Zelda is a 21-year-old viking enthusiast with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. She lives with her brother Gert and is concerned with protecting her tribe, which includes her brother and his ex-girlfriend AK47. Told through Zelda's eyes, we follow her on her quest to become legendary and save her tribe from danger.

While the story's premise sounds almost like a fairytale, MacDonald's book is grounded in harsh reality. It was fascinating to see the story unfold through Zelda's eyes, a perspective that many of us may not be familiar with. I loved the friendships that she developed and maintained throughout the book and the ways in which she worked through her different moments of adversity. Zelda is an easy character to root for, and I found myself doing so throughout the entire book. At times, the plot is difficult to follow but this due not to the writing but the fact that Zelda herself is not entirely sure what is happening. This made the beginning of the book difficult to get into, but it easier to read after that. A word of warning that I was surprised by how dark the story got towards the end. However, this was overall a unique and enjoyable read that I'm glad I picked up.

4 stars

TW: Attempted rape, domestic abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, language