Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt | Review

"Packs a punch worthy of the Thunderer himself. It rocks!" -- Joanne Harris, author of The Gospel of Loki
"Holdt wows in her Norse mythology inspired debut an electrifying adventure" -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

A dead man, walking between the worlds, foresees the end of the gods. A survivor searching for a weapon releases a demon from fiery Muspelheim. A village is slaughtered by Christians, and revenge must be taken.
The bonds between the gods and Midgard are weakening. It is up to Hilda, Ragnar, their tribesmen Einer and Finn, the chief's wife Siv and Tyra, her adopted daughter, to fight to save the old ways from dying out, and to save their gods in the process.
Following in the steps of Neil Gaiman & Joanne Harris, the author expertly weaves Norse myths and compelling characters into this fierce, magical epic fantasy.

Northern Wrath was a book from the gods themselves.  Revenge is deadly, the swish of a blade, a whispered promise.  This review is going to be exceedingly hard to write, and I hope I can deliver it the justice it deserves.  Fantasy should catapult you into another dimension and Northern Wrath achieved that within just a few pages.  Thilde Kold Holdt had me all in.  The prologue hit like a steam train…I could smell smoke and danger and I was looking over my shoulder at the threatening shadow that promised to become known.  My senses was a frenetic buzz of energy and I was totally here for it.

Northern Wrath has the immense ability to have you smirking inwardly at just how good this book is, I cannot stress it enough.  The thrill that this story brings to its readers is riveting.  The author’s writing is so spellbinding in that you have the rare opportunity to see the events unfold through the characters eyes.  The battles, the emotions and the journeys undertaken.  It’s vivid and compelling.  The author really has an uncanny ability of taking the events from Norse mythology and modern-day life, stretching it to its seams and weaving a tale so addictive, it should be illegal!

Northern Wrath is Thilde Kold Holdt debut novel and the first book in The Hanged God Trilogy.  This is an extremely powerful debut novel.  Norse mythology has always been a keen interest of mine since I was a child.  We have the popular themes contained within; the alfather, Odin, Thor and Loki, Valhalla and the Valkyries  and Helheim.  There is so much packed into this story.  The research the author has conducted is obvious for the reader to see.  They systems interconnect, and everything comes together with a nice neat bow.  The culture is so rich and raw and if anything, my love for all things Norse has become stronger. 

The characterisation and the narrative blew me away.  The author has tread the fine line between balancing the fine details, past perspectives, hilarity and family life, fire and blood and it is exquisite.  The story is told through multiple POV’s and we have multiple books in one story.  It all collectively combined to the main conflict and every perspective was just as important as the other characters. 

As for the plot in Northern Wrath…wow talk about fast paced and highly captivating.  Battles that are worthy of any Hollywood film production.  The rituals, the way of life, everything just had me loving it more by the turn of the page.  The author has injected bucket loads of tension and foreboding and it kept me enthralled until the final word had been digested.  The narrative has that feeling of being swept away in a gentle wind; it’s best not to fight it, the journey is worth the investment.

Northern Wrath is a beautiful tale, as old as time, as savage as its landscape and its complex.  It packs a powerful punch and isn’t afraid to draw blood.  I waited on baited breath for book two.

ABOUT THILDE KOLD HOLDT

Thilde Kold Holdt

I am a novelist by profession, currently working an epic fantasy series about 7th century Korea. My epic fantasy trilogy about Vikings, the Hanged God, is currently being published. I have lived

enough different places that the most difficult question to answer is: “where are you from?” I am, quite simply, from the planet Earth, for I have yet to set foot on Mars. Someday, though…

THILDE KOLD HOLDT WEBSITE