The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi was insightful, descriptive, fun, and showcases one of my favorite things: the love between two sisters. There were a lot of things to like about this book.

Probably my favorite aspect of this story was the emphasis of Nordic Mythology. Tammi does a great job of interweaving the mythos with the rest of the world and the story and I loved that she took a spin on the topic that most don’t. The Nordic angle still feels fresh and new and original and it was fascinating to me to be introduced to myths I wasn’t already so familiar with. The viking characters care deeply about these myths and gods and I loved that the author took the time to connect that to the characters’ culture. It really was well done.

Another thing I loved is that this book starts off fast right out of the gate. Before we even get to know anyone too well, things are turned on their head and we have to reorient ourselves all over again. Usually this would be jarring, but for some reason here it worked well. I liked having to relearn the new rules of the story. The pace does lag in the middle and I struggled to get through some bits, but it picks back up near the end and ties off nicely.

The sister relationship between Lena and Fressa was another high point for this story. Their closeness felt real and relatable instead of too sweet or too formal, and the lengths they would go for each other are vast. I have a sister and reading this made me think of all the things I would do for her. I was really touched.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit overall, even though I struggled in the middle. The mythology is rich and the world is immersive, the relationships are touching and intuitive and the story was pretty interesting. If you’re a lover of myths, this might just be the next book for you.

I don't think I'm the only one for whom this is the case but ever since I saw the first movie Thor when it came out , although he played a huge part in my interest as well hehe, I have been really interested in Norse mythology. I have always had something for mths and legends of another time but for some reasons, the world of Odin, Thor, Loki and others grabbed my attention and never let go. So when I saw that this book had mythology in it, I knew I would like it. Which I did.

This story follows Lena as she tries to find a way to get her sister Fressa back after the latter died a mysterious death. I don't know why but I couldn't really connect with either of the character. Fressa died within the first few chapters so I couldn't really have a chance to do so but it was also difficult to like Lena. She was a bit stupid, not gonna lie... She acts impulsively and selfishly, even though I can understand why since she wants to have her sister back, but really it didn't really make a whole lot of sense to me at all. Lena's whole quest in this book is to find a soul which is as valuable as her sister's, but I found myself being a little bit disappointed and the twist was predictable.

I really enjoyed the mythological elements incorporated within the story itself, however the pace was odd to me. Maybe it's because I was in a reading slump because of college and all my assignments but I really didn't find myself being attached to the story in the end.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Elizabeth Tammi

Book Series: Standalone (please Elizabeth Tammi make another book in this series?)

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: December 3, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (sexual content, almost rape TW, murder, violence, gore, Loki)

Publisher: Flux

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: 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.

But as Lena gets closer to bringing Fressa back, she dredges up dangerous discoveries about her own family, and finds herself in the middle of a devastating plan to spur Ragnarök –a deadly chain of events leading to total world destruction.

Still, with her sister’s life in the balance, Lena is willing to risk it all. She’s willing to kill. How far will she go before the darkness consumes her?

Review: Holy cow this book was AMAZING! I loved the characters, the writing was well done, and the plot was so interesting from start to finish. The pacing was also perfection for me and I finished this book in about 5 hours. The book had me crying most of the way through and I loved how the author weaved in Norse mythology all around the book. It really felt like a true Viking book.

The only downside is that I want a second book. Now. More Loki and more Fressa!

Verdict: Definitely a book you can’t put down!

This book is sadly not very original. The sisterly love thing has been huge since “Frozen” came out and this feels much like that and other sister stories. Overdone and dull. Also the writing is strange. It felt like the author used a thesaurus for every sentence. It doesn’t flow.

Title: The Weight of a Soul
Author: Elizabeth Tammi
Genre: New Adult, YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Lena’s father is the chief of their Viking clan, but he’s always gone raiding, leaving Lena, her sister Fressa, and their mother behind to lead the clan. When Fressa dies suddenly and mysteriously, Lena is devasted, but after the clan mourns, it seems like she’s the only one still missing Fressa.

