About the Book:
Sweeping adventure, breathtaking twists of fate, and immersive worlds based in Norse mythology are woven into this first volume of the Runestone Saga, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Realms and Shattered Realms series.
Since Ragnarok—the great war between the gods and the forces of chaos—the human realm of the Midlands has become a desperate and dangerous place, bereft of magic.
Sixteen-year-old Eiric Halvorsen is among the luckier ones—his family has remained prosperous. But he stands to lose everything when he’s wrongly convicted by a rigged jury of murdering his modir and stepfadir. Also at risk is Eiric’s half-systir, Liv, who’s under suspicion for her interest in seidr, or magic. Then a powerful jarl steps in: He will pay the blood price if Eiric will lead a mission to the fabled Temple at the Grove—the rich stronghold of the wyrdspinners, the last practitioners of sorcery.
Spellsinger, musician, and runecaster Reginn Eiklund has spent her life performing at alehouses for the benefit of her master, Asger, a fire demon she is desperate to escape. After one performance that amazes even herself, two wyrdspinners in the audience make Reginn an irresistible offer: return with them to the Temple to be trained in seidr, forever free of Asger.
Eiric’s, Liv’s, and Reginn’s journeys converge in New Jotunheim, a paradise fueled by magic and the site of the Temple. They soon realize that a great evil lurks beneath the dazzling surface and that old betrayals and long-held grudges may fuel another cataclysmic war. It will require every gift and weapon at their command to prevent it.
*Review Contributed by Connie Reid, Site Manager*
Cinda Williams Chima immerses us the in a fantasy world heavily inspired by Norse Mythology. With the old language terms used it was helpful to pair this read with an audiobook so that the names were easier. The world building expertly paints the desperation of the people in the midlands and the paradise of Eimyrja.
Any work of fiction is contrived to play out like the author directs but this story didn’t feel like that. Readers meet Reginn as an abused thrall of Asger Elder who sucks her magical strength to sustain him since he was locked out of the fire realm. She thinks she is no more than a talented con-artist until she brings someone back from the dead. This gains the attention of Modir Tyra who helps her escape and advocates for her to join the magic school.
When Reginn meets our other main character, Eiric Halvorsen, I expected them to have more time in the story together and thought I knew how the story would proceed. That is far from the case. Instead, we are with Eiric at his home in Sundgard with how events unfold from an early age with his fadir bringing back an older girl, Liv, that he says is his dottir, then life with his abusive stepfadir, a rigged trial, and the chance to save or lose it all by going coasting for Jarl Rikhard to find the legendary Eimyrja.
The are mysteries throughout and a sense of rot under the veneer of prosperity. The last part of the book picks up pace once all the people have been established and we firmly know these characters and their history. The side characters are also developed until it feels like we have stepped into their lives and are now watching it all unfold instead of a story of fiction. It is hard to see the plan for what will happen and we are caught in the brewing storm with these characters without a clear knowledge of what might happen or be possible.
The new regime that Eiric and Reginn accidentally help bring about was unexpected. Liv now using her given name, Heiden, has more mysteries surrounding her past and stands to either be their greatest ally or accidental pawn in what comes in the next book.
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