Viking-inspired fantasy is right up my alley, so I was excited to jump into this one. It started a bit slow, but once it got going it really got going, and became harder to put down the closer I got to finishing it.

Through the first half of the book, I found myself actively disliking the main character, Hessa, and often found myself frustrated at the situations she found herself in. That changed quickly in the second half of the book, however, as she grew by leaps and bounds. She didn’t just become more powerful in battle, but she also grew as a woman, making incredibly hard decisions and pivoting in a completely different direction.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys vikings, fantasy, strong female protagonists, and awesome dogs.