Determined to find out what happened to her sister and bring her back, Lena takes a dangerous journey to make a deal with Hela, the goddess of death. There’s a chance to save Fressa but fulfilling her end of the bargain will take Lena deeper into darkness than she can even imagine. For Fressa’s death is the start of a plan to cause Ragnarök—events leading to the destruction of the world. And Hela isn’t the only god involved.

The Weight of a Soul is vividly realized, with the setting coming to life and breathing on the page. The culture is fascinating and utterly believable. I loved the writing itself. I did not love Lena, though. I didn’t find her likable at all, and, while I sympathized with her grief over Fressa, her descent into darkness and willingness to ignore the grief and destruction she was causing made the book hard to read. Obviously, this is my own personal opinion, and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a read based in Norse mythology, Vikings, and…Loki.

Elizabeth Tammi was born in California, raised in Florida, and now attends journalism school in Georgia. The Weight of a Soul is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Flux via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Flux books for the ARC of The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi!

This is my second book by Tammi, and if you haven’t read Outrun the Wind, finish this review, then go read it, then read Weight of a Soul, haha! Tammi’s second novel has little to do with her first, except history and myth, a solid combo.

When we meet Lena, things are okay. Her sister, Fressa, is secretly engaged, and though Lena should marry first according to her clan’s norms, the girls are pretty optimistic about Fressa’s romantic prospects. That is, until, Lena’s parents spring her betrothal to Fressa’s love. Fressa gets upset and runs away, and dies in just the few miniatures it takes Lena to find her. Lena knows deals can be made with gods and summons Hela to help her retrieve her sister’s soul. It’s not going to be easy though, Hela’s demands will push Lena to the limits of her humanity, and she’ll have to go to hell and back to retrieve her sister’s soul and she just might trigger Ragnarok in the process, oops.

I really enjoyed this book and devoured it pretty quickly. I loved Lena. Her selfish determination and pursuit of her only goal, despite its cost to her and her loved ones takes her on a journey and pushes her limits. She makes pretty big sacrifices and must learn to deal with fickle gods who never say what they mean. She betrays those she loves and has to deal with those consequences, but above all, she never loses her unwavering love for her sister.

I’m a huge nerd for folklore and myth, and this book ticks some serious boxes in that regard. Norse mythos is strong in this book and it helps the story along quite nicely. I’m a huge fan of Hela myself (Thor: Ragnarok anyone?) and it was cool to see this new, human story entwined with the gods.

Overall, it’s short enough to breeze through at a rapid pace while retaining enough depth of characters and feeling to keep you rooting for the characters and turning pages to see what will happen next. I also appreciated the little wink at the very end (no spoilers).

It’s out now, so if you’re looking for a cool historical fantasy to add to your holiday reading, check this one out.

-- DISCLAIMER: I received a free eARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity. --

This is a Norse mythology take on the trope of retrieving a deceased loved one from the otherworld. Lena's younger sister Fressa passes away unexpectedly, and Lena takes it badly, begging for her to be returned to the world of the living once more. In this process she makes a bargain that will test everything she believes in and make her reconsider what she is willing to do to reach her goals.
However, the story is very predictable, and the characters stay very one-dimensional. I feel like this story had much more potential that wasn't fully used, and could have benefited from another round of very critical edits.

While I loved the premise, I was unfortunately not able to finish this. The writing wasn’t for me, as it lacked descriptions I would’ve liked to see. The plot felt very rushed, before there was time to establish the relationship between the two sisters the younger sister was dead. With some tweaking I feel this could’ve been a book I would’ve really enjoyed.

The Weight of a Soul is a re-telling of Norse mythology. I always find it fascinating to learn about mythology, so this was right up my alley.

Lena finds her younger sister, Fressa, dead after her father brings the news that Amal, Fressa’s lover and Lena’s best friend, was betrothed to Lena many, many years ago. However, Amal and Fressa were engaged and waiting for Chief Fredrick, Lena and Fressa’s father, to arrive back from looting to gain his approval.

