We Are the Fire
Swoon Reads/Macmillan
Out Now!
As electrifying as it is heartbreaking, Sam Taylor's explosive fantasy debut We Are the Fire is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and the legend of Spartacus.
In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Oksana and Pran—both taken from their homeland at a young age—only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.
Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.
When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Oksana and Pran vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.
Content Warnings for We Are the Fire

We Are the Fire
Swoon Reads/Macmillan
Out Now!
Want to learn more about Nordic Folklore & Culture?
Podcasts
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Saga Thing - John and Andy, both professors of medieval literature, put the sagas of the Icelanders on trial with lively discussions of each and votes on their best elements.
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Nordic on Tap - Interviews, folklore, music, and hygge with a Nordic flavor.
Folklore Collections & Other Reading
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Nordic Tales - Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark
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The Complete And Original Norwegian Folktales Of Asbjørnsen And Moe - The extraordinary folktales collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in the mid-1800s. Includes a foreword by Neil Gaiman.
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Icelandic Folk Legends by Alda Sigmundsdóttir - Tales of apparitions, outlaws and things unseen
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Little Book of the Hidden People by Alda Sigmundsdóttir - Twenty stories of elves from Icelandic folklore
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The Sagas of the Icelanders - Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition
On Social Media
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@alda.sigmunds (Instagram; Icelandic facts & folklore)
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@northwildkitchen (Instagram; Norwegian cooking & culture)
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Anna Bridgland - Tales from the North (YouTube; Nordic folklore)
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Hrafna (YouTube; Icelandic culture, language, travel tips & more)
