I enjoyed this book alot, I gave it 5 stars. I enjoyed the amounts of mythology that Elizabeth incorporated into this book. It made me want to read more mythology books immediately afterwards.

I also really enjoyed the relationship that Lena had with both her sister and to Amal. There was genuine friendship between the three of them and none of this three-way love triangle. There wasn't any jealousy or animosity towards any of them. Lena did everything she could so that she could have her sister back but also to have her back for Amal too.

100% would recommend this book for an easy-read. Also, I enjoy reading stand alone books alot more often now and I think that this book is a perfect definition of a stand alone book.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this story because I couldn’t get into it. I love the cover but the story inside is not as beautiful as the outside. I am really hesitant to what rating should I give this because I do not like rating books I haven’t finished. Maybe I am going to give it another try in the future, but at this moment in my life it is not the right pick for me.
Thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

We follow Lena and her sister Fressa, daughters of the frequently away viking chief. Lena has to deal with the very sudden and strange death of her sister, and goes to Helheim (Norse version of Hell) to negotiate the release of her sister's soul from Hela herself. 
The author has obviously done a lot of research into the Norse Gods and the mythology of the World Tree (Yggdrasil), and the descriptions of Hell were beautiful. Hela was a brilliant character, and I would have liked to have focused on her a little bit more, as the actual plot line was very slow and sadly I found myself getting really bored, to the point where I didn't want to pick it up to read. 

This was a lot darker than the usual YA Fantasy which I liked but it was let down by the actual story. The plot twist was a little predictable, and overall, I can't find it in myself to recommend it. 

Trigger warnings for death of a loved one, depression brought on by grief, attempted rape, blood, arranged marriage, some mention of an eating disorder.

DNF-Ed. I couldn’t get into the story completely. I heard raving reviews so I might give it a chance in the future. Till then. Nope for me. .

After having a debut based in Greek mythology, Tammi turned her focus to Norse mythology here. Mythology of any kind is an auto-read for me, though I will admit I was a bit underwhelmed.

This book is about sisters Lena and Fressa, who are daughters of their village's chief, and Amal, who is Fressa's lover and (hopefully) future husband. The book picks up with the arrival of the girls' father from yet another raid; the village's resources are dwindling and rival groups are moving in, making this a precarious time for Lena's village. Soon after Fressa is gifted a mysterious blade from their father, she is found dead. Lena, overcome with grief, attempts to find a way to bring Fressa back - by making deals with gods to trade Fressa's soul for another's.

The premise was very unique, at least for me. I've read about characters going after kidnapped siblings, but never trying to revive a dead sibling through bargaining. I really like Lena's determination and desperation, which makes her do terrible things to get her beloved sister back. However, I do think the consequences of her actions are never quite explored, which is a shame. I think looking at the mental impact of her actions on herself would have been really great.

Lena was also the only fully developed character. Fressa, unfortunately, doesn't have much page time before being killed. Amal himself is a bit...boring and mostly defined in regards to Fressa. We don't really learn much about Lena's village or its dynamics or traditions in-depth, which makes it seem like any generic village - instead of a specifically Viking one.

The Norse gods themselves play a very minor role in the story. I mean, they exist and impact the plot, but they aren't really *present* (other than two key players). Mythology is glossed over a bit, and there's discussion of Ragnarok, but we really don't see much.

Overall, it's a short and fast-paced novel, but I really wanted more substance. Lena was a great character, but she can't hold up the entire story. The ending did go in a direction I had suspected, but I rather liked it so I think that's what is saving it as a 3-star read. This novel is good if you're new to Norse mythology and don't want something filled with too many unfamiliar names and events.

The premisse was very exciting, therefore I was super hyped for this book - I don't think I read a book focused on viking mitology before. However, I had a few problems with this book. It was very slow paced, and I didn't quite understood the reasons behind the protagonist's actions, because we're not driven to care about her sister, who she was trying to bring back. The ending was disappointing. The highs are the mitology (although a very sexist study on the society, but i'm not a specialist in the subject to actually confirm this) and the writing, which is beautiful.

I was quite excited about this book. Sadly, my excitement did not last. The first part was amazing. The ending was ok (although it wasn't very surprising). But I didn't enjoy what was in between. After reading the desription, I expected something different. More mythical creatures and gods, more action. It felt something was missing.
On the positive note - I liked description of some rituals and living in the village. The writing had quite potential, I could imagine the scenery very easily. Wish the story was better.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating book that starts off very slowly.

I really loved Lena as a character and her strength.

I really how there's a sequel!

