I was provided with an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review

The Weight of the Soul was based in Norse mythology tales and is what really intrigued me, however, that was really the most interesting part of the book. Lena the main character goes on a quest to bring her sister back from death. There were a few twists and turns that I enjoyed but for the most part most of the book was not as intriguing as the beginning and the end.

#TheWeightofaSoul
Thank you to NetGalley and Flux for the opportunity to read and review The Weight of a Soul.
I found myself having trouble getting the pace at first. It does start slow, but quickly gets going with the bond of two sisters. Lena is a wonderfully written character that will keep you turning page after page to find out what happens to her. The twists and mythology of the story is well done. It is a dark, haunting tale of love and the bonds we cannot let go.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Weight of a Soul from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Cool novel! Very original. This was a semi-dark--but interesting--story that did not turn out as expected at all. Lena is a very tangible character, who deeply misses her sister and will stop at nothing to see her again.
...I feel that a sequel may be in the future, which I would also read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Every book has it's reader, and in this case I was not that reader. I found the plot obvious, the characterization shallow, and the motivations of the characters uninteresting and unworthy of the amount of text dedicated to them. I can see most other reviewers strongly disagree and loved the book. We'll have to chalk this one up to different tastes.

*I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book wrecked me. This story was so beautifully written and entwined with emotion. When I finished the last page, I let my kindle fall into my lap and I stared at the ceiling in awe for several minutes. I was truly wrecked and also, heartbroken.

LENA DESERVED BETTER!!!
I struggled with the fact that this entire book was about bringing Lena's sister, Fressa, back from the afterlife. Halfway through the book, my mind was screaming, "Who cares about Fressa anymore?! I love Lena and Lena alone! And Amal needs to love Lena as I do!!" And yet, Lena risks her life and reputation over and over again to bring Fressa back from Valhalla, a character we saw for 0.2 seconds.

Oh and the ending, you guys. I shan't say a word about it but just, WOW. I never saw any of the twists coming. If I felt free to say spoilers, I would go more into detail about the ending and how I felt about it. But overall, it was a beautiful but deeply sad ending that left me more sorrowful than I ever expected to be from this book. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that this book will be receiving a sequel? The story ends with many unanswered questions and I dearly hope that Ms.Tammi will write another to answer them.

Overall, a gorgeous, breathtaking, and deeply moving story that truly taught me "the weight of a soul".

** I was provided with an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Elizabeth Tammi's sophomore novel, The Weight of a Soul, follows Lena and her clan in the Viking age of Scandinavia. Of course, the Norse gods have their own plans, and Lena and her sister, Fressa, have roles to play.

It seems to be a somewhat recent theme in YA novels to go with a Viking sort of setting, and I am absolutely here for it. Tammi comes across as respectful to the mythology she draws from, while also interpreting the gods and their magic in her own way.

Tammi also does well with pacing throughout the course of the novel, and establishes the potential/need for a sequel without leaving the reader in a nasty cliffhanger. She also doesn't make things easy for Lena in her quest for the gods, which was nice to see.

I am absolutely excited to continue to follow Tammi in her future books, particularly in this same series as it was decidedly my favorite so far that I've read in this Viking theme.

Overall, well written, a one-sitting read, and a really good time.

This is a story with many twists and turns, it keeps you guessing and wondering what will happen next! Great read and a great story!

I received this arc from Netgalley.
Honestly this book was just too lackluster for me. I could predict the ending within the first pages, which I could live with if I felt anything for the characters.
I really did not get a feel for any of them, since their only personality traits were grief or anger.
Idk since I am Scandinavian, I also did feel like the use of the norse mythology brought anything new to the table. That said if you are new to the whole thing, then you might enjoy it more.

One last thing that is a bit of a petty annoyance from me. I get that the author want to signal that the old lady is old by calling her Nana. But 1. the name Nanna is from norse mythology and 2. the spelling Nana is the french version (or at least not norse) . Even more so Nana is not used in Scandinavia as a grandma type of name.

