Review: ‘Tur’ by S.T. Bende

Inga Andersson is the envy of every girl in Asgard. On the surface she has it all — great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory.

Some things are worth fighting for.

TUR is an Elsker Saga novella. It is approximately 10,000 words long.

As I mentioned a few days ago during the launch blitz for book two in this series, I just finished reading Tur, the novella from Inga Andersson’s perspective that is set just before the events of Elsker start to unfold.

I really enjoyed this little tale from Inga’s perspective. There’s enough action and foreshadowing in here to keep the momentum of the novella going, and it seeds the romance between Ull and Kristia in the sweetest way. (That last page or two. Aww!) Ull is a very serious and intense fellow — as you would be if you were the God of Winter being drafted into a different portfolio, one you really didn’t want — and it was fun to see Inga trying to get him to lighten up.

Inga and Gunnar are definitely the focus of the novella, though — Inga’s drive to be taken seriously as a warrior by Odin, and Gunnar’s desire to, well, spend some “quality time” with Inga. This is a sweet romance though, like the rest of the series, so it fades to black at appropriate moments. Part of me regreted that, to be honest, because it was so promising. 😉

One touch that I really love in this series is that the gods are given a modern makeover. Even in Asgard they live in modern houses and wear modern clothes. It made the sprinkling of references to the more ancient parts of their world stand out even more. Fun!

I felt Inga’s frustration at the blokes’ desire to protect her, given what a kick-butt warrior she is. At first I thought it was old-fashioned chivalry or even sexism (she’s weak; we can’t let her go to battle). It was a relief to discover it was more about politics, in Odin’s case at least. Gunnar on the other hand just didn’t want his wife in danger; I can respect that, because who wants to see their loved ones get hurt?

Also, if this has intrigued you, here’s one more thing to consider: Tur is a great opportunity to try a new author, because it’s free. It can be a risky proposition buying a book by an unknown author, but you can, ah, suck it and see. (Speaking of Gunnar…)