The Goddess of Nothing At All was not what I expected. It’s one of those stories with a certain magic to it that is best experienced in its raw form. The less you know the better in order to have the most organic experience. 

I think it goes without saying that this book is dark, considering it is a Norse retelling. Because the Norse Gods are nothing like their Marvel counterparts that many of us are much more acquainted with. They can be brutal and unforgiving, which you’d expect them to be cause the loss of balance and power will leave everyone on a whole new level of damned if and when Ragnorok occurs. While I am very interested in the stories of the Norse Gods, I know very few. Rector introduces us to the story of Sygin in a way that, regardless of your understanding of the original stories you can follow along. Their writing finds the perfect balance of showing and telling. Unlike some fantasy stories that span years, you won’t need a notepad to get through this one, nor will you need Google to understand what’s going on. 

The hardest part of this book is the emotional brutality of it all. I want to avoid going into too much detail because as mentioned above, the story is best experienced with as little background. There is literal brutality, which has an emotional toll, but in my opinion, the most brutal acts committed in this book are sheer manipulations. A broken bone may heal, but a broken soul can never heal. 

The Goddess of Nothing at All is an enjoyable read, but heavy. It’s exceptionally inclusive and brings a new life to a world and characters who have become beloved by many through pop culture. There is a reason it was a 2nd place BBNYA finalist. It’s not just a book, it’s an emotional experience.