I would like to thank LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program for giving me a copy of this book, because I was blown away. I loved the setting and the mythology and the entire journey. I would love to see the Valkyrie expanded on more and to learn more about the spellcasting, but the whole thing was really well done. The Icelandic setting was a refreshing change and I look forward to the next book! ( )

I really think this book was mislabeled. It would have been Middle Grade. I read a lot of YA but I tend to stay away from Middle Grade because I find it too juvenile. This one was no different. Just not for me.

The Stone of Sorrow, by Brooke Carter, stated to be Runecaster Book One, was one of my LibraryThing Early Reviewers wins. It didn't grab me immediately, but by chapter six I thought it was getting really good.

Gudrun Unnursdóttir, called Runa, is the younger sister of Sýr, a beautiful and talented runecaster. Sýr has reared Runa since they lost their mother, wielder of the magical and sacred moonstone, when Runa was born. ( )

I won this through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, and it arrived on 28 September 2020. Disclaimer: I'm not in the target age range for the book, but I am an adult who also enjoys YA and I realize that I'm reading it from a different perspective.

On the surface, I should love THE STONE OF SORROW. Runa is a flawed but interesting protagonist and she meets equally flawed but interesting people on her journey. A lot of the concepts Carter uses are intriguing and relatively uncommon, and there are plenty of ways the story could branch out. There's a nonbinary character and a lesbian couple, and neither one is A Thing: they're just characters in the story, full of highs and lows like anyone else, which was nice to see.

That said, I wasn't drawn in. It feels more like middle grade than YA to me, and while Runa struggles with her abilities at the beginning, the development of her runecasting isn't explained well. I love the potential for world-building in this story, but Runa herself needs to be rounded out a lot more. ( )

I got this book from Early Reviewers and was intrigued with the book's premise. It was slow to get into but it was an enjoyable read in the end. I really enjoyed the mythology that was incorporated into the book. Overall the plot was alright though the characters were interesting. Did I enjoy it? Yes! For the most part. Would I read it again? Probably not. ( )