This felt really unique and fresh in a big sea of fantasy novels coming out lately. The Norse mythology was fascinating and the story kept me riveted. I think this is going to be a big hit.

A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow is a fantasy novel following Solveig, an elemental magic wielder (called a weirdling). Solveig is the oldest daughter of a ruler in a Nordic-inspired world, and has a shieldmaid, Arneoir (with her own Valkerie-given strength), sworn to her. Solveig is taken as weregild (an archaic blood price) from her home and travels further north on a great journey of some import.

I will preface the rest of this by saying that I don’t think this is the book for me, I really didn’t enjoy it. I’ve seen it compared to Lord of the Rings and maybe it’s a similar journey, but there were too many elements I didn’t enjoy.

What I did like was Arneoir. She was remarkably consistent and I thought a bit of a joy, and I did like her relationship with Solveig. I also enjoyed the world and thought the world building was fantastic. I didn’t mind not having a dictionary of all the terms Saintcrow used and found they were easy enough to puzzle out in context.

On the negative in: Between the archaic language and navel-gazing it was a slog to get through. My biggest issue is that nothing really gets resolved by the end. They reach a destination that no one, save one person, knew they were heading, but nothing else happens. They travel, fight, and Solveig thinks about her life and her worth constantly. She has droll, repetitive thoughts. Additionally, I didn’t enjoy the retrospective narration style where Solveig would reflect on the events from a far future perspective, especially because <spoiler>she kept saying almost everyone we’d met and come to like was dead.</spoiler>

I also didn’t like that everyone seemed to find Solveig so interesting and wonderful. Her inner monologue was irritating and time, and though there were sparks of interesting things about her, overall, I didn’t enjoy being in her head. There were also a few things that were brought up repeatedly throughout the book (such as a curse on a particular character) that were never addressed.

I don’t love where the book ended and though I have some curiosity about how Sol and Arn’s journey ends, I won’t be too upset if I never find out.

Favorite quote:
“We made a wall against the wind, my shieldmaid and I, our combined shape more stable than either could ever hope to be alone.”

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC so I could give an honest review.

Thank you to the Publisher for my arc.

I think I went into this having the wrong idea because this didn’t end up being what I wanted.

I have never read Lilith Saintcrow before so I can’t speak on her writing in her other novels, however this book is hard to rate for me. Three seems a bit too low but four stars is also too high.

This is a Viking tale about a seidhr witch(a volva) Solveig and her shield maiden named Arn as they travel North to repay to a wyrdguild. Which is a debt to repay the life that her brother took. We are thrown right into the story and I found Sol’s voice entertaining and engaging through the story.
The problem I had was with the pacing. It’s a slow build. I don’t think the next book will have that issue, I think there was a lot a of set up and world to create here which had to slow the pace down.

Overall an interesting Viking theme read.
Thanks NetGalley, Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was looking forward to reading this book because there are so few Norse-inspired fantasy books out there—or at least very few that are well-known or mainstream. I really liked the world and the references to Norse mythology, but there were times in the story where I felt lost or confused by the repetitive plot. Still, there were certain characters that I liked, which makes me more than likely to pick up the second book.

This book wasn't for me. I liked the initial premise of the story, but I didn't like the pacing or the plot device of this being a translation. I felt like I was reading the second book in a series and I had to keep going back to make sure I wasn't. The role of the Elders and nordic mythology just never really came together for me.
I think if you're into a slower burn fantasy with epic world building then this would be the book for you. Ultimately, it just wasn't for me.

Thanks Netgalley and Orbit for the E-ARC

A Flame in the North promises high fantasy and delivers. It certainly l does a fine job representing the genre. This novel gave me big Lord of the Rings energy. I could see this book holding an even deeper level of understanding and appeal to people who are familiar with Norse mythology (I am not, which may have detracted from my understanding).

From the minute we meet our protagonist, Solveig (Sol), she is likable and easy to root for. Her shield maiden, Arneior (Arn), is a bit more callous, but the sincerity of depth of their relationship win the reader over. Their epic journey reveals the truth about many myths and legends of their childhood, with Sol recounting events past from first person perspective.

I loved the descriptions of Sol’s “elemental magic” (seidhr). I like the simplicity of the magic and I think Saintcrow does a wonderful job helping the reader understand Sol’s power and potential. Because of her seidhr, Sol is revered and enlisted for help the Elders to fight against evil forces. This book sets the stage for battle by reflecting on Sol’s initial journey and gaining understanding of the past, the main players, and the stakes.

My biggest bones to pick (and the reasons I gave this novel 3 stars) are:
1. The pacing—it moves slowly, especially during the initial travels. The action scenes felt very short and quickly resolved compared to the monotony of travel. Having said this, the journey is reminiscent of Lord of the Rings so there are readers who will definitely like this pacing and the extra time it gives readers to get to know the characters.
2. The language—the syntax is not the easiest and reading can be difficult if you’re not fully focused. Once you’re into the story it’s fine, but every time I picked up where I’d left off, it took me a few pages to get back into the cadence of it and the language choice, which made it difficult to enjoy immediately.

