Zelda, a Viking enthusiast, takes it upon herself to rescue her brother Gert when he involves himself with dangerous people. 

While I appreciated that the narrator was non-typical, I found the darkness of this book too unsettling for me. Zelda's quirkiness is definitely lovable and engaging. I loved her character and her way of looking at the world through Viking lore/history. However, I was uncomfortable on more than one occasion. I acknowledge that a lot of my discomfort isn't fair, but it's hard when you're reading about acts that seem inherently adult through the eyes of a child-like narrator.

Thanks to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Out of the 21 read thus far in 2020, this book is my favorite. What a heartwarming tale of Zelda, who dreams of being a Viking warrior princess, her brother, AK47, and her boyfriend. The love of family runs deep, and her support system doesn't let her down. I loved the character development and completely fell in love with Zelda and her journey through this time in her 21 year old life. Know that this book has little to do with actual Vikings, and far more to do with life, love, relationships, family, being kind, and embracing everyone no matter what. So so thankful for the ARC, and can't recommend it enough.

“When We Were Vikings” has been on my radar ever since I heard about it last year. This review won’t be long. This review won’t be overly detailed. Check this book out. It is so heartwarming and beautifully written. 4.5 stars.

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

3 1/2 stars.

Enjoyed the characters. Very different style of book, writing, and characters for me. The story was engaging, and even though it took me a while to read it, I blame that on a new puppy, not on the book itself.

Would recommend. Feel like if I was able to just delve in and not put it down every ten minutes I'd have rated it higher.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

The main character, Zelda, is captivating. What I liked about this book was that Zelda's character was richly developed and complex. There were some aspects of the story, however, that seemed more predictable and less thought out. It felt like the author couldn't decide whether he wanted this book to appeal to adult or teen audiences. I would recommend this book simply for the pleasure of spending time with Zelda.

When We Were Vikings is novel about Zelda, a 21-year-old born with fetal alcohol syndrome.   She lives with her brother, Gert, and is a lover of all things Vikings.  Her mother died of cancer when Zelda and Gert were younger.  They lived with their uncle for a few years, but then moved out into an apartment of their own.  Gert is struggling to make ends meet while also working on his degree and gets caught up in something dangerous.  Zelda, a rule follower, is working on becoming a legendary Viking.  She has a tribe that she is fiercely loyal to: Gert, Annie (Gert's on/off girlfriend), and Marxy (Zelda's boyfriend).  In her quest to be legendary, she decides to get a job at a library to contribute to the tribe.  She also gets mixed up in the mess that Gert has created for himself.  She has a lot to learn on her quest to be legendary and watching her character grow through mistakes and missteps makes this book worth reading.  This is not a light read and gives me The Reckless Oath We Made vibes. 

A note on what didn't work well for me.  I was not a fan of all the foul language and derogatory terms.  For reference, I'm a regular user of many four letter words, but here it sometimes felt very forced and unnecessary.  It made the story a bit awkward at times.

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this book. I am disappointed in myself that I didn’t get to it sooner, but am glad I found my way back to it. 

I know the old adage is that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I was initially drawn to this book by its cover art and requested to read it without having any idea of the basic plot. I was more than pleasantly surprised when I dug in to the story, which was completely different than what I had expected. I think this is a book that will stick with me for a long time. 

I’ve  seen a lot of comparisons of this book to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, but I think those comparisons are one-dimensional. Not all books about people with cognitive or social deficits are the same. I found this book to be better developed, with more memorable characters. 

Zelda, the protagonist of the story, is one of the most likable characters in any book I’ve ever read. I rooted for her when she went on quests to live her legend, I cringed along with her when things went wrong along the way, and I was protectively upset when she was hurt by other characters in the book. She is a complex character, both because of and despite the limitations fetal alcohol syndrome places on her life. 

My only criticism is that one of the main plot devices - Zelda trying to figure out what steps she needs to take before completing her legend - seemed contrived at the beginning of the book. It started to seem more natural and realistic for the characters as the novel progressed. 

I think good books make you feel things, they make you see things in the world differently than you had before. When We Were Vikings accomplished both of those things for me. And now I need to get started on my own quest of living my legend!

loved Zelda, who suffers from cognitive disabilities as a result of fetal alcohol syndrome, and sympathized with Gert, who had been responsible for her most of her life. 

It wasn't the characters that didn't work for me, they were well realized.  It was the narrative that bothered me.  Also, Zelda's ability to read and retain information,to add and use words to her vocabulary daily, as well as her ability to problem-solve were a little puzzling.  I know college-educated adults who would have difficulty reading nonfiction works about Vikings and remembering in detail.  Zelda shows both maturity and immaturity in equal measure, almost as if her intellect was fine and only her emotional responses were childlike. 

There were parts I loved, but something (I'm not sure exactly what--a kind of ambivalence or doubt that kept creeping in) kept me from wholeheartedly believing.

I do recommend When We Were Vikings.  A sense of compassion permeates the story.  It is easy to fall in love with Zelda and to admire Gert's commitment to his sister.  The support of AK47 and others is another uplifting element to this modern myth of heroes, Valkyries, and villains.  