I enjoyed reading The Weight of the Soul by Elizabeth Tammi very much. From the description, I thought I would like it but did not realize just how much. The thing that struck me was the relationship of Lena and Fressa. While we did not get a lot of time with both sisters and most of our knowledge of their relationship is through Lena, we can sense the strong bond between them. The girls are complete opposites in nearly everything and it is made clear that Fressa seems to be just about everyone's favorite sister. Their parents and the villagers all seem to gravitate and understand her while Lena is something of an outsider. She mentions that feeling throughout the book and most especially once she begins her attempt to bring Fressa back. It would have been too easy and unfortunately the expected thing to have the sisters compete against each other. Luckily, our author is too smart to fall into that tired trope. She recognized that more often than not sisters, women, indeed all people are better and smarter than that.

I sincerely hope Ms. Tammi continues this story, the ending is written in such a way that another book naturally comes to mind (and expectations).

I came for the Norse mythology and I stayed for the imperfect in the best way characters. You would never know until you got to the author's note that there was some of the "second book syndrome" while writing it. The question that fuels the story in this book is how far would one person go for the love of a sister? Lena was a character who felt she knew what she had to do but was confused and then berwhelmed by it, understandably. When Hela and Loki appeared in the story, it was well done. The gods and mythology aspect of the book were well incorporated. I'm usually a little more judgmental when reading a book marketed as teen/young adult because I've read some many that are just too juvenile but this certainly was not. A good book for people who enjoy well written fantasy.

I absolutely loved the story and world that Elizabeth Tammi has created in this novel. The pacing was a little slow at times, but it doesn't detract from the novel. As a fan of Norse mythology, I loved seeing it used in this book. I hope there will be a sequel so I can return to the world Elizabeth Tammi has constructed.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC of this book filled to the brim with lore and heart! I love a novel that takes mythology and makes it their own, and that’s exactly what Elizabeth has done here. We see familiar faces like Hela and hear names we know by heart like Loki and Odin, but it’s in a way you’ve never seen them before.

We follow Lena, the daughter of a chief of a Viking settlement. They are awaiting her father’s return from a raid to ask his permission for her sister, Fressa, to marry the boy she loves, Amal. When he does return, he comes bearing gifts and hands a sword to Fressa, the village’s strongest fighter. It lights up with runes in her hands but the strangeness of the weapon is forgotten as their father reveals that Amal has been promised to Lena from childhood since she is the elder sibling and will be chieftess someday.

At this news, Fressa runs off, only to be discovered by Lena minutes later on the floor of the forest, dead. Thus begins Lena’s journey into Helheim, where she strikes a deal with Hela to bring her sister back if she can find a soul equal to that of what she has lost. Lena loses herself in the drive to get her sister back, and ends up with blood on her hands, but no one she encounters is good enough for the goddess. Time behind to run out as the signs of Ragnarok draw near, and Lena finds out things about her village that stop her in her tracks.

It’s such a lovely story of sisterhood and love, and I especially like how the women in this novel are portrayed as strong, cunning, and a valuable part of this society. Fressa’s loss is deeply felt throughout the community, and seeing Amal trying to grieve his lost love while preparing to marry her own sister is absolutely devastating. The ending here made me audibly gasp, and I really hope there’s a sequel in the works! I recommend this to fans of myths and thrillers alike!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book had everything I could have ever asked for - Norse mythology, drama and tragedy and a female lead that is relatable and complicated.

I was sold on the blurb, but I didn’t realise just how much I would love this book. When you first meet Lena, Amal and Fressa, you are sucked into their friendship and their love for each other. They are a trio that can’t be broken apart till they are. As you can imagine, it’s a story of love and friendship and following your heart.

