Book Review | Tooth and Blade by Julian Barr

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on this blog tour.

Book Description

Parts 1-3 of the legendary TOOTH AND BLADE series together for the first time!

Two worlds. One destiny.

Dóta has dwelled sixteen years among the trolls. She knows nothing but the darkness of her family’s cave. Her mother says humans are beasts who would slay them all. Yet the gods of Asgard whisper in the night: Dóta is a child of men, a monster unto monsters.

To discover her human side, Dóta must take up her bone knife and step into the light above. Secrets await her in the human realm—beauty, terror, the love of a princess.

Soon Dóta must choose between her clan and humankind, or both worlds will be devoured in fire and war.

A monster sheds no tears.

Norse mythology meets historical fantasy in TOOTH AND BLADE. Step into a realm of haunted meres, iron and magic.

My Review | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Favorite character: Princess Arína

She is a true warrior princess in a world where women are peace-makers.  I love her spunk and her big heart.  Her ability to lead and inspire others is what makes her the princess that she is.  She’s never afraid to speak up and does not hesitate when other’s would run.  If there is a hero in this story, it is Princess Arína.

What I Like

The portrayal of the Goddess Freya – The goddess of war and death should not be a benevolent entity, and her description in this story does not make her so.  She is manipulative and cunning, working for her self interest and her’s alone.  I enjoy the romantic versions of gods and goddesses in other stories, but I respect and appreciate when the portrayal is more accurate given the mythology.

The whole premise of a human raised by a troll is very intriguing.  It spurs the imagination.  How it is portrayed in the novel makes it easy to imagine and easy to suspend disbelief.  The tone and setting brought to mind primitive man – living in a cave eating mushroom and fish.  Protected and isolated, Dôta doesn’t even think to question that things in her world don’t line up.

Dôta’s journey of self-discovery is a turbulent one.  She learns she is a human and that her troll brother eats humans.  And, that’s just the start.  She has many things to reconcile in her mind about who she is and what it all means – not to mention how her relationship with the gods fits in the whole picture.

What I Wish

I wish that the relationships had developed more slowly. When different events occur, the strong reactions were hard to believe since the relations hadn’t advanced to the point where the responses would have come across as believable.

To Read or Not to Read

If you love Norse mythology, you will enjoy this symbolic journey of self-discovery.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Julian Barr first fell in love with all things ancient and magical in childhood, when he staged his own version of I, Claudius using sock puppets. After his PhD in Classics, he did a brief stint as a schoolteacher, hated being called ‘sir,’ and dived into storytelling. Although he remains open to the possibilities of sock puppet theatre, historical fantasy is his passion. He has published scholarly research on Roman medicine and the gastronomic habits of Centaurs, but prefers to think of himself as an itinerant bard. He is also the author of the Ashes of Olympus trilogy.