A review by blainembentley
Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt

3.5

 

My first exposure to Norse inspired fantasy and found this to be a really enjoyable read.

The world building felt very established and well fleshed out. Having had some exposure to Norse mythology, it was fun to see how this author took it and presented it with her own touch. This also made for a story that felt very consistent in the religious, magical, and fantastical elements of the book. The Norse inspired aspect is what I enjoyed most about this book.

The overall plot structure was good. I wouldn’t say it was anything that was novel or groundbreaking. I think the story was very well executed, but just didn’t quite pull me in as much as I would have liked. I don’t feel like there was anything super intriguing or unique about the overall story. For me this book gave me everything I would expect from a viking story/norse inspired story, but really didn’t take it further than those expectations. Thus, why I feel there wasn’t anything intriguing or unique. 

For me the character work was weaker in the beginning, but improved over the book. There is one chapter in mind that I loved because I felt so connected to the POV character, but the chapter almost came out of nowhere as it came after the climax of this character’s arc in this book. I wish that we would have seen that emotional connection earlier, which would have made their arc’s climax so much more intense. However, I am now more invested and excited to see what is in store with this character.

Overall, I do feel it was a good start of the trilogy and I am excited to see where it goes from here.