The Weight of a Soul

by Elizabeth Tammi

Overview

When Lena's younger sister Fressa is found dead, their whole Viking clan mourns—but it is Lena alone who never recovers. Fressa is the sister that should've lived, and Lena cannot rest until she knows exactly what killed Fressa and why—and how to bring her back. She strikes a dark deal with Hela, the Norse goddess of death, and begins a new double life to save her sister.

But as Lena gets closer to bringing Fressa back, she dredges up dangerous discoveries about her own family and finds herself in the middle of a devastating plan to spur Ragnarök –a deadly chain of events leading to total world destruction.

Still, with her sister's life in the balance, Lena is willing to risk it all. She's willing to kill. How far will she go before the darkness consumes her?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635830446
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,158,278
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Tammi has lived in California, Florida, and England, but currently resides in Georgia, where she studies creative writing and journalism at Mercer University. When she isn’t writing, you can find her holed up a coffeehouse, or at work for her college’s newspaper and literary magazine. Her debut novel, Outrun the Wind, released in November 2018. You can find Elizabeth online on Tumblr at (annabethisterrified), Twitter at (@ElizabethTammi), Instagram at (elizabeth_tammi), and at elizabethtammi.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A solid purchase for any collection." —Booklist

"Action, Norse mythology, and descriptions of village life flesh out the storyline. Recommended."—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

12/01/2019

Gr 8 Up—Viking Lena finds her sister, Fressa, dead after the girl touches a mysterious knife. Uncovering a dark enchantment, Lena strikes a deal with Hela, goddess of death: if Lena can find a soul to match Fressa's greatheartedness, she can bring her sister home. Intent on saving Fressa, Lena finds herself on a path toward murder—and Ragnarok. Is Lena the savior of the world or a budding serial killer? This novel demonstrates that Vikings are ripe for fictional reconsideration. Lena and Fressa are strong young women; Lena is conscious of the tensions between Vikings and the Christian cultures her father invades, and the fact that Fressa's boyfriend, Amal, was born in Baghdad gestures towards the reach of the Viking world. However, the difference between modern and Viking cultures generates some anachronism, such as widespread disapproval of raiding within a warrior culture. Similarly, historically, Amal would likely have come to the Viking village because of violence, even if he was later fully integrated. Exploration of Amal's experience would add texture to a grief that is crucial to the story. Comparatively, Lena's emotions are occasionally so fluid as to dislocate readers from time and place. The writing is strongest when rooted in Lena's physical world and her mythologically-shaped perception, though occasionally clunky metaphors can distract from the exciting, engaging plot. VERDICT This book will interest those seeking tales of sisterhood and Viking stories from a feminist perspective.—Katherine Magyarody, Texas A&M University, College Station

School Library Journal

2019-09-10
After her sister is murdered, a grieving girl is pulled into a life-or-death game between Norse gods.

Lena Freding thought her biggest problems were keeping her village from revolting against her family while her father, Chief Fredrik, neglected his duties and helping her younger sister, Fressa, gain approval for her engagement to Amal. Upon his return from a long journey, Fredrik presents Fressa with an unassuming blade that, in her hands, becomes something otherworldly, setting off a chain of events that just might break Lena. After it is revealed that their parents actually intend Lena and Amal to marry, Fressa runs off into the woods only for Lena to find her dead soon after. Grieving Lena's search for answers leads her to the goddess of death, Hela, and a bargain: a soul for a soul. But Lena questions how far she will go to bring back her sister. While preventing Ragnarok—the beginning of the end of the world—she must also delay her marriage to Amal. Lena's melancholy brooding over her inaction weighs the story down, and the flat characterization of most secondary characters and inconsistent pacing also detract from the reader's experience. The Viking-era setting clashes with the characters' modern speech patterns. All characters seem to be white, and there are veiled hints about Lena's bisexuality.

A middling fantasy. (author's note) (Fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews