The Twisted Tree

Review originally posted on Geeky Galaxy.

I finished The Twisted Tree in 2 hours. 9:30pm to 11:30pm and still got to sleep at a regular hour! The Twisted Tree is short, or at least shorter than the normal book I read, at 180 pages. It's 180 pages of exploring Racehl Burge's weaving of Norse Mythology with a sprinkling of horror, and it's a marvelous read. There were moments where the tension was palpable; the terror felt by the characters leaked off the page and infiltrated the dark room around me. I looked up and imagined a ghostly, dead face staring back at me. One thing is for sure, Rachel knew how to draw the reader in and make them experience the things that may be lurking in the dark.

The Inspiration from Norse Myth

Everything about this book is very Nordic. From the setting, to the character's names and the use of Norse Mythology throughout. Your familiarity with Norse Myth would lead you to either figuring things out reasonably quickly, from the one-eyed main character to the tree, or if you're not familiar at all, Rachel will slowly teach you some basics as you're drawn into the mystery surrounding the tree and the darkness that seems to follow Martha around.

Without spoiling it, I did enjoy this take on some classic Norse myth such as Odin hanging from Yggdrasil and the Norns and how they influence the lives of everyone, but specifically the characters in the story.

This is the first fantasy book I've read inspired by Norse myth. Before now, I've been familiar with it, just out of an interest in general for various mythologies and I've played games that are loosely based around the myths, from Skyrim to Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. The Twisted Tree has made me want to seek out more, and I know the sequel, The Crooked Mask, was out last week and I've also got The Witch's Heart on my radar for release later in the year.

Martha, Stig and Mormor

Martha, Stig and Mormor are the characters most heavily featuring in the book and they all had their own unique character and voices. Stig and Mormor especially stood out as characters; with Stig having a lot of hidden history and Mormor being dead but still being very key to everything. Martha is the one character, unfortunately, that felt just a little flatter than the rest. I feel like there was greater opportunity for growth with Martha; more opportunity to explore her beyond being blind in one eye and the ability that seemed to have been granted from it. I hope there's more to come from her as a character in the next book.

The Crooked Mask

The Crooked Mask is book 2! If you're interested in joining me for a readalong with The Tandem Collective on Instagram, check out my IG page @geekylorraine and keep an eye on my feed and stories as I share my thoughts and feelings reading the next book featuring Martha and her fascinating abilities!

“No one can tell the story of you, but you. Some people are gifted with a gilded tongue. They will tell you who you are with such conviction that you may actually believe them, but this is a reflection, not the truth, for the story of you is not yet written.”

Dit verhaal leest als een mix tussen een Noorse thriller en een mythologisch fantasy.
Het bevat enkele griezelige en duistere elementen, gedrenkt in folklore en Noorse mythen. Echter was het niet zo boeiend en huiveringwekkend als gedacht. Vaak was het eerder verwarrend en vreemd.
Bepaalde delen voelden onderontwikkeld, wat denk ik ook de reden was waarom ik mij weinig betrokken voelde bij de personages, hun gevoelens en hun acties.

Al bij al een boek met een goede setting en intrigerende plot, dat gebaat zou zijn geweest bij iets meer uitwerking.

A nice, short read. Love how the motives of Norse mythology are intertwined with the story. I wanted to see the truth, the real reason why Stig ran away from home, though. I get that the author wanted an open ending, but to me that pat is kinda unfinished.