Rating: 3.25 Stars

I really, really wanted to like this book more than I did. Typically, I love mythology and Vikings so when I heard that both were in this book, I was really excited. But for some reason I was a bit underwhelmed.

This story focuses on two sisters, Lena and Fressa, who are the daughters of their village’s chief who is constantly off raiding other villages. There is also Amal, who is Fressa’s future fiancé. The book picks up when the girl’s father returns home from another raid bearing strange gifts and some bad news for the girls. Shortly after his return home, Fressa is found dead with no marks or explanations as to how she died. Lena, overcome with grief, attempts to make a deal with Hela the goddess of death in exchange for her sister. She must find a soul that is of equal “weight” to her sister’s and deliver it to Hela.

I thought that the premise of this story was unique, but I just wasn’t in love with the execution itself.

Lena was really the only character that was fully developed. Fressa was killed off pretty early and you don’t get to know much about her. Amal was… a bit boring. He was in the whole story but aside from him being Nana’s adopted son and loving Fressa we never learn much about him. We also don’t learn much about the village or it’s dynamics/traditions in-depth. Honestly, if it didn’t say that it was a Viking village in the synopsis then I would not have put together that it was a Viking village.

The Norse mythology was present in this book but played a relatively minor role. I’m not overly familiar with Norse Mythology so maybe some of the plot points just went over my head there but I just felt like things were glossed over and there’s not much discussion about it. Luckily, I do know a little about Loki and Hela because those were the two key players as far as the mythology goes in this book.

Overall, it’s a short and fast-paced novel that was lacking a little substance. Lena was an interesting character and her love for her sister went a long way for driving the novel. But she can’t hold up the entire story… I think if your new to Norse mythology you may want to brush up on Loki, Hela and Ragnarok prior to reading this one or there is going to be a lot of unfamiliar names, places and events.

The Weight of a Soul centers around Lena, daughter of the village chieftain and devoted older sister to Fressa. Shortly after Fressa announces her intended engagement to Amal, a lovely bro from the village, the real diabolic intentions are revealed: Amal's mother and Fressa and Lena's parents have always known that Amal and Lena would be the ones to get married. After all, Lena is the older sister and it simply wouldn't do to have Fressa married off first. Shortly after the news breaks, Fressa is found dead in the forest. Lena will stop at nothing, even cohosting with the gods, to bring Fressa back and made her family whole again.

The Weight of a Soul, with its Scandanavian inspired village and familiar Norse gods, should be a hit with the present Viking fantasy trend. However, I found that I was definitely not rooting for Lena, especially when we see just how far she's willing to go in order to have Fressa returned from the otherworld. Amal was, okay, but overall the romance aspects of this book are pretty slim. Some of the twists toward the very end are interesting, and I think set up a sequel pretty well. Will I be picking up book two in this series? Possibly not. There are definitely other Viking fantasies that I'd be eager to read first. Overall, not badly plotted and I did enjoy the Norse-inspired elements. I will be recommending this book to a young adult reader looking for an enjoyable, if a little bland, Viking fantasy read.

Didn’t get very far in this one before deciding to not finish it. Lena, the main character was kinda annoying and I just couldn’t connect with her.

I received this book from net galley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I absolutely LOVE books about mythology and adore books based around Vikings even more.

So huge points for the plot, I couldn't be happier! I liked the main characters on their own however their relationship is what really invested me in them. There is something about sisterly bonds that gets me (maybe having 2 sisters of my own). I loved immersing myself in their story and their connection as well as their mythology and stories that shaped their lives.

The 1st part if this book was non stop action. I loved how quick things happened and couldn't read quick enough. As the book went on though that action fell off. At first I thought okay sweet, cliffhanger ending and sequel I can't wait. Then came the disappointment everything very abruptly and quickly got wrapped up and the book was over. I wish the pace would have been a little more consistent and the ending not feel so rushed.

Overall I still really enjoyed this book and would reco9it to those who liked warrior in the wild, and the girl the sea gave back.

2 STARS

CW: loss of a loved one, violence

Last year, Outrun the Wind ended up in my list of ARCs, and I loved it. It was a retelling of the Atalanta myth, but f/f, and the queer classics major in me craved every word of it. On the heels of that, I figured that it was worth requesting an ARC of Elizabeth Tammi's latest novel, which moves away from Greece and dives instead into the realms of Norse mythology.

