Magdalena is the oldest daughter of the tribe’s chief. As her father is away, she spends most of her time with her younger sister Fressa and her best friend Amal, which is apparently in love with her sister. She couldn’t be happier for them when they announced their engagement. They got already approval of Nana, Amal’s mother but it was a harder task to be approved by the father of a girl. When her father finally came back to his tribe, he wasn’t surprised but also wasn’t happy about the engagement of his daughter. Most of all because Amal was promised already to someone’s else. Fressa devastated run away from her family. Lena after the argument with her parents followed her sister but as she finally found her it was too late. Her sister was dead.

Lena couldn’t resign to live without her little sister. She was ready to do everything to bring her sister back. She went to beg the goddess Hela to give her sister back. Unfortunately, her sister wasn’t taken by Hela but by the Father of all – Odin to Valhalla. To be able to bring her sister back to life from there, she had to give him the soul the warriors as good as her sister was. She agreed to the deal and began a hunt.

My thoughts:

I think I have as many things I liked and hated in this book. The concept of the story was very good and interesting. I was very excited to read it last month and I had a lot of expectations, so I was very disappointed with the main character of the book when I got to know her better through the book. As much as I liked her at first, I started to hate her in less than half of the book. At first, I thought she is kind of person who would do everything just to keep her family happy and save but with the time I saw that all she does is very selfish. She wanted her sister back nothing else mattered for her. She was able to hurt other people just so she could be happy at the end. She isn’t the only one who behaved like this. Amal the fiancé of Fressa as much as he was saying he loved her, he started to care more about becoming a chief than about a death of the love of his life.

My favorite part of the book was the gods pictured in it. I felt strongly the Marvel vibe when I first saw the names of Loki, Hela, and Odin in the story. Hela and Loki were perfectly pictured, and their characters were shown as I had imagined. They are the power that steers all the decisions of the characters in the book. People don’t even know that they are being manipulated in everything they do, especially Lena. They had everything in control the whole time and reached their goals at the end.

I can’t say that the book was bad because it was very well written, and the idea was great but maybe it just wasn’t a story for me. It’s very easy for me to get irritated by the characters so maybe that’s why I couldn’t enjoy the book as much as other people.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Flux and Elizabeth Tammi for providing my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I gotta say, the reviews for this one so far do not do it justice. I found The Weight of a Soul to be beautiful, heartwrenching, and full of love. And so, we shall discuss!

What I Enjoyed:

This book is quite literally about the worth of a soul, and how far you're willing to go to save those you love. That is the question Lena must answer when her sister Fressa dies- of reasons no one can discern. Lena and Fressa have always been close, this much is clear from the start of the story. Lena can barely muster the strength to go on, yet her clan (and her parents, the leaders) want her to marry her sister's beloved and Lena's own dear friend, Amal. Lena cannot bear to lose her sister, nor can she stand to marry her betrothed, so she's bound and determined to bring Fressa back. And this is where the Norse mythology comes in!

I'll go ahead and admit it- I am a complete novice in Norse mythology (and most mythology if we're being honest). The author did a phenomenal job in introducing me to the world while still providing a cohesive plot and characters I grew to truly care about. I'll get into this more later, but I feel like I learned so very much about Norse mythology. And not just the facts, but the feelings behind it as well.

Ultimately, the book is incredibly morally gray. Would you or I make the same choices Lena make? Can you really place a price tag on a soul? It's these questions that really made me think throughout the book, and even after I was finished. And if you know me, you know that's kind of my fave.

Not Bad Stuff, But "Worth Mentioning" Stuff:

While I really enjoyed the mythology, it was a darn good thing I read this on my Kindle and was able to look up stuff. There were a lot of people/places/things that I simply had never heard of. Upon looking them up, I was good to go, and frankly I personally love learning new stuff (especially in a book like this). But you know, just take it into consideration is what I'm saying. I will also say that I did predict a kind of big thing, but it didn't really lessen the impact, either.

Bottom Line: A beautifully told story about loss, love, and hope in an historical and mythological Norse setting.

The Weight of a Soul is considered both young adult fantasy as well as historical fiction. It was written by Elizabeth Tammi and published by Flux Press. The book was released on December 3, 2019.

This story is set in a small village where Lena, the daughter of the Chief, sees her world unravel the day Fressa, her beloved sister and warrior, is found dead. The cause remains a mystery, yet everyone, including her friend and sister’s lover, seems to accept it.

