Review/Giveaway: Daughter of a Thousand Years by Amalia Carosella

Greenland, AD 1000 

 More than her fiery hair marks Freydís as the daughter of Erik the Red; her hot temper and fierce pride are as formidable as her Viking father’s. And so, too, is her devotion to the great god Thor, which puts her at odds with those in power—including her own brother, the zealous Leif Eriksson. Determined to forge her own path, she defies her family’s fury and clings to her dream of sailing away to live on her own terms, with or without the support of her husband. 

New Hampshire, 2016 

Like her Icelandic ancestors, history professor Emma Moretti is a passionate defender of Norse mythology. But in a small town steeped in traditional values, her cultural beliefs could jeopardize both her academic career and her congressman father’s reelection. Torn between public expectation and personal identity, family and faith, she must choose which to honor and which to abandon. In a dramatic, sweeping dual narrative that spans a millennium, two women struggle against communities determined to silence them, but neither Freydís nor Emma intends to give up without a fight.

Publication Date: February 21, 2017

Lake Union Publishing

eBook & Paperback; 442 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval Romance

***

Amalia Carosella is an author I discovered from her Helen of Sparta series, both of which are favorites of mine.  Click on the titles to see my reviews Helen of Sparta and By Helen's Hand.

The author has written Daughter of a Thousand Years in dual time periods.  Here we have two women born a thousand years apart and yet have the same struggles.

In present day there is Emma, daughter of a congressman up for reelection.  Being raised in a Catholic home has not automatically made her what her parents want, secretly converting to follow the path of Heathen she is forced to open up when word leaks to the media.  The timing couldn't be worse and she is forced to make decisions that affect not just herself but the rest of the family.

A thousand years ago there is Freydis, daughter of Eric the Red.  Christianity has just started to spread on the island and she isn't buying it, doing whatever she can to follow her heart and worship whom she wants to.  It's a struggle, as the family converts and being a daughter she is still expected to do what the family says.  Determined to follow her own path there are many struggles, decisions and conflicts she is forced to deal with.

It sometimes seems in dual time period books that I have a favorite setting and with this one I enjoyed reading the past story line.  With the historical elements, customs and lifestyle I found this part very interesting.  The immersion of Christianity onto these people and being Christian I would have loved to read more about that.  It has perked my interest in that area and I love when a book does that.  Freydis was a woman ahead of her time, she didn't want to waiver from her beliefs and yield to society demands but to forge her own destiny even when they could end with dire consequences.  If the whole book has been about Freydis I would have been satisfied with that.

I struggled with Emma's plight, she got off to a slow start but I loved how it picked up at the end.  I didn't alway feel her conviction in her beliefs, at times she was strong and other times her actions seem too impulsive. 

All in all a nice story and one I would recommend.  Thanks to Amy from HVBFT for the invite to be part of this tour and Lake Union for an advanced copy (via Netgalley).

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Amalia Carosella graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelors degree in Classical Studies and English. An avid reader and former bookseller, she writes about old heroes and older gods. She lives with her husband in upstate New York and dreams of the day she will own goats (and maybe even a horse, too).

For more information, visit her blog at www.amaliacarosella.com. 

She also writes myth-steeped fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Amalia Dillin. Learn more about her other works at www.amaliadillin.com.

You can connect with Amalia Carosella on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Google+.
Sign up for her newsletter, The Amaliad, for news and updates.

Giveaway

To win a $25 Amazon Gift Card & a Thor's Hammer/Mjölnir Pewter Pendant, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 10th.
Giveaway is open to residents in the US only.
Only one entry per household.
Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Daughter of a Thousand Years

Odin's Child by Bruce Macbain (Book Tour)

Driven from the flaming ruin of his Iceland farmhouse, young Odd Tangle-Hair, the only survivor of a feud in which his family is slaughtered, steals a ship, rounds up a rag-tag crew and embarks on the Viking life. He swears one day to return, rich and powerful enough to take vengeance on his enemies. But how far off that day seems!

His father, Black Thorvald, had once been a chieftain in Iceland. But in the year 1000, when the country adopted Christianity, Thorvald denounced the new faith and shut himself up in his hall, shunning the world and shunned by it. Odd fears that the worm of cowardice that unmanned his father has infected him too. He has inherited from Thorvald a shock of black hair, a gift for poetry, and an allegiance to Odin, god of battles and magic. But Odd is heir to darker traits as well—a hint of madness and a temper which will sometimes cost him dearly.

Fate carries him and his men to a shamanistic healer in Lapland, to bloody religious strife in Norway, to the lair of a witch in Finland, and finally to the borders of Russia. Here Odd will leave his comrades behind to join the retinue of a Norwegian princeling who is fleeing to the court of Yaroslav, Grand Prince of Rus. New dangers wait for him in that faraway country.

