5 ⭐
0 🌶️

° ˖✧ 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 ✧˖°
"To know humankind is to suffer," he says. "And how you have suffered, Systir."

"After all, grief reminds us that we loved, once, and were loved in return."

"You're already home, Little Bird. Where else would you ever need to be?"

"What are you?" she hisses.
"I am what you made of me," Systir says softly, pulling her tail free.

° ˖✧ 𝓢𝔂𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓼 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ✧˖°
After her mother is executed for witchcraft, Sýstir escapes alone into Trollheim, a hidden refuge for mythical beings. Taken in by the troll Agagkantor, she searches for her missing sister while uncovering dangerous secrets of her own.

° ˖✧ 𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼 ✧˖°
🪵 Nordic Folklore
🫶 Found Family
🌱 Coming of Age
🪞 Exploration of Humanity
💔 Tragedy
🔑 Secrets & Betrayals
🛖 Small Community

° ˖✧ 𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓰𝓮𝓻 𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 ✧˖°
🪦 Grief
💀 Character/Animal Death
🩸 Violence
🥀 No HEA

° ˖✧ 𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓼 ✧˖°
+ Emotionally Devastating
+ Strong Connection to Characters
+ Relatable and Dark Themes
+ Powerful Opening and Twists
+ Suspenseful Tension
+ Rich, Mystical World
+ Middle-ground between YA and Adult Fiction
+ A Lifetime in a Standalone

° ˖✧ 𝓓𝓲𝓼𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓼 ✧˖°
- Slow Pacing
- Ambiguous Ending

° ˖✧ 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ✧˖°
This book destroyed me in the best way. I thought I was distant enough, but the characters sneak up on you and suddenly it's like I was Systir struggling through life just trying to find somewhere to belong. And that's all she really ever wanted. As a half-human half-creature, she didn't really fit in either space and was forced to create her own home and kin.

Fitting in is a relatable theme for everyone, though I can't imagine many of us have been through quite as many horrors as Systir. The book begins right after a traumatic event - Systir and Ada are running away from their burning house with their mother inside. You can feel the distressing restless energy through the pages - it's really uncomfortable.

It felt like the entire book I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now, Systir will have something good, right? Right? And there are moments of sunshine in between the grey, but they only serve to rip even more tears from you later. And I did cry, several times (once in a really public place which was very embarrassing but no regrets). But it was also really cathartic.

I lived and breathed Systir's world, witnessed practically a decade of her existence all in a single book. It's really interesting because the pacing itself is very slow, but there's so much life crammed into those pages. So many lessons, friends, love. But also grief, heavy and pure. There's so much to learn from a story like this.

Trollheim walks the line between YA and Adult beautifully and in a way that appeals to me greatly. The first half of the book Systir is practically entirely a teenager, and we really get to see the influences on her and her naivety. Then, how that cocktail of experiences add up to who she is by the end. There's a lot of darkness in this story that it wouldn't make sense for a younger audience to read, but that's not to say that as adults we can't learn from this too.

With how emotionally intense this read was, I'd really hoped for an ending that punched me in the gut too. Instead, we're given somehow an even more tragic ending without the impact I expected. It's open and vague, and at first I was frustrated. Looking back on it a day later, and I think that perhaps it is the ending Systir needs. The one she maybe deserves, even. And however misguided, there's always hope.

Thank you to Georgia Summers and Titan Books for the opportunity to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Nicola (readingonlocation) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trollheim: The Tale of Systir by Georgia Summers is a darker, more folkloric turn following the charm of The Bookshop Below. This is an origin story steeped in myth, isolation, and the search for belonging.

Per its title, this tale follows Systir, a half human, half Väsen girl who flees her village to carve out a life in the Dark Forest. This is not a happily ever after fairytale, but something sharper and more haunting, closer to the roots of folklore.

You’ll enjoy this if you like:
* Scandinavian mythology
* Strong character development
* Villain origin stories

I deeply felt Systir’s plight throughout, her longing for belonging and the quiet pull toward something darker. The time jumps work well to carry the story beyond a simple coming of age arc, giving it a broader weight.

And who can resist a feline sidekick? Fulgir, the wild cat companion, is a standout addition and brings a welcome thread of companionship to an otherwise lonely journey.