Feeling like she has nothing left to lose, Lena enters the world of the Norse gods to demand an explanation and for the wrong to be made right. She strikes a bargain with the goddess of death, Hela, who will test Lena to see exactly how far she will go to bring her sister back. With this agreement, Lena is about to discover how much her quest for the truth will spiral out of control.

This book is well written. I enjoyed both the story and how the author took us along in the quest. I’ve always been curious about Norse mythology and enjoyed learning more about it. Lena is a strong female figure who loves her sister unconditionally, which made her loss even harder to bear.

Even though I enjoyed the story, I can’t say I loved it. It was a little slow for my liking even if it picks up a bit in the second part. Sometimes, I found myself struggling to relate to the main character. While I understand the grief and how much Lena wanted her sister to return, the extent to which she would go made feel queasy. Overall, it is a good story, but I could easily take a break between chapters. For me, this book gets only three (and a half) stars.

I received a complimentary copy of The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi from North Star Editions through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Weight of a Soul was released on December 3rd.
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Lena is the oldest daughter of her Viking clan's chief. When he returns from a year of raiding, Lena's life changes forever. Her younger sister Fressa is engaged to their childhood friend Amal, but Lena's father refuses to let them wed, insisting Amal is meant to marry Lena and become the next chief. Fressa takes off running and when Lena finds her in the woods, her younger sister is inexplicably dead. Lena and Amal use rune stones to contact Hela, the goddess of death. When a white, three-legged horse appears, Lena mounts without hesitation. The horse carries her to Helheim, the land of the dead, where she encounters Hela. The goddess of death says she can get Fressa back, but Lena must give her a soul that equals her sister's. This sets Lena down a dark path in the pursuit of her sister's life.
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I love the premise of The Weight of a Soul and I had high hopes for this book, but only some of them were met. Lena's character is hard to like, but not in a good anti-hero sort of way. The use of Norse mythology was good, but the drama didn't feel as high-stakes as it should have. Overall, it was a pretty good story and a great concept, but the execution felt lacking to me. Still, the wintery vibe of this book is a good fit for this time of year!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and Flux for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Okay like I was mentioning in the beginning, I was so freaking not expecting this to be a Norse mythology saturated book that didn’t fully involve Valkyries because most of the ones that I read were about them. This one got so interesting because it dealt with death, but more on the human side and what someone would do in order to save someone that they love with all of their lives. What kind of deal would you take in order to save them?

I will say that I was extremely sad at how little we got to learn about Fressa before she ends up being killed under mysterious circumstances – Not a spoiler FYI, it’s in the synopsis – and I was honestly dying to see more of her before that! It seemed like it was getting good with Fressa and then all of a sudden she’s just dead. And no real cause of death that could be found on the body.

Lena – full name Magdalena – was extremely broken after finding her sister dead. And I could totally understand it because right before that happened, there was really bad drama between her and their family. All because of the responsibilities of being a Chief’s daughter and all that. Ugh, I hate rules.

But anyway, after finding her sister dead without any explanation, she and her mother completely shut down. Her father goes off to blame some other clan for Fressa’s death even though he literally just got back from a year of being away from home, and that’s the closest to being normal that this whole family can feel. Lena ends up somehow meeting Hela, the Goddess of Death, and she makes a deal to exchange her sister’s soul for another soul, so Fressa can come back to life.

Not to mention their village has been encased in darkness for some reason earlier than usual, and apparently the end of days are coming. So that’s another problem.

I feel like Lena had to basically fight against her nature to heal, since she has been the apothecary’s apprentice for years. But under Hela’s deal, she somehow has to bring her a soul. And how else can you bring a soul to the Goddess of Death except… killing? And then the whole Ragnarock thing as well… is Fressa’s soul so much more involved in this apocalypse than everyone thinks? Especially since the knife that their father gave Fressa when he came home somehow lit up at her touch, and gave the message “Master of the Wolf”. Whatever that means, right?


I was just really into this novel, and I’m surprised that I went through this so quickly. I was so intrigued by Lena’s journey, and honestly I don’t know how she was able to go through something like this. Although I do know that if I were in her place, I don’t think I would have done it any different. Maybe certain things that I didn’t agree with, but I would have done whatever it took to get my brother back, especially if I felt like he wasn’t supposed to die. And under the circumstances that Lena found Fressa, there was no way she should have died. It just didn’t make sense.

