Katla, hija de una mujer cristiana secuestrada por los vikingos en costas de Irlanda, no conoce más vida que la del cautiverio. Por ello, cuando su amom decide ir en busca de Groenlandia, la tierra prometida por Erik el rojo, debe embarcarse junto a él en una travesía plagada de peligros y penalidades, pero que también la llevará a descubrir el amor. Una vez alcanzado el destino, no obstante, el cruel hijo de su dueño la deja encinta tras violarla y desfigurarla salvajemente. Fruto de ese episodio nace una niña, Bibrau, a la que Katla rechaza al considerarla una enviada del demonio que siempre le recordará la vejación que ha sufrido. Es por ello que Bibrau crece muda y taciturna, al cuidado de Thorbjorg, hechicera y sacerdotisa de Odin. Cuando Leif, vástago de Erik el rojo, lleva la fe cristiana a los asentamientos groenlandeses, Katla ve por fin la posibilidad de ser feliz. Pero la caída de Bibrau en los abismos de la magia negra pondrá en peligro su sueño e, incluso, la existencia misma de toda la comunidad.

This is one of those books that was intense, and I'm glad I read it, but I can't say I enjoyed it. The story is a painful one. That said, I do recommend it to people looking for a no-holds-barred story of Viking life. ( )

I really wanted to like this book, the writing was good and the setting was intriguing to me, but the execution/storyline was boring as all hell.

This was one of those stories where you hold your breath waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever does. There were some moments that had me hopeful, but then the characters were like "nah, bruh" before going about their way.

The most interesting part of this book were the historical notes at the very end. You can tell the author did her research, but the story was just incredibly bland. ( )

I really wanted to like this book, the writing was good and the setting was intriguing to me, but the execution/storyline was boring as all hell.

This was one of those stories where you hold your breath waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever does. There were some moments that had me hopeful, but then the characters were like "nah, bruh" before going about their way.

The most interesting part of this book were the historical notes at the very end. You can tell the author did her research, but the story was just incredibly bland. ( )

Interesting novel concerning the early settlement of Greenland, as told by three women: One, a thrall [slave]; her daughter born of a violent rape; and a seeress. The mother and daughter hate each other: there's also a bit of jealousy on the daughter's part. The seeress takes both of them into her house. Culture clash involving the coming of Christianity to the island. Somewhat melodramatic. Meticulously researched, but sometimes the telling falls into purple prose--fault of a pseudo-bardic language the author adopts, which is not always successful and sometimes seems forced. Life in medieval Greenland was certainly gloomy and grim. ( )