Another great example of why NetGalley/Publishers really need to allow readers to read just a handful of pages of a book before requesting it. Almost everything about this book, one of my most anticipated 2020 reads. annoyed me to no end from the first page. I hated the characters, disliked the writing style, and the plot, as much of it as I got through, didn't pull me in fast enough to overcome those two things. But I know enough about myself to know that the characters, the thing that most grated on me, is because they were the typical generic anime hero style that I absolute hate. People who love that kind of character, loved this book.

I hesitated so long to review this one because I normally would have tried a book like this, figured out it wasn't for me, and then not read or reviewed it at all. Since you can't do that with Netgalley without being punished, this is the review you get. This is one of the many reasons I think Netgalley REALLY needs to allow potential reviewers the opportunity to read a short sample of a book before requesting it.

NORTHERN WRATH is a book that has been making waves across the book community for almost a year now. Like the serpent Jörmungandr, NORTHERN WRATH has loomed large on my horizon for as long as I can remember, daunting for both its size and rumoured ferocity.

While it’s even more ferocious than I was led to believe, it turned out to be a remarkably addictive read, and I smashed through the 600+ pages in scant few sittings over a single weekend.

NORTHERN WRATH is the first book in Thilde Kold Holdt’s debut series, The Hanged God Trilogy. It’s a mesmerising weave of fantasy and historical fiction, one that really nails the grim yet vibrant mythology, culture, and landscape of the gelid north.

The plot is one that can’t really be mentioned in any great detail, for even the slightest spoiler may well snag a nornir spun thread and ruin what is, without doubt, a masterfully told tale. Everything you could care to wish for is here and in glorious abundance; love, loss, jealousy, betrayal, war, giants, gods, and so much more besides.

Holdt has created an amazingly deep yet shifting world, where the veil of mythology is draped over the bones of the past. Initially, you are grounded in a world that you know, but page-by-page, your eyes are opened, and what starts as peripheral glimpses of the Worlds beyond soon becomes much more of a collision course.

The world feels authentic, lavished with love, research, and knowledge. You walk the loam-soft woods, hear the crunch of hoar-frost beneath your feet, and smell the carrion-reek of battles won.

Characters too are fantastically realised, though I can see why some people may not feel they are quite as deep as they usually like. All of the characters burn bright, incandescent with their own desire and ambitions, and while you don’t spend a great deal of time ‘inside their heads’, as it were, you do get a very real sense of who they are and what they’re striving towards. Given the number of POV characters, I’m amazed that they all felt as unique and authentic as they did, more so that there were so many engaging and tantalising side characters as well.

With so many characters, there are also a number of separate journeys, while this could easily dilute the narrative, it absolutely doesn’t. Whether you compare these arcs to threads in a tapestry or holumenn on a warship, they are their own individual things, moving on their own ineffable trajectory but part of something much broader and grander.

There are several unforgettable female characters in NORTHERN WRATH, characters who exude the unrelenting ferocity of women, warriors, and mothers. They swing their axes, bite their shields, and bargain eye-to-eye with powerful entities, unapologetic in their power and with passion undistilled.

From Hilda to Siv, these female characters are not just bit-part characters, nor are they painted as ‘just’ survivors, they are shapers too and more than capable of making their mark.

The world of NORTHERN WRATH is breathtaking and made all the better for Holdt’s engaging and gripping writing style. To finish a 600-page book in three days is not something I can ordinarily do, but thanks to the addictive plot and perfectly metered narrative, I just couldn’t put the thing down. While every aspect of the book is tremendously well-written, I have to single out the action and battle scenes. They are amazing, reminiscent of the soaring heroics of authors like Gemmell and Cornwell but with almost grimdark levels of grit and violence.

While I was a little late picking up NORTHERN WRATH, there is a tremendous silver lining in that book two, ‘Shackled Fates’, is to be released in just a month, and I can’t bloody wait.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The plot got me, but the book didn’t convince me.
I finish it, but it was a challenge. I was bored and I fall a sleep a few times.

I've had this book for 9 months and barely made it 5% into it. I think it's safe to call this a DNF because this 800 page book hasn't captured my attention. I found the story too slow to start and the problems the characters faced were not interesting to me.