NetGalley/Gallery, Pocket Books
Literary Fiction.  Feb. 1, 2020.  Print length:  335 pages.

Fascinating and delightful book about a young woman with fetal alcohol syndrome who lives with her brother.  Zelda is fascinated by Vikings - their history, their habits, their weaponry and she interprets her life based on what she has learned from her study of Vikings.  Zelda's voice is unique, and one that people should hear.  I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual book and have already purchased copies for others!

Stories of the bond between siblings always draw me in.  I must admit I was initially intrigued by this novel based on the title.  Vikings just hold that air of mystery and mystique, you know?  Through the eyes of our heroine, Zelda, , a 21-year old with fetal alcohol syndrome, and her brother, Gert, we adventure on a quest that will make you laugh, cry, and cherish every word.  Are their lives legendary?  Fantastic?  Certainly not.  They are crazy and real.  Through the well-developed characters that struggle at literally every avenue, we can all appreciate people who make our world unique and exciting.  I found myself rooting for the characters to make it and be what they so desperately long to be!  This novel is sure to be a fantastic hit and it is absolutely, positively, without a doubt, not to be missed!

When We Were Vikings is the sweet "coming of age" story of Zelda, a 21 year old with cognitive issues. Zelda lives with her older brother Gert and loves schedules and rules. Shortly after her 21st birthday Zelda's life starts to get more complicated. Zelda's goal is to protect her clan and become a legend.

I really enjoyed this book and it was very different from anything I had read. My only issue was that while Zelda did not really get social queues and understands words in a very literal way she did not seem to have an overly strong mental retardation. She is meant to be suffering from a level of fetal alcohol syndrome but she is very smart. She has her words of the day program and some of them are very difficult words. There were multiple times where I forgot that she was supposed to have a cognitive problem. 

That being said I would recommend this one to any reader.

In WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS we follow Zelda, a 21-year-old born with fetal alcohol syndrome. She is obsessed with Viking stories and culture and strives to live the life of a Viking. Zelda lives with her older brother Gert who loves his little sister but doesn’t always make the wisest decisions. When Gert gets in with some shady characters and winds up more than a bit out of control, Zelda decides to step up as the hero of her own story.⁠
⁠
I picked this one up at the end of January wanting a lighter read after some heavier topics. I both did and did not get what I was looking for in this one. This one deals with some heavy topics including discrimination against those not seen as “normal”. Zelda doesn’t have many physical characteristics that give away her fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosis, but in speaking with her some identify her as someone easy to take advantage of. My heart hurt for Zelda as I read situations where I knew something bad was coming that her innocence didn’t recognize.⁠

Andrew David MacDonald delivered an amazing story in, When We Were Vikings. I absolutely adored this literary fiction about our protagonist Zelda who was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, due to her mother's heavy drinking, and their father died while in prison and her mother died shortly after. This leaves Zelda and her brother Gert to survive on their own. Zelda obsessed with Vikings adapts the Viking culture to make it through life’s difficulties and challenges. 
This is truly an amazing heart warming story about these two people learning to lean on each other as siblings to traverse their difficulties in their lives. The ending was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. MacDonald wrote with such heart and creativity. This is certainly a must read and wonderful coming of age story as well. 
I highly recommend this amazingly brilliant book.

This novel is simply epic! The MC, Zelda is born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome from an alcoholic mother, who later dies. Her father is also deceased and she is raised by an abusive uncle. Here, the enemy for both Zelda and her brother, Gert, are the cycle of poverty and generational trauma that manifests in subtle and sinister ways in their lives. 

Zelda is a triumph of characterization, embarking on her own heroic journey to protect her small group and save herself and those she loves from the tragedy that seems to lurk at every turn. The disability rep is powerful in this book and I found myself cheering for Zelda at every turn. Wonderful, well-written book.

ARC Provided by NetGalley

This book attempts to tackle some very difficult and somewhat unusual subject matter, and I applaud the author’s to make her protagonist Zelda (who suffers from the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) both relatable to the average person and also uniquely challenged in a way that the average person is not. 

That said, while I commend the effort, the story leaves the reader feeling more upset than enlightened. I can certainly accept and would to an extent applaud that the narrative deliberately makes the reader somewhat uncomfortable. I think we would all agree that it’s important to read about subjects which put us outside of our comfort zone. 

However, when the author achieves that with content that often feels exploitative and deliberately grotesque, I question the method even if I can appreciate the message. 

While I think Zelda’s plight and the plight of others like her is important to understand, I didn’t love the approach. There is much that feels like a breed of gallows humor that doesn’t really land, and much that feels like it was included just to trigger emotions in the reader, rather than to tell a story that might evoke those emotions in the reader more organically.

21 year old Zelda is a Viking -- well, not really. She's a young woman with development and cognitive issues who uses Viking myths and philosophies to guide her life. She longs to create and live her own legend and be a hero to her loyal friends and her brother. When her brother runs afoul of some villains, Zelda tries to use her Viking skills to help him.

