Tamara Goranson

Erick the Red has discovered a new land called Vinland and his son Leif is away exploring but daughter Freydis is shackled to a violent and abusive husband. When Erick dies Freydis inherits wealth but her husband takes it over and Freydis vows to escape. Fleeing to Vinland with an Icelandic expedition Freydis is dismayed to find that her husband has chased her there and wants revenge.
I found this such a frustrating book. There is the germ of a really great story here but it is wrapped up in so much 'woke' feminism that I felt lost. Freydis' husband is so violent but she also fights back some of the time but not always. The relationship with Achak feels to be a complete cliche and the ending is almost laughable. I so wanted to love this but I can't… (mais)

Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings: Spousal abuse, miscarriage, stillbirth, racism, spousal rape, mentions of possible rape, death of pet, gaslighting, infertility, murder, attempted murder.

This is not the love letter to spousal abuse victims that Goranson thinks they have created. In the authors note at the end of the book Goranson states that Freydis is the voice of spousal abuse and while yes in this tale Freydis endures some of the worst spousal abuse there is, her story ends terribly. I'm a victim of spousal abuse and I went through the ordeal of family not believing me and trying and fighting to get out, I'm still healing from it but am stronger and able to confront it and talk about it. To go through all the trouble to make Freydis have the courage to leave and embark out into the unknown to get away from the abuse she has had to endure only to completely undermine it by throwing her right back into it at the end and taking away the happiness she finally found only made me think "wow I guess those of us who have endured this kind of life will never escape it" that's the message I got from this book. This doesn't give me hope that I have left my abuser for good and no longer have to deal with it. This ending is terrible, and as I have seen there is suppose to be 2 more in this series, I can only assume Goranson plans on dragging out Fredyis's potential to fully escape and finally finding happiness, and I won't be sticking around for that.

This story is depressing with a capital D, you're given this false set up in the prologue that Freydis has escaped her abuser and is finally going to make a life for herself and be happy. But no, for 10 chapters you have to sit through her constantly being abused, beaten, belitted, and so much more. It's one thing to set up the background and have the reader understand Freydis's life its another to make us go through this amount of agonizing pain and torture for chapters on end. The worst part is you are thrown into her abuse, so you never get the chance to get to know Freydis before the abuse, and because it was so heavy handed it was hard to feel any emotion for what was going on. Now don't get me wrong I feel for Freydis, I understand her situation and I hurt for her, but this did not make me weep, or gasp, or feel heartbroken, the emotion behind everything she was going through felt nonexistent because it was just thrown at us repeatedly and every time it felt like something was going to make it better it got ripped out from under her so it created a repetition in the storytelling that made it hard to believe things would eventually look up.

Also the portrayal of Freydis was frustrating to be honest, I understand her wanting her freedom and to not be controlled anymore, I have been there like I said, but all to many times she was written as being ungrateful for those who put their necks on the line to help her, She was constantly refusing to understand the difference between a man genuinely looking out for her safety and a man trying to control her. All to many times she went off on Finnbogi who was generally looking out for her welfare and safety. She wouldn't see reason and I know in situations like hers it can be hard to see past the trauma you have been through but when you find that person or group of people who are willing to help you and risk their own lives you can see the difference.

I thought I was going to get this epic tale of the Freydis the first and only Women to lead a Viking voyage but instead I got spousal abuse and depression, like how was this a better choice than what we already know about Freydis. Sure she was spot lighted as a murderer, thief, and back stabbing liar, but I frankly would have enjoyed that tale so much more than....this...… (mais)