I enjoy watching Vikings and playing Assassins Creed Valhalla, so hoped I would click with this story but I found this a slow read and I was bored with the characters. The initial fight in the village was good but after that I felt it didnt keep up the pace.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Here are a few things you can expect from this book:

A Norse inspired viking fantasy;
A rich and detailed world filled with known and more unknown lore and myths;
Chaotic and bloody battle scenes;
A captivating plot.
On to the full review…

Northern Wrath is a norse inspired Viking fantasy and book one of The Hanged God Trilogy. I think I stand with a lot of people when I say Norse Mythology is an incredibly interesting one, it has so so much involved within its lore and the cultures that belonged to it are also incredibly interesting. Thilde managed to incorporate quite a lot of this in her writing too which is testament to the research and knowledge of this area, which meant she excelled in her world building.

This book has gods, monsters, heroes and so much more and it is all woven well into the world and its plot. I really liked the idea that the diminishing belief in the gods was closing the gateways of sorts to the other realms, and it made the fight for ones belief about more than just their gods but being able to be with their families in the afterlife.

As a debut writer Thilde has done a great job of bringing many of the scenes in Northern Wrath to life from the exploration of the other worlds and the races the fill them to the battle sequences. She manages to really encapsulate the chaos that is battle.

Now let me explain why, for me, this book ended as a three star book on Goodreads, while this book excelled in it world building and its plot was captivating enough for me to finish the book, world-building is my lowest ranked attribute of a book. Characters are my jam, followed by plot and then world-building.

So unfortunately, I’m in a wee bit of a minority here as while I liked this book I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. My two main issues for this book go hand in hand with each other in my opinion. In short I felt like this book lacked the character depth I prefer as a reader and it was much too long.

Northern Wrath has quite a cast of characters, more than I expected to be honest, and at times some felt like they were inserted randomly and generally didn’t need to be a POV at all.

I honestly feel like with more editing both of my issues could be helped massively if not completely resolved. Now, I am no editor nor have I written my own book but I think, from my experience as a reader, that had this book have had less character POVs it could have both spent more time with other POV’s to achieve a greater character depth and cut down the page count by removing the filler.

Let me also remind you these are my personal opinions based on my personal preferences, a book is to many readers completely different things. So I urge you to check out the other reviews for this book as many reviewers I respect and trust have LOVED this book and given it full marks!

THE RANKS:

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I would still pick this book up in its Kindle form and quite possibly read book two, because like I said it was a good book in parts and I am hopeful, as I am not the only person to share these critiques, that they could be remedied in book two.

Northern Wrath intrigued me when I first came across it. However, I could t make it to the end. I did skim the majority of the book hoping it would grip me and get me interested again. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

I loved this book. I haven’t read many viking inspired fantasies and I don’t know why! I loved the brutality and the morally grey characters of this story. I’m a sucker for some strong female leads and this book has a ton of badass female warriors which was one of my favourite aspects! I also really enjoyed seeing how much having faith matters so much for where the characters go in their afterlife’s and how important it is for them. Norse mythology is obviously heavily present in the story and I loved learning more about the gods and the stories behind them too. My only complaint is that sometimes the shift in perspectives took me out of the story and took me until half way into the book to get comfortable with also some of them were more enjoyable than others. However overall this is an excellent debut book and I can’t wait for the next one!!

Northern Wrath is the first book in a historical fantasy trilogy by author Thilde Kold Holdt. Released 27th Oct 2020 by Rebellion, it's 616 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is epic campaign historical fantasy realism at its best. The plotting is so well crafted and seamless - bound and true to its roots of Scandinavian and Viking history and belief systems that it's difficult to tell where realism ends and shades into fantasy. The characters are wonderfully rendered and believable. It's compellingly written and exactingly put together. I'm frankly astounded and truly impressed that it's a debut novel.

I won't give a precís, other reviewers have done that. I will say that despite being a hefty doorstop fantasy, the action and characters move the plot along at a good pace - I never found the story dragging or overly convoluted. There's a fair amount of graphic violence and some body horror, along with frank descriptions of violence done to animals.

There will be inevitable comparisons between this book (and presumably the rest of the series) and Harry Harrison, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Brandon Sanderson. I submit that this book compares very favorably and I'm excited to see what's in store in future from this author. Definitely one to watch.

