I was very excited to start this book, and had high hopes for it, but ended up not finishing it.The atmosphere of the book was very dark, and although the plot was semi-interesting, the odd language the author chose to use was very off-putting. I am aware that the language the author used was another period detail, but this was just distracting.The conversations between characters, using this Norse style language became stilted and detracted from the story's natural dramatical element. Another bothersome aspect of the book was the unrelenting darkness of the story. It seemed as though the characters would never be happy, tragedy befell them at every turn. This book never even got off the ground.