Review for "The Unbroken Line of the Moon" by Johanne Hildebrandt

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The Unbroken Line of the Moon by Johanne Hildebrandt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This novel was slow to start and (for me, at the time I chose to read it) hard to follow in the beginning. But after the first few chapters, I was following along just fine and had stayed with it anyways because what was actually happening was interesting.

Plot: The author took artistic & creative liberties to tell the story of Sigrid the Haughty and let me just say-YES. Yes, the story was believable and full of rich details and imaginings of tenth-century Scandinavia. The novel follows young Sigrid as she faithfully follows her belief in the Norse Gods and their plans for her destiny.

Characters: There were quite a few main and supporting characters that were (at first) hard to keep straight; mostly because of their Scandinavian names which I’m not used to reading/familiar with. However, moving past that. The MC, Sigrid… she was a delight in every way; although personally, I loved Emma, way more (Yeah, probably the only name in the book that was a “common” name). Sweyn’s story & character arc were far more plot-driven with action sequences and stuff so I didn’t really feel too invested in him.

The Writing: If it hadn’t said it on the cover I would’ve never known this was a translated book. There is a lot of detail included, the dialogue is sensible… it’s told in 3rd person POV, alternating between Sigrid, Emma, and Sweyn. There’s even a glossary at the back to help with the “foreign” words.

In Case You Wanted to Know: This is a decent-sized book and the only thing I disliked was that the main part, her destiny basically, isn’t fully realized in this part of the two-book set; it’ll be revealed (I’m assuming) in Book #2. Instead, this story is the back-story in a way to how Sigrid positioned herself to become the woman history remembers her for, but not the after-effects of her actions.

Trigger Warnings: There are some pretty gory violence scenes, as well as rape and incest.

Overall: Omg… I just have to say it… One of my favorite authors that really got me into reading again as an adult is/was Bertrice Small (RIP) and damnit, this reads like one of her earlier books; think “Enchantress Mine” or “Beloved”. Just like how I had to read “All the Sweet Tomorrows” and the rest of the books following Skye O’Malley and her legacy; so too will I read the story of Estrid (Book #2, this duet/series) because I simply fell in love with this version of the legendary, strong & bold, 10th century Viking Queen.


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