Five stars. Highly recommended to fans of campaign fiction, scandi-fantasy, and immersive doorstop books.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

DNFed at 34%. I started this back at the start of October and as much as I hate DNFing because of the perfectionist in me, I had to call it quits. This was a very dense and slow-moving book which I am normally ok with, but I was bored and never wanted to pick it up. I didn't like some characters which made it even harder for me to continue reading.

8 stars out of 10
It has a lot of potential but I don't like the pacing.

Keywords: high fantasy, Norse, mythology adaptation, multi-pov

REVIEW
Northern Wrath tells about a group of Viking people trapped in a war between men and a war between force way greater than men. We follow the story from several point of view characters, namedly Hilda, a fierce shieldmaiden ready for revenge; Einer, a young man with deadly secret; Ragnar, a dead chief who saw something in the land of the dead; and Siv, Einer's mysterious mother.

What I like from this book:
- The myth and the culture
I always like reading about Norse mythology. Even though I only know the one from famous mainstream medias, reading about Norse mythology always fascinating. In Northern Wrath the author weaved those mythology into a gritty adaptation. There are a lot of Viking's culture and tradition in the book and I love reading them.

- Strong women
Women hold important plot points in this book and they are all badass. Hilda and Siv are both fierce and have admirable quality.

What I dislike from this book:
- Too many pov it lost focus
There are many point of views in this book and the change between each point of view always too abrupt and jarring. Each point of view's chapter is too short. I think it would be better if some of those chapters were merged to each pov's chapter so it will be more conclusive and not confusing.

- Some parts should've been shorter
I feel like the pacing of this book is too slow. Some scenes are unnecessary long.

Overall it's moderately good. But it has lots of potential and quite entertaining especially if you like Viking and Norse mythology. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the e-arc of this book for an exchange of an honest review.

This is a great introduction to the Hanged God trilogy, influenced by Norse mythology. It is told using multiple perspective and the writing is good throughout. The characters are well written. the plot is compelling and the world is a vivid one. It took me a little while to become invested in a few of the characters, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

An excellent epic fantasy that kept me hooked. It's a well written, gripping and highly entertaining grimdark.
I loved the great world building and storytelling, the excellent character development and the well developed plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

*4.5*

Northern Wrath tells the story of a small Viking village that is attacked by warriors of the south. Alongside this, there are so many other narrative interwoven! You have a dead man walking between worlds, a survivor who releases the fire demons of Muspelheim and must find a way to contain them again, beserkers, giants, gods, dwarves. This book expertly weaves all of this with aspects of Norse mythology. To say there’s a lot going on is an understatement, but wow, it was incredibly written!

If you enjoy multiple perspectives, you will love this. There’s pretty much a POV from every single character. The women in the book were my absolute favourites. Strong, filled with emotion and passion, and just overall intriguing characters. I had to knock off half a star just because some POV’s got a little boring for me, and I just wanted to get back to the parts I was invested in, but that’s just me! The battle scenes and descriptions were brutal, and it felt like you were there watching it unfold. I also loved that the characters weren’t given anything for free, and they were out through a tremendous amount of suffering to gain something (not that I like seeing ppl suffer 🤣) but it felt more realistic in such a hard world.

If you love Viking culture and mythology, you will love this!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

All I can say is wow. This book was amazing. It has bloody and realistic battles, magic, giants, demons, gods, love and more. An epic fantasy focused on Norse mythology that compares to Neil Gaiman in its writing style. It’s lyrical and brutal all at once. This read packs a punch and the twists and turns leave you racing onto the next page to see what’s going to happen next. I made myself take my time with this book as I didn’t want to miss anything. I loved this book and I am so glad that there will be more in this series. If you like retellings of myths and legends and the more descriptive style of Gaiman then this is the book for you. Just magical...

THAT COVER THO.

I love daring hero, battle filled, sea faring Viking stories as much as the next fantasy lover and Northern Wrath gives you all that plus some with its fantastically bloody and mythic filled pages. Thilde has done a great job of infusing a little education of Viking beliefs and ways of life throughout the book and I love that we can get a little education along with our entertainment. It’s a two for one that you don’t want to miss out on.

One of my biggest issues was that the shifts in POV were a little distracting and confusing at times. These shifts often happen mid-battle and left me a little dazed at times. Maybe this was a clever tactic of the author to immerse us in the fog of war but I don’t think that is the case here and if it is then high five to Thilde on that one.

