This was a hard one to rate. At times I loved it and other times I was struggling to get through it.

I loved both main characters but felt like might have been better to have this as 2 separate books and then a 3rd one joining them together as it didn't come together until the last chapter.

Both stories were great in their own way but sometimes I'd end one chapter with one character and was really enjoying it and then would switch to the other character taking me out of that story.

The world was super interesting where there are human vikings but also elves and dwarves and other creatures in one story, which I haven't seen before.

Had some really good morals and world views, and life struggles were told really well. Got very interesting toward the end but felt like there was a lot of parts that were unnecessary or waffley. The amount of names in this was bordering ridiculous. Bothvar has like a million relatives with long viking names, litterally one whole page was him naming off all his family members and I started to skim through some of that. Also still not sure if one character is Grom or Gorm as it changed multiple times throughout the story.

Lura was my fav and I would love to have more story about Thora she was very interesting and slightly mysterious.

Really think this just needs a bit more editing and maybe cut out some of the childhood (prologue) part and it could be a fantastic book.

Broken souls by Troy Calkin.
Book 1 of seasons of the cycle.
Bothvar Beorcolsson
Through fire and ice I will fight to find honor. Whether it be giants or creatures of the night, I’ll fight. Pain is my comfort, and sorrow is my companion. Death follows wherever I go. Even the sun hides from my sight. Bothvar they call me. My journey isn’t an easy one. It follows a long and broken road full of the bones of those who I couldn’t save and those who got in my way. My blades are soaked in the blood of my enemies, but my heart is left in shattered pieces, broken by the costs of my actions. All for what? Honor? Glory? I don’t know anymore. Maybe I have gained honor, but all I have to show for it is pain. yet I must carry on. I must earn my place among the halls of the gods so I can see my loved ones again. That is why I carry on to fight again. And I will not stop until I am reunited with them. Whether it be giants or the gods themselves, I will always fight on.
Lura Syllana
I will do whatever it takes to save my family. Afterall, it is my fault they were enslaved. If I had only listened to my father. If I heeded his words and did what was right instead of what was easy they wouldn't have had to pay for my mistakes with their freedom. Now it is up to me to do whatever it takes to find a way to free them. Even if it means sacrificing myself and my own freedom. I don’t care what happens to me. I’ll gladly pay any price to save them. Of course, I said that, but I had no idea what was going to be asked of me. What price I’d have to pay. I didn’t know what I’d have to do to save them. Even so, I’d sacrifice everything to see them free. Even my own freedom. Even my own soul. Which I will soon find out is the very price I must pay.
I really enjoyed this book. I did like Lura. I loved the cover. That's what got me to read it. It was different. 5*.