Apparently this is Tammi’s second book, and while I haven’t read her debut yet, I felt like this was done really well, and I thoroughly enjoyed my journey reading this novel.

I wanted to like this book, I really did but I can’t rate it higher than 2 stars because “it was ok” was literally my first thought when I closed my Kindle.
I liked the premise of the story, I think the way it all started was intriguing and exciting and I also liked some of the things we discover in the end, even though I did guess two of the revelations early on (one thing that had to happen and who really was one of the characters, sorry about being vague but I’m trying not to spoil the story), the writing is actually really good but the characters seemed flat to me and the pacing was weirdly off.
Lena is a hard character to like, I get that she was grieving but a lot of her actions didn’t make much sense and her inner thoughts are all over the place. She’s described as very smart but honestly I think she never truly showed how smart she was, most of her actions are impulsive and almost irrational at times. I didn’t actually felt/saw the bond between Lena and her sister because there aren’t enough significant moments between them that showed it, I think it might have worked better if Fressa died a little later in the story or if the flashbacks had focused more in their relationship and significant moments between them. There was so much of Lena in the story that it became very repetitive, another POVs might have softened this, especially Fressa’s. I didn’t care much for any of the characters, in my opinion Loki is the most interesting character but we only get glimpses. The mythology is an interesting aspect and I did enjoy the way it’s entwined in the story. Like I said the pacing was weird, it started out ok, then the middle was very slow, it seemed like nothing was happening and then the ending was a bit rushed. There were some loose ends at the end but I think there’s going to be a second book so it makes sense.
Overall, it was ok. I don’t think I’ll pick up the second book but I’ll keep track of the author because I definitely liked the writing.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Flux Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Death, Murder, Conspiracy, Arranged/Forced Marriage, Assisted Suicide

"Lena realized that just as she had always expected the summer to stay, she had always expected her sister to be at her side. Because for her whole life, the summer meant sunlight--always--with no unexpected night cutting through it. Her sister had fallen asleep each night across from her, and Lena assumed she would wake with her each morning."

How do you like your Norse stories? I like mine hearty. The Weight of a Soul is certainly that. It delivers a tale of young love, Norse gods and goddesses, and fate with strong allusions to impending doom.

The story centers around two sisters who are daughters to the clan chief, Fredrik. Magdalena (Lena) and Fressa are sisters, as well as best friends. Lena is the eldest, and has studied all her life to become the next town healer and eventual leader. Fressa, conversely, has been brought up with the blade, and is known to be very skilled with it.

Fressa, young and in love with Amal, is found dead shortly after her father returns from one of his year-long raids. The unhappy reunion proves even more bitter, as their father denies Fressa’s engagement to Amal, revealing that Amal was betrothed to Lena since the moment he arrived in the clan from Baghdad. Lena, Fressa, and Amal are all crushed by the news. Lena certainly doesn’t want to marry a man whom she sees as a brother, and one who is already, in his heart, devoted to her sister. After the engagement is broken off, Lena finds Fressa dead in the woods. As her world turns upside-down, Lena realizes at the loss of her dearest companion that there are larger forces at play, and each have a stake in what develops in the lives of these villagers.

"Only one thread of thought allowed itself clarity within her, and it was the knowledge that Fressa’s death had coincided with the alarming occurrences. The blade and the darkness were tied to her sister, somehow. Lena knew it. A blade of light, a sky of black. And her sister, between them--dead."

From the moment Lena discovers her sister’s body, she knows that something is amiss. The oddities began when their father gave Fressa a blade after he returned from his raid. The blade, which seemed no more than ordinary, transformed in Fressa’s hands. Little did Lena know that this blade would lead her down a dark path to strike a deal with Hela, the goddess of death, in order to restore her sister back from the dead. Lena, desperate to return balance to her world, begins living a second life in order to appease the goddess’ demands. Through these escapades, Lena discovers that she isn’t alone, and is being watched.

"Lena nodded, urging him on. Her chest thrilled at the reminder that Fressa’s capability with this blade marked her as different--she was either blessed or cursed by their gods, and she had not lived long enough to find out which one it would be."

After Fressa’s death, Lena and Amal’s mothers see no point in delaying the marriage between her and Amal. Desperate to stop the amalgamation, Lena begins to enact Hela’s plan, and therefore, forsakes herself in doing so. The further Lena travels down the path to regain her sister, the more she loses herself, and the truth that she does matter.