Eager, curious, quick-witted—and sometimes wrong-headed—Odd Tangle-Hair recounts his story with candor, insight, and always an ironic sense of humor.

Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Blank Slate Press
Formats: eBook, Trade Paperback
Pages: 400

Genre: Historical Fiction

****

I am always on the lookout for HF taking place in obscure places.  Odin's Child begins in Iceland, which is a place I have never read about before.  When Christianity arrives in Iceland not everyone embraces the new faith, especially Odin's father.  He is despised and basically hides away causing the family to suffer the consequences.  When tragedy strikes 16 year old Odd is forced to flee Iceland and so begins his journey as a Viking.

This is my first novel by this author and the one thing that stands out for me is his knowledge of this time period and the various locations which is reflected in Odin's Child.  There were a few times it was a little dry but not enough to take away my enjoyment in reading this book.  I found it fascinating to read about the different life styles, cultures and beliefs.

Odd was an interesting character, at times I felt him brave, fighting for what he believed in and other times he acted like a scared, insecure child.   Given his father's behavior it isn't surprising that Odd would be like this.  Though Odd is a fictional character the story is based on cultural and similar events that took place in Iceland.   

I like the writers style,  harsh at times in battle scenes (but authentic reflecting the time), descriptive making it easy to visualize the setting and that added witty bit to relieve tense.  The first in a planned trilogy the ending left me waiting more.

 

Odin’s Child Available at

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound

 

Praise for Odin’s Child

“Meticulous research and poetic writing make Odin’s Child a multilayered masterpiece…It brings medieval Scandinavia vividly alive. Written with passion, peopled with superbly realized characters, I was gripped from the very first page of this historical novel.” -Carol McGrath, author of The Handfasted Wife and The Swan-Daughter
“[Macbain’s] writing is vivid and compelling, and his understanding of Norse and Icelandic culture and history is woven deftly throughout the tale. The cast of characters is well-fleshed out and Odd makes for a wonderful protagonist. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I eagerly await its sequel. Highly recommended.” -Historical Novels Review, Editor’s Choice

 

Excerpt from Chapter 1: The Stallion Fight At Thingholt

On that day in May, as we rode to the stallion fight at Thingholt, my fate showed itself to me. A raven flew low across the sky into the rising sun and the moment I saw it I knew that Odin had spoken to me and that he would give me courage for the thing I had secretly made up my mind to do. Only now, half a century later, do I see what a long text was folded into that swift vision.

The spring of my sixteenth year had come early to the South Quarter of Iceland, with hot-cold days and thunderclouds sweeping up over the mountains. The stallions, smelling the air, trembled and kicked against their stalls. At this season if you stake out a mare where the stallions can smell her, they will fight like berserkers to get at her, and a great one will die before he breaks and runs.

Black Grani was such a one. This was his fourth spring and the time had come to bring him to the South Quarter Thing and fight him. Thorvald, my father, grumbled and held back, but I gave him no peace, until, at last, he flung up an arm, which meant ‘yes’.

Although my brother Gunnar and I had set out early from the farm, the day was far gone before we came in sight of Thingholt plain and heard the distant shouts of men and the whinnying of horses. We left Grani and our mounts at the horse lines and walked across the sparse heath into the holiday crowd. And as we pushed our way through, there were some who knew us. A few old men came up and in low voices asked to be remembered to our father. But one red-faced woman, seeing us, cried, “Jesu!” and dragged her little daughter from our path.

From boyhood, Bruce Macbain spent his days in reading history and historical fiction. The Greeks and Romans have held a special fascination for him and this led to earning a master’s degree in Classical Studies and a doctorate in Ancient History. Along the way, he also taught English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Borneo. Later, he taught courses in Greek and Roman civilization at Vanderbilt University and Boston University, and published a few dense scholarly monographs, read by very few. Recently, he has turned to writing fiction, a much more congenial pursuit. He has previously published two historical mysteries set in ancient Rome, Roman Games and its sequel, The Bull Slayer. Now, he has turned his attention to his other favorite folk, the Vikings. Odin’s Child is the first novel of a trilogy, Odd Tangle-Hair’s Saga, which follows our hero—a wanderer, poet and warrior—from his tiny Iceland farm to the Great Palace in Constantinople. It will be published by Blank Slate Press in May, 2015.

Bruce spends his spare time in the kitchen, cooking spicy food.

For more information please visit Bruce Macbain’s website. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads.

Odin’s Child Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, June 29
Review at A Book Geek
Interview at Shelf Full of Books
Spotlight & Giveaway at Unshelfish

Tuesday, June 30
Interview at Brooke Blogs

Wednesday, July 1
Review at Book Nerd

Friday, July 3
Spotlight at Layered Pages
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Monday, July 6
Interview at A Literary Vacation

Tuesday, July 7
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Wednesday, July 8
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, July 9
Review at Bookramblings

Friday, July 10
Review at Just One More Chapter