This was probably the one I was most excited to read from my original TBR for the month, and it not only lived up to my expectations, but completely blasted them out of the water.

I absolutely adored everything about this book. It has the most wonderful atmosphere all the way through, dark yet beautiful, and packing one hell of an emotional punch in more than one way. The writing was a delight to read, and Brodsky really brought the world and characters to life through her prose, and the exploration of culture and mythology was done so beautifully that you could immerse yourself right there in the world alongside the characters. It was fascinating to see the Viking Gods and mythology brought together with Inuit beliefs, and I would have to say that the parts of the book that explored those beliefs and wove them together were my favourite.

The Wolf and the Whale explores so many things, but at its core is a coming of age story, or maybe that should be a coming of belief story, because this is very much an exploration of belief and the power it holds. From the different cultures, to the main characters, who through their own individual origins and paths, facing their own challenges – finding their identity, facing their past actions – have to come to believe in themselves as much if not more than anything else, in order to forge their future. Omat and Brandr are fantastic characters to explore this through, and they have both bring such unique voices and nuance to the narrative, and I don’t think I could pick a favourite between them even if you paid me to.

An absolutely stunning book, with such depth and atmosphere that it is a story that refuses to be forgotten anytime soon.