Runes of Destiny

The Runes of Destiny 

by Christina Courtenay 

3.5 out of 5 

Synopsis 

Separated by time. Brought together by fate.

Indulging her fascination for the Viking language and losing herself in an archaeological dig is just what Linnea Berger needs after her recent trauma. Uncovering an exquisite brooch, she blacks out reading the runic inscription, only to come to, surrounded by men in Viking costume, who seem to take re-enactment very seriously.

Lost and confused, Linnea finds herself in the power of Hrafn, a Viking warrior who claims her as his thrall and takes her on a treacherous journey across the seas to sell her for profit. Setting sail, she confronts the unthinkable: she has travelled back to the ninth century.

Linnea is determined to find a way back to her own time, but there's a connection forming with Hrafn. Can she resist the call of the runes and accept her destiny lies here... 

Review 

When Linnea finds a brooch in an archeological dig, she is thrown into the past.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Linnea recently survived a car crash, but needs to recover from the mental scars. She signs up to her "Uncle" Lars archeological dig as a distraction, and gets more than she bargained for.

After finding a brooch, she is thrown into the 9th Century, where she is accused of stealing and captured by Hrafn.

Because of her beauty, they decide to sell her to the Turks to get the best price. Linnea is dragged along on a trading mission that will take several months. She has to learn how to survive in Viking times, and not fall for her Viking captor.

This really was a book of two halves.

I did not like the first half.

I found Linnea to be annoying and self-involved.

Yes, she survived a car crash that killed her friend's parents, and grievously injured her friend. Linnea has a right to have issues to deal with, but they seem to supercede those of the injured friend, and her Uncle Lars (who lost his son and daughter-in-law).

Despite the fact that she was injured, Sara is cast as the "supportive friend", to assuage Linnea's grief and gossip about Linnea's crush Daniel. I didn't even know that Sara was still in hospital, until later in the book.

Linnea very quickly gets dragged back in time, where she is convinced she's at a fair where people pretend to be viking, and are taking it way too far.

She's pig-headed, rude, and I'm surprised she survived her first few days.

For a supposed genius, she doesn't even try to think about other possibilities, that maybe she's in a coma or an alternate reality, or actually in the past. Despite how adamant she is it's all fake, Linnea allows everyone to push her around, tell her what to wear and what to do. When she's put into a boat to sail away, she just goes along with it.

For most of the journey, Linnea relies on the other women, to adjust to life in the 9th Century, and becomes friends with them. But the friendship only ever works one way, Linnea never thinks about how she can help them escape slavery.

The rest of the characters are without any nuance. 

Hrafn is generic tough-guy-with-a-good-heart. He's a nice enough character, but I never understood why he was in the business of selling thralls. He's never done it before, but seems to have all the knowledge of how it works, and where they'll get the best offers.

Thure (Hrafn's older half-brother) is a villain. You know that the moment he enters the story, and he continues being villainous through-out. This guy has no subtlety.

The only part that I enjoyed was the in-depth knowledge of our narrator. It's clear that the author is as passionate and expert as Linnea in the field of Viking life.

Through Linnea, you get to learn every gritty detail of clothes, food, hygiene. Of social behaviour etc.

It could occasionally run a little dry and border on lecturing, but I still appreciated it.

The second half was like someone flipped a switch.

I was surprised by how much I was enjoying Linnea's story.

Her character improves - she doesn't drastically change, but it's like she softens and stops holding everyone at arm's length.

The "road-trip" becomes more interesting, as they tackle dangers of both man-made and natural kind.

I liked how subtle the romance was. It is definitely a sub-plot to the story of Linnea and Hrafn's journey together.

I liked how the supporting cast developed too, with the questionable loyalties for Hrafn's comrades - Hrafn may be in charge of the trade mission, but Thure is their Jarl (chief).

I especially liked the other women, who for the most part are lumped together as a crowd and indiscernible, but in the end, they all seem to get the happy ending they want. And no one is judged for wanting to be a free woman, or a wife, or a mistress to a fat rich man.

I thought it all got a little cheesy towards the end, but you know what, I kinda liked that too.

I think this was a 3.5 out of 5 for me.

Goodreads

Amazon