4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

#TrollheimTaleofSýstir #NetGalley

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This was a fascinating look into the world of vaesen and Scandinavian folklore. The book takes place from the perspective of Systir, who is half human and half Vaesen and this helps us to bridge the two worlds. It also explores how hard it is for her to belong to either world, facing derision on both sides. She’s too monstrous for humans, who try to hunt her, and too human for many of the Vaesen. Her sense of belonging tends to be towards specific people who show her love and kindness, but this can be particularly devastating for her when she feels like they’ve disagreed or that they are lost to her. It was interesting to see how this shaped her personality and her reactions.

This is often beautifully written, which a gorgeous, magical world created in the dark forest. The rituals and ways of magic working are fascinating as is the history and politics that we learn through Systir’s eyes. It’s often so difficult for her to know who to trust, with characters often pushing their own agendas. This is unmooring for the reader as we rarely know more than Systir does, learning alongside her.

This was an engaging, thoughtful read with beautiful world building, affection for folklore and a complex main character.

[Chewable Orb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir by Georgia Summers
4 🔮 orbs
Est. Pub. Date: May 19, 2026
Titan Books

Tranquil chaos…

💡 Orbs Prologue: I have long since passed. My troll body gave way to the nature of time. As a petrified stone, I sit in a graveyard overlooking green swathes of forestry known simply as the Trollheim or the Dark Forest. Filled with magical beasts, often referred to as väsen, we occupy this place in utmost benevolence. From above, my innate senses remain aware of the incoming changes, much like the winter season’s stark reminder amid the flurries of freezing snow. This year, it would seem we have a visitor, an outsider who, dear reader, in her own naivety, brings forth a new set of complexities to our land. Agagkantor, our self-exiled ex-leader, has brought this lost huldra into his home as family, saving her from certain death, but at what cost?

🧐 A small glimpse: Follow the gnomes peddling their wares as author Georgia Summers takes readers on a wondrous journey. Similar to a Puritan witch hunt, Sýstir and her sister, Ada, have become motherless in a pyre-infested town ravaged by skepticism and hate. Proving that persecution holds no boundaries over those who attack for fear of the unknown. On the run from the local soldiers, Ada and Sýstir become separated, and Sýstir is left to fend off the bitter cold alone. With hungry wolves on the prowl, a troll named Agagkantor provides protection and safety in his personal cave dwelling. A coming-of-age story rings true, and Sýstir questions everyone in her past, propelling her to gather an inner strength with guarded intensity. For Sýstir is half huldra, half human, both of which have raised skepticism of those within this magical community, particularly those of the troll leader, Queen Hilda. More than anything, Sýstir wants to feel accepted, a part of a family with whom she can share memories and let her cow-like tail hang freely without fear. With the overseeing tree, Natteskur, providing peace among the creatures of Trollheim, relationships remain hospitable. However, there is a darkness lurking, a dark heart pumping a rabid evilness through spidery-like veins and forever changing this beautiful landscape.

👍 Orbs Pros: Being that I reside in Norway, anything Scandinavian-lore-related is fascinating to me. What captivated me more was a similar tie-in with witchery that caught me off guard. After reading Brom’s Slewfoot, I wholeheartedly admit that I have begun to become enamored by this subject matter. Fairy-tale-like vibe! If you love trolls, gnomes, and an emotional rollercoaster, you may indeed enjoy this novel. Discovery! Huldras! What are they? Beautiful succubus-like creatures, with singing prowess and seductive natures, armed with a strange cow-tail. For some reason, trolls became more than just what I had pictured in my simple mind, as big, oafish characters carrying the proverbial clubs. Georgia Summers does an excellent job at creating characters with complex depth, ones that will have me give trolls and gnomes their proper respect in the future.

👎 Orbs Cons: The older sister! What happened? Without giving too much away, I was a bit shocked by how this relationship panned out. Perhaps that is due to the very nature of how Sýstir changed, but what once was of the utmost importance was simply thrown by the wayside, and I, for one, was not a fan! Parts seemed to drag! Perhaps it could have used fewer pages?

Recommended! However, there may be enough reasons for some people to lose interest. I acknowledge that some parts of the story felt long in the tooth, or perhaps, as in my case, I felt a character should have gained more traction and made a significant impact on the outcome. But, overall, I rather enjoyed my experience!