Okay, so some people enjoy plenty of POV changes and don’t mind a slower pace but for me Vikings should be fast and vicious they should leave me exhausted and struggling with whiplash from the constant brawl to brawl nature that we have come to know. Again, this is just my opinion and others will love the pace. Thilde Kold Holdt does a fantastic job when it comes to bringing the battles to life within the book. We are thrown right alongside our protagonists in the midst of battle and Thilde does not hold back with the gory descriptions. I like that a lot.

As you guys know I am a huge fan of good world building and again Northern Wrath ticks all the right boxes here. We get a lot of travelling done within this epic and not all on the world of the living we also get to see a good chuck of the underworlds. Thilde Kold Holdt does a amazing job of bringing to life the battle fields, the dark caves, the villages and towns. I often found myself dreaming of these lands when I was going about my day.

To sum up on Northern Wrath… If you love Vikings, if you love great world building and you love a good amount of gore then you will love Northern Wrath and I will recommend you pick up a copy of delve into its rich content. However if you find an abundance of POV switches or a slower pace a little off putting then I would recommend giving the 700 page epic that is Northern Wrath a miss.

For those of you awaiting the, seemingly, unlikely to be released The Winds of Winter, Northern Wrath will be a distraction well worthy of your time and attention. Set in a bygone era of Viking raiders, Norse gods, runes, giants, dwarves and other fantastical creatures from ancient tales, this book honestly took my breath away. I have been reading it for ages to savor it slowly and immerse myself in this magical, not to be forgotten, experience.

I admit to a passable knowledge of Norse mythology and reading this has fueled a desire to know a lot more. But this isn't simply about Odin and Loki. Here we travel with a band of raiders seeking vengeance alongside a handful of disparate souls on separate, but linked, adventures. Not one of them is as they appear and that feeds the magic of this engaging yarn. I find it difficult to express how rich this story is. It's got such great bones - characters fully fleshed out, huge challenges that must be overcome, brilliant battles, all with roots in an ancient religion that brings meaning to it all. More than just the future of our raider's village is at stake, it is safeguarding the nine worlds and their ways which face a slow death as Christianity takes hold and unsettles the balance. The scope is huge and awe inspiring given this was Thilde Kold Holdt's debut!

I am so excited for any of you who can read this during the next lockdown (here in the UK). You will be happy for the distraction-free time to enter a new and amazing world crafted within the pages of Northern Wrath. What's even more exciting is knowing this is the first of a series (hooray!). I, for one, am eager to get my hands on the next installment to see how we carry on from the harsh blow dealt at the close of Northern Wrath.

Unfortunately this book is a DNF for me. The writing is a little bland and the plot is too obvious from the start. Also the pacing is pretty slow. DNF @ 50 pages

I wanted to take a break from cozy mysteries and dig into a nice juicy fantasy book, so when I found a new trilogy revolving around Norse mythology, I had to request the first book. Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt is the first book in the Hanged God trilogy. It was released on the 27th from Solaris Books. As usual, I must thank NetGalley and the publisher for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. So, let’s get on with it.

Northern Wrath follows a number of mortals and giants and monsters alike as they prepare for the final battle. The Runes are fading, signaling the weakening of the bond between humans and the gods. Some want to save the nine worlds, others want to save themselves, and a handful just want to watch the worlds burn. Who will prevail? Only time will tell.

I’m not usually one who likes a story that’s split between more than two or three POVs, but I really appreciate the different glimpses we get in this book. There’s a name at the beginning of each chapter to let us know who we’re with, so it doesn’t get too confusing. And all of the characters are so well rounded that I can’t pick a favorite. I will say that Hilda, the young woman we’re with the most, kind of gets on my nerves. The whole “I don’t need anyone’s help” thing gets annoying, but she’s in the middle of learning her lesson, so I’m hoping I’ll eventually love her like I love Einer and Siv and the rest of them. I even like Finn even though he’s kind of a dipshit.

The plot is fun and twisty and has a lot of familiar Norse mythology sprinkled throughout as well as some stuff I am not entirely familiar with but that I vaguely recognize. It helps keep things interesting when I can tie into the story with stuff I know, but I don’t think any knowledge of the mythology is actually necessary to enjoy the book. The author does a wonderful job of explaining or showing the important points (like Ragnarok or Loki and Odin’s relationship) without feeling infodumpy. Everything is woven together and works to fully immerse the reader in this violent and lovely world.

