I was very excited to get to this book, because did you read the synopsis? Sounds amazing, right? And yay, it really was! I am quite a fan of historical fiction, and I think you probably need to at least like it to enjoy this book, because it definitely fits that genre. But there's a lot more to it, of course! So, let's get to it.
What I Enjoyed:
- Oooh, this book is dark. I really didn't expect to go to some of the places that it did. It was pretty rough at times, but not unnecessarily so. What I mean is, the harshness was a great parallel to the world around the characters. It made the tension of the book at a constantly heightened state, and made the stakes feel very high.
- The family connections were great. I loved that this group of siblings wanted to keep each other safe no matter what. Admittedly, they had a lot of troubling relationship dynamics throughout the book, but that too seemed quite realistic, especially in the situation.
- I liked the magic aspect. Magic and powers can be very hit or miss for me. But in this case, I thought they worked well. The way they were integrated into the world worked for me, and I liked that it was something they tried to keep under wraps. It just felt, to me, as believable as magic can.
- The settings were amazing! While we didn't spend a ton of time in Norway, I was happy that we got a glimpse of it. And of course, the uncharted American west was awesome. Not only that, it worked well in the context of the story.
There was only one real thing that was lacking a bit for me, and that was that I didn't feel quite the emotional connection to the characters that I would have liked. I mean, I cared about the outcome and their fates, but sometimes I just felt a bit distant from them.
Will I Read the Sequel? I'd literally read it this second if someone handed it to me!
Bottom Line: Historical fiction that is often quite dark, and includes elements of magic? Oh so much yes. Need the next book, because obviously.
*Copy provided for review