"But remembering what the initial intention had been for Lena and Amal, and knowing how hard Amal had recoiled and raged against it, all without Lena ever knowing...it hurt. Deep, penetrating, and almost tender in its unexpectedness. She had never wanted Amal. She certainly did not want him now."

As their wedding day approaches, Lena spirals into despair. This portion of the story is where the only major hiccup occurs in this book. While the plot moves along steadily for the first third of the book, the middle slows down extremely. This is mainly due to the fact that it reflects the tone of Lena, and what she is going through. The entire tone of the story shifts into a heavy-ladened monologue of Lena’s suffering through this difficult situation that her station is forcing her into.

"They have made you a murderer."

While I didn’t exactly connect with any of the characters, I connected with Lena’s deep emotions throughout this entire story. The choices she made, however very wrong, I could understand the place where she was at and the exacerbation she felt. (I would NEVER condone murder, so don’t misunderstand me, here!) Caught between her despair and loneliness, she does everything she can to appeal to Hela, and virtually sacrifices her sanctity to do so. Her character reflects a sort of martyr--not in the definition, but more in the sense that she’d sacrifice everything for her sister. This show of devotion to her sister is touching, despite the terrible choices she makes in the pursuit.

I didn’t like that Lena never actually emerges from her dreary state. She continues to spiral downwards until she is basically put out of her misery by another. It is until this point that she fails to notice that she has any self-worth, and is where the story “lost” my ardor. While this aspect was lost on me, I still appreciated the process, and the insight into Lena’s experience even while she chose the dangerous and damaging path that she did.

There was another topic touched upon that I really appreciated, which was the inclusiveness upheld within the clan itself. Amal, being an “outsider” at birth, has and is treated as an equal to those who were born into the clan. Several times, this statute is cleared noted, and those who do not agree with accepting others would be punished for disagreeing.

"You know well enough that clans are not of blood, but of chosen and championed bonds. Many of us come from lands far from this valley, found from trade or family or travel. The sole thread weaving us is the choice we made, and continue to make each day, to each other. If you feel otherwise, we will certainly be glad to discontinue your rations."

Despite what I discussed about Lena’s character, I did like this book. I liked how real it felt, even if it was Lena’s desperate despair that I sensed. In all honesty, I ached for her character, and wished Because she never really grew from that, I’m only rating this 3.5 stars. I was rooting for her to, despite the inevitable pain, grow through her experience. Instead, she continued down a destructive path until someone literally made her stop upon her own request. It was at this point that she realized that she had some value--more value than she ever realized.

Vulgarity: None.
Sexual content: There is a scene where Lena plans to sleep with a man (not really) so that she can kill him, but her plan almost goes awry and he almost succeeds.
Violence: Moderate, surrounding the topics listed in the content warning above.

My Rating: ★★★1/2​

The first thing that grabbed me was Norse mythology. Yes please!! I adore stories told in this manner but this one was good not fantastic. I found the main character irritating at times and the overall story a bit slow. I enjoyed it more towards the end. Overall a 3/5 star read from me.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own

Elizabeth Tammi’s captivating second book, The Weight of a Soul, is a dark and unique fascinating on Norse mythology. Tammi has created an enjoyable Viking Ya historical fiction blended with vibrant magical realism. This wonderful book grabs your attention with descriptive suspense and foreboding.

Magdalena, {Lena}, is the oldest daughter of Fredrik, the chief of the village and head of his clan. Lena is in training to be a healer and will take over as Chieftain along with Who ever she marries when her father dies. She is a devoted sister and their sisterly bond is the strength within Elizabeth Tammi novel, The Weight of a Soul.

Fressa. who is an accomplished swordsman, her ability has surpassed most of the young clansmen in the village of Midgard . Along with Fressa’s notable warrior abilities, she has also fallen in love with Amal, and the have planned to marry.

Amal, is a boy who came to live in the village from a foreign land, taken in and raised by a healer within the village. The three Lena, Fressa, and Amal have become a tight knit trio, having grown up together within their Viking village.

When Lena, and Fressa father, Chief Fredrik returns home from raiding, he brings back a sword, gifting it to his younger daughter Fressa.
This sets off a tragic series of events when Fressa is found dead under mysterious circumstances.

