Shackled Fates by Thilde Kold Holdt – 4 Star Book Review

As Ragnarok looms, the trickster Loki breaks free from his chains.

I was granted eARC access to Shackled Fates by Thilde Kold Holdt by the publisher via NetGalley after absolutely loving the first installment, Northern Wrath. Thank you for the access! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Check out my 5-star review of the first book in the trilogy, Northern Wrath.

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About the Book

Shackled Fates
The Hanged God Trilogy Book Two
by Thilde Kold Holdt

Published 26 October 2021
Rebellion: Solaris

Genre: Epic Historical Fantasy, Mythology
Page Count: 656
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Following on the breakout success of Northern Wrath , Holdt weaves myth and history in a deeply magical saga.

As Ragnarok looms, the trickster Loki breaks free from his chains.

In the battle to come, all shall die, but Ragnar will do anything to save his gods.

Einer scours the nine worlds for Hilda, who walks among gods and goddesses, searching the truth of the Runes.

For centuries Siv has run from her past, but she knows that to protect her daughter, and Midgard, she will have to face her worst fears.

It is time to confront the Alfather.

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My Review

My Rating: 4 Stars
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Shackled Fates picks up right where Northern Wrath ended, so new readers are absolutely advised to read in order. There’s absolutely no back-tracking and summarizing (which I greatly appreciate as someone who reads sequels ASAP and doesn’t need the reminder) so knowing what happened in the previous book is imperative to having any idea what’s going on.

I do like the fact that these books are written as one long, continuous book and not as three (two, soon to be three) contained stories that form a trilogy, right down to chapter numbers that don’t reset to 1 at the beginning of a new book. With that said, since I was reading digitally and didn’t have a physical book in my hand to see where I was, this chapter numbering system meant I had no idea how far into the book I was at any given time. This book is only about 40 pages longer than the previous one but it really felt a lot longer, and I think that’s a big part of why.

My favourite POV was once again Hilda’s. She’s such a unique, interesting heroin, and the fox is a big bonus! Beyond that, though, Hilda’s sections of the story crossed paths with the most interesting gods, and it really felt like her journey alone was driving the plot at points while everyone else was just dealing with the fallout of her actions, for better or worse, in one way or another. I read this with a group of fellow enthusiasts on a Discord group and I know not everyone agrees on that point, some readers think the other POVs felt more independently important this time around, but I feel the opposite. Okay maybe not Siv, she’s a very interesting plot driver in her own right as well. Ladies for the win?

On the topic of those interesting gods, though. Loki? Yes! Yes!!! No offence to the amazing Tom Hiddleston but THIS is Norse mythology’s Loki. I have so enjoyed reading an action-packed fantasy full of accurate characters from my favourite half of my own heritage. I grew up listening to fireside stories told by Norwegian natives, some of whom would slip into Sami as they did so. I’m the one who annoys all the Marvel fans by pronouncing Thor correctly. This trilogy makes me very happy!

I also really love the attention given to the plight of proud old-ways pagan versus the new Christian wave sweeping through the Nordic region at this period. To this day, paganism vs Christianity is a huge dividing point in Scandinavian culture and among my Norwegian relatives. This period, the issues presented in these books, is where the real world divide comes from. I applaud Thilde for giving it the attention it is due. It also conveniently makes for great drama and motives in an epic trilogy full of very well-written battles.

Thank you very much to Rebellion for access to this book, to my bookish Discord friends for putting me onto this trilogy, and to the author for writing this wild ride. I can’t wait for book three!

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