I honestly cannot understand how some people could not enjoy this novel. From the very first moment, Tammi reels you in on a journey about perseverance and the lengths someone will go to for the people s/he loves. The descriptions of the gods, the realistic reactions to tragedies, and family expectations are only a small piece of the skillfully-created novel.

"I love you entirely, Lena. Not as I loved your sister, but as I love you."

The ending was absolutely fantastic. While I had an inkling about the result from the very beginning, The Weight of a Soul still left me grasping for more at the end. Anyone else hoping the green-eyed wink is a promise of good things to come? Let’s say…a sequel? I’m hoping Tammi can delve into the consequences of Lena’s actions and highlight the grief seen in the novel a bit more.

"I will not be scared off from my destiny."

The Weight of a Soul is a story of sisterly love, the heart-wrenching selflessness of a sister, and perseverance all in exchange for the equal “weight of a soul”.

I quite enjoyed reading the book. The storyline was great but it didn't catch my attention very much. The character development was not good enough for me to care about the characters. However the plot was great.

<I>I received this book via NetGalley for reviewing purposes. This has in no way influence my opinion.</I>

I really enjoyed reading this book. Watch my video YouTube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvmCS7t3w_E&feature=youtu.be

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

I love Mythology. If you’ve read some of my latest posts you know this. But you also know that I’ve been very disappointed with, actually most, of the books I read. I’m still trying though. And Norse Mythology is also a topic I’m very interested in. But in contrast to Greek Mythology I didn’t grow up with these stories, so I hoped that it might be easier to like for me.

I actually also read and reviewed Elizabeth Tammi’s debut novel Outrun the Wind and was disappointed. But I said that I would give her a second chance since I could see the potential. And here we are.

I’m glad to say that I enjoyed The Weight of a Soul a lot more than Outrun the Wind. I don’t think it’s only the fact that I’m less familiar with the Norse Mythology and therefore can’t tell how accurately the gods are portrayed but it might have played a role. Just fyi.

What I liked so much about this book though is how much we get to see inside Lena. We are with her the entire time, we get her reasoning, her feelings. I think it works really well for the story Tammi wanted to tell here.

To be honest, I expected a more fast-paced novel where more stuff … happens … but I’m actually glad it’s slow-paced and more focused on how Lena is dealing with everything. I love these kinds of deep looks into a character.

I still think I would have liked … more but overall I’m very satisfied with this. Lena is a complex and interesting character and I love how she does what she does, what her reasons are and that she is uncomfortable. It’s a little like those reluctant hero stories. Only that she’s not the hero here. And I loved that!

Lena goes through a lot of different emotions but I loved how real and collected she always was. It fit so well and was very realistic with her being raised as the chief’s daughter. Prepared for leading alongside her husband one day.

She understands people and power very well, sometimes better than those around her and I liked how aware she was of those things and how she tried to preserve that. Especially when in contrast to her sister.
Their relationship was also really heartwarming to read about. I especially loved a sentence that comes a bit after Fressa dies. Lena talks about how Fressa just knows her without Lena ever having to explain herself or her reasons. She just naturally does, even though they are quite different.
Or the quote about how the very things that Fressa excelled at and that defined her was also the thing isolating her … uff!

Another thing I think is done very well here is the world-building. You can really see the Viking-inspired village in the cold north without the author really shoving everything in your face. It’s effortless and I loved how normal it felt that the gods are involved in Lena’s life.

And although this may sound weird … I actually liked that the mythology side kinda took a backseat to Lena dealing with her grief. I mean, yes, it’s what propelled Lena to do what she does, but it’s still more in the background and I appreciated that.

That being said, I sometimes had trouble really connecting with the characters. Lena is great, has good traits and flaws and I really grew to like her but the others stayed a little flat for me. I feel like that is always a possibility if you write in 3rd person but focus only on one person (Lena). I always felt a bit distanced. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my time reading.

