Reviews

Freya by Matthew Laurence

celebrationofbooks's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

First things first – Freya is a debut novel by a cool dude about a badass woman. I always check out reviews of books before reading them, but this time, I was the first to post a “review” of sorts on Goodreads and in going back to read the new reviews since the book was released in March (I read it in November), I have to say, I understand the complaints, but the pros outweigh the cons and the promise of more outweighs what the first book may have lacked.

Freya is the perfect book for young adults who spent their childhood reading Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and are looking for a mythology book that is a touch more grown up. The pacing is quick, the plot moves along at a steady pace, and the supporting cast of characters is richly described. While they may not yet be full realized, there is a lot of opportunity for them to grow and for the readers to get to know the various deities and mythologies better.

Sara/Freya is a fabulous narrator – in a debut, first in a series, YA fantasy, the most essential part of ensuring readership is to have a fully realized main character and Sara/Freya is such a character. And while some may complain about a pretty big structural point, that Freya is in first person, and there are certain things about Freya, what she is thinking, her background, and such that we as readers are not privy to, I personally enjoy the suspense and delight in the “not-knowing” aspect of the final plan to take down the big bad corporation. Freya marries the best parts of first and third person narration spectacularly.

I have only two complaints, and one is a silly one at that. The first, if Nate is going to be our main supporting actor, he needs a bit more of a role than simply “worshipper of Freya.” And the second, the silly one, the name Sarah, my own name, should always have an “H” at the end.

mekachudrago's review

1.0

I admit that I am a bit of a cover snob. The cover alone made me want to run away from this book, but I persisted because the idea of the book seemed great! I’m all for mythology, and I will admit that the idea of the gods still living based on how much belief their supporters have and that their physical forms change based on that belief, is a super super cool idea. But this book falls short with a really boring plot. I was trying to enjoy it as much as I could, but once Sara got to Disneyland and did all the trickery to get in it seemed unreasonably unrealistic. I understand that this book is meant to be fiction. It’s not real. I get that, but any time a book makes me think “there is literally no way” I can’t keep reading. DNF

foreveryoungadult's review

Graded By: Mandy C.
Cover Story: Photo Op
BFF Charm: Natalie Imbruglia
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Modern Theology
Bonus Factors: Gods and Goddesses (+ Diversity)
Factor: Open-Ended
Relationship Status: Agnostic

Read the full book report here.

kaiouelios's review

5.0

This was a very entertaining book. It really felt like freya wrote it so we would believe in her again. There were a roller coaster of emotions where I honestly thought she wouldn't win. I would read more books by this author.

maidmarianlib's review

3.0

Fun take on gods and the modern world, love the humour and Freya is a very interesting character, reminds me a lot of Lish McBride

odettebrethouwer's review

5.0

This is the last book I read as an ambassador for the Dutch publisher BlossomBooks last year. I loved this book, but I haven’t heard anything yet about whether they are going to translate it or not. But the book is published now, so let me post my review :)

First of all, I love the idea of the book, and I love the cover. The idea is also not just good, but also worked out in a great way. I love the world and the interaction between characters and other gods.

I also love how amazingly badass Freya is, She is a powerchick with a great sense of humor and the guy is just hobbling behind her and doing bits and pieces. Just the opposite of an average YA where the guy is the hero and the girl is just being in love :)

The writing is very comfortable to read and very well done. I have a complete image of Freya and how she acts in my head. And I like little details about our society,

Spoiler

like when she goes shopping, her curves that match an god of love does not fit in our dresses.

The worldbuilding is done in a way that it is written in conversation, so you really only get everything you need, and no other nice things the writer has made up all fitted in some awkward history lesson or something.

Spoiler

I also like it that when she is captured and she tries to find a way out, that it all goes not as she expected. That she finds doors that lead to nowhere, no guards to point her to where something is being protected..

I love these details seems to mock other YA books in their averageness.

I’m looking forward to the second book!

emhromp's review

2.0

Hmmmm, er bestaat denk ik geen schrijfstijl die minder bij mij past dan deze :)

lexabear's review

5.0

What a fun romp! Freya is a blast throughout and is a fast and furious read. Fantasy seems awash with "what if the gods are real and still hanging out in modern life" but this is a unique take on the idea that is informed by, but not copying, predecessors such as American Gods or Supernatural.

Freya (the character) is a mix of godly haughtiness and human foibles. At times vain and selfish (she is literally the goddess of vanity, after all), she tempers her divine persona with charm, cleverness, loyalty, and love.

Some of the back-and-forth quips are hilarious. The whole book contains a healthy portion of comedy, with a large heap of action, that rises into a delicious souffle. Already looking forward to the sequel!

timetravelingnerd's review

4.0

Super enjoyable read, loved the idea of ancient Gods and Goddesses working at Disney (why not right?). Freya was AWESOME as a character and I love the sheer amount of different pantheons in here. I'm assuming there's a sequel coming from the ending so I can't wait to read it!!!

literarymarvel's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 overall

Freya had a choppy start and took a good 80 pages for the story to build properly and get to the good parts: Freya's adventure inside Finemdi.

A lot of the more secondary characters and narrative plots were poorly constructed and detailed, but Laurence definitely made up for it with Freya's character and the diverse cast of other immortals Freya runs into throughout the book.