I really liked the author's first novel, Outrun the Wind, so I was really excited about seeing the premise for this second novel and the viking setting.
And I do still think that it has an interesting concept and a great setting.
But it still took me a long time to read through it, and the more I was reading, the more confused I got on what to think about it, which makes this a hard book to rate and review.

The set up was promising. Death, Grief, Deals with the gods. And a main character who might be ready to do the unspeakable to save her sister.
I even kind of liked the absurd situation of Lena's reaction to the deal being "hm, guess I gotta kill that guy" - and then Hela being "nice try, but no, try again" - and Lena still reacting with "hm, guess I gotta kill someone else then".

But the middle part of the book felt too long, and disconnected to what I was expecting from the beginning. Clan politics, failed attempts, inner conflicts, more and more questions, but without any answers in sight. More family drama than god's play.
Only for her killing another person abd being told AGAIN that it was the wrong soul?
And then suddenly the reveals and the ending then went over really fast.

After I finished the book, I kind of felt left hanging a bit, still confused and irritated.
But I am still looking forward to seeing what the author will write next and hope that the next book will work better for me.

As promising as the synopsis of this one is, it ended up falling flat in the end and was difficult to really gain an interest in. I love Norse mythology and stories with Viking settings and enjoyed the historical nods in this, but unfortunately the lingering on Lena’s sadness after losing Fressa – while perhaps realistic – was enough to really throw the pacing of this story off.

All in all, I would say that while there is enough here to enjoy the read, there was also enough to make me loss interest quickly.

I loved the Nordic mythology that this book is based around. It was very fast paced which left me with a lot of questions. I enjoyed the relationship that Lena and Fresca have as sisters. I felt like the ending might have been a tad rushed so I'm hoping for a sequel because I still have questions! A fun read!

I liked this book. It was set in a time period that is not often explored in fiction these days, so I appreciated the originality! I thought the prose was good in places, choppy in others, but that didn't deter too much from my enjoyment of the story. I loved the Norse themes and felt like I learned some history about early Vikings.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the simplicity of this cover!

The book itself was unique. The storyline was something I"ve n ever read before, which i'm ALWAYS excited for. The plot was easy to follow and interesting enough to keep me turning the pages.

Overall, I'd definitely read more books by this author.

I dnfed this. I don't do that with books, even less if they're from netgalley, but to be completely honest, I couldn't read anymore of this. I didn't like the characters. I didn't like the story. I didn't like the dynamics. I don't know much about viking culture, but everything I've heard is the complete opposite of this, i don't know. The pacing was really slow, and I usually don't mind that, but with this book it only made it even more difficult to read. Maybe you will like it if you read it, I've seen some people that did, but I definitely did not.

This was a very interesting book. I could not put it down I had to know what happened. I love everything Vikings so it was really cool to have a story set in that era. I enjoyed this book and liked the twist at the end.

So any book that says it is related to mythology is a must read for me. So I picked up this book and I can tell you right now I was not disappointed on the mythological aspect of this book. The plot was good and the world building was fantastic and written in such a way that it was easy to understand. Lena, the main character, wasn't as likeable as I first imagined that she would be which was disappointing but that is the only thing that was wrong with the book.

When Lena's younger sister Fressa is found dead, their whole Viking clan mourns—but it is Lena alone who never recovers. Fressa is the sister that should've lived, and Lena cannot rest until she knows exactly what killed Fressa and why—and how to bring her back. She strikes a dark deal with Hela, the Norse goddess of death, and begins a new double life to save her sister.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of the below book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Title: The Weight of a Soul

Author Elizabeth Tammi

Release Date December 03, 2019

Initial Thoughts

I love all things mythology and Nordic mythology is one of my favorites. The idea of striking a deal with Hela to avenge a sister absolutely drew me in.

Some Things I Liked
There was a really good idea behind this book and it had a whole lot of potential. I liked the familiar parts of Norse mythology, but felt like we could have seen a bit more.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
Unfortunately this book just felt a bit underdeveloped. The main character made infuriating decisions, and the plot became more and more predictable as the book went on.


Final Thoughts
I wanted to really enjoy this one, and I feel like it had a lot of potential, but it just needed a little bit more.


⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars



Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flux Books for a copy of this book!

