Book: Warrior of the Wild
Author: Tricia Levenseller
My Rating: 3.5 Battle Axes
Remember a few weeks ago when I said I needed more Viking Fantasy literature in my life (re: The First Girl Child)? Well, I found some more y’all! And not to give too much away too early, but I finished it in less than 24 hours.
Let’s get the synopsis out of the way so I can tell you all the stuff I loved. Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a fierce warrior (and next in line to lead her village), but on the day of her trial she’s sabotaged. All who fail their trial are banished to “the wild” to complete an impossible quest. So, Rasmira is tasked with a life of exile unless she can kill the god who’s been oppressing all the villages for centuries. (No big deal, right?) While in exile, she meets two boys who have been living in the wild for years and together they set out to regain their honor.
Ok. Y’all, I know it’s oddly specific, but I have discovered that I’m a big fan of Viking inspired fantasy. Tricia is a master at writing cool, independent female protagonists. Rasmira embodies the struggle of wanting to be feminine while also being tough as nails. It was refreshing to see a character who could do both, while acknowledging that it’s not always easy. There isn’t a huge cast of characters, for 75% of the book it’s just Rasmira and the boys, Soren and Iric. Who, by the way, are precious. Iric is so salty and sardonic, even when he was being ridiculous I still kind of loved him. Then there’s Soren, who honestly was a teensy bit too perfect for my taste, but is that negative or a positive? I also feel I should mention, Tricia invented some seriously cool and terrifying creatures for this story, and if this ever became a movie the beasts would be iconic!
So, why did I rate this 3.5? Two things: I felt that parts of it were predictable and the romance wasn’t my favorite. I loved Rasmira, and I loved Soren, but something about the romance just didn’t resonate with me. So, it was definitely a personal taste thing and not some fundamental writing thing. I still highly recommend this book because it was a fun escape, a quick read, starred an awesome female hero, and it was action packed (those fight scenes are tremendous)!
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.