I'm sad to say I found myself sorely disappointed.

At its core, The Weight of a Soul is supposed to be a story about the bond between sisters and the lengths they would go for one another. Layer some encounters with the gods in there, and an arranged marriage, and you would think things would start to get complicated.

Instead, I spent 300-odd pages watching Lena commit atrocity after atrocity in Fressa's name, only to get an anti-climatic conclusion and an epilogue that hints that all of Lena's efforts were ultimately for nothing, that she played right into the gods' hands and paid dearly for her fleeting victory. It left me feeling cheated, and that's never a good feeling as a reader, not ever. 

Maybe if we'd spent more time with the side characters, maybe if Lena valued her own existence and relationships with other characters beyond her sister, it would have been more interested. Characters like Bejla could have played a larger role in Lena's life, could have turned this into something other than a tale of pure tragedy and futility. And yet it seemed like Lena was never going to be a full character in her own right. Despite being dead, Fressa was more the main character than Lena was, and it grated.

Worse still, I found the plot to be underwhelming. It's suggested that Fressa's death happened with a reason, and that the gods are hard at work bringing their whims about in the world, and we never see any of that play out. It's a game of cat and mouse with Lena running herself ragged at the center, and it brought me little joy to see her making such terrible choices, only to be rewarded with such meager payoffs.

Really, the only thing I did like about The Weight of a Soul was its atmosphere, which carried a heavy chill to it, one that seems fitting of traversing between the world of the living and the world of the dead, of speaking to gods, of mourning lost loved ones. That much did save this from being a 1-1.5 star read.

Overall, though, I can't give The Weight of a Soul my recommendation. If you want to give it a try nonetheless, it releases on December 3rd this year, but I make no promises about how enjoyable you'll find it. May your experience be better than mine, and the finished copy less frustrating than the ARC, but this not a book I'll be purchasing for myself.

[This review will go live on The Words Gremlin at approximately 10 AM EST on 11/8/19.]

It's been a long while since I've read a Norse mythology inspired fantasy book. I believe there used to be a mini trend with them a long while back. So I find it a bit refreshing compared to the recent YA fantasies that have sounded very similar to each other.

So you can bet that those facets were the parts of the books I enjoyed the most. The scenes with the gods were the ones that stood out the most with crisp writing and vivid descriptions. I also liked how the main character, Lena, took the gumption to actually get down and dirty her hands to accomplish the requirements of her quest. **spoiler** Murdering people. **end spoiler**

However, I'm not so sure it was clearly painted in the novel as to why she's the more favored sister to be the ruler of the village. Fressa, her sister, seems to have all of the qualities you'd want being fierce, gifted in physical skills, and more outgoing of the two. Lena pales in comparison having maybe only... practical skills to her name but even then that is not really remarked upon either. I can understand why many of the other reviewers called the story boring as outside of the lore elements, nothing much happened.

The story is very short, though, so it's pretty easy to whip through this. The writing is snappy and easy to read (the author does overuse the phrase "heaved a sigh" and its variants a bit too many times. I counted at least five or six), so you aren't going to have to slog through thick sections of filler and expositions.

A good read to spend a lazy day.

Hmm this is a hard book to review because I just didn’t connect with the characters. I did like that the author chose to give us Vikings because Norse mythology is not used often enough in books in my opinion . The overall plot of the story sees Lena desperate to release her younger sister from Valhalla but you just know that Odin would need a price to be paid so she instead seeks help from Hela the daughter of Loki. The price is a soul that’s equivalent to that of her sister Fressa which obviously is not something anyone would happily give because yep death is the only way ! Then the author adds in even more desperate times because Lena is expected to marry the man who loves Fressa !
This was a quick read and it was terribly obvious what would happen at the end but boy the author did lead Lena on a dark path. I thought the way it ended was a surprise in someways though because someone came into the story which meant there was a truly ingenious twist but sadly that all seemed very rushed. I couldn’t sympathise with Lena and that obviously colours my opinion so I rate this a three because I wish there had been more about the person who was revealed at the end.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, it was kind of boring.