I do think many of these issues will be resolved in the next book of the series, as the journey and battle against evil continue for Sol. I think Black Land’s Bane #2 is positioned to be a home run; can’t wait!

Huge thanks to Lilith Saintcrow, NetGalley & Orbit Books for this ARC!

When I picked this book up, I went into it only knowing this was Viking based, which already got me excited for it. Add on a little bit of witchy-ness and it had me utterly hooked. I was definitely excited to jump into this book, ready to see the world that Lilith was going to put us in.

While I was reading, I found that I almost needed to have more Viking knowledge to understand what was really happening. It definitely feels like as the reader you get thrown right in and if you don't have Viking knowledge (traditions, terms, etc.) it's really difficult to follow along in the beginning. That being said it did get easier to read the further in I got. the more I started to really enjoy it. One of the things that made this a slow read for me, was the amount of times I had to go back to reread something because it didn't make sense or was confusing to me as the reader.

This was a fun read, definitely one for the readers who are really into Viking themed books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and Lilith Saintcrow for giving me an eARC of A Flame in the North in exchange for my honest review.

*I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley and Orbit Books for an honest review*

The story is a fantasy based Viking story and is told from a 1st person pov. The story quickly picks up with some great battles/fighting but after a bit, it seems a little repetitive. With their travels and then another fight.

I felt as though sometimes I was “lost” because I didn’t personally connect with the descriptions of some characters/plot lines.

Overall, it’s a decent read and I would more than likely want to continue to book 2.

I wanted to like this book so bad. I think the story had potential but it was hard to follow and read at times. I had to re-read sections to understand what the author was saying. I'm not a fan of the writing style. It was heavy.

I’m not sure if this writing style is for me. It felt a bit clunky at times even though I sometimes like the old fashioned style of writing but this one was a bit difficult to get through. It had decent Nordic action and I enjoyed the plot (as much as I could understand of it). I don’t know that I would pick it up again though. Thank you to the author and the publisher as well as NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was just not my thing. It is very wordy and heavy, much like game of thrones. I loved game of thrones but this just didn’t grip me like that series did. I liked the premise of it but I felt like it was pretty difficult to follow at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available wide on February 13,2024!

More obnoxious Viking fantasy. That’s all fantasy authors seem to churn out. This time it is about an elemental witch and her shield maiden embarking on a forgettable journey that you will already know how it ends.

A Flame in the North is an epic Viking Fantasy, and although it wasn't what I thought I was going to read I found it to be quite an enjoyable story. Because Solveig's brother kills someone she is traded for a year and a day to a group called the Wolves of the North. Along the way home they face many battles, where she learns of Elven and other types of magic and a great evil that is awakening. Through their travel many begin to question if Sol will be the one to help them stop the upcoming evil.
I found this book to be an enjoyable fantasy filled with plenty of adventure and lore. I really enjoyed the relationship between Sol and her shieldmaiden who helps her on their journey. Although I felt the story was a little repetitive and slow the ending left me wanting more. I can't wait to read more by Lilith Saintcrow.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, from page one I was hooked I had a hard time putting it down. This book is one big puzzle with clues to the bigger story at the end of every chapter. So unique. I love absolutely anything that has to do with the Vikings era, and this one checked all my boxes.

We get to go on this journey right along with Sol and her shield maid, this author does an amazing job with the descriptions and world building. It felt like I was on a horse with them making there trek North. Secondborn, wolves, Elders and monsters of myth. This book was an absolute masterpiece. I can’t wait for book 2!

I liked the Norwegian elements and overall plotline but it fell a little short on me. The writing was overall great and the pacing was a little slow for my liking. It was a good read 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Brilliant storytelling in the vein of Tolkien. I loved the blending of mythology and fantasy and was honestly sad to reach the end of this book. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this epic adventure.

DNF at 30%.

I gave this book my best shot. The over-complicated writing style is my greatest grievance. It felt like a slog to get through and understand. The story started to get interesting around 20%, and I liked the direction it was going. But then the tension tapered off, and I couldn't bring myself to care for the characters. Maybe I'll come back to it at a later date!

Previously I had only read urban fantasy by Lilith St. Crow, and while I quite enjoyed it, I was unsure what to expect out of an epic fantast tale. Flame in the North is a heavy read. It flows smoothly and has plenty of action to move it along, but hangs heavy in your mind. She transports you with ease to land filled with legends and old evil, holding you hostage shrouded in mystery.
Solvieg is an elementalist favored by the gods. Daughter of the ruler of a southern settlement she is content to server her people, until her brother kills a northern lord’s son. Sent as wergild for a year and a day she travels with her shieldmaiden into the unknown. Faced with an enemy thought to be long gone Solvieg must come in to herself and her powers.
I received an ARC and am leaving a review of my own volition.

This is a Norse inspired book and I could not be more excited. The setting was amazing and it transported me into the world. I could not put the book down. The magic system was very well thought out. And the romance was the perfect amount.