In 'The Voyage of Freydis' we meet our protagonist during a very hard time in her life. She has been recently married, only to find out that her husband is not the nice, brave man he made himself seem to be. Not just that, he beats her, hard. Freydis does what she can to escape his fists, but in a world where wives do not have a lot of rights it is hard.

This story about trauma from abusive relationships is an important story to tell. It is also a brave story to tell. Freydis' behaviour came across as very realistic for the given situation. That also made her not the most likeable of protagonists, which is exactly why I am happy the story is set up this way. Freydis had more important things to worry about than being likeable - like, you know, getting through another day without being beaten to oblivion and without starving to death.

This book was not the easiest historical fiction I have read. I am happy I read it.

I want to thank Netgalley and One More Chapter for the chance to read 'The Voyage of Freydis'.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF’d at 45%. I was going to force myself to finish but I gave up. The writing was not engaging, I couldn’t connect to the characters at all, and I kind of wanted to know how it ended, but then I realized I couldn’t slog through anymore. I feel so bad not finishing this since I got an ARC. I think this could have been an awesome story with a different author.

The Voyage of Freydis by Tamara Goranson is a new interpretation of the journey of Freydis. I do feel I have to give a trigger warning for abuse. I felt that when the character has spousal abuse it was very graphically visual as if you are experiencing watching it yourself. This is through Freydis eyes a very strong willed, independent women.
Who was married to someone not of her choice traditionally it was called a brideprice. Or as known arranged marriage. It takes place in Greenland over an expanse of time nevertheless it is not a happy amount of time. Freydis is supposed to be a shield maiden so her training is extensive in defense. This takes place around 996 ad.
Freydis has a husband named Thorvard who is a chieftain and a horrible person. The most of a descriptive I could get from looks was fearsome and seemed like a person who liked to eat a lot.

This Arc was given to me by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly don't even know I finished this book.

I could tell from the first chapters I wasn't gonna like it but i tried to push myself to see if it got better, it sadly did not, I was very excited because it was full of Norse mythology and lore but the time keeping in this book was way too off balance, I couldn't tell at some points how long time had passed one minute it'd say weeks next it'd say months.

there was little to no build up to why or when things started to happen, you are just pushed into this world with Freydis and her abuse it all felt so abrupt and rushed. while i did feel for her and her situation she was put in but her character was very lopsided and very misguiding one minute she's strong and resilient next she's a timid and shy maybe it shows how her abuse affected her but at a certain point its a bit wishy washy, especially in the beginning when she tells herself that she wont let him break her no matter what, its just very confusing in the context.

i was really hoping this books was gonna help Freydis shine and be a nice Feminist novel with Norse mythology interwoven but sadly i was highly disappointed. the ending?? it didn't change her situation she's basically right where she started with no growth or changing.

I was SO hyped when my request for this E-ARC was approved. I LOVE Norse mythology. (Both of my kids are named after Norse figures!) The Voyage Of Freydis tells the story of the only woman to ever lead a Viking Voyage across the Atlantic. It sounded just my thing.
But my goodness, I trudged through this book waiting for it to get better and honestly it just made me angrier as I went on. The story dragged terribly and the voice was detached. It seemed like Freydis was recollecting events that already happened rather than it actively happening. I didn't feel emotionally involved in the story at all.

I also had a hard time keeping track of how much time is passing. Some chapters it would say "weeks/months passed by" several times so im sitting there trying to work out if she's been in this particular place for 3 months or 10 months. There was a similar issue with the discrepancy between language barriers. Sometimes they weren't able to communicate a simple word while other times they could mime a whole conversation. I couldn't tell if this signified another time jump or not.


I did not find Freydis to be a likeable character. While I felt for her in her position, I found her to be unreasonably hard-headed yet mousy at the same time. I found myself screaming both "JUST STAB HIM ALREADY." & "WHY CANT YOU JUST BE NICE"
For instance after weeks of being cared for by strangers who did not need to save her life, she was "spitting" words at them and cursing them to her Gods. Girl they just SAVED YOUR BUTT. Say thank you.

Then there's the shockingly abrupt ending that provides us with no resolve or contentment. Freydis is right back where she started and there's no sign of that changing. How disappointing.

Overall I found this book lacking. It feels like a book meant for an academic setting, lacking an impactful voice and complex characters. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars on my goodreads. Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

DNF at 30%. I was so excited to get a copy of this, as I have read and previously loved several feminist mythological retellings such as Silence of the Girls, Circe and A Thousand Ships, and was excited to learn more about Norse legend. But I decided to stop reading this book at 30% for several reasons.

1. The pacing and the abuse. We are thrust into this world with little to no context and the domestic abuse happens from the very beginning of the book. This feels jarring and abrupt, and not in a good way. The abuse is detailed and graphic, which would normally inspire sympathy but coupled with the fast pace, the reader is left with very little time to actually get to know Freydis and empathise with her. I personally became numb to the abuse and found myself skimming over, hoping for a break in the monotonous cycle of abuse. I understand that this cyclical nature is very inherent to abuse, but it also neglects to delve into the psychological impact of abusive relationships. There are very brief moments in which Freydis blames herself for the abuse, or attempts to justify her husband's behaviour. But this lasts only a few chapters, and she suddenly overcomes this with what feels like no real catalyst. So, this is not really a nuanced, accurate portrayal of abuse, nor is it a subversive take on abuse in which the woman is forced into an abusive relationship but inherently knows her worth and actively fights for her rights. The abuse feels melodramatic and without nuance.

