Estrid (Valhalla, 2)

INTRO: Estrid is the second volume in a series of novels graphically depicting life for the violent Vikings of some 1,000 years ago. In one sentence, it is not a book for people who prefer a Pollyanna type romance. Read on to learn more...*** ARE THERE PROFANITIES USED? ***Yes, and graphic depictions of sexual encounters. If you’ve read book 1 in the series, The Unbroken Line of the Moon, though, you already expected such - you can view book 1 by clicking here  The Unbroken Line of the Moon (The Valhalla Series Book 1) BLUSH FACTOR This is probably a book you will not be reading to your eight-year-old daughter or 80-year-old grandmother.POV Third person point of view.KEY POINTS This is definitely a novel to awaken your innermost fears, thoughts and emotions.DOES THIS WRITER SHOW OR TELL WHAT WE SEE/FEEL/HEAR? She mostly shows us. See the below excerpt to gain some insight.DOES THE WRITER EVOKE THE FIVE SENSES? Yes. With great skill.IS THIS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OR SHOULD I READ AN EARLIER BOOK FIRST? This is the second in the series and, probably, you will need to have read the first book.CLIFFHANGER? Not as such. But, it is obvious there is more story coming.Q - How was this book obtained?A – Bought on Amazon.Q - Are there a lot of typos/misspellings, grammatical errors or other editing failures?A – No.Q - Is this a fast, easy read or is it more of a leisure read?A – This will drain your emotions in many ways and was worth investment of money, time, and concentration. Definitely recommended to those not offended by language or graphic, violent sexual content. I don’t want to overstate the graphic aspect, as mostly I mean the violent nature, but…Q - My biggest pleasure or disappointment?A – That is was so long between book 1 and book 2. I hope book 3 comes soon.To give a feel for the editing, and the style and flow of this work, I am posting a brief excerpt below.Excerpt‘…“King Erik wanted to kill both Olaf and me when we were born. It’s hard to look up to a father like that, even if he is a king.”Katla giggled. She wrapped her arm around Estrid’s waist and pulled her even closer.“Olaf yearns for royal power anyway. He would gladly let Erik screw him in the ass if that’s what it took.”“Katla!” Estrid burst out laughing at her kinswoman’s disrespect. “You could be whipped for saying that.”“Oh mighty king, I’ll do anything for you, my king,” Katla moaned, and then they laughed so hard, Estrid started coughing again.Her chest rasped and burned as the beast tried to use its sharp claws to tear free.When the attack finally subsided, she took Katla’s hand, kissed it tenderly, and moved it over her heart. They heard laughter and shouting from the hall, but here in the room they were protected from the world.“What would I do without you?”“You’d die of boredom,” Katla replied, and kissed her cheek before making herself comfortable and starting to gently stroke her belly.Estrid sighed contentedly.“It won’t be easy for Mother when both Olaf and I are gone. She should hurry up and find herself a new husband instead of letting Edmund warm her bed.”“She could have anyone she wants, but she only wants one person.”Katla’s hand found its way up over Estrid’s breast and settled there.“That’s just malicious gossip,” Estrid said.She’d heard the rumors that Denmark’s king Sweyn had wooed her mother a few years back. Wicked rumors said they had coupled at a holy sacrifice and that he was actually Olaf’s and her father. When Sigrid had sent Sweyn’s suitor away without a response, there’d been a lot of whispering about the whole thing.“What if it’s not a rumor?” Katla whispered into her ear. “What if your mother and Sweyn really did lie together during the hallowed sacrifice and he’s your father?”Estrid smiled at the inconceivable. “Well, then I would be happy to have a father who didn’t want to kill me.”They laughed together again, and Katla brushed the hair from Estrid’s cheek.No cross worshippers could reach them here with their whisperings and sorcery, nor Balder with his luminous attractiveness and his erect [deleted per Amazon language rules] that had wounded her so badly, it had taken days to heal. It was just the two of them here in safety.“I saw how Alrik was looking at you today,” Katla said. She gave a knowing smile as her curly hair fell over her face, and she fondled Estrid’s breast.Little rivulets of pleasure trickled over…’Hildebrandt, Johanne. Estrid (The Valhalla Series Book 2) (pp. 86-88). Amazon Crossing. Kindle Edition.Bottom Line:Five stars out of five.Comments regarding your opinion of this book or of my review, whether favorable or unfavorable, are always welcome. If you buy the book based on my review and become disappointed, especially, I do want to know that and I want to understand how I can improve as a book reviewer. Just please be polite.Thank you.

