  | Helga the Fair Author: Taylor, S. J. | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
In this reimagining of classic Icelandic sagas, thirteen-year-old Helga the Fair must banish a mob of undead spirits in order to save her beloved guardian, Goat-Thigh, who is plagued by uncontrollable fits of rage.
| Illustrator: | Khatkevich, Alla |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (04/15/26)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 06/01/2026 Mining Icelandic legends once again, Taylor pits fierce young foundling Helga against both an irruption of undead revenants (draugar) and the hostile folk of her village, who have always unfairly feared and harassed Goat-Thigh, the bear-man who raised her. Mixing and matching figures and incidents from traditional sources (cited in detail at the end), the author provides plenty of heroic exploits to keep readers engaged. But the dramatic intensity is driven not by explicit violence, of which there is little, but by flares of rage and abject terror in attackers and victims. For all the period flavor of its setting, the story has a peculiar modernity in both its language and themes. Two same-sex couples in the cast who are (counter-historically, the author notes) accepted without question by the community play significant roles, and the conflicts between living and dead are all ironed out by a hotly contested Viking board game and by talking out feelings related to past misunderstandings. Fans of contemporary relationship fiction as well as historical fantasy will feel right at home. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.
