I wouldn’t have said that I was on Norse or Viking kick this year and yet this is somehow the fifth Viking/Nordic inspired fantasy novel I have read this year (three of them were part of the same trilogy, though, The Bloodsworn).
I discovered Elisabeth Wheatley because her book goblin reels/videos kept showing up in my feed, and then I realized she wasn’t just a fellow reader and book lover but an author so I decided to try her latest release (there’s a sequel coming out this week).
The novel begins with a divorce, quickly followed by an arranged marriage between Brynn and Cenric. Brynn is a sorceress, daughter of the former king and niece of the current king, with a controlling mother. After going along with her mother’s plans for her previous, loveless marriage, Brynn is tired and done being a political pawn. Her infant son’s murder during a raid was the last straw for her accepting other’s choices for her life. Cenric is her way to escape, and make her own life.
Cenric is an alderman in the north, where life is rough. Due to circumstances, he spent much of his life with a tribe in an enemy kingdom so he doesn’t exactly have the standing or reputation that others in his position might. A sorceress could help bring more security to his people and let them prosper so he easily agrees to the marriage though he doesn’t quite understand why the king would marry a powerful sorceress like Brynn to an alderman he barely knows or even seems to like.
After the quick marriage, the novel explores the relationship between Brynn and Cenric as she adjusts to her new life. While her previous husband wasn’t intentionally abusive, he was just as forced into the marriage, and he was incredibly neglectful and emotionally abusive through his lack of care. As a result, Brynn doesn’t quite know how to interpret her new husband’s actions when he is kind to her or even how to prioritize or communicate her own desires. The relationship slowly blossoms even as they occasionally misunderstand each other.
I quite enjoyed this one since Brynn and Cenric were both enjoyable characters to spend time with, each with their own complex histories and baggage. It also sets up the magic and the politics of the world for the rest of the series so I am very much curious to see where it goes next. Also, I buried the lede on this but Cenric also has powers – premonition and he can speak with his pack of dyrehounds telepathically, with Snapper being his main companion.
One thing that is always weird or interesting how very different reactions can be to different yet slightly similar novels – A Fate Inked in Blood was another Norse novel I read this year (part 1 of a duology) which also involved a second marriage,and while technically more happened in that novel (action-wise at least), I also felt like it was dragged out badly to justify a duology. And yet, I enjoyed this one so much more even if it technically could be considered a “slower” novel – this just really emphasizes how important the right balance between plot and characters is.