Blog Tour: HEATHEN review + giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the HEATHEN by Natasha Alterici & Ashley A. Woods Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

     

 

About The Book:

Title: HEATHEN: The Complete Series Omnibus Edition

Author: Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods (Illustrations), Rachel Deering, Morgan Martinez

Pub. Date: May 17, 2022

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

WOMAN. WARRIOR. VIKING. HEATHEN. OUTCAST. 

THE GODS MUST PAY…

Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, and exiled from her village for kissing another woman, the lesbian Viking warrior, Aydis, sets out to destroy the god-king Odin and end his oppressive reign. She is a friend to many as she is joined by mermaids, immortals, Valkyries, and the talking horse, Saga. But she is also a fearsome enemy to the demons and fantastic monsters that populate the land. 
Heathen – The Complete Series Omnibus Edition trade paperback collects the entire twelve-issue series.

Soon to be movie directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Red Riding Hood, & Lords of Dogtown)

Perfect for fans of Monstress, Helheim, and Northlanders.

Reviews:

“These declarations of self from women and queer characters fit so elegantly into the mythology Alterici uses to weave her tale, it reminds us that these narratives belonged there all along.”- The Mary Sue

“I want epics with female leads, and fortunately HEATHEN fulfills that desire in a big way, while also adding its own unique touch with themes that are as contemporary as they are timeless.”- Women Write About Comics

“One look at the cover and I knew this book was right up my alley. If you are into Norse mythology and aching for a lesbian angle, then this book is for you. If you want a love story that is more than a romance, a heroine that is truly honourable and fierce, then I urge you to pick this … up.”- The Lesbian Review

“Natasha Alterici's Heathen, has single-handedly redeemed the disaster that pop culture has been making of Norse mythology. It’s a smart, funny, feminist, queer and sex-positive take on the Viking world; one with a wide cast of diverse and endearing characters. Heathen is a must-read for comics (and mythology) lovers of all sorts and those in quest of superb queer and feminist comics in particular. RATING: 10/10”- Pop Matter

 

Rating: 5/5

Review:

I honestly don't know what I was expecting from this book when I requested to be apart of the tour for it. Probably the usual: I wanted this book to amuse me and contain LGBT+ content. It surpassed my baseline expectations and is currently one of my favorite books that I've read this year.

One thing I want to talk about is the book's artstyle. It's rough but not in an unfinished way. It was clear that this was the chosen artstyle for this work and I'll admit that it took me a bit to get used to it. I'm used to smooth lines and things like that. This was sharp and messy and scratchy. But it worked so well with this story. Because the story was sharp and messy too.

I absolutely adore all of these characters from Aydis to Freyja to Saga. The side characters and creatures that each of them meet along the way. I adore these characters so much. They're all amazing and one thing that unites several of them is that they seem to flourish when defying the "norms". It's wonderful!

I'll admit that halfway through the book I did some googling because I was honestly curious about something. There was a lot of potential for growing relationships between Aydis and many of the characters she meets along the way and I was wondering if she would end up with any of them. Apparently this was a pretty common occurrence of people wondering who she would end up with and the author had to stress that that wasn't the point. It wasn't who she ended up with but rather that she learned that warriors didn't have to go in alone. She could have friends and a chosen family that supported her in her endeavors and loved her for who she was. She didn't need to fear being left alone or left because of who she loved.

This was an absolutely fabulous book. While I adore the book and it is complete the way it is; I wouldn't mind it if the author ever decided that Aydis and her friends needed more of their stories told. They were an amazing cast and I'd love to see more with them!

 

About Natasha Alterici:

Natasha Alterici is a writer and artist living in Tulsa, OK who has been working as a freelance artist for over ten years. Works include Heathen (Vault Comics), Dinosaur Project, Gotham Academy: Yearbook, Grayson Annual, The Lez Film Review, Mixed Signals, Lovers and Other Strangers, Transcience, and a number of others. When not drawing, she enjoys watching cooking shows with her wife and their two cats, Cheshire and Louise.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

About Ashley A. Woods:

Ashley A. Woods is a comic book artist, writer, & creator from Chicago known for her work on the "Niobe", "Ladycastle" and "Tomb Raider" series. She got her start through self-publishing her action-fantasy comic series “Millennia War” which led to her career in comics and TV. After earning her degree in Film and Animation from IADT, she traveled to Kyoto, Japan where she presented her work in a gallery showcase called, “Out Of Sequence”. Recognized for her female illustrations and designs, her most prominent work is "Niobe: She is Life" with Stranger Comics.

Her latest work can be seen on HBO's "Lovecraft Country", DC’s “Wonder Woman Black & Gold 2” and "Jupiter Invincible" with Pulitzer Prize winning author Yusef Komunyakaa which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival June 2021.

Website | Twitter | Instagram

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of HEATHEN, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/1/2022	Never Hollowed By The Stare	Guest Post
5/2/2022	Writer of Wrongs	Guest Post
5/3/2022	Wottaread Blog	Excerpt
5/4/2022	Pages_and_Procrastinaton	Review/IG Post
5/5/2022	The Girl Who Reads	Review/IG Post
5/6/2022	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
5/7/2022	@lexijava	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

5/8/2022	Sadie's Spotlight	Guest Post /IG Post
5/9/2022	See Sadie Read	Review/IG Post
5/10/2022	Celia's Reads	Review/IG Post
5/11/2022	Emmiepooh2	IG Review
5/12/2022	Bri's Bookish	IG Review
5/13/2022	Nonbinary Knight Reads	Review/IG Post/TikTok Post
5/14/2022	A Bookish Dream	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

5/15/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
5/16/2022	Fyrekatz Blog	Review
5/17/2022	BookHounds YA	Review/IG Post
5/18/2022	The Book View	Review/IG Post
5/19/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
5/20/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
5/21/2022	two points of interest	Review

Week Four:

5/22/2022	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
5/23/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post
5/24/2022	@jaimerockstarbooktours	IG Post
5/25/2022	Nagma | TakeALookAtMyBookshelf	IG Review
5/26/2022	@coffeesipsandreads	IG Review
5/27/2022	Fire and Ice	Review
5/28/2022	Lady Hawkeye	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Five:

5/29/2022	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
5/30/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review
5/31/2022	@drewsim12	IG Review/TikTok Post