Oh wow. You know when you read a book and it captivates you? Well this book did it for me! Vikings!

Here is a bit about the book:

OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother’s betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.’

Eelyn is an Aska warrior, every bit a tough viking woman, strong, fearless but in battle she sees her brother, Iri, who she thought to be dead. From that moment she is pulled into the Riki way of life. But Eelyn has much more to fear than the Riki.

The picture this book painted of the viking world made me feel if I was there (mind you I don’t think I could handle seeing an animal sacrifice for real!)

The writing was sublime and the story, oh the story, I read this book slowly, savouring every word. How it focused on their world and family values, it won a place in my heart and it certainly pulled all the feels out of me!

In short, I loved every bit about it!