Brilliant absolute quality.
I consider myself somewhat of an aficionado of this genre and this book is right up there with the best. On a par with Bernard Cornwell Tim Hodkinson and Giles Kristian.
Unputdownable gripping from first to last page, with some of the best and somewhat gruesome action sequences. Superb characterisation throughout atmospheric descriptive storytelling at its best.
Completely and utterly recommended.

The world they live in is incredibly interesting. How their movement affects the places they go isn’t forced. The obstacles are everywhere, each of them organically put. An epic west about family, fraternity, safety, facing the pats, self discovery and strong characters with great dynamics.

I’ve heard good things about Donovan Cook so I was very eager to jump on this series from the start.

As soon as the first page hits the scene is set, a failed Viking raid.. a young boy taken as hostage to ensure the Vikings behave.

Many years pass and Torkel is now a man with his own child, Charles. He’s still young and hasn’t yet learned how harsh life can be so when his farther is murdered he holds himself to blame… little does he know there’s a lot more history behind this murder and there’s people out there who have yet to rear their ugly heads.

Charles, under his fathers dying request flees in search of his Grandfather. Along the way he makes friends with a slave who aids his escape. There’s a nice bond growing between the two.

We soon meet Sven the Boar..but times have been hard.. he’s not the man he was. Interestingly as the story flows we learn more about his downfall.. and it all stems from the loss of Torkel all those years ago.

The pace of the story flows well and there’s a lot of action as we see Sven warm to Charles and we see the Boar return..and with good reason.. there’s things even Sven didn’t see all those years ago.. hidden secrets.. hidden betrayal. At times you wonder can anyone actually be trusted… those twists are just immense!

Plot wise I can’t fault this, hooked in from the first page. Perfect pace and a great mix of plot versus character development. Sometimes I find not enough time is given to mix the development just right so it doesn’t feel forced but now I know why I’ve been hearing good things about Donovan Cook. It felt like a tapestry, expertly woven.

For fans of historic fiction you’ll love this, action packed with perfect mix of development to suit any type of reader.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy of Orin’s betrayal by Donovan cook. I had to stop reading this and couldn’t finish. The writing was so dry and the author did not seem to think paragraph breaks were important which made it difficult to read as if the narrator weren’t taking a breath as the story kept moving.

Odin't Betrayal by Donovan Cook is a gripping historical adventure novel set in Francia and Denmark in AD854.
Odin't Betrayal is a fast-paced adventure, both action-packed and contemplative. It makes you think of the clashing religious identities, and intolerance against the different beliefs.

The author evokes the sense of the social and political strife of the historical period. The period detail is vivid, recreating the background with its smells, sounds and sights.

Full of twists and turns, it's a heady mix of historical adventure, mystery and political intrigues of the perilous times

I enjoyed this historical adventure very much, and can't wait for the next book in the series.



Full book review is part of the #blogtour for Odin's Betrayal. with Rachel's Random Resources

Sven is forced to a raid where his son Torkel is taken as hostage. Torkel then has his own son Charles who when they are invaded at their home. Torkel hands Charles a package and tells him to find his grandfather Sven and give him the package. Sven is no longer the man he once was and together they must find the significance of the package while trying to stay alive. The difference between the two religions Christian faith and Norse mythology was interesting to read about. As someone who doesn't normally read this type of book, I very quickly have become a fan. The action starts from the very beginning and doesn't stop until the end. My heart was pounding the whole way through so much so that I feel like I ran a marathon while reading and it feels exciting. The characters are superbly crafted and you don't know who to trust. Now I really am shaking to get my hands on the next book, no pressure Donovan Cook! 😀

We begin the story with Sven forced to leave his son Torkel on the shores of Frankia, he vows to return.

In the future we meet a grown Torkel and his son Charles. Charles, unfortunately has found himself the target of bullies, sadly due to his Dane heritage. Torkel is now a renowned warrior but remains wary of those around them. When Torkel is attacked, Charles has no choice but to run.

A large part of the story is his journey to Denmark. Along the way he faces danger from men as well as beast but trusts his new friend to help him reach destination.

Meanwhile we are introduced to Sven, he is no longer the renowned warrior he once was but not all have given up him.
Something shifts in Sven when he meets his grandson and he will do anything to protect him. The pair face threats together with a couple of old and new friends. One of which is Thora, a shieldmaiden and the daughter of a warrior well known to Sven. But who can they trust and why is Charles in so much danger?