The book was also a little predictable but I didn’t care all too much because I liked following Lena and her realizing stuff. But I thought you should know.

I think The Weight of a Soul is definitely worth checking out, especially if you like character-focused stories that deal a lot with the emotions of the main character.
The Norse myths were incorporated really well and I had a great time reading this. Glad I gave Elizabeth Tammi a second chance!

Lena and Fressa's bond of sisterhood is unbreakable. Memories and shared smiles form the bones of their connection while their mutual hardships connected their hearts until they beat with one flow. Like trees, the roots of Lena and Fressa's lives intertwined with a dependence on having the other at an arms length away.



Yet what should happen if one day a fatal knife drove itself into a beating heart until there remained nothing but echoes of silence? Such a loss eclipses Lena's soul until her despair calls forth the goddess of death herself - Hela.



Lena believes she can see the light of Fressa's life in the midst of the darkness that surrounds Hela's reckoning with Lena. Before long, Lena's life becomes a dark descent heralded by the path Hela has set before her. Still, Lena's formidable spirit is unshakeable in her determination to recover what she holds dearest in her life.



In an absolutely elegant and emotional read, Elizabeth Tammi takes us by the hand where readers discover the true weight of a soul through Lena's journey. Throughout The Weight of a Soul, Tammi shows us how the paths we choose to walk upon cast dark reflections of who we are. Lena's quest to save her sister at any cost made for a formidable narrative where her bravery and sacrifice of the self is sure to follow readers through all the nine realms depicted in Norse mythology.

even though i'm giving this book two stars, i ultimately don't think it was a bad book.

the premise was intriguing with the norse mythology and viking vibes and all that, but i don't think it was executed very well. the plot was sort of there, but i think more emotion and development should have been put into the characters

for example, one part that could have been elaborated on and done much better is the part where (being vague to avoid spoiling anyone) the main character does something very morally questionable for her sisters sake, but there is no discussion of how this makes her feel. this is her first time doing anything like this, and she does it with no hesitation and almost no regret even though it wasn't even with the right person

overall, i was just bored throughout the book and couldn't relate to any of the characters. the plot and mythology aspect was interesting enough to keep reading, but some more time spent on character development and better pacing throughout the book would have easily made this a 3 or 4 stars from me,

**this book contains non-consensual sexual advances and murder. if you are sensitive to these issues, this may not be an enjoyable read.**

*i discuss the ending a bit but i'm not marking this review for spoilers due to the warning above.*

thanks to netgalley for giving me an arc! one day i'll finish arcs before release date.

i want to start this by saying that the goodreads synopsis had me aching for lots of mythology and action, but the actual narrative read more like a soap opera bookended with mythological subplots. not that this makes the book bad, but it was not what i was expecting when i started. i was anticipating the whole book to be like the last 25%, to sum it up.

gonna complain a bit first. my primary issue with this novel was that the pacing dragged. as i said above, it read like a soap opera and not a nordic epic. while lena had motivations given to her by the gods, most of the plot revolves around her not wanting to marry amal and her family losing its hold on the village. i'm skimming through my notes as references and most of them were "here it comes" and lines highlighted that i'd thought would turn into action or a confrontation and..... they never did. most of fredrik's nonsense went completely unquestioned and unopposed until the big reveal at the end. the whole ragnarok thing completely takes a backseat to the mundane village life stuff.

when i realized the story wouldn't pick up in pace or suspense anytime soon, i started skipping a lot of the filler text. passages where lena reflected on how much amal didn't know and all that. something i noticed while skipping around as well is that estrid kind of disappeared from the narrative altogether after that one incident. i realize there may not have been a need to include estird as a major character or plot point, but there was no mention of her at all until the big reveal, if i remember correctly? i also noticed a lot of passive voice sentences in the first half of the novel, though admittedly i stopped reading as critically from 50% on due to finals week approaching and needing to devote time to studying and papers.

