 Publisher: HarperTeen
Nothing ever happens in
Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her
grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And
maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her
way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.
What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them. Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly epic coming-of-age. |
My Thoughts
Greek gods and Roman gods are commonly adapted into works of fiction but it is more rare to see Norse mythology at play in a young adult novel, at least from my experience.
Valkyrie Rising has all the right ingredients that I like. Myths clashing in with the modern world, a mystical foreign place I wish to visit some day, and a dash of romance between the heroine and her older brother's best friend.
The story was fast-paced and action packed which I really liked in this case. I just wish it wasn't a stand-alone novel because I was really intrigued by the Valkyries and would have liked to see the author build the plot around their world a bit more than we were given. I liked how carefully portioned each detail about Ellie's history came out and that there was no info-dumping, wild denials or quick acceptances of her mythical history.
There were no annoying characters here to spout on about. I really liked the chemistry between Ellie and Tuck from the get go. However, more conflict for their relationship would have been nice and suspenseful, as well as a bit more of details on Tuck's side of the family.
The blurb uses the term epic for this novel and I think it could have been epic if the plot was thicker! Overall it wasn't bad; it was good but just not epic.
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