A review by claudiamacpherson
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky

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

4.5

Omat has her foot in two worlds: born with her father's spirit in her woman's body, Omat is destined to follow in her grandfather's footsteps as an angakuk, a link between the Inuit and the spirits. When tragedy strikes, Omat must go on a journey to save her family. Along the way, she meets gods—both Inuk and Viking—and finds help in unlikely places.

4.5 stars

Wow. I absolutely loved this book: the history, the mythologies, the hero's journey...it was all told so beautifully! Please check the trigger warnings for this book, though:
I had some trouble with the rape scenes (one is part of the Inuk mythology, one happens to Omat) as well as some of the hunting/animal violence (though it's all very respectful of the animals, it was a bit graphic).
I really liked learning about the Inuit and Vikings, because I honestly never really learned much about this period of history. I also liked how Brodsky described Omat's two-spirit identity (I used she/her pronouns for Omat while writing this because they are used in the book's description).

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just my judgement of how happy the ending is because I always wish someone would tell me that before I read books):
Happy!
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