💡 Orbs Epilogue: Humans! The bane of our existence! The threat to harm all walking creatures, and to what end! The tentative sounds precede a leeriness towards this huldra named Sýstir, the creatures giving her appropriate pause and space. She is not one of us! After a monumental situation transpires, the winds of the trees tell me that the tides have turned, and the trolls have become friendly with Sýstir. This existence for Sýstir, here in Trollheim, while comforting, still lacks the finality she so desperately craves. Where is her sister, Ada? Exiting the forest, she sets off in search of Ada, entering her hometown, which appeared sadly the same as when she was chased out. Yet, Sýstir was different this time. A resolute huldra invoked her powers to “take” the answers she sought. Once again, reentering Trollheim, a slash of chaos slices the dewy mist of the Dark Forest as Sýstir brings a reckoning. A narcissistic power consumes her, and for us, the väsen, a brutal transformation is about to be unleashed upon the calmness and beauty of our home!

Many thanks to Titan Books for the ARC through NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lisa Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trollheim: Tale Of Systir
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trollheim: The Tale of Systir by Georgia Summers is a haunting and atmospheric Nordic-inspired fantasy that feels like an old folktale brought to life. Releasing May 19, 2026, this origin-style story centered around the Huldra blends dark folklore, survival, found family, and betrayal into a beautifully immersive read that kept me hooked from beginning to end.

The story follows young Systir and her sister Ada after their mother is burned at the stake for being a witch. Forced to flee from the men hunting them, the sisters become separated, leaving Systir alone and near death in the wilderness. She is ultimately rescued by Agagakantar, a troll, who takes her into his home deep within the dark forest. There, Systir grows up surrounded by magical creatures and ancient folklore while learning difficult lessons about trust, loyalty, family, and survival. As she begins to believe in herself and embrace who she truly is, she also discovers that betrayal can come from the people she least expects. At its heart, this story asks the question: are monsters born, or are they made?

I really enjoyed this book and once again found myself pulled in by Georgia Summers’ writing style. Her prose has such a lyrical, fairytale-like quality that perfectly fits the dark and eerie tone of the story. The forest itself almost feels alive, filled with magic, danger, and mystery, and I loved the heavy folklore influences woven throughout the novel.

I found Systir to be an especially compelling protagonist, and I really enjoyed watching her growth throughout the story. Agagakanar was also such an intriguing character, and the dynamic between him and Systir added so much emotional depth to the story.

I do think the pacing slowed down a bit during the middle section, and parts of the story felt somewhat drawn out. However, even during the slower moments, I remained invested because the atmosphere and characters were strong enough to carry the story forward.

Overall, Trollheim: The Tale of Systir is a beautifully written dark fantasy that will appeal to readers who love folklore-heavy stories, eerie forests, morally complex characters, and fairytale-inspired narratives. If you enjoy atmospheric fantasy that explores both the cruelty and compassion that create monsters, this is definitely one to add to your list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the E-ARC and an opportunity to give my honest feedback.

[Hijab Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir follows Sýstir, a young Huldra girl whose life is shattered when she and her sister are forced to flee the only home they have ever known. Alone and afraid, Sýstir finds herself in the Dark Forest, a place she later comes to know as Trollheim, a hidden realm filled with mythical beings, old magic, and creatures who understand what it means to be feared.

What begins as survival slowly becomes a story about identity, belonging, trust, grief, and the fragile hope of finding a home when the world has made you feel unwanted.

What I loved most about this book was its atmosphere. It has the feeling of an old folktale told beside a fire, beautiful at the edges but dark at its core. The Dark Forest feels alive, not just as a setting but almost as a character in itself. There is magic in the trees, danger in the silence, and a quiet sadness running through everything.

Sýstir was a compelling protagonist because her story is not simply about survival. It is about belonging. She is caught between two worlds, never fully accepted by either, and that constant ache shapes so much of her fear, anger, and longing. Watching her grow and slowly understand herself was painful, but also deeply moving.

I also really enjoyed the Nordic folklore elements. The Huldra, trolls, forest creatures, and magical traditions gave the story such a distinct identity. It felt eerie, strange, and beautiful in the way old fairy tales often are, where kindness and cruelty exist side by side.

The prose is lyrical and immersive, which suited the story perfectly. Georgia Summers writes grief, isolation, and longing with a quiet intensity that made the emotional moments land. This is definitely a slower, more character-driven fantasy, and there were moments where the writing dragged a little for me, but the atmosphere and emotional weight kept me invested.

Overall, Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir is a haunting, folklore-rich fantasy about grief, identity, found family, and the painful hunger to belong somewhere. It is not a soft fairytale, but something darker, stranger, and more bittersweet.
A beautifully atmospheric read for anyone who loves Nordic folklore, eerie forests, complicated characters, and stories about how monsters are made.

Haunting. Folkloric. Bittersweet.