This is the first book of Cook's I've read and I was engrossed.
The characters, especially Sven develop very well through the story, really enjoyed how his story is told through flashbacks and his memories.
Thora is a brilliant character, bringing humour and an alternative viewpoint to the story.
I did find Charles a little annoying at times but I'm looking forward to see how he matures in the next book.

This is fast paced and I read it in two sittings, I just had to know what was going to happen although I had to put it down a couple of times for a breather, because I almost didn't want to know!
If a book can make me hold my breath, laugh and almost cry then I've definitely enjoyed it.

There are alot of twists and turns and just when you think the group are safe, another threat appears.

I cannot wait to read more about Sven and Thora and hope to see characters like Rollo and Oda develop in the next book

After a second to process what just happened I know a few things. First, a book set in a time where Europe faced Vikings is always nice. I still don’t understand religion. And I need more of this story right the f*ck now.

I cant way no to historical fiction, or Norseman. And this was it. The characters were incredible. It had been a while since Ive read an epic tale where characters weren’t standardized as fit and strong warriors. I loved how the book centres around a child and his grandfather. How the two couldn’t be more different but still stick together. Life sedated them years ago, they’ve never met until the grandson, Charles, needed to run for his life. The grandfather, Sven, long ago a great jarl lost everything. Charles wanted protection and family, he found an old fat drunk. Separated by fate and believes they embark on a journey, with enemies everywhere they look.
Honestly, the story is addictive. The flaws of the characters are the focus of the story. It is imposible not to fall for how the Dina is work. How trauma affected them. How they don’t seem to fit into the classic society of the time. The narration is incredibly well done. It is easy to see from the perspectives of both of them. The author manages to get inside the mind of really different characters.
The world they live in is incredibly interesting. How their movement affects the places they go doesn’t isn’t forced. The obstacles are everywhere, each of them organically put. An epic west about family, fraternity, safety, facing the pats, self discovery and strong characters with great dynamics.

A lively pacy page turner. This is my first novel by this author, but it won't be my last. It took me immediately to a world I believed in and I really enjoyed my time there. Fabulous.

It's not easy to write fresh material in this genre, but Cook has a scintillating tale here that was a joy to return to.

It's pacy, raw, violent fayre, yet there's plenty of backstory and a cast of characters you'll swiftly loathe or admire, but most importantly understand.

This is an action-packed thriller you won't easily forget, with writing so real, you'll think you're in the shield wall.

When we first need spin the boar it is on the beach of France and him and his Danish crew are about to make haste a and head back to Denmark with all his kidnapped slaves in his loop but unfortunately King Louie has been waiting for their return this is the first trip that Sphin has brought his nine-year-old son torque and when he sees the prince and all his men he knows this is a losing battle but worse than that the prince has young torque and he tells Sphin if you ever come back I will kill your son myself. After a fierce battle Sphin knows he is beaten and leaves without his son but promises him he will come back for him. This is something he doesn’t do and torque grows up as a warrior and has a son of a zone and this is how the book is focused on. Young Charles is bullied and taunted because he is half danish because someone is a traitor to prince Louis they come to kidnap torque and his son Charles they want to kill torque but kidnap Charles because he is important to the kingdom but his dad is a mighty warrior in fights the guards off and kills all of them and gives Charles a satchel and tells him take this to Denmark find your grandfather and he will take care of you. He tell them you must leave the Franks and remember you can trust no one but little Charles loves the church and Bishop Bernard but when he finds out the best of his also double crossed him he doesn’t know where to turn. Lucky for Charles he meets a slave named Gerald and he looks out for him so much so he becomes his protector and gets them all the way to Denmark but this is just the beginning of Little Charles battle he must contend with a drunk grandpa who made an oath to Odin never to raise his hand to anyone because it cost him to lose his only son. The new warriors in Denmark love to push old drunk Sphin around he never fights back but when they mess with Charles it’s going to be a whole different story. I really enjoyed this book I enjoyed the mystery of his mom I loved Charles and Gerald‘s friendship I wished sin could’ve been someone for Charles to be proud of but I didn’t like that Charles was so hesitant and so scared of everything I mean I get it some people are like that it just started to get on my nerves how he was so hesitant but in the end it worked out great I can’t believe I’m almost done with this review and haven’t mentioned Thora she is bad ass and my favorite character. This isn’t the best Viking book when it comes to battle scenes although they do have some good ones they’re just kind of predictable but having said that I do recommend this book I totally enjoyed it loved the religious aspects and all the drama. I received this book from NetGalley and BoldWoodBooks but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.g

Odin's Betrayal by Donovan Cook is a fabulous Norse tale of family, betrayal and the conflict between Christianity and the Norse Gods, played out between our two main characters, young Charles, born in Francia, and his grandfather, the disgraced Jarl Sven the Boar of Denmark.