Lena driven to the point desperation and grief Lena with the help of Amal to call upon Hela, the goddess of death. Seeking to bring her younger sister home, Lena strikes a dark bargain – this being a soul for a soul. A soul that must be a weighty one and equal to Fressa’s a fighter who is as brave and gifted as she. Lena’s blinding love for her sister, takes her down a hollow and crooked path that their is no turning back.

Throughout the storyline, Lena traverses two of the nine realms in Norse mythology, which is completely unheard of and is an intriguing twist in this engaging YA Fantasy. The nine realms are connected by a tree known as Yggdrasil.
Tammi’s vivid spellbinding world building and the books exploration of the blurred lines of innocence and corruption is strategic and notable.
The Weight of a Soul, is steeped in mythos, a wonderful narrative mythical themed Coming of age book, that asks the moral question. Magdalena actions become chilling, unsettlingly.

At what lengths would you go for a loved one?

I immensely enjoyed reading about the gods and goddesses, and are told the legends of Ragnarök complete world destruction, along with, Fimbulwinter, which is infinite winter. If you enjoy and appreciate Norse mythology than you will be enthralled by the authors ability to create and blend her own creative narration within this stunning book.

On a side note Tammi says that this story has been an immense privilege and responsibility due to her own heritage. As most of her family is Scandinavian, she felt very fortunate to have learned about the history and mythology behind where her family originated.

Thank you to NetGalley, Elizabeth Tammi, and Flux for the opportunity to read The Weight of a Soul in exchange for an honest review.

This book takes place during the time of the Vikings and is doused in Norse mythology (though I am not so sure about the accuracy of said mythological references).

The book is told in the third person limited perspective of Lena (short for Magdalena), eldest daughter of Clan Freding's chief. Her father is often gone, away to explore, trade, or war with far away tribes. In his absence, Lena finds comfort in her best friend, Amal, and her younger sister, Fressa (only two years Lena's junior).

When Lena's father comes home from a trip, he gifts Fressa a knife with old Norse writing. She is the clan's most prominent warrior, even above the men. When Fressa holds the knife, it glows green only for her and no one else. Lena wants to explore this further, but the announcement of her arranged marriage to Amal devastates her, Fressa, and him. Amal and Fressa already had the blessing of his mother, Nana, to marry, but in infancy Amal and Lena were arranged to marry. Lena and Fressa had no idea, while Amal didn't think on it and was hoping it wouldn't be something that impacted his life. 

Distraught at the announcement, Fressa runs off into the woods on her own. Lena loves her little sister more than anything else in the world. And she loves Amal as her best friend. It means the world to Lena to see the two people most important to her to be happy.

When Lena finds Fressa, she is dead. There are no wounds and there was no illness of any kind. It was a mysterious death. Lena and Amal, among the clans-people, are devastated, distraught, and furious. Amal is able to read the language on the knife Fressa was gifted, which he loosely translates as "master of the wolf," in which the reader, if they know Norse mythology, might make a connection there.

Amal, having been brought up to read runes, is able to summon a hel-horse that takes Lena across the worlds directly to Helheim, where Hela reigns as goddess of the dead. Lena asks for her sister's soul back, only to find that Fressa was taken to Valhalla as a warrior to prepare for Ragnarok. Hela and Loki want Fressa back for some reason, and so does Lena. So Lena seeks a soul that is equal in weight to her sisters. But what is the weight of a soul?

When Lena kills a tradesman, a strong warrior-type, she seeks Hela only to find that it's much more  than just being a warrior that makes Fressa's soul weigh more. So Lena tried to find who else might fit the bar. She aims to have Fressa back before she must marry Amal, but her plans are barred yet again by killing a person whose soul weight is unequal to that of Fressa's.

With Ragnarok looming ever-closer and Lena unable to establish the weight of a soul to bring her sister back, terrible events begin to occur where Clan Freding lives, and everything leads back to Lena's desires and incapability of dealing with loss.

The cover could be more vibrant. While there is often beauty in simplicity, especially for YA book covers, I think this one could be made to pop a bit more. Of course the tree is meant to represent Yggdrasil, the World Tree. This is an okay connection, as a few of the nine worlds are explored, though not so fervently that the tree has such magnanimous meaning.

The writing style was good and the story was overall an enjoyable read, but it felt similar to all the immersive Norse mythology YA books popping up everywhere. It was like I had already read this story before and knew exactly how it would end. If the reader has knowledge of Norse mythology, many of the events are predictable based on how the characters remain (mostly) true to their mythos.

