Monday 14 September 2015

(Book) Viking Shenanigans...a look at Sons of Odin Book 2: A Flame Put Out.


The Vikings are at it again!

Erin S. Riley's look at a young woman in a world of harsh, yet beautiful people from a harsh, yet beautiful land continues.

Selia is adjusting to life as the wife of a Hersir. She finds comfort in her routine, but when her husband Alrik leaves to go a-viking, everything goes downhill from there.

One of the things I loved about this book is how it never lets up. You have babies being born, people dying, dangerous characters being introduced, babies born out of wedlock, the true purpose for a-viking amongst many other things.

Ms. Riley does not hold back with her descriptions of births or deaths and it's something that's I've always appreciated. No matter how gruesome or uncomfortable a scene may be, it's always detailed and spelled out in a way that it can't be misinterpreted. 

Selia has been filled out more as a character, which is not always something that people can do well when it comes to sequels. At the end of the day, the question is whether or not the love of your husband or your children takes priority. 

I like how Alrik's daughter, Ingrid has taken a more prominent role and has developed as more than just a starry eyed brat. 

It's hard to like a lot of the male characters, but while I'm on this topic, I like the subtle indication of a homosexual viking. It's not something that authors often consider actively and nor is it done tactfully. In this case, however, Ms. Riley does just that.

Erin S. Riley has taken her writing skills and put them to the grindstone, showing a brutal edge of love's rounded corners. This is a book everyone should read if you want a fantastic, rollicking read full of romance and violence.

I'm going to give this review 5 stars. 

Author's note: The reason this review is so short is so that you don't receive any spoilers. Spoilers suck. 


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