The two characters of Charles and Sven are well portrayed - Charles, young and fearful; his grandfather, old and twisted by his failures and betrayals, with Thora acting as a sort of emissary between the pair of them who are from such different cultures. I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay between the two religions - something that often frustrates me - but which the author handles magnificently. And between the two generations. Charles and Sven, both unable to truly understand the other, struggle. Charles is young and firm in his Christianity. Sven is old and believes he's been tricked by his Norse Gods.

The secret that Charles carries and which his father entrusted to him on his death is intriguing. We get little hints, and yes, we might work out what it all means, but that doesn't matter because our characters don't know, and their journey to discovery is well constructed.

There's plenty of hand-to-hand fighting in this novel and no end of betrayals right up until the last page, as the 'big reveals' occur, and it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable, well-crafted Norse tale. I loved it:) I can't wait for book 2.

Such an exciting story! Heading in, I was uncertain because I knew this historical setting is one of rampant war, violence, and intentional gore, but despite that [yes, there is a significant amount of war and violence and Betrayal] I found this novel fascinating. It's so fast-paced that there's hardly a moment to catch breath; there's quite a number of sneaky underhanded individuals [regardless of class], and the author cleverly delineates the ethnic and religious push-me-pull-you constant between the Norse Danes and the Christianized Franks of Francia. There's also conflict and Betrayal between brothers and other kin. Stereotyping is not a product solely of the 20th-21st century. It's clearly prevalent here, in 9th century AD Denmark and Francia, near the beginning of the Viking Age. Empathy for these various characters and comprehension of their all-too-human frailties and foibles was easily elicited.

I'm afraid this really wasn't my thing at all. I've been interested in Norse mythology for quite a few years but this didn't really enlighten me in any way.

The story of Charles, his father and grandfather sounded interesting but I'm afraid that, for me, it just took too many circuitous turns to get from Francia to Denmark. I'd worked out who were the spies and betrayers long before the story let us in on the secret. I'm afraid that I skim read a lot of the fight scenes because they were so similar to one another and the main character, Charles, got on my nerves quite a lot too.

This story just wasn't to my taste. But this is just my opinion and if you like a rambling saga then it'll be right up your street.

Jarl Sven was forced to leave his young son behind, after a failed raid on the Frankish coast. Torkel was taken as a hostage and if Sven ever raided again, he would die.

Now Torkel has a young son, Charles. They live in a small town in East Francia. Torkel is every bit as dangerous as his father, but Charles is quite the opposite.

One night they are ambushed in their home. Torkel sacrifices himself so that Charles can run away. He tells him to go back to Denmark and find his grandfather.

But Charles is afraid and seeks protection in town. That is when he realises just how things have changed, but then it's almost too late to escape. His path to the north is anything but straightforward. And when he finally arrives, what he finds is far from expected.

It's a treat to read a historical novel, where the historical setting and facts are part of the story and we discover it through the character's eyes, throughout the story, and not all piled in a huge infodump.

The story has a fast pace, it's filled with twists and turns and betrayal, and it kept me flipping pages to see what is really going on and who is behind it all.

I got the ARC, all thoughts are my own

Donovan Cook seem to take a tale of Sven the Boar and make it seem that it revolved around his grandson Charles, who was the son of Torkel. They were Danes and were in France when Sven the Boar was surrounded by the Franks with his 9 year old son (Torkel) in the Franks hand, and told he had to leave France and his son was to be held as ransom. We enter the story when Charles was 9 years old and his father (Torkel) was a guard in France when for some reason he was to be sent to the King. We then go to his grandfather who was a drunk and the story goes on from there. Many fights and many deaths are told. Charles gets to Denmark where he is taken to his grandfather by a Shield maiden (Thora). We have many more battles to come and Charles friend Gerold, will let you makeup your mind. It was an interesting story to say the least and you keep reading because you want to know what happens.