I think this book had the potential to be great it is just very very slow paced. I liked the characters and most of the storyline but it was just soooooo slowwwwww

I'm still a bit torn about how I feel about this book. I loved Lena but she deserved so much better. Everyone just used her for their own purposes and all she wanted to do was save her sister. I wish we'd gotten a bit more of the relationship between the sisters. Overall, a very quick read (which surprised me). I liked it, but I didn't love it.

Will there be a sequel? Because after that ending it sure seems possible.

This one just didn't mesh well with me. I really didn't care for the characters and the story just felt meh. I think that if I would have liked the characters more that this one would have been better. But, I think in the long run this just was not the title for this reader. I think that plot wise that the middle of the story was bogged down and it really needed to be fleshed out a little better.

This is a very okay book, not great, not bad just okay. My Swedish side loved all of the Norse mythology and Viking lore in this book, well I just any mythology if I'm being honest. Lena the MC is the daughter of the chief and one day happens upon her sister dead. It is quite depressing I'm not going to lie, so be prepared when you start this book that it can get quite depressing at times.

This is a slow book, it does get on track after a few chapters but you really have to power through, the writing is not great but then again not awful, structure-wise it could have felt tighter and better woven and that is why the 3 stars.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, my opinions are my own.

I was granted an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's a story steeped in Norse mythology that focuses on the bond of sisterhood, the power love holds over us and the lengths a person will go for it. It focuses on Lena, the eldest daughter of a Viking chief and her younger sister and best friend, Fressa. Grief is explicitly dealt with in this novel. I appreciated that the author did not make her MC plow through her grief. Instead, the entire novel is mired with it when Lena finds Fressa dead in the woods. It really helps capture the spectrum of grief. Lena is consumed by it, and it's raw and real.
Desperate for answers and to get her sister back, Lena makes a deadly deal with the goddess of death, Hela, to exchange another soul of equal weight to her sister's so she can return Fressa to the land of the living. Lena crosses some stark lines in this novel and has to grapple with the way she does it. In the process, she finds out truths about herself and her sister that alters the course of her world. She also finds herself mixed up in the wills of the often capricious gods she was taught to revere.
The only reason I am not giving this book 5 stars is because it does start off extremely slow, but there is quite the twist at the ending that made it completely satisfying. The last 25% of the book was my favorite. This book is dark, lyrical and beautifully written. I can't wait for the next one!

A wonderfully exciting Vikings-like story about love, vengeance, and honour: perfect for young readers who might be a bit apprehensive at the level of violence shown in the hit TV series. There's plenty of folklore surrounding a novel which uses the Norse gods in its setting and the dialogue was witty as well as informative. This was a rather fun read that I would recommend easily.

This was a good read. Ive always loved mythology and Norse mythology is my favorites. I feel as though with Lenas character she was supposed to be depicted as a brave woman doing these feats for her sister but in all reality I didn't feel like she was a warm character. She was cold hearted. I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words with this particular review probably because I picked this one up back in July, read half of it and just now went back to finish it. I didnt see the plot twist with her father coming. I also dont understand why everyne in the village starting attacking each other. I must have missed something or forgotten a piece of the book. I feel like the wedding was left out because even though it was plot point the actual wedding wasnt necessary as it happened so close to the end. Overall I do recommend this book , just dont do what I did and definitely read it all instead of waiting 2 months to finish it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

“Weight of a Soul” finds Lena drowning in grief following the seemingly random death of her younger sister and as the rules of her clan pushes her towards marriage and the responsibilities of a chiefs wife, she sets off to plead with the God of Death to bring her sister back, even if the price is more than she may be willing to pay.

The Weight of a Soul presents an interesting moral question - what would you do to bring your sister and best friend back to life? Kill a stranger? What if that murderous goal turns closer to home? How do you measure the weight of your loss against the loss of others you love?

I really loved the concept of this book and just how far someone would go for someone they love especially while in those stages of grief where any offer to change things seems like a good choice.

Character and plot development was good. It was very slow at the start, but the climax and ending really pick up the pace and wrap the book up together nicely.

The writing was so nice and even though it covered topics that do interest me, this, sadly, wasn't for me.

Ever since I read Sky in the Deep, I’ve been drawn to stories written in the Viking era. This one I started off loving, but then by the halfway point my infatuation had decreased. I wanted to see more background information on Lena and Fressa. Instead, we are told that Lena loves her sister and will do anything for her. There isn’t any proof of this despite Lena repeating herself. Another issue contradicted Lena’s motives for her beloved sister. She claims she will do anything to bring her back to life and yet she takes weeks to follow through with Hela’s instructions. The twist was easy to predict and though there were some negatives attached to the story, I still enjoyed the read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Honestly, i found this book a bit boring. It was enough to keep reading but by the end it was less “enjoyment” and more “ ive come this far”. The only character i actually liked and felt any emotion for was Amal.

