I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team (authors, if you are looking for reviews, check here), and I freely chose to review an ARC copy of this novel.

I have read and reviewed another novel by Marcello, The Beauty of the Fall (you can read my review here), was entranced by it, and I was eager to read this book, although worried that, at least for me, the previous novel would be a tough act to follow. This book has many of the qualities that made me love the previous one (beautiful language, gorgeous descriptions, a spiritual dimension, a search for personal truth, and many strange and wondrous events that sometimes are difficult to categorize [are they visions, hallucinations, visitations, a transcendental connection with the gods and the elders, enlightenment?], and little interest in following the standard rules of narrative. Yes, there is a beginning, a middle and an end, of sorts, but one sometimes feels as if there were many corridors the characters could choose, which might end up resulting in a variety of futures and of novels, and at times we get hints of those. Somehow, though, it didn’t move me in the same way the previous book did, and that is perhaps down to current circumstances. Reading this novel in the middle of a pandemic, while confined at home, made me feel uneasy about some of the characters’ decisions, their self-absorption, and the ease with which they make decisions that might potentially affect many people, with little regard for anybody else’s interests.

The book is divided into two distinct parts, the first one told, in the first-person, by the two main protagonists, Charlie and Maggie Latecomer, now in their second marriage, seemingly happy, who after successful careers are now pursuing their own artistic interests. Suddenly, despite their deep love for each other, Charlie, who’s been feeling restless, decides he has to go in pursuit of his own path. He tells his wife this and goes on a retreat. Not only that, but he asks a young woman to accompany him. The couple were completely enmeshed in each other, and although Maggie loves the idea of the MOAI, a Japanese concept that they define as a sort of extended family, she acknowledges that she’s resisted including others in theirs. She starts to question everything she had thought, makes new connections and renews some of the old ones, and when the retreat ends in quite a traumatic manner (I ‘ll avoid spoilers), there is a reconfiguration of their MOAI and new people join in. They also go through some life-changing experiences together. This part is more contemplative, more descriptive, and slower than the rest of the book, and I felt somewhat impatient with Charlie, whose behaviour and reasoning I found quite difficult to accept, in light of his protestations of love and of not wanting to hurt Maggie. I liked Maggie much better than Charlie, and although by the end of the book I was more reconciled with Charlie’s character, because he’d gone through quite a lot of change, I still felt more empathy for Maggie, even if I had little in common with any of them or the rest of the characters in the novel (even if I have visited Northampton and enjoyed the descriptions of the town and also of the island and the retreat).  There are more adventures in part two: we have a mystical book that the characters keep trying to decipher, they uncover a secret, they have to fight a big corporation, and they go through much heartache. The rhythm picks up in the second half, and I felt that was partly because we only get to see things from Maggie’s point of view, and she is more determined, action-driven, and even rushed at times.

There are quite a few themes in the novel, including relationships (love, extended families), growing old, health (what does it mean to be healthy and what price would we pay to live longer), pharmaceutical corporations, end of life care, spiritualism, identity, philosophy, religion, mysticism… There is a search for meaning and for finding one’s place in the world that is quite refreshing, especially because the protagonist are not youths trying to decide what to do with the rest of their lives, but older characters, who refuse to be settled and give up (and although I did not connect with some aspects of the book, I definitely connected with that). I do not know much about Nordic mythology and therefore I felt at times that I was missing much of the background that might have allowed me to understand the characters’ experiences better, and that made me feel somewhat detached. The novel is classed as literary fiction and magic realism. Both genres cover a great variety of styles, subjects and reading experiences, and readers who enjoy philosophical themes and like a challenge should give it a try.

I have mentioned the two main characters, and I have said that there are a few others: three that end up becoming a part of their extended family, two elders (both women), another female character who is the spiritual guide, some of the other people attending the retreat, and the baddie (who is never fully explained). I’m not that far of, by age, from many of the characters, but I can’t say I have much else in common with them, as they are all fairly well off, (one very rich), and in general seem untouched by the worries of everyday life. Although we spend time with some of the other characters, and I particularly like the two elders, I did not feel we got to know the rest of the MOAI well enough, considering the length of the novel and the amount of time we spend with them. Part of the problem might be that it’s all told from the first person point of view of the two protagonists, but the decisions of Joe, Ebba (she’s a total puzzle to me), and Rebecca (I liked her but I would have liked to know more) don’t always seem to fit in with what we know about them. But an important part of the novel deals with the fact that no matter how we feel about others, and how connected we are, that does not mean we are the same and we have to live by the same rules and share in all of our experiences. We all have to strive to be the best versions of ourselves.

I have mentioned the writing style at the beginning of my review. There is poetry and lyricism, and as I mentioned above, there are also many contemplative passages. This is not a fast book and there are many descriptions or landscapes, mystic experiences, and also philosophical wanderings. The characters have their own rituals and these are described in detail (and yes, there are descriptions of their art, their shared experiences, their memories, their sexual relationships, although not too explicit…), and I think that readers will either connect with the writing style or not. The quality of the writing is not in question, and the fact that Marcello writes poetry is amply evident, but it won’t suit every taste.

