4.5 stars

This book is long - like really long and it felt really long and that's something I struggled with - but it was also the kind of book where as soon as I finished I IMMEDIATELY messaged the one other person I knew who'd read it to discuss.

700 pages of action and heart and revenge and gods and magic and mythology. This is the epic Viking story I have always wanted. And it's a big old series, which I'm definitely going to be invested in as I now have to wait an entire year for the next book (it's fine - by which I mean it's not but what else can I do?).

Hilda, Einer, and Siv/Tyra serve as the backbone of this story, showing us really how humans and immortals interact in Norse mythology while also telling a desperate story as each seeks retribution for the wrongs enacted on their village by Christian southerners trying to take over and smash the wills of the warriors in the north. But what's worse than the pain of all of their non-warriors being slaughtered? Their gods are losing potency and the worlds are plunging headfirst towards Ragnarok (aka the apocalypse).

Hilda is a badass. Trained to be a warrior and then not allowed to fight - until the secret invasion of the North while the warriors are away. She ends up saddled with a great burden and goes through it. Her story was honestly more than a little heartbreaking. And Einer, with the gods' blessing, becoming a strong leader, even as he loses everything. And Siv and Tyra off on their own fighting for the big picture.

Alas, the digital copy I had was riddled with typos, which hindered my reading experience slightly, though I know those will be gone by publication.

Basically - I'm ordering my copy now and you should too.

{Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review}