“There is a way back to the light…crawl to it if you have to.”

Notice: this book is expected to release December 3rd, 2019. I was contacted by Elizabeth Tammi to review the book and accepted an eARC through NetGalley. Thank you to both Ms. Tammi and NetGalley. This does not affect my opinions of the work.

LIKES:

I am very thrilled with the Nordic viking culture of this book. The setting is a small trading village of about 70 people in Scandinavia. Sustained only by its agriculture, it serves as a central port for maritime tradesman.

The culture of this book is done incredibly well. It goes to great lengths to describe the culture of chiefdom, village life and its societal roles, marital traditions, etc. If nothing else, I got a good sense of what it would be like to live in Lena’s village on a daily basis.

“Their village relied on the work of their blacksmiths and textile workers, yes, but above all, they were an agricultural settlement. It was the barley, wheat, and fish that sustained them.”

I also appreciated the prevalence of Norse mythology in this story. We are introduced to multiple gods and goddesses, and are told the legends of Ragnarök (world destruction) and Fimbulwinter (infinite winter). Throughout the story, Lena traverses two of the nine realms in Norse mythology, which is completely unheard of. The nine realms are connected by a tree known as Yggdrasil.

Finally, though I cannot say much about it because it is a spoiler, the ending of this book is fantastic. It left room for a smooth transition into a sequel if Tammi chooses to pursue one.

In all, I really enjoyed the exploration of Nordic culture and how everything was tied together in the end. After reading, I feel more learned in Nordic culture.

DISLIKES:

Unfortunately, my dissatisfactions with this book far outnumber my appreciations. My intention with the following critiques is to be constructive.

Firstly, The Weight of a Soul is told in third person point of view. While I have no problem with third person POV books, I do think that there is a heightened delicacy of execution needed to make them work. Sadly, third person did not benefit The Weight of a Soul at all. In fact, I believe that it largely took away from the emotional impact of the book. Here are two prime examples:

“Frustration simmered and she fought off angry tears.”

“When had this happened? Any of this? Had Lena been so focused on her sister that Nana had slipped so far without her noticing?”

Imagine the impact these lines would’ve had if told in first person perspective. Instead, the book uses third person perspective to tell instead of show.

Here are my reimagining of these lines in first person for clarity of my point:
[Lena] “I slammed my firsts on the table. Tears threatened to pour down my face, but I wouldn’t let them.”

[Lena] “When had this happened? Any of this? Had I been so focused on Fressa that Nana had slipped so far without me noticing?”

I am disappointed by this because it made much of the book feel unauthentic. I found it so difficult to understand and empathize with Lena’s determination to resurrect Fressa because I never felt her attachment to Fressa in the first place. Any emotional scenes felt so blah to me, and because of this, I never really connected to any of the characters.

The next thing I wanted to comment on is the fact that this book has a lot of loose ends and fails to mention important details until very late in the book.

For example, we don’t learn that Amal is 17 until 71% through the book. I couldn’t even tell you how old Lena and Fressa were supposed to be either, nor the age gap between them.

There are also multiple subplots that are introduced throughout the book, but are never followed up. For the sake of length, here is just one instance:

“They had said that Nana’s job was an important one. Lena thought ‘important’ meant something big and exciting, but now she wondered what else the title held.”

That sounds interesting, right? When I read this passage, I thought some kind of backstory about Nana would follow and help complicate her sweet old lady facade. Too bad there wasn’t one.

To me, the unexplored subplots were missed opportunities to build very important characters and help readers understand the weight of Fressa’s absence. So much of my experience with this book was either me feeling confused or frustrated.

The last point of critique I want to note is how unrealistic Lena is as a main character. Her reactions are unbelievably dramatic, and again, I found it nearly impossible to understand her reasoning for her motives or feelings. Examples:

"Fear could be crushed and suppressed. Fear was nothing compared to the gaping hole in her heart; fear was a flea, and Fressa’s absence was a thousand knives impaling her at once.”

“She realized she was only staring at an iceberg’s tip—an inconceivable mass of solid ice plunged into the black depths below, and she saw none of it from where she stood. Her focus had to be honed on her sister—the iceberg’s visible point—or she would never succeed at her task.”

To some, these passages may read as lyrical metaphors to emphasize the sheer loss and hopelessness that Lena feels after her sister’s death. To me, they read as very dramatized attempts at painting the concept of grief. They also (again) are the epitome of how much this book tells rather than shows when it comes to main character emotions.

Again, thank you to Elizabeth Tammi and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of The Weight of a Soul. Though my experience with the book was not great, I as always still encourage others to give it a read and make their own opinions.