The ending resolves the main points of the plot, although not all mysteries are explained, and there are aspects left to readers’ imagination. I liked the ending, although I had been expecting it for quite a while and at some point worried that the characters wouldn’t do what seemed to be “the right thing”. It’s a difficult decision and not one many people would take in real life, but, at least for me, it made sense.

Would I recommend it? You’ve probably noticed that I’m conflicted about this novel. There is much I like about it and some aspects I don’t like as much, although I think I might have felt different if I had read it in other circumstances (and might come back to it later on). In summary, this is a book for those who like to savour a novel and who enjoy thinking deeply and exploring unusual avenues. It is not a book for those looking for a tightly-plotted story, a mystery, or a fast page-turner. There are mysteries, but not those of the kind we expect to read about in novels of the genre. The protagonists are privileged in many ways, older than the norm, and their search and struggles might not connect with everybody. I’d recommend readers to check a sample of the book, and to give the novel time, because it changes and grows in the second half, as do the main characters, Charlie in particular.  Ah, members of reading clubs have a set of very interesting questions at the end, and I agree this is a book that offers plenty of food for discussion.

A Nordic myth loving-fest with action, mysteries and sexy Nordic men.

Solina is morning the death of her brother. She goes to the small town in where he lived and worked to find answers and settle his affairs. She suffers from dreams, terrible nightmares that involve  her brothers death and a wolf like creature. she wants to find some answers. First she must deal with two very different men who knew him well.

Aleksander Thorin looks like a Viking, ice blond, imposing body with a side of menace.  He comes off gruff and cold. This Nordic hunk was her brothers employer.   Val was his friend, and is excited to have her in town. He is the intense yet flirty fun guy that her brother brought home with him before. Both imposing, both sexy, both hiding something, secrets hidden always come out eventually.

This town, these people, the mystery changes everything as Solina knows it. Her light will finally shine, as the truths unfold. As her knowledge increases so does the danger. She must place her life in the hands of these men, but she doesn't do it blindly. She keeps her head centered on the goal, and doesn't fumble into rescue me princess mode.

Fantastic urban fantasy, with just the right amount of action, danger, mystery, hunks, gods, tease of romance, and mythology to make my reading heart happy. Wonderful world building and character development, and this is a first book ! Absolutely, an author to watch and follow if her first book was this great.

" He was beautiful...in the same way a size hundred pound feral tiger is beautiful."- this is about Thorin, meow, get me some catnip

"Regrets are like scars-emotional wounds that never heal quite right."- truth

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

I read Starling over two years ago and while I was taken by the book it took me a long time to finally pick up the sequel, which I did when I saw the trilogy finale on Edelweiss. I was ready to dive back into the world Livingston had created but was afraid that it might not live up to everything I had remembered it to be and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. When I picked upTranscendent though, I was ready, and I was not the least bit disappointed. This book lived up to the expectations one might have from a finale and there wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. 

I think the key to why this book made me so happy is that with finales there is always a good chance the author might decide to throw in some unnecessary romantic drama to make the stakes higher but Livingston didn’t go down that road. What made her book work was that with all this chaos unfolding, the main characters decided to stick together and see it through. There were no secrets, no nothings, they planned together and they TALKED. It’s beautiful seeing communication done so well.

Mason is a good female lead. I say good and not great because I am starting to realize that the two are not one and the same but Mason was a good female lead. I cheered for her and she’s just one of those female leads who isn’t impulsive and actually likes to think things through. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t make mistakes. Of course she does, she has her selfish moments too but all of them are realistic so you cannot help but relate to her dilemma. She didn’t ask for any of this but now she’s trying to handle it with the best of her ability.

Fenrys is good character as well. I think my favorite thing about him is that he is always willing to stick with Mason no matter what. He is a great shoulder to lean on and he is there for her when she needs him. He complements her perfectly which is why they make such a great couple. They are both brave and smart but neither of them are perfect and they work so well together!

You might have realized this by now but I'll mention it anway, they are great as couple. They work well together. In fact, while they’ve had some bumps in their relationship, none of it was ever the result of unnecessary drama. This is the kind of relationship you want to read about. End of story.

The fact remains that this series doesn’t have any mind blowing world building but the way the author adopts some of the mythological aspects and makes them her own are definitely worth mentioning. I particularly enjoyed her take on Loki! And I loved the way she mixed in other myths and gods too. So while the series focued particularly on Nordic mythology, there were some elements of other myths present which made not just this book, but the entire series, fun to read.

Considering that Ragnorak is just around the corner in this book, or actually, pretty much taking place, the stakes are high. It’s clear from the way this book is written. It’s very fast paced and keeps you on your toes but the author makes sure that while things are serious, there are always little moments that relieve the tension and just make the reading experience all the more better.

But getting back to the fact that this book is a finale, I personally enjoyed the final showdown. I thought it was well written. Everything has been building up to the moment and while I would have been happy had the moment laster longer, by no means was it rushed. The author did the series justice with her finale and I loved the way things were wrapped up. It wasn’t too neat but it wasn’t depressing either. Which is just the way I like it.

While this isn’t the most amazing or the most interesting series out there, I’d still suggest giving this one a shot just because of how fun it is. The pages fly by and the characters are all interesting to read about. I know I am definitely going to be missing them.  So if you're looking for a fun series to read that won't take too much of your time, how about picking this one up?