I was chosen to receive an advanced copy of The Weight of a Soul through Netgalley’s advanced reader program, so that I could write this review!

The Weight of a Soul examines the bond of two sisters, Fressa and Lena, and speaks to how far one will go to save those they love. Fressa, the younger daughter of the village Chief, has been viewed as an outcast because of her extraordinary fighting abilities. Her fierce talent has made her someone to admire from a distance, but has driven people from her. Lena, her older sister, is happy to leave the fighting to Fressa, as she prefers studying medicine and preparing to someday step into the roll of village Chief. Mere minutes after a startling revaluation drives a wedge between the two girls, Fressa is killed by an unknown force. Lena is devastated, but more importantly she is unwilling to accept the possibility that her sister is truly gone. Lena begins a quest, not only to find out what happened to Fressa, but to bring her back to the world of the living, no matter the cost.

Elizabeth Tammi has proven her talent for creating motivated and believable characters in The Weight of a Soul! At first, I was concerned about the concept behind her fantasy world, as it I have encountered many Scandinavian inspired fantasies that miss the mark, but Tammi blew my expectations out of the water! I absolutely loved this book, and would say that it is some of the best of the genre.

You can get your copy of The Weight of a Soul now from Flux!

My Recommendation-
I would recommend this book to those who love well developed characters (and watching relationships between those characters develop. If you normally enjoy a fantasy read, The Weight of a Soul would be a perfect read for the snowy months!

Mythology has always been a topic that I’ve been interested in. Many of the myths that we have even now have survived centuries after being passed down from generation to generation. It’s always such a great time learning more about how mythologies shape culture. And The Weight of a Soul is no exception. Tammi has taken mythological gods and created a story where the morality greys in order to serve the greater good. But it also serves as a reminder that actions have consequences, either good or bad, and you never know until it happens.

The Weight of a Soul follows Lena, first born to a Viking chief. Her, her sister, Fressa, and Amal are inseparable. Fressa, though Lena’s younger sister, is engaged to Amal, is well loved by their people, and has an unnatural strength and agility that other warriors do not possess. When Lena and Fressa’s father returns from a far away raid, he brings Fressa a knife. But this knife glows only when it’s in the hands of Fressa. When Lena, Fressa, and Amal find out some startling news that shakes their planned futures, Fressa runs off into the woods. When Lena follows, she finds Fressa dead in the woods. Lena, desperate to bring her sister back finds herself in front of Hela, the goddess of death. Lena strikes a bargain with Hela in exchange of her sister, a soul for a soul, but Lena soon finds that not every soul is equal in weight. What follows is a story of one sister’s love for another, and a hidden lesson about the choices that we make in order to make things right that are out of our control. This story has some crazy twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

One of my absolute favorite things in this book is that it didn’t fold to the norms of the typical hero trope. The one where something bad happens and then the protagonist seems to do everything right and BAM! day saved or situation resolved. Lena lost someone that she loved dearly and knew better than herself, her sister. But in order to save her, she became someone that she wasn’t in order to try to bring her back. Everything she did, she tried to justify her reasons even though they were wrong, because the cost that she placed on her actions were nothing compared to bringing her sister back. She, for all sense and reason, became the villan, but not one that was callous, but one that felt the loss that she was bringing and regretted it, but not as much as she should have. But at the end, it was the choice she didn’t think of, that saved her and I think it was a nice twist… incredibly sad and destroyed me… but a nice twist in Lena’s arc.

Also, I really liked how the mythology was threaded all the way through. These myths even became the characters that played such an influential role, one that wasn’t noticed until it happened. I loved being surprised at all the mythological elements, but I also loved that it was myths that I knew. And to me, it felt natural, all the inclusions of the myths. Lena’s story is for sure heart breaking, but it’s one heart break that you’ll enjoy reading. Tammi did a great job at creating a story that is well paced, well told, and well executed. The Weight of a Soul released yesterday, December 3rd, 2019, and I hope it’s one that you’ll considering picking up. It’s a perfect winter read!

I wanted to love this book so much! The concept is amazing and one I didn't know I needed until I read the summary. However, I didn't connect with the characters until about half way through and it made reading a bit of a chore.
Overall, 3 stars

The Weight of a Soul follows Lena’s journey as she deals with the loss of her sister, an absent father, an arranged marriage, unnatural weather changes, the potential revolt of her village and bargains with the gods.

I enjoyed The Weight of a Soul, but I didn’t love it.

