YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Sometimes life isn’t as simple as heroes and villains.

For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:

1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.”
2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.

But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable—and dangerous—methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

When We Were Vikings is an uplifting debut about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own, because after all...

We are all legends of our own making.

Just read the opening pages (must confess to forgetting we’d set this up) and it seems an interesting choice of perspective.

Ch. 5 (view spoiler)[ Okay definitely forgot Zelda was like 21. She reads much younger. I'm guessing this is because of the cognitive deficiencies from fetal alcohol syndrome. I love her friendship with AK47 even though that is a weird ass name. (hide spoiler)]

Ch. 9(view spoiler)[Gert needs to get a grip, his sister is getting older and wants to explore things, just because her brain takes longer to process things doesn't mean she can't know what she wants. I also have a feeling that Gert is dealing drugs or something else illegal for Toucan. (hide spoiler)]

Karen wrote: "Just read the opening pages (must confess to forgetting we’d set this up) and it seems an interesting choice of perspective."

Haha no worries!

Andy wrote: "Ch. 5 [spoilers removed]

Ch. 9[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Don't know much about the impact of foetal alcohol syndrome, but it's interesting to see how others judge her. (hide spoiler)]

30% - up to ch9. I’m not totally sure about this. Her brother seems to be taking unnecessary risks, but he has stuck around. Some of the Viking info is interesting, but it does seem at odds with what we’re being told about Zelda.

50% up to ch17. Not surprised that Gert hadn’t been telling the truth about his predicament. Finding Zelda and her obsession with appearance a little frustrating.

80% up to ch29. Not surprised by this development, but it’s good to see her friendship with Marxy getting back on track.

Finished. Review on home page. Mixed feelings about this, and though there were elements I enjoyed it felt disjointed.

Karen wrote: "50% up to ch17. Not surprised that Gert hadn’t been telling the truth about his predicament. Finding Zelda and her obsession with appearance a little frustrating."

I was more frustrated with Gert lmao

70% (view spoiler)[ I'm glad Zelda and Marxy had planned out their night. Even though things didn't go as planned, it was good that they were both very positive and open about discussing sex. Gert's attitude about it really bothered me. I was sad that Zelda and Marxy broke up but she did hurt him when she laughed. I hope she apologizes and they can stay friends (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Damn that mess with Toucan was something else. That essay that Gert wrote Zelda was super touching. I'm glad Annie recovered from what Toucan did. I loved the new living arrangement Zelda agreed to, so happy to see her living on her own! (hide spoiler)]

Karen wrote: "80% up to ch29. Not surprised by this development, but it’s good to see her friendship with Marxy getting back on track."

Those two were really cute together. I'm glad their friendship survived