4/5⭐

[Ginger of Horror · Rating 5 out of 5]

The witch trial never ended. Georgia Summers proves it.

Georgia Summers’ Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir arrives in 2026 as one of the most assured pieces of Nordic folk horror fiction in recent memory. The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The City of Stardust and The Bookshop Below takes Scandinavian mythology, specifically the figure of the Huldra, the forest creature whose name means “hidden,” and builds from it a dark, folklore-rooted story of persecution, belonging, and the cost of being the thing society cannot name. For readers who want their horror literary, patient, and grounded in genuine mythological tradition, Trollheim delivers with rare authority.

When your name means “hidden,” surviving means never letting anyone see your back.

Burn the thing you cannot name. It is a lesson humanity has rehearsed with depressing regularity, from the medieval witch trials of Scandinavia to every era of persecution that followed in their long shadow. The creature who does not fit, the woman whose knowledge frightens, the child born different: these are the figures folk tradition warns you about, fears, and eventually hunts. What Georgia Summers does in her third novel is take that particular, well-worn terror and flip it inside out, so that the monster becomes the one worth following into the dark.

And the dark, in Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir, is worth following into.

Georgia Summers takes Nordic folklore at its darkest and most honest, and builds from it a book about what it costs to exist in a world that has already decided you are dangerous. Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir is patient, precise, and quietly devastating, the work of a writer finding exactly how close to the bone she can write. It stays with you the way old stories do: not gently.

Read the full review here

https://gnofhorror.com/trollheim-by-g...

[Hamad Naif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an ARC of **TROLLHEIM: TALE OF SÝSTIR — Georgia Summers**
★★★★★

Georgia Summers built her reputation on dark, mythologically rich fantasy with *The City of Stardust*, and *Trollheim* confirms that she is working in a register all her own. This is Nordic folklore rendered with the kind of lyrical conviction that makes the strange feel inevitable — a world where Huldra walk among humans and the Dark Forest is both refuge and threat, and where the line between sanctuary and danger is never quite stable.

The premise is devastating from the first pages. Sýstir and her sister Ada are Huldra, creatures whose very existence is considered dangerous, and when their mother is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, they have no choice but to run. Only Sýstir escapes. Taken in by the rogue troll Agagkantor, she finds herself in Trollheim, a hidden realm in the Dark Forest where mythical beings gather and the unwanted find shelter. It should be safety. But her sister is still missing, and Agagkantor is keeping secrets that reach further back than Sýstir can imagine.

What Summers does so well is hold tenderness and darkness in the same hand without letting either diminish the other. Trollheim itself is rendered with genuine imaginative generosity, a place that feels fully inhabited rather than merely decorative. And at the centre of it all is Sýstir, a protagonist whose grief and determination and hunger for belonging make every revelation land with real weight.

Lyrical, atmospheric, and quietly devastating. Summers at her most assured.

[Kelsey Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim because the cover was cool and ate this up in two days! The first half is slowly paced, but not in a bad way, in an absolutely cozy way that makes you want to revel in the mundane goings on of Sýstir and her foster father as they navigate life in a magical forest. Part two and three however, I devoured. Summers has a beautiful way with words!

This is definitely a villain origin story. For that reason, I found the ending slightly unsatisfying, as we never see the full breadth of the pain our MC has caused resonate with her as she is so deeply ill. I think this is meant to be a standalone, so I found the lack of this resolution a bit jarring, however, I have a feeling that she’s going to go further with this series other ways. We shall see, but to be warned this is not a plot, tied up with a pretty little bow.

TW for cat lovers, I shed tears over the sufferings of Fenrir ♥️

[Michelle (Bamamele.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Titan Books for the preview. All opinions are my own.

Oh this was devastatingly heartbreaking. Trollheim is very different from Summers's previous books. It's a slow, character-driven folklore tale, full of vengeance and consequences. Systir is so easy to feel sorrow for; she's an outcast, she's constantly rejected, and so you feel so much hope for her when she seems to find her place in the Dark Forest. But the lies she's been told by the person she trusts the most end up breaking her.

Truly this is a dark tale; I cried quite a bit, and it really did feel bleak at times. But it's beautifully written. I think if you have the time to appreciate a slow introspective story, you would appreciate it. The end feels a little open-ended, so maybe there's still more story to be told? Hopefully another story would end with more hope (yes that's redundant, sorry).

