RATING: 3.5/5
SYNOPSIS
A sweeping tale of clashing cultures, warring gods, and forbidden love: In 1000 AD, a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies as war breaks out between their peoples and their gods-one that will determine the fate of them all.
“There is a very old story, rarely told, of a wolf that runs into the ocean and becomes a whale.”
Born with the soul of a hunter and the spirit of the Wolf, Omat is destined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps-invoking the spirits of the land, sea, and sky to protect her people.
But the gods have stopped listening and Omat’s family is starving. Alone at the edge of the world, hope is all they have left.
Desperate to save them, Omat journeys across the icy wastes, fighting for survival with every step. When she meets a Viking warrior and his strange new gods, they set in motion a conflict that could shatter her world…or save it.
REVIEW
Thanks to Hachette Books and Libro.fm for the audiobook listening copy.
We follow the story of Omat (who was raised to be a shaman) and her Inuit tribe. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of this story but its not that bad as well. This is a rather unique fantasy story without some of the classic fantasy tropes. It is full of mythologies: Inuit Mythology, Norse Mythology, Arctic Mythology. Although there are some books in the market which incorporated mythology elements (especially the Norse Mythology), I personally think that the author manage to weave the three main mythologies and folklore creatively by introducing the clash of cultures between different entities. There is also ample discussions on the difference between religion and believes. The theme of feminism, gender identity were also highlighted throughout the story. I definitely love the part of the story where the author introduced the relationship of Omat and her animals (wolf dogs) as I am a dog person.
However, due to my personal taste, this is not a book for me. It was okay as i appreciate the creativity of the author as mentioned above. And no doubt, I can see the author has spent a lot of time researching on the 3 main mythologies as well as the setting of the story which took place in 1000 AD (the world building is great by the way). However, i prefer a more fast paced and action packed story with complicated characterization and plots. I am not saying that this is a bad book as there are so many good reviews on this book out there. But its just not for me. Hence, I’ll just give it a 3.5/5 star rating.
I have to emphasize, this review is purely based on my personal taste. This book is still worth a try if you are a big fan of mythology.
I loved this book- because I loved Omat so much- but I think one of the first things I thought was- this won’t be a book for everyone, because it is slow. Great review!
Agree. It’s rather slow but still I apploud the author’s creativity! Haha
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