Lena is flawed and she’s confused by everything that is happening around her. She’s definitely not the favourite of the family, which adds another layer to her character and makes you understand her better. And there’s a lot that she’s going through. She’s not a warrior like her younger sister, but training to be a healer, and despite all their differences, the sisters love each other. Not once do Lena and Fressa argue about Amal, the boy engaged to Fressa. He’s part of their trio and that’s perfect. There’s no romantic triangle and mess around it either.

When her sister dies, Lena goes on a mission to get her back. She makes a bargain with Hela, who tells her what it will take to bring Fressa back. Little does Lena know that it’s not as easy as she hopes it will be. And the journey that Lena goes on, the things she does and the way she does it makes her selfish and almost cruel. She’s got a one track mind - bring Fressa back and sometimes you wonder if you’d do the same thing if you were in her position.

But oh man, all this Norse mythology was perfect. I am a big fan of all kinds of mythology, but there’s something about the Norse myths that just makes you want more. And the way the gods get involved in this story, the way they manipulate the lives of these Vikings makes you breathless.

While the pick-up is a little slower than I would have liked, I didn’t see that ending coming, but to have Fressa and Amal get their ‘happy’ ending made sense. Because as part of her mission, Lena succeeded, even if it cost her everything else.

What popped into my mind as I was reading was that this is the kind of book that comforts you. The kind of book you want to wrap around yourself like a blanket and sink into for as long as you can.

The Weight of a Soul totally CRUSHED me. I went in mainly for the Viking life but left amazed with this book and with what happens with Lena and Fressa. There's not only the huge mystery surrounding Fressa’s death but also hints towards Ragnarok, which is only supposed to be a legend.

Above everything in the book, I thought the relationship between the two sisters was the best part of it. Following the death of her younger sister Fressa, older sister Lena is unable to cope with Fressa’s death and makes a deal with Hela. This deal that Lena makes with Hela is actually what most of the book focuses on instead of the gods, but I loved the role that the gods played.

They didn’t appear often, but whenever they did, I knew it was for something important. Even if it didn’t seem like it, the gods were never standing still. They were always moving behind the scenes, and I just LOVED the subtle manipulative behavior from the gods against characters like Lena.

The Weight of a Soul also addresses what it means to be in the shadow of a sibling. Despite Lena being older, Fressa’s the favorite daughter, the better fighter, and the better choice for who should lead their village.

Lena’s known this for a long time but still has to bear the burden of being the older sister, even more so after Fressa dies. As the daughter of the village’s chief, Lena has to live up to her mother’s expectations, including when and who she’s to marry.

In the book, Lena was fully aware of how poorly she compared to Fressa, but I loved what Elizabeth Tammi did with this and didn’t pit sister against sister. Instead, it was about the love the sisters had for each other. Even as their parents had seemingly moved on, Lena was always thinking about Fressa and loved her younger sister so much that her only goal was to bring Fressa back. But the deal that Lena made with Hela was no small one. It was absolutely heartbreaking seeing what Lena had to do and how she did it.

The pacing of the book was on the slower side, but it picked up so much towards the end with a twist that changed everything. And just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, it did. The epilogue for this book was beautiful. I thought it was a satisfying way for Lena and Fressa’s story to end, while still keeping in mind all the things that Lena had done.

I’m not going to lie to you half of these characters I pictured as the Marvel cast.

“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.

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. I wasn’t sure if we would actually go there with the price of this deal but I was morbidly happy to see that we did and with each new attempt Lena became a bit darker and slightly more unhinged as she held out hope that at least her efforts were for something only to find that sometimes the gods have other plans.

I enjoyed the set up of the mythology as I’m not too well versed in the Norse myths and with my recent marcel rewatch I did mash some of the similar elements together but it didn’t affect my overall read. The introduction of Loki and his truth, or deception, as the god of mischief was a lot of fun especially once we hit the twist and despite knowing what the answer would be, I think it wrapped up well giving us a nice little green eyed wink to the audience that not all endings are final.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**