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting as I found it to be both slow-paced and yet completely bingeable. It sounds contradictory, but for me, it worked.
There is a changing timeline that runs through this story that fits our protagonist, Systir, as she grows into who she is. It doesn’t seem rushed or over developed.
As someone who enjoys Nordic-inspired stories, I felt like this one would be perfect to read beside a crackling fireplace. It has an eerie folkloric quality – like a fairytale told to children but with a darker edge.
I found the writing to be incredibly immersive and vivid. I had hoped for a more satisfying ending to the book, but I can’t fault the direction the story took, as it fits a story shaped by grief, loneliness, and a fragile sense of identity.
Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC; all opinions mine.

Wow. I don't even really know what to say about Trollheim: Tale of Systir! It was dark, rich--with striking prose I won't soon forget--, unpredictable, sad...it left such an impression.

From the very beginning, Summers pulls you in with her beautiful writing. She sets the tone of the book from the first pages, evoking the heavy emotions that linger as I kept turning the pages. This is a story about survival, evolution, friendship, family, selfishness, hurt...Through it all, sisters can be the ones to save us at our worst.

This is the second book I've read by the author. While I wish that this one hadn't been quite so dark, I'm totally convinced of Summers' great talent and versatility.

[East of Reality · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more folktale than story, and I can’t say I personally enjoyed. I think that’s because I went into it expecting a more traditional story rather than — what I assume — is a retelling of an older story. To start with, Syìstir begins the story angry and afraid and ends the story … much the same way. There’s no real character growth, just adventures around her that she reacts to but doesn’t really grow from, and the book ends with her finding no real closure. Just the realization that everyone is terrible.

The world around Syìstir is the best part, the sense of the natural world being this big, both ominous and mysterious, but it’s not the primary focus. I regret not enjoying this book more and hope it finds its audience.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir navigates between a friendly Troll and other forms of Huldra. She meets Queen Hilda and dislikes her because Sýstir is half human and is immediately told to die to the Troll. It is a never ending battle between these two and is the final ending. This hate permeates Sýstir through out the book and gets worse with time. She gets her followers to conduct a war with the Trolls and wins the battle but ends up being put in a prison to live out her life.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a sad fairy tale that unfortunately missed the mark for me, unlike Georgia Summers' other books. While I thought it would be right up my alley (I love nordic folklore!), and the book started out strong, I felt the plot was rather slow and didn't resolve in a satisfying way. I did finish it, but felt it was a challenging read and the Dark Forest itself was a bit underwritten.

[i · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Georgia Summers, Titan Books, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Trollheim: Tale of Sýstir begins with Sýstir, a Huldra - half-human half-Vasen (fairytale creature) - and her sister fleeing their mother’s murder at the stake. Sýstir is rescued by a Troll and grows up within the Dark Forest, surrounded by other Vasen. All is not as it seems in the Dark Forest, as rot has set in and begun to seep outwards and infect the inhabitants.

This novel is a historical (perhaps 16/17th century?) fantasy inspired by Swedish fairytale creatures and is well written. The world-building was executed well (although I would’ve loved to see an expansion on the world beyond the local Dark Forest). The writing style was also engaging and I enjoyed the characterisation of each creature, as each felt unique. The character arc for Sýstir was interesting although it had it’s weaknesses (more below).

I will say that the book came across a little YA and I believe this was mainly due the first half being a ‘coming-of-age’ story more than anything. Also, as a reader, you had to suspend your belief for a few situations / plot points that didn’t quite make sense. Not in a fantastical way but more of a ‘if they know all the symptoms, why was this not addressed / identified earlier?’ and ‘if this character is cunning, why was this allowed to happen?’. For a book that is marketed as adult, these weaknesses should have been addressed better.

Overall, I wish I had Fenrir as a pet.

[Soledad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow folklore filled story! With the twisty anger, consequences, and vengeance that comes from being outcast. Feels like a dark fireside story being told you! Thank you to Titan books and Netgalley for the eARC!

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Harry Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgia has this kind of dark whimsy style of writing that just really hits the spot for me. Both 'The City of Stardust' and 'The Bookshop Below' were books I really enjoyed and I went in with high hopes here.

Trollheim did not fail to deliver! It's a story steeped in Nordic folklore, Systir escapes into a dark forest and is taken in by a troll. Over time she comes out of her shell and begins to make the forest her home.

It's a slow burn of a book in my opinion, things take time to develop but giving them the breathing room allows for the momentum to pick up quickly once it gets going, and then it canters towards an explosive final third.

Trollheim is a dark fairy tale that touches on trauma, grief, trust, identity, and a sense of belonging. It explores a different take on found family and is full of complex morality.