2. The feminism and representation. When Freydis' husband takes a "bed slave" (problematic in and of itself) Freydis actively tortures and makes life miserable for the woman. If she is indeed a slave, (I understand that this is probably just a term for prostitute, but there is also no clear consent given from the woman so this could easily be misinterpreted) why is Freydis making her life miserable? This is anti-feminist, and also I feel as though the motivation is lacking. Freydis also receives no support from any woman in her life, including her own mother and sister. I was hoping for a feminist novel, in which women support one another, at least in some small capacity. Additionally, Thorvard's sexuality is handled poorly. It could be interpreted that Freydis is homophobic. She actually refers to Thorvard making eyes at another man as "disgusting" at one point. This could be interpreted as a condemnation of his sexuality, and not of his infidelity.

Also, there was certain parts of the book which lacked authenticity for the time period. "I beseech thee, I don't catch your drift" is a sentence, for example. A lack of cohesive language took me out of the story several times.

I will not be posting this review anywhere, as I didn't finish the book and I wouldn't feel right about it. But I think that the novel should have gone through more intense screenings and more beta testing with readers. I don't know if some of these problematic aspects are addressed or resolved after the 30% mark of the book, I truly hope that they are. Also, I don't think that this was a terrible book. I think my review is more a reflection of my disappointment because I think the story and its perspective have the potential to be amazing, but there hasn't been enough attention to the details.

I hope that my review can be helpful in some way. Thank you.

I love all thing mythology, and always felt there was more to Freydis story that meets the eye (like Medusa). This author finally tells that story and gives her a voice that has been ignored for years. This was very lyrically written, I felt as if I was reading a song, and the author does a great job at recreating the past
Highly recommended, especially to those who lived Circe.

I do enjoy reading historical fiction/books on mythology but it isn't my usual favourite genre so while I was excited to read the Voyage of Freydis, I wasn't sure how much I'd actually enjoy it.

Happily, I did really enjoy it! The writing style was engaging and the characters and world were all well-developed, with the story drawing me in and not letting me go until I'd finished.

Book Review for The Voyage of Freydis

Full feature for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

Thank you to the publishers HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for giving me access to this book as an E-ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is an historical novel set in the Viking age and following the legendary historical character Freydis Eiriksdóttir, who traditionally in the Icelandic sagas are the daughter of Erik the Red and the half-sister of Leif Eriksson.

On to the story..

Freydis Eiriksdöttir is married to an abusive man (Thorvald). They live in Greenland. To get away from him she arranges to go on a ship bound West. And that's about it, really.

I feel like we don't get to know Freydis and I dont know if this has something to do with Goranson perhaps didn't want to create a "supercharacter" as Freydis is a legendary historic person and maybe wanted to have a slight vague character to have us, the readers, make her up as we wanted her to be?

Not the best novel set in this time period but nothing more than an okay read.

(Unfortunately, dear publishers, I can't honour the request to copy this review over to Amazon as I haven't used Amazon (other than Goodreads!) since 2014 and the site won't permit me to review products because of this. Sorry!)

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with this eArc copy!

As a lover of mythology and historical fiction I knew immediately I was going to like this book- and I’m pleased to say I not only liked it but I LOVED it!!

A solid 4.5 stars rounded to 5!!

The Voyage of Freydis by Tamara Goranson is a great historical fiction novel that I really enjoyed.

This novel is so unique and fascinating in that takes a lesser known character, Freydis Eiriksdottir, and really gives her a story and spotlight. She is said to be the daughter of Erik the Red and sister to Leif Erikson. Sources are vague on if she actually existed and if so, how much she actually contributed to the travels and exploration of North America, specifically Vinland. If she truly existed, then this novel could be her story.

I enjoyed learning more about this era of history in general. I will be honest in saying that I knew very little about Norse exploration and travel, especially during the turn of the century at 1000 AD. I was really drawn in to this complex, strong, flawed, and realistic character that was clearly present well before her time. She was a fighter and I was impressed with the author’s ability to craft a wonderful and engrossing narrative while interweaving historical aspects into the story line.

I especially enjoyed the Author’s Note at the end that gave a lot of useful information, context, and background.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and One More Chapter for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I received The Voyage of Freydis as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Freydis Eiriksdottir is the daughter of Eirik the Red and sister of Leif Eiriksson, yet does not have the notoriety of either of her male relatives despite her own considerable accomplishments. Trapped in an abusive marriage, she decides to flee her husband, leaving her native Greenland for the shores of Vinland in what is probably modern-day Newfoundland. There she and a group of intrepid colonists struggle to establish a livelihood in difficult and remote terrain while interacting with the native people in the area. But even the sea cannot keep Freydis' past at bay, resulting in dramatic changes in fortune for her and her fellow settlers.

This was a really fascinating read. While acknowledging that a lot of the plot isn't supported by historical evidence, just learning about Freydis' (possible) existence was a revelation after being introduced to her father and brother in my school history classes. Very excited to read future books in this series and see where the story takes Freydis and her family.