I didn't really feel a connection to any of the characters. I wasn't able to care about Fressa's death the way I was supposed to because she dies so early on in the book that I didn't really have much time to connect with the character for her death to matter to me as a reader, and with the book told in third person all the emotion behind the loss was a little disconnected for me.

I really loved the setting and I love Norse mythology, there seriously needs to be more of it in books. However, that's where the things I enjoyed ended.

The characters all felt flat, which lead to me feeling even less interested in what was going on. There was a lack of urgency for me.

Everything from about this book was just okay for me.

I really liked the book and I can't wait for the book release. I would like to thank the publisher for giving me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful story!! I really loved the characters and world building for this one. Highly recommend this one!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really really wanted to like this more than I did. Maybe it's because I sort of forced myself to keep reading it when I was doing nothing else with my life but I just kept going in and out of actually liking The Weight of a Soul That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on this book because I really do like anything that has to deal with mythology and Vikings.. so I will definitely have to dive into it again but more around a time where I can actually just sit down and enjoy it.

In this, you will meet Lena. She's an okay character and so was her sister. Nothing was really special about them (at least to me) but again, I was in a weird reading funk with this book. I mean, we also don't know much about her sister Fressa because of what happened to her but I did find the whole situation pretty interesting. This alone was the only thing that made me keep turning the page.

Other than that, the book was just kind of meh to me. Not a lot happened and I feel like I was left with a ton of unanswered questions. I was definitely hoping for another book of some sort - like a novella or two? Just because I doubt that I'm the only one who was a bit disappointed with it all.

Then again, it could just be me. Here's to hoping there might be another book and to taking a second chance on a book in the future.

I love mythologies a lot, so this was a good book for me.

I liked Lena and Amal, the love they have for Fressa is fierce and loyal.
The setting and world building was very well thought out. I do feel like some aspects could be explained better.
The mythology and gods in here were a nice touch. They weren't overpowering in the story.
I had some issues with the writing style. I didn't feel natural for me. Some of the more important bits felt brushed over.

Overall I would reccomend this!

Enjoyable read. Really like that it has Vikings, lots of fun but could/should have been spread over two books to include a little more detail on everything that was happening.

I really liked Elizabeth Tammi's first novel and this one was about vikings so i wanted to read this. The worldbuilding was great but the pace was little bit slow for me. Overall it was a good story to read.

I recieved an ebook ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Vikings and Norse mythology/religion: two things I know little about and had to almost research to read the book. The plotline was good, the first half was extremely slow to me though. It was a struggle for me to continue the book every time I picked it up until the wedding, then I read the ending within a few hours. I would have liked to have had more insight into the Gods/Godesses and Viking/Norse background either within the book, or maybe a story at the beginning. It just needed more information. The world building was very good, but the character descriptions needed a little more. Up until the night before the wedding, I didn't realize that Lena wore dresses all the time, I visualized her in leather hide pants. Overall, a bit of extra description wouldn't hurt the book and a little more background info would be helpful.

I received this book at netgalley from the publisher for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis off this book I knew I wanted to read it. Vikings, Norse gods and a bond between sisters.

We start the book with Mare and her younger sister Fressa. One day Fressa is found dead. No one knows what happened.
Mare is determined to ask the gods to bring back her sister. But doesn’t know what the real cost is to bring her back.
Because how much is Fressa worth, and why was she killed. While Mare is trying everything to bring Fressa back, more things seem to change. Summer is ending to fast and the clan is starting to question if her family is doing the best to rule the clan.
And Mare learns that the gods are much closer than she knew. And that there is a reason all off this is happening.

I really missed the “Viking” part off the book. I would to see a little bit more exploring. We now only stayed in the village. We know her father travels a lot. And hear a little where he goes. But I would love to have seen a chapter about it.
But the way the gods are written I loved. To read about Hela, Loki, Odin and the Valkyrie was really good.
It’s a fast read but not a book I will reread.

I give it a 3,5 starts.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I don't think I've ever read a book that was based in so much Norse mythology and included visits with the gods. I was expecting a Viking sisters book but this was so much more. Lena and Fressa are daughters of the clan chief. They are incredibly close, and when Fressa unexpectedly dies it sets Lena off on a journey to get her sister back. Lena calls upon Hela to help and ends up visiting the goddess who says the only way to get Fressa back is to find a soul to take her sister's place. The clan is on edge due to the chief always off looting, and the weather not behaving correctly. Lena is in a desperate place, and her character is all over the place at times. I liked the way the clan interacted, and the magical elements to the story. I was surprised at how short the book was given the plot. The author does an amazing job of keeping the story interesting, and concise in that length of pages. I ended up enjoying this far more than I expected to in the beginning. The characters and world are great, the action is a perfect amount and the ending was sad but also fitting.

