*Shortlisted

Review by Bethany, Omagh Academy
Kata and Tor is an amazing book following the events of the Viking Invasion of England in 1066 as well as following the beautiful story of Kata, an Anglo-Saxon strong-willed woman, and Tor, son of Harald Hardrada- the Viking leader. My favourite character is definitely Kata, her character comes across as a caring a capable young girl who wants the best for her village and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. She knows little of her parents, so when she meets Tor who is from Norway, she grasps the opportunity to talk about her mother to him, who was taken as a slave when she was a child during an earlier Viking invasion and later died several years after her escape. This creates a close bond between the two of them which only grows as they get to know each other. 

This story follows both the trail of events during the battles of 1066 and the characters! Although Tor and Kata are fictional characters, Harald Hardrada, Olaf, Magnus and Maria (Harald's Sons and Daughter) are all real-life people who lived through theses battles! I already knew quite a bit about this time period as we did a topic on 1066 in year 8 history, but this information was piled up after reading this book because as well as being a fictional book this book teaches a lot of the real events of the battles of Fulford gate and Stamford bridge along with debates and augments in the courts of York. These small details in the book makes the plot even more exciting because you feel like you are living through these experiences. It was a really factual book with lots of light-hearted moments and many intense scenes. 

This book inspires me to follow your own path even though others may tell you something else, you don’t need to be everyone's hero to be loved by anyone! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend, the plot was so hooking, I couldn’t stop reading it! 

Review by Daniel, The Knights Templar School 
The book Kata and Tor was a very good with lots of plot twists and hard decisions for the characters keeping the adventure and the flow of the story.   

It spans from the coast of England with a boy acting as a scout for the Viking fleet (after his boat is damaged and his friend dies) to York where he must choose the love of his life or winning the battle. If he chooses Kata, then he is in the forbidden romance of an Anglos Saxon women and a Viking man and vice versa. If he chooses to fight for his dad, he will lose Kata forever. This means Tor has to face a divided loyalty between his dad Harald Hardrada and Kata. Or if you wish his love or his army.   

As the story progresses as the pair must choose between their hearts and their families' loyalties, with fear and prejudice rising on the eve of the battle.  

Review by Arabella, King Edward’s School, Witley 
I found Kata and Tor very interesting. It was set in the time of the Vikings with a dual perspective point between the two main characters, Kata and Tor. Tor is the son of Harold Hardrada, King of Norway and Kata is a future head woman of her village. I found Kata a very interesting character because of the conflict she faces between following her heart or her duty. She lives in a village beside the River Ouse. While traveling to York she had met Tor and started to fall for his charm, but he wasn’t what he seemed, he was a Viking. Personally, I found the character Osric very toxic as he was trying to make decisions for Kata and acting like they were a couple like putting his arm around her when Tor was around even though Kata is extremely capable of fending for herself. He acted like Kata was fragile which is just toxic masculinity. From the book I learned that an army would send up scouts to review the land ready for battle as well as Harold’s ascent up to York through the river. I found the time period interesting as they would pray to different saints and gods like Olaf and Loki. They had magnificent boats with dragon heads, and they pledge to burials and goodbyes into the afterlife. Even though this is a period that I have learnt a lot about in the past it was engaging to read about it through the eyes of the characters. I would really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantasy and romance especially if they are interested in history.