The story was extremely interesting and, for me, very believable. As an older sister, there’s not much that I wouldn’t do to protect or save my younger sister. I, also like Lena, would have not given up. I loved the way that the village was written and how their traditions were woven into the story. The mythology was also woven into the story well. Sometimes, when different ideologies are introduced in stories, they can come off as boring, because of the sheer amount of information that needs to be introduced. Tammi did not have an issue with that. The god scenes were descriptive and informative without rambling.

That being said, The Weight of a Soul did have some issues. The main one being that the timeline was really confusing. The way scenes would be written made you think that it was a continuous time-flow, but then a page later you’d find out that weeks had actually passed. I’m not sure if the story was written that way on purpose or if it was an over-site with editing, but it made it kind of hard to follow the actual timeline of the story. I mean, I’m still not quite sure how much time actually passed.

Throughout the book, I actually couldn’t decide if I liked Lena or if I hated her. She always seemed to teeter on the line of becoming annoying, but that might have just been because of my own experience. It seemed like she waited a lot, and would then chastise herself for not acting, but then sit there and wait again.

I also found the ending to be a little rushed and hectic, but I’m sure that will make more sense once we read more of the series, because the ending was definitely written in a way that screams sequel.

All in all, I’d give The Weight of a Soul 3.5 stars.

The Weight of a Soul is a deliciously twisty read about a sister's quest to save her sibling. It's based on Norse mythology and Tammi has done an incredible job of weaving those mythological threads throughout her own tale. It's a short book but a slow read, although I didn't think that was a bad thing in this instance. There are few characters you really get to know with the main focus on Lena throughout. I also liked that romance wasn't a huge thing in this book - too much romance all the time gets really wearing, it was nice to have a break from that and see love from a different angle.

I read the reviews of others and I was a bit hesitant to start this, but I found myself really enjoying this.

The prose reminded me a bit of 'The Girl The Sea Gave Back' and the story itself reminded me of 'The Gospel of Loki' two books I enjoyed so those were pluses for me.

Overall I would say I didn't have a problem with the pacing, I loved that Lena was not a completely likeable character and I think that all that she was willing to do really made her sympathetic for me.

While the ending left me with questions, I loved some of the unanswered questions in regards to HOW the book ended.

Lena's ending was definitely appropriate for her arc and I think this book is an underrated find for me.

My only issues were with Lena's motivation at certain times, you felt she just wasn't as clever as she should have been given how she was written, and Amal was a bit hard to like at times. It was a real struggle once you got to a certain point of Lena's story to not get frustrated with her and Amal!

.3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

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

The Weight of a Soul was an okay read for me. I was first interested in this book as it has Norse Mythology and I absolutely love any sort of mythology which grabbed my attention. The mythology in this book was passable to me; it was there in some places (subtly), which was pretty disheartening as I feel if it were included more, this book would be more interesting.

As for the main character, she was also sort of entertaining. There was not anything really special about her or anything that really jumped out to me that made me root for her or connect with her. To me, she was just there.

In the end, The Weight of a Soul is a pretty good in-between book for when one does not have anything else they would rather read or are waiting for another book to come out.

3 1/2-4 Stars

I really loved the Norse mythology in this book! Tammi does a wonderful job of weaving it into the world she created. Her descriptions are vivid and beautiful, really setting her scenes and characters well. There were so many twists and turns throughout the novel, none of which I saw coming, and I loved that! There were a lot of secrets lurking and I enjoyed reading as I tried to figure them all out before the reveals.

I do wish some things had been flushed out more, some things seemed to happen quickly or be forgotten about immediately after. The ending seemed abrupt, including the epilogue. I think I would have liked to see more of those scenes play out, especially because of the hint of a sequel to come.

Overall, I enjoyed this mythical book and can't wait to see what the author writes next!

Like magic, mythology is a big interest for me in books. I loved this one because of the Nordic Mythology. However, the book just wasn't that engaging.

Thank you Netgalley and Flux for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars
I really wanted to love this book. The synopsis sounded so interesting and the idea of reading about vikings was so cool to me. However, this book really did not live up to expectations for me. My main problems had to do with pacing, and the main character. The pacing in the beginning of the book was way too fast. So much happened all at once and honestly it was overwhelming. And our main character Lena was so dull. Not only that though, it was like she had no moral compass. The second half of the book was paced a little better and the viking part was interesting enough but overall I just didn’t really enjoy this one.