A review by soswiin
The Goddess of Nothing At All, by Cat Rector
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i’m typing this through a wall of tears. screaming and crying rn.
i don’t even know where to begin with this book. i ordered this book for myself a christmas present because of its stunningly beautiful cover courtesy of grace zhu. i was thinking it’d be another regular retelling of an over-told myth involving loki seducing a woman written in 2017 wattpad format. but oh my god. the intimacy of loki and sigyn was like nothing i’ve ever seen in a novel (or even a fanfic for that matter). the way rector writes is incredible. i was feeling the characters’ emotions right along with them. i don’t know how she managed to do that but it brought me to tears. on three separate occasions.
i also loved the way that rector was able to retell the myths in ways that made sense in the story and how she used them to move the plot along. think of “the goddess of nothing at all” as neil gaiman’s “norse mythology” but gay.
(i would like to add that the subtle representation throughout was gorgeous. the einharjar being “…of all shapes and sizes, young and old, and of all complexions.”? love to see it. the protagonist having bronze skin despite being a figure in norse mythology? fantastic. loki being referred to as she/her while feminine-presenting? incredible. thank you miss cat rector)
i don’t even know where to begin with this book. i ordered this book for myself a christmas present because of its stunningly beautiful cover courtesy of grace zhu. i was thinking it’d be another regular retelling of an over-told myth involving loki seducing a woman written in 2017 wattpad format. but oh my god. the intimacy of loki and sigyn was like nothing i’ve ever seen in a novel (or even a fanfic for that matter). the way rector writes is incredible. i was feeling the characters’ emotions right along with them. i don’t know how she managed to do that but it brought me to tears. on three separate occasions.
i also loved the way that rector was able to retell the myths in ways that made sense in the story and how she used them to move the plot along. think of “the goddess of nothing at all” as neil gaiman’s “norse mythology” but gay.
(i would like to add that the subtle representation throughout was gorgeous. the einharjar being “…of all shapes and sizes, young and old, and of all complexions.”? love to see it. the protagonist having bronze skin despite being a figure in norse mythology? fantastic. loki being referred to as she/her while feminine-presenting? incredible. thank you miss cat rector)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Vomit