This is a sweet story for young adults about resilience and family and friendship. Zelda is a strong character with depth and emotion. I was so invested in what happened to her. Her brother is, on the surface, a thug and a liar who is on a path that will only lead to trouble, but Gert's motives are clear -- he wants what's best for his sister. The plot progresses at a quick pace, and I couldn't put this book down. It would be a good addition to any high school library with two strong caveats -- there's a great deal of profanity throughout and one LONG pretty graphic sex scene. Although I felt that both are appropriate to the characters' lifestyle and ages, this could be offensive for some younger, more sensitive readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Eh. I keep trying to like mythology-based works, but I usually fail. This was a just-okay novel I had to push myself to muddle through. I'm sure it hit perfectly with some, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I enjoyed When We Were Vikings and the message the author was trying to convey, but I don't think it was a good fit for me personally. I tend to avoid books about abuse or rape, because they're ugly truths about the world we live in. When I read, I want it to be fantastical or romantic -- something lighthearted and fun. I want to watch people fall in love, fight bad guys, or learn something new about themselves. I appreciate that there are books like this out in the world, and sometimes they're what I pick up to read (I believe we should read books that make us uncomfortable every once in awhile), but they're not my first choice. I know there are dark corners in most people's lives, but when it's in your face as you're reading, it's really depressing. It makes you focus on the fact that this happens, and it happens a lot. It's hard for me to pull myself out of that headspace, so I try to avoid going there at all. 

Zelda is a Viking in her own right, and I really loved her as a main character. Her brother, Gert, doesn't always make the best decisions, but he has Zelda's best interests at heart. He's there for her, present in her life when he doesn't have to be, and he provides for her knowing that she would struggle to do it on her own. We soon learn that Zelda is actually more than capable of taking care of herself, but she does struggle with some of the nuances of the world. 

I disliked that there was no resolution with a certain someone, because I felt like there should have been some severe consequences for their actions. It's left unresolved, which annoys me, but I can see why the author chose to leave that thread loose. It was realistic and lent the story more authenticity. I still wish someone had kicked their ass and made them regret every choice they'd ever made. 

Annie/AK47 was one of my favorite people. She loves Zelda and cared about Gert, but she also knows when to leave an unhealthy relationship. She takes care of herself, and loves from a distance when a person isn't good for her. I thought her sister-like behavior with Zelda was bittersweet, since they loved each other, but both wished for something that would likely never happen. In some ways, AK47 was a better influence than Gert, and understood that Zelda was an adult and should be treated like one despite the opinions of others. 

When We Were Vikings will repeatedly break your heart, and make you wish for impossible things. Zelda gets caught up in something she doesn't fully understand, and it has dire consequences for herself and the people she loves the most. Her quest to find herself, her passion for Vikings, and her desire to protect those closest to her -- they are just a few of the things that make Zelda a character worth rooting for.

This story had a unique premise, as it was told from the point of view of a woman who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome.  
  The story follows Zelda as she strives to become a Viking legend and overcomes overwhelming odds as she works to save herself and her brother from the Grendals or bad guys. 
  Zelda lives with her brother Gert on the wrong side of the tracks.  When Gert starts to mess up in school and is kicked out.  He has to turn to less then stellar means in order to keep himself and Zelda from having to move back in with their abusive uncle. 
  As things go from bad to worse, Zelda finds herself stuck between  two war drug Gangs as they try to take over each others turf. Zelda decides that she is going to save Gert and become a Viking legend.  

  I have very mixed feeling about this story, and I have really struggled what I would rate this book.  Zelda is a very interesting character that has a great sense of what it is to be an honorable person and tries desperately to become a Viking legend. She desperately wants to be her own person and wants to be and do grown up things such as sex.  This is where I struggled.  While I understand wanting to be your own person, this character seemed to have the mental age of a small child who views the world through children’s eyes.   As the author described the attempt for Zelda and her boyfriend Marxy, who is also mentally disabled, it felt voyeuristic.  Almost like reading about small children trying to have sex for the first time.  It was just all sorts of wrong.  What was the point of this scene?  I just can’t seem to reconcile the point of the scene with the overall theme of the story that we are all heroes of our own legend.  Had that not been in the book I would have enthusiastically recommended this book to anyone that would listen, it is well written, you do really see the world as Zelda sees it.  You get caught up in her desire to be a Viking and you want to be the honorable Viking with her.  However, I just can’t get past that scene.

4.25/5 stars 


#WhenWeWereVikings #NetGalley

One of my most anticipated book of the year 

One of the greatest, courageous main characters I’ve ever read about. This is one book that I cannot write a long review on because it was a beautifully put together novel, with such emotional parts that made me feel deeply about the main character, along with her brother, and her brother’s girlfriend. Truly this will be one of my favorite books of all time simply for the fact of Zelda (the main character). 

However there were parts in this novel that made me feel off and that is why this wasn’t a perfect 5 star read for me, but still is a beautiful novel.