“A past of dread and fury. A past of blood and chaos. A past that would haunt him forever.”
Steeped in Norse and Egyptian mythology, A Ballad of Vengeance is a grand yet intimate tale of family and vengeance set against the backdrop of a deadly war between and against the titans. It’s filled with brutal action and lots of magic and mayhem, and you better believe it’s just as epic as the cover would have you believe.
Now, if you are not aware, A Ballad of Vengeance has quite the fun and special origin story behind it. See, this book has sprung forth from the short story Frozen Hell in the indie advent anthology The Advent of Winter, which is where I personally fell head over heels in love with this unique world and this family of badass warriors and magic wielders. Do you need to read that short story first? Arguably not, but I think it would be quite beneficial and add an even bigger emotional impact to this story if you do. Also, who wouldn’t want to spend more time in this cool world?!
The main story of A Ballad of Vengeance picks up nine years after the events of Frozen Hell; nine years which have been suspiciously peaceful for Aqen and his family, until now. Deep down he knew he could never outrun his bloody past, and when a terrible tragedy strikes, he decides to break his decades-long self-exile in the Nordlands to finally end the titanic threat to his family once and for all. But his wife and kids refuse to let him carry out his suicide mission of a vengeance quest all on his own, and soon the entire family is caught in an intricate web of danger, death, and deception spun by the very titans themselves.
For me, Soliman did a great job of immediately setting the stakes and tone with the brutally captivating prologue and tragic inciting incident. Plus, I am always a sucker for a good ol’ tale of revenge, especially one set in such a fascinating world inspired by both Norse and Egyptian mythology and told from the refreshing perspective of a tight family unit as the protagonists; two badass parents (from different cultures) who are around their fifties and their (young) adult children who are total forces to be reckoned with on their own, we love to see it.
That said, after the strong emotional hook at the beginning, the plot quickly became very hectic to me, and I soon noticed my interest starting to wane as the action became the main focus of the story. Don’t get me wrong, I liked these characters a lot (especially my precious quiet underdog Hjalmar with his cool warging abilities), yet I never really connected to them on a deeper level. I personally felt like we were more so being told about their feelings of trauma and grief rather than actually getting to experience/feel it with them, and their motivations and actions often surprised, confused or frustrated me more than I would like to admit.
Still, amidst all the exhausting action and chaotic magic and mayhem, there were some good nuggets of enjoyment that I could personally hang onto. For one, I really liked that we got to dig so deeply into Aqen’s troubled past through the flashback chapters, especially as that all ties back so directly into the main conflict playing out in the present timeline. But even more than that, I loved the nuanced exploration of familial love through all the strong yet complicated dynamics between these four headstrong characters, and I really appreciated all the painfully realistic and relatable family squabbles. Also, don’t get me started on the captivating presence of the enigmatic titans; I love me some fickle, meddling gods, and Soliman delivers that in spades in A Ballad of Vengeance.
Despite my personal quibbles, I still ended up blasting through this wild adventure in just 2 days, because Soliman’s storytelling is just that inexplicably addictive and compulsively readable. So, if you don’t mind a story that prioritizes action over emotion and find yourself in the mood for an epic fantasy tale full of rich culture, complicated relationships, and wild twists and turns, then A Ballad of Vengeance is the book for you.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. A Ballad of Vengeance is scheduled for release on 2 May, 2025.