the soul plot was pretty predictable as well, but that may be more of an issue on my end than with the narrative itself. i've read too many stories and heard too many legends that follow this plotline that it's easy for me to pick out. though that doesn't necessarily ruin my enjoyment.

i found myself feeling rather meh about most of the rest of the novel. i really enjoyed the climax, though, where all the reveals and actions were happening and amal finally did something important other than begrudgingly marry lena. i genuinely wish we'd gotten more interactions with him being happy, or, at least, not in tears or withdrawn. wasn't expecting him to do *that,* though. i was really surprised when lena just straight up died because ya novels tend to have endings where everyone lives happily ever after. and fressa and amal do live happily ever after, but the main character certainly doesn't.

i got strong aspec vibes from lena as well. there were mentions of her not really being interested in anyone and having dreams where she'd wake up feeling hotter than normal. however, olaf and gunner are a token gay couple and have no effect on the story whatsoever, so that kind of dampens my excitement a little.

the weight of a soul had a promising start but sagged so heavily that i found myself bored and skipping anything that didn't drive the plot. the ending really pulled out all the stops, though, and i wish the rest of the novel had been that way. i was promised a nordic epic and got little more than a drama about a scandinavian viking-age village with loki and hela in it i guess? not a bad novel, but not what i was promised according to goodreads.

★ I received an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ★

Mixed feelings on this one, while the story was written well the plot itself was not as action packed as I had expected. Based on the blurb this sounds like a dark story about a girl who will do whatever it takes to get her sister back. This may be true, but the story spends most of it's time with the main character Lena crying over her arranged marriage to her childhood best friend and dead sister's lover Amal. Which yes is terrible, but instead of moping around maybe pull yourself together and actually stick to your deal? I just had no investment in the sisters or Amal, and the sisters' relationship wasn't fully developed. Maybe a few flashbacks could have helped? Moreover I felt mehhh about Amal and thought he was a weak unlikable character as well.
I was also surprised that there was not more of an adventure or quest? The character never left her small village other than to randomly go see Hela in her own realm that took 2-3 sentences to get to. With her sister dead and Lena keeping secrets, she didn't really have solid relationships or dialogue with any character so you are just trapped in her cloud of depression for most of the book. Which is disappointing because there are other female characters her age introduced, but none of them are fleshed out. There just needed to be less family drama and more adventure!

With lots of norse mythology and a twist ending you would think this one would be great, but sadly it just falls flat due to lack of action and depth between characters. There was so much potential, but this one is a miss for me.

This nearly ended up on the DNF list, but then my train was delayed so I thought "why not continue". I wish I had stuck with my gut feeling. The plot is mediocre, the pacing is all over the place, and the characters are as dull as a box of hair. There is so much foreshadowing you can see the plot twists a mile away so it's lacking any emotional punch at the climax. A few more rounds of editing could have substantially improved it.

Recommend for: Elizabeth Tammi fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

The Weight of a Soul is a beautiful story of love, loss and sisterhood. The biggest reason I was excited to dive into this novel is that it explores the relationship between two sisters who would do anything for each other. I love it when that dynamic is involved. The second part that drew me in was the Norse mythology. I don't know a ton about it, but as I was reading, I realized I knew at least a little more than I thought.

Right from the start, you know that Fressa and Lena have a close bond where they would protect each other and do anything for one another. That bond is put to the test when Fressa is found dead, and there is pressure for Lena to marry her sister's fiance, Amal, which neither wants to happen. Fressa, Amal and Lena grew up together, and Lena never had the desire to strike up a romantic relationship with him, especially knowing how much her sister loved him.

Lena is a complex character. She becomes consumed with grief after losing her sister and is in denial that Fressa has died. Lena becomes more and more obsessed with the idea of traveling to the world of Helheim, where most people go after they die, to try to strike a bargain with Hela, the Norse goddess of death.

You can look at Lena's decisions in several different ways. Traveling to what seems like a hell (Helheim) can seem like a dumb thing to do, but when you take into consideration Lena has this overwhelming grief that she doesn't know what to do with, it actually makes sense, at least to me.