The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi is a tragic and emotional journey of the soul that focuses on secrets and the harsh consequences that ride in their wake. It’s a tale of love and loss, deception and guilt, and loyalty and ambition; all potentially conflicting concepts that plague those who are driven by desperation. It’s utterly heartbreaking, crushing, and bleak, all in a ways that make it feel so incredibly real and relatable to readers who have also suffered. It forces us to ask ourselves what we would be willing to do, what sacrifices we would be willing to make, in order to change the past and be reunited with those we hold dearest in our hearts.

When I originally spotted this title, I was immediately drawn in by its summary. I have an affinity for anything Norse or Norse-inspired, so this was a must-read for me. Unfortunately, I felt a bit misled by the blurb, thinking that this was to be an adventurous whodunit story throughout the realms with tragedy as the driving factor, but what I received was a very personal tale of a girl dealing with the devastating loss of her sister. The majority of this novel is really an examination of the human psyche when faced with harrowing events that bring about despair. It’s a bit slow-paced for my personal tastes, but there are plenty of aspects that would appeal to many readers.

This story uniquely considers the concepts of death and the afterlife while pulling in references to many different mythological histories, with major focus on Norse myths and ideology to match the setting. Tammi does a wonderful job of conveying many aspects with attention to the most minute of details, whether it be the descriptions of living conditions or the beauty of marriage celebrations. It’s well-written with simple, straightforward, and easy to follow prose, yet has poignant metaphors smartly peppered throughout for impact. The mystery threaded throughout is what kept me invested in the story, however, I felt it took on a secondary nature to the emotional factor of the book.

Tammi excels at infusing this story with such sincere and authentic emotion to make this a truly sentimental journey. She pulls back the skin, muscle, and bone, allowing us to peer into the very souls of those who are dealing with the effects of disaster and woe with pristine and stunning detail. The grief associated with loss is something that is touched upon by many authors, but the raw nature of it, along with the resolute desperation that follows, is not portrayed very often, making this a distinctively affecting story.

I felt the plot meandered for a good portion of this book, and then the final portion where light began to dissolve the shadows occurred at the pace of an avalanche, rushed and unfocused. I feel like this story would’ve benefitted from drawing out the ending a bit, and not just a “here are the answers” approach. I particularly enjoyed the mythological details imbued throughout, although I wish there was much more, or at least taken further. The little tidbits presented along the way allowed me to connect the dots well before the grand reveal, sadly making it somewhat anticlimactic. Lastly, for a character-driven story, the characters the author has given voice to left me with clashing thoughts, as assumed roles are often overshadowed by their lack of effort.

The Weight of a Soul was a read I went into with high expectations, and those expectations have unfortunately not been met simply due to misinformation. If you’re searching for an action-packed adventure and the ferocity associated with those of the Viking Age, this isn’t the one you’re looking for. The mythology is subtle, so it’s comfortable for readers who are not familiar with all the gods and terminology. Many readers will adore the intimacy of this book, which is beautifully illustrated without question, so if that’s what you’re craving, I suggest giving this one a shot.

This book is one I really enjoyed!! I binged this book and couldn't put it down!
Thank you netgalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this!

Norse gods rule the land in which Lena and her sister Fressa live. Fressa dreams of marrying her love Amal when her father returns from his raiding.

But, when Fressa is found dead Lena is so distraught that she decides to find a way to bring her back, so that Fressa and Amal can be married and the three of them can be happy again.

The cost to bring her sister back is high, and the gods strike a hard bargain, while slyly keeping Lena unaware of the truth behind the situation.

Lena repeatedly tries to meet the terms the gods have set for her sisters return. And you will need to read the book to find out what they were and what Lena goes through.

I found the characters well written and the description of the world easy to absorb. I didn't find myself feeling any urgency about any of Lena's situations, but that didn't detract from the tale telling for me. Overall this was an enjoyable book to read. I liked it, hence my rating.