I’m going to keep this a spoiler-free review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. Let’s get this out of the way, I LOVE mythology of any kind, so this book was immediately on brand for me as a reader. And Nordic to boot? YES. I thought Lena was such an intriguing main character. The emotional connection with her was there. I thought the plot placing could have used a little work overall. But I will definitely be picking up the sequel to see where the rest of this story goes.

I enjoyed the nordic mythology, but not much besides that. I really really wanted to like this more than I did. Frankly, it was a little boring to be honest.

I've always been drawn to Nordic Mythology, I don't know whether its down to my ancestors or my recent obsession with the TV show Vikings, nevertheless I was instantly intrigue when I found this book on my shelf. This story follows Lena as she tries to find a way to get her sister Fressa back after her mysterious passing. Lena is a morally grey character, and a part of me enjoyed disliking her, however I began to crave for some redeeming qualities that would help me bond with her. She was selfish, moody and impulsive so let's hope we get to see some serious character development in the sequel.

Right from the first page we are thrown into the action and taken on an intense journey of vital importance. Tammi does a fantastic job at exploring and explaining the intricate world at Norse Mythology but the problem lies with the story's pacing. The first half is great and jam-packed with adventure but things start to slow down in the second half. But that ending was crazy, and everything that happened was so unexpected! We're left with load of unanswered questions that I need answering ASAP!

Overall, this was a fun and unique read that explore the wonderful world of Norse Mythology and I look forward to reading the sequel soon.

Solid read. Really enjoyed this story there was just something lacking for me in the characters. The mythology added a really enjoyable element to the story and I will definitely continue.

What I liked about he story:
- I love anything related to Vikings and Norse Mythology. That's what actually intrigued me the most when I requested that book.
- I love the main character Lena, yes she is determined, she is strong, she is smart and she is also morally grey. which for me, are the best type of characters because they make sense and they are relatable. I believe no one can be 100% bad or good. So that was a big plus for me.
- I was NOT expecting that ending and most of the twists to be honest! I loved that!
- I like the idea of the books, the twists and the plots...

What I didn't like:
- the arranged marriage for me is a no-no, whatever the reason for that mariage political, religious or whatever... I won't explain more but this is something I really don't like especially when you can just say no and stop things from happening and ruining the ceremony or something.
- I feel like the pacing was a bit odd. Things happened at the beginning then nothing then again lots of things happening. Maybe it's just me who didn't understand the world-building or character development there but it was a bit odd in my opinion.
- I need to love the main character to fall in love with the story and I didn't find Lena likeable. I mean I didn't hate her but I didn't root for her if that makes any sense. I understand the fact that she is doing everything she can for her sister but it's like she was no one without her, she had no personality and no goals... Which I can understand in some circumstances but here I missed something to make it believable and work for me. But at the same time she was grieving so again that could make sense

Overall I enjoyed that book and already know whom I should recommend that book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC!

I felt like this book missed a lot of opportunities. I wasn't quite what I was expecting and I think with the premise it could have had some real moral ramifications but it didn't go deep enough for me to really enjoy it.
It felt like the character development wasn't quite there, and while I take into account this is a different time and background I think that there needed to be more to the core of the plot and its effects on people

I really adore viking centered books, however this was not on par with others I read. Regardless, it was still an enjoyable that kept me intrigued. The norse mythology was the standout part of the novel because the pace was very stilted and left me constantly distracted while reading.

I was enjoying this reading until about half of it but then everything changed and I did not personally like the ending. However, I think it is a matter of my personal tastes and not about the book itself and many others could really like it.

DNF

I wanted to enjoy this one. The premise sounded really interesting, and the idea of a Vikings book has always appealed to me, but I really just couldn't get into this one. I thought the pacing was really slow and nothing was happening. I also couldn't connect with the main character, and that's a big problem for me. I wish this had lived up to my expectations, but unfortunately this book just wasn't for me.

This might be my first ever book about Vikings, featuring Norse mythology. As someone who's only ever gotten her references from Rick Riordon books, I was excited to read something more mythology-based books.

I really enjoyed The Weight of a Soul. It was quiet fast-paced with quick chapters. I actually really liked Lena's character. I thought she was strong but was not afraid to be vulnerable at times. Her sister, Fressa on the other hand kind of fell flat for me neither did she get much page time.

Overall, the book was fun but didn't blow my mind.