I view Lena as brave and dedicated to Fressa to risk her own life to save her sister. The decision she has to make in order to get her sister back forces her to think about how far she's willing to go to get what she wants, but she agrees to it right away. Would I have agreed to it? I'm not sure, at least not one hundred percent, but I would have a hard time saying no. I'd want my sister back no matter what.

The Weight of a Soul is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I loved the backdrop of the story with the Norse mythology as well as the questions I had about Lena's choices; mostly thinking about the morality of whether she should or shouldn't do what Hela is asking her to do. I love a book that makes you think, and this one definitely gave me a lot to think about.

The synopsis made me think it's going to be like a female-lead edition of Rick Riordan's books set in a Norse world. I was very much looking forward to it. I was also sort of wrong. There is so much more happening in this book than one could actually conceptualize at first. It was absolutely stunning in it's description of everything happening and the weight not just of Fressa's soul, but the knowledge of what must happen that's crushing Lena along side it.

I do apologize for being a little late in my review, but some family concerns came up that prevented me from being able to actually sit down and read for more than a few minutes at a time. There was just so much going on in the last two weeks of November that make me wish I had read this earlier than I did.

Anyway, The Weight of a Soul by Tammi Elizabeth follows Magdalena Freding, the heiress to a small Scandinavian village. In a very quick succession, her sister is engaged to an "outsider" raised by the village, her father returns from a raid and gives her sister a dagger, they find out that her sister's fiance was Lena's betrothed, and then her sister dies. This all happens within the first like twenty pages. I think I was barely fifteen minutes into the book when things went down.

I couldn't believe it. It was all so much in quick succession that it was nearly difficult to wrap my mind around, but I managed. I felt bad right away for Lena and her mother. Everything was spiraling around them in a way that they couldn't possibly fathom. Then Lena goes and does something that will land her in hotter water than imaginable!

I really liked the way everything was described in such vivid detail that I could picture it clearly in my head. Tammi Elizabeth certainly had a way with describing Lena's transition from the banks of a river somewhere in Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, Denmark....it was a big place, though likeliest is Norway) to the icy paths of Helheim. Everything was done in such striking ways. I really loved the prose the way that it was presented to me in such a fascinating manner that I struggled to put this book down.

One of the biggest drawbacks I found in this was the marriage subplot. It wasn't necessary. Yeah, it did spur Lena into working all that much harder to find a solution to her problem, but it just compounded her own grief and sense of twisted loss to the point where Lena was sometimes hardly able to function long enough to even think about what she was doing. She would make rash decisions based on surface thought only. It was literally tearing her and Amal apart to know what their parents had in mind for them and their rigidity about it. I hated that. It put Amal and Lena into positions that they had to struggle hard to get out of.

It's part of the synopsis that Lena is supposed to be searching for a soul that weighs as much as her sister's does, and I thought right away that there were only two souls that would possibly have matched. Amal and Fredrik. It was made obvious that Amal loved Fressa more than any other living creature, meaning he would know her soul inside and out and would a good match for it in weight. In the end, it was a surprise who the proper balanced soul to Fressa's was.

It took everything in me to not throw my Kindle across the living room when I realized who Fredrik was and what he was scheming. The man had been lying their whole lives! I couldn't believe it, and yet I could believe it. This book was setting up perfectly as the first in a series. I don't know if it will be a duology, trilogy, quartet or what, but I am very excited to find out. I want to know what Lena does from her new position in Valhalla. I want to know what Kiali-turned-Loki does on the lamb with Fressa and Amal. I want to know all of it.

Overall a 5/5 for me. I will definitely look for this in physical form the minute I see it in the stores. I will also eagerly await the next book in the series. I have to know what is happening. I thank NetGalley for letting me read this ARC and apologize for my taking bloody forever to actually get to it.

This just felt flat. The synopsis was promising but I was just bored. There was a little too much romance for me. I wish there was more of a balance to it.