Reviews

Queens of the Wyrd by Timandra Whitecastle

kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition

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5.0

While this book isn't flawless, it's a brilliant read nonetheless!

If you like the following, look no farther, read this!
• Strong female characters who still are individuals and not just stone cold assassins
• Norse mythology
• Humour and plenty of witty banter
• A quick and easy read
• Fast paced and cool fight scenes

I loved the characters in this one. I enjoyed mums and just "regular" women being the main characters and still being awesome. I'm not maternal and no mum myself, and don't intend to ever be one, but the theme still absolutely worked for me.

They mythology part definitely works best if you already have some basic info about it, as it's often not described in great detail, so it gets a lot more depth of your brain just adds in more backdrop. This does make for an even quicker read, and doesn't take away from the book if you have some knowledge of it already. Only if this s your first encounter with the topic it might lack a bit of depth.

The above mentioned flaws are a rather big amount of small errors / typos and and time it's just a bit too quick and solutions a bit too easy. So it's not the deepest or most thought provoking book ever, but it is a hell of a lot of fun and I devoured it.

Absolutely highly recommended!

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2020/10/queens-of-the-wyrd-by-timandra-whitecastle-spfbo-6-semi-finalist-review/

gay's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

twistedriver's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Wowser, absolutely loved it. I really hope there will be more adventures with these characters, both epicly and everydaily (??) heroic in nature. Beautiful about motherhood and female friendship, about healing grief and how to break cycles of generational trauma. Badassery all around, both sweet and hard-hitting.

nclcaitlin's review against another edition

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3.75

In short: past viking warrior legends, now mothers, get back together to save one of their daughters, oh and the world, from Ragnarok.

"If we accidentally start Ragnarok, I'm totally blaming you, Lovis whispered in Sol's
ear.
Sol grinned. "Ill say Loki set me up. Seems like that works for everyone else. Anyway, if we're about to start Ragnarok, I really need to get laid one last time."

If you are looking for a book with viking inspired fantasy, inspirational and heartwarming motherhood, and an adventurous , legendary story that blends heart, humour, history and hurt masterfully, read this! 

“I mean, sure, everyone says they'll do anything for their kids. But it's different for moms. We start giving of ourselves before they're even born. And then when they're born, we're still giving, giving, giving, and the nature of our giving changes, but it never really ends.”

If you liked this, I would recommend The Sword Of Kaigen and Kings of the Wyld.

wynwicket's review

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5.0

The adventures of a former band of shieldmaidens, years after their heroic exploits. A few are mothers, a few are queens, all have changed, but they've still got it. I loved this Norse-flavored fantasy ❤

azaliz's review against another edition

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The lore is based on sexist stuff that I can't bear: there are three Fates, "the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone", as if women can only be that. "one is what was, one is what is, and the other–she is the debt that all must pay."
The very literal version of this means that all women are bound to be mothers, and I deeply hate that.

Relents of fatphobia in the description of a character: "No jolly fat bartender, he. T was a wiry man, his body seemed carved out of wood." As though you can't carve a fat body out of wood?

spellboundbybooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

ajbrunner's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

wordnerdy's review against another edition

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3.0

https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2021/06/2021-book-125.html

I liked the concept of this a lot, but the execution left a little to be desired. The main character is a half-giant in old Norse times, who was part of a famous band of warrior women until she got pregnant and retired. Now it’s ten years later and her old best friend needs her help on a rescue mission—and maybe preventing Ragnarok while they’re at it? But maybe they need more than just the two of them? Yup, it’s time to get the gang back together! (The other two are magical immortal types, one is the consort of Hel!) Anyway, that is all fine and dandy, but the book needed one more pass with a proofreader (lots of typos, and some weird repetitions), and maybe for the messages to be a little more subtle. Lots of gory battle scenes which are not really my thing, but I did like all the lady camaraderie and motherly feelings (still, despite the many hints toward her daughter's parentage, it’s frustrating not to have it confirmed). So this was fine, but it could have been awesomer? Oh well. B.

guerrichache's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25