I admit the writing is a little dense at times, but it doesn’t get in the way of the story. It’s almost 500 pages, but it manages to keep the reader’s attention with no problem. I have to say, there aren’t many books that keep me thinking about them when I’m not actively reading them, but this one did. Also, it’s a fast-paced story despite its length.

Ultimately, I loved Northern Wrath. I’m a tad bitter that I have to wait for the next two installments. But I did notice Thilde Kold Holdt is also planning a fantasy set in Korea which I will also be checking out when it becomes available.

Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I knocked off one because things could have been tightened up a bit and because of my own feelings toward Hilda. But it’s totally worth picking up if you’re into Norse mythology or just looking for an interesting new fantasy world.

There is no way I could start this review without talking about the absolutely stunning cover art, it caught my eye immediately, and it is a beautiful cover that is only matched by the phenomenal story within. Northern wrath is the first book in the Hanged God trilogy, and the author’s debut, and what a debut! It comes out swinging from the start, grapples you and pulls you thoroughly into one of the most beautifully crafted Norse worlds I have ever read.
Northern Wrath is historical epic fantasy, and it not just in the breadth and depth of the world that has been created here, but also in the Norse Mythology and lore that is brought to life within the pages of the book. There is a depth of knowledge here that is mind-blowing, and the author’s research is evident from the start, but there is no info-dumps, no feeling that the research is stifling the narrative, because not only is it woven into every strand of the story, there is a passion to it that can’t be denied, and shines through in all the little details that are captured throughout. From rituals and customs and beliefs to more physical aspects of Norse life, it is all here, and it brings Northern Wrath to life in such a way, that you are pulled into this world, journeying through it with the characters, living and breathing it with them.
There was a wonderful blend of historical accuracy and authenticity, entwined with Norse myths and other fantastical elements, to create an outstanding world and it is particularly delightful to witness how the different aspects come together to create a culture that forms the backdrop to the narrative. This was not a gentle world, there was brutality and war and death, there was conflict of faith, myths made real and so much more, and it could have been overwhelming, and yet it is so beautifully balanced, every aspect of the worldbuilding and narrative coming together to creating an overarching flow that brings it all together and pulls you along with it. A dazzling tour-de-force of Norse life and beliefs and some of my favourite parts of Northern Wrath was the exploration of some of the major Norse myths, retold and portrayed as
The characters are by no means left behind in this sprawling epic, and there is a substantial number of them, which can make it harder to connect as deeply with them, or so it might feel at the beginning. However, between the world, the storylines that are woven together and the way Kold Holdt has brought together a cast of characters who all have their own motivations, goals and voices, which them all different in their own way, you find yourself more and more invested until by the end of the book its not just the main POV characters that you care about, and that brought another level to this book.
I love books that have multiple POVs, and Northern Wrath has done that to perfection, setting up multiple storylines that each have their own conflicts and obstacles and journeys, while still being brought together in a cohesive overarching story. Every thread and individual storyline is given its own weight, and depth and each contributes to the main story, and those pauses, where you have to wait to return to a storyline helped to build up the tension that permeates through Northern Wrath and leaves you unable to put this book down. The characterisation was spot on, and every journey was unique and carried its own emotion and power, and I don’t think there was a single storyline that I was not invested in or any character. That said, I was torn between Siv and Hilda for my favourite characters/storylines.
Kold Holdt’s writing really brought all the other fantastic elements together and gave Northern Wrath that feeling that you were being told one of the old Norse epics. There were some truly beautiful descriptions throughout, building on that mythical feeling as well as the realism of the setting, and also bringing to life the feeling of suspense and mystery beneath it all, and balanced by some fantastic, smooth action scenes.
Northern Wrath was a spectacular read at all levels, beautiful written, complex and delightfully brutal in all the right ways, and it is as book pulls you firmly into its pace and won’t let you go from start to finish. A standout debut that is up there with my favourite books for 2020, and I will definitely be grabbing a physical copy for my shelves. I would highly recommend, especially to anyone with interest in Norse-inspired fiction, because this book takes that and blows it out the water, and I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy.