Rating: 4/5
What It’s About:
Ninth century Norway, the dawn of the Viking era, — a land shattered into thirty warring kingdoms. A woman could seize power, if she was bold enough.
Goodreads
Daughter of a Norse king, fifteen-year-old Åsa dreams of becoming a shield-maiden. When she spurns a powerful warlord, he rains hellfire on her family, slaughtering her father and brother and taking her captive. To protect her people, Åsa must wed her father’s killer. To take vengeance, she must become his queen.
Preface
I’ve been meaning to write a review for this book for awhile. However, I just recently bought Hogwarts Legacy and all my mental bandwidth has been taken up by learning to play the game! So my review is going to be on the shorter side.
The Review
To give some context, Norse Queen starts in Norway in the year of AD 818. The Norse culture and society is very strongly built by the author. It’s probably one of my favorite aspects of the book. The politics, commerce, religion and all the other things the author depicted in the book brought the story to life. The book also has also some fantasy that includes Norse mythology, magic and folklore.
Filled with alliances and betrayals, an intricate web of relationships is developed between many characters. Asa, the main protagonist, was an interesting character because she started off as helpless and lost, but then becomes more methodical in her actions and plotting. Fortunately, Asa has many supporting characters that helped her through the mistakes she made. Then she begins training in divination, rune casting, and fighting and she transforms into a formidable woman. I have a feeling that her skills and power will continue to grow throughout the series. I’m excited to see what her future holds.
Norse Queen also has some romance in the the book but it’s not a main part of the story (which I liked). I do ship the two characters that are involved in the romance and am curious to see if they will ever end up together. Many different circumstances are keeping them apart but…I have a feeling that eventually the stars will align and they can finally be together.
Final Thoughts
Norse Queen was an enjoyable read. It had everything that I love in a historical fiction. As I read it, I was constantly reminded of the shows Vikings and The Last Kingdom (my review). So if you are a fan of either of those shows, there is a good chance you will enjoy this book.