Play Book Tag discussion

The Monstrous Child - Francesca Simon

3 1/2 stars (rounded down to 3)

This is the story of Hel, the Norse Goddess of death, told in her own worlds. Hel is a neglected child of Loki and a Giantess that has been banished to the kingdom of the dead. In most of the book her voice is one of an unhappy teenager that is mad at the world.

I liked the fresh take on Norse mythology. I liked that the story was told in the first person from Hel's point of view. The artwork on the cover and in the book was beautiful and complimented the story. The characters were good, I just wanted to know more about them. Even Hel seemed like more of a caricature than a real individual. It felt like the character was telling me the myth instead of me living the myth with the character. Overall it was a quick read that I am glad I read. It has made me curious enough about Norse mythology to look for other fictional treatments of it.