When the runes of the
goddess, Diana, summon her to duty, she finds herself in a Norse meadow,
battling hellhounds that are surprised to find her there. But the
hellhounds aren’t the only Norse unhappy to see her. The gods, Tyr and
Donar, tell her to return home. Her runes beg to differ, and the 24
bones are always right. She’s pretty sure, Norse gods can be far too
stubborn and belligerent for their own good.
When Diana joins
forces with Freya—goddess of love, beauty, and seidr magic—and
Gudrun—the village seer, she discovers that her runes are more devious
than she’d ever imagined. They have a path in store for her, too, one
she dislikes even more than Tyr and Donar abhor her meddling. She has to
find a traitor in the gods’ meadow and battle the evil witch, Heid.
That, she’s willing to try. But she’s also to join with Tyr to defend
sacred portals. Working with the Norse sky god will be the bigger
challenge, for she’s never been so tempted by a male in the centuries of
her maiden life.
Can they win in the face of evil? And just how much can Diana resist?
My Review of Empty Altars (3.5/5):
I was
surprised by this book; in a good way. At first I was slightly confused and had
already decided that this was going to be an OK read, but as the story
progressed I found myself enjoying the story with its magic, deceit and
intrigue. As a lover of mythology I instantly appreciated how the author weaved
together Norse mythology with Greek and Roman and produced an original and
enjoyable tale. Not knowing much about Norse mythology myself, I wish that
there had been a little more information at the beginning to introduce me to
the ins and outs of the myths but the story has definitely piqued my interest
in the subject. The story lacked a solid plot in my opinion, anticipation and
the shock factor despite its originality but more than made up for this with
its well crafted world and setting and strong characterisation.
The
author does an excellent job of depicting Diana, the Roman goddess of nature,
childbirth, the hunt and the moon who was also known as Hecate and Artemis in
Greek mythology, in this book despite my dislike of her at the beginning. A
witch of great power, her runes transports her to a Norse meadow, where she
soon learns that she is not wanted. She soon comes to learn that she is to play
a vital plot in trying to save the Norse and the whole world from the
black-hearted, evil witch Heid. She frustrated me with her cocky attitude,
impulsiveness and quick temper but redeemed herself with her caring side and
her eagerness to assist those in need of her help. She is in no way a damsel in
distress and I admired her strong, independent and feisty attitude but she also
irritated me with her arrogance and sometimes superior attitude. Her cold
attitude towards Tyr at the beginning of the book perplexed me, as he is
undoubtedly kind and respectful towards her, offering assistance if needed.
Diana seems distant at first, irritated by his offers of help. Her independence
and stubbornness seems to blind her from seeing honest offers of help. Post’s
interpretation of the goddess was original and I enjoyed how she modernised her
tale by introducing Diana lounging in her New York apartment, her use of modern
phrases and her longing for modern technology such as a camera. Her use of
modern phrases also added a light comic relief to the story as it utterly perplexed
the other characters and made for some scenes of amusement and confusion which
helped lighten the serious mood of the tale.
I really
enjoyed the character of Tyr, the sky god of Norse mythology. Despite having a
thunderous temper he is an honourable and loyal individual who fights for and
fiercely protects those he cares about. He is a caring individual, drawn to
Diana despite her vexing attitude. I also thought he had a cheeky side and his
humorous teasing of the goddess brought a sense of fun and light heartedness to
the story. The fiery exchanges between Diana and Tyr were full of sexual
innuendos that underlined the intense sexual tension between the two. It was
entertaining at first but slowly it started to frustrate me that nothing was
happening between the two and when it something finally happened it seemed rushed,
too quick and of no great importance, devoid of warmth and passion. I wish that
their relationship had been dealt with in a more romantic way instead of a
thing that they had to get out of their system before trying to save the world.
Inga’s
transformation from a fragile and scared young girl weakened by shame and banishment,
to a capable young woman was a great and vital part of the story. Her exile
shows the corruption of the seemingly peaceful society and is a prime example
of an innocent young girl tricked by a dishonest man misusing his power in
degrading ways. Inga’s storyline was full of emotion and I enjoyed seeing her
alter before my eyes and fulfil her destiny. Freya, the goddess of love and
beauty is a fierce individual in this story, liberal with her sexuality,
sensuous and beautiful and eager to unite couples especially Diana and Tyr. I
really liked the character of Freya. She just doesn’t take things too
seriously, lives a passionate life filled with pleasure and beauty, Freya was
another character that helped lighten the mood of the story. Eager for Diana
and Tyr to get together she urges Diana to free herself from her chaste life
and the dialogue between the two goddess’ was fun to read, as if they were two
friends sharing secrets.
Heid was
portrayed as a plausible villain despite the fact that I felt that she posed no
real danger towards Diana, a great and powerful witch. A witch consumed by a
hunger for power and domination, Heid is depicted as a mad and uncontrollable
being who would stop at nothing to destroy everything before her, take control
and wreak havoc upon the world. A good villain but I just felt that she was
doomed from the moment Diana stepped foot in the norse meadow and battled her
hellhounds.
The plot
was full of treachery, deception and magic all woven together to create an
exciting tale. As a reader I was constantly kept on my toes as there was always
something occurring on each page and the story unravelled at a steady pace. The
story was laced with twists at every corner, and the surprising revelation of a
traitor helped add to the tale. Despite the tale being an exciting one, I felt
that the characterisation and the blossoming relationships were more central to
the story and therefore the plot seemed almost fractured, less solid. There
were numerous action scenes within the story that were a little anticlimactic
as we were made aware from the beginning that Diana was an almighty goddess
with unmatchable powers.
The magic
within the story really interested me and it was probably the most entertaining
aspect of the story in my opinion, secondary to the characterisation and
relationships. The runes were especially interesting, as they’re aptitude for
foretelling the future helped create an intense feeling of foreboding
throughout the story. There were also numerous different creatures within the
story; giants, hellhounds, witches, dwarves, dragons etc that helped define an
exciting tale full of magic.
All in
all, this book was a pleasure to read and I enjoyed the characterisation of
mythological figures. I felt that the message of the story was that in the face
of great evil, loyalty, honour and determination will always pay off in the
end. This story may be a little hard to get into at first but a little
determination goes a long way and once the story gets going, it’s full of
fierce characters, surprises and twists, and an enchanting world of magic and
myth. Read it and be surprised.
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