The Children of Ash and Elm: A Book Review

I read this book as a person fascinated by Vikings but knowing little about them. And I must say that after reading The Children of Ash and Elm, I see little need to read any other Viking book! This book is full of Viking history. I especially loved the chapters about how Vikings really lived—their day-to-day activities, their relationships, and their social and economic systems. I didn't care much for the history of the raids and Christianity, but it was still interesting. I'd definitely use this book as research for my Viking fiction novel, and I'd recommend it to people who want an in-depth, accurate read of Vikings. My one complaint of this book is the chapter titles didn't quite match the content in the chapters, but that's easily overlooked. I'm very glad I read this and very grateful to Hachette Book Group for gifting me a review copy.

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Into the Heartless Wood: A Book Review

This is the third Joanna Ruth Meyer novel I've read. I loved Echo North, disliked Beyond the Shadowed Earth, and was unimpressed with this one. I think the greatest complaint I have for Into the Heartless Wood is that there's a lot of torture and abuse in this book. Normally, that creates tension. But it happened so much in this book that by the end, I was just frustrated and disgusted with it. Additionally, the characters felt removed from me as a reader, and I didn't connect with them at all. It's a weak gender-flipped Beauty and the Beast retelling at best, and I honestly was a bit disappointed. I also got tired of all the random line breaks in some chapters. All in all, this one wasn't for me. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 2
Overall: 2

Thank you, Page Street, for the review copy!

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