This is the sequel to “Unbroken Line of the Moon,” and the brutal but compelling story of Queen Sigrid continues through her daughter, Estrid, and is set in the tumultuous Viking period right at the cusp of the Christianization of Scandinavia.King Erik the Victorious comes for the now-grown Olaf and so that they can rule Svealand and Geatland side by side as father and son. But Sigrid has seen a prophecy that Olaf will be the defender of the old Norse gods from the onslaught of Christianity.Sigrid’s daughter Estrid has a path less clear, however. She has been sickly and sees visions, and feels deeply part of the pagan world she’s being raised in. She has been promised to Hel, the Norse goddess of death. In the world of the book, Winter Is Not Coming—but Ragnarök is. And Ragnarök is Christianity, threatening to destroy their old ways of life. Sigrid and Estrid cling to pagan prophecies for guidance—but do they help?Estrid is based on the historical figure, Estrid Sweynsdatter, who founded the dynasty of the House of Estridsen, which would produce the kings of Denmark for 365 years. Her family coat of arms went on to become the coat of arms of Denmark.In this telling, written by an award-winning Swedish war correspondent, what we really find is a war of civilizations and an exploration of what it might have felt like to convert from a pagan worldview to a Christian one. And it is not always pretty. The author rips off the bandages in a shocking and eye-opening way to explore select issues from both perspectives (pagan and Christian). Is something a demonic possession and when is it mental illness? When is it a sin and when a religious rite? None of these will have easy or comfortable answers in the text, but Hildebrandt does such a fabulous job writing our modern minds into these medieval characters to explore the issues that it is a satisfying journey indeed.As with the first book in the series, Hildebrand tells the story with great care and with sweeping scope. The controversial brutality and bluntness of the first book are still palpable. With this Viking sensibility, the novel can be uncomfortable to read in places (reader be warned). The author doesn’t dance around anything, the way you might expect any war correspondent to do. Fans of “Game of Thrones” and“Vikings” will be used to this kind of thing, though, and I think they will find much to enjoy here.One thing I love about both of the books is how the Norse gods have been brought to life in as historically accurate and vivid a way as possible. I also find it eye-opening to view Christianity from this pagan perspective; I rarely encounter this perspective in literature. The author and translator have done a great job with the Norse mythology in the book. (Note: there is a helpful glossary at the end.) Readers don't need any special prior knowledge to follow and will probably learn a fair amount all while reading a gripping story. I really enjoyed the use of matter from actual surviving historical texts (e.g. the Völuspá!) and the thorough grounding in what few historical sources we still have. As with the first book, this is a real treat.Although translated, this book reads so smoothly and clearly you would never know, just like the first book—and that’s with umlauts and accent marks peppering many place names and gods’ names.This a gripping story. The characters are well fleshed out, and it effectively evokes a distant time. Can’t wait for the next one in what will hopefully be a continuing series. The historical Estrid is thought to be a sibling of Cnut the Great, who ruled Denmark, England, and Norway. I hope Hildebrand will write the story of that era as well.

I have been unable to put this series down somebody needs to make this into a tv series it is breathtaking and wonderful full credit to the excellent author

Having read and enjoyed book 1 (which was slow at the start but soon got going), I was keen to read this. I agree with many of the previous reviews. The translation isn't great in quite a few places but looking beyond that, it is certainly a good saga. The ups and downs of the main characters are not entirely predictable and you really want to turn to the next page to see what happens. Yes, it can be gory and unpleasant at times but let's face it, that's how the Vikings lived and died. I love the 'Vikings' series by Amazon so this ran in a similar vein and was right up my street. I am looking forward to book 3.

I enjoyed the mixture of factual historic events interwoven with Norse mythology.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as book 1. I found the ending rushed and after wondered why I hadFinished it!

A fascinating,captivating read,brilliantly written and researched. If you like Vikings and the way they lived and died,you have to read both books.you won't regret it !