The Valkyrie's Daughter by Tiana Warner Book Review!

 

Title: The Valkyrie's Daughter (The Helheim Prophecy #1)
Author: Tiana Warner
Publish Date: July 26th, 2022
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

From the time she was born, Sigrid has only ever been ordinary. Being paired at birth with a plain horse―instead of the powerful winged mare of a valkyrie―meant there would be no warrior path for her. No riding the skies, no glory among the nine worlds. Just the simple, unremarkable life of a stable hand.

Everything changes when a terrible enemy ambushes Vanaheim and Sigrid sees a vision of herself atop a mythical stallion, leading the valkyries into a harrowing battle. Finally, she can grab her future with her own two hands and become the hero of her own story…if she dares.

But her destiny is tied up with Mariam, a fallen valkyrie who’s allied herself with the very enemy Sigrid is trying to stop.

Now Sigrid has left ordinary behind as she begins a journey with the beautiful―if treacherous―valkyrie, each step bringing her closer to answers…and to awakened feelings for Mariam.

Only, the life Sigrid has escaped may have been paradise compared to the one she’s racing toward. Because her destination is the realm of the dead: the gates of Hel.

Penelope's Review

I picked up this book because I love valkyries and thought it would be fun to delve a litter deeper into Norse mythology. It ended up being a good read with some great characters and an interesting storyline.

Sigrid is our main female lead. She's a stable hand in Vanaheim who dreams of becoming a valkyrie. What I really liked about Sigrid was her drive and determination to go after what she wants and stop at nothing to achieve her dreams. She's strong-willed and full of hope for her future. Definitely a main character I can get behind. I was also a fan of the side characters - Mariam was fierce, Fisk was interesting, and we even had a good villain.

While the book was great character-wise, I wasn't totally in love with the flow of the story. I found it pretty slow in some parts, and the writing and dialogue seemed a bit off at times. I've seen some reviews mention that the dialogue is quite modern, yet the story feels like it's from a different time and the contrast between the two is essentially what could lead a reader to feel unsettled. I think I agree with that viewpoint now that I've finished the book however, I think that it will allow some younger readers to connect better so not a bad thing overall just not great for me.

Overall, I think this is a good book, and I'm interested to see where the story goes from here. I think it will appear to a younger audience - I'm not if all of the YA-loving adults will love it though, in my opinion!

Rating: 3/5 Devils!