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!

Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel Book Review!

 

Title: Stealing Infinity (Stolen Beauty #1)
Author: Alyson Noel
Publish Date: June 28th, 2022
Publisher: Entangled Teen 
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

These days, I’ve been killing it when it comes to letting people down. Now I’ve been kicked out of high school, arrested, and accepted into a remote, off-the-grid school owned and operated by an inscrutable billionaire tech guru.

Gray Wolf Academy is looking for a certain kind of student. Ones that no one will miss. Like me.

Then there’s Braxton. The beautiful, oddly anachronistic guy who showed up right when the trouble started. And he’s a total enigma—which means that I definitely can’t trust him, even if there’s something about him that makes me want to.

They all tell me I have a gift. A very rare gift. And Gray Wolf Academy wants me to learn it. To use it. Because if what they say is true, I have all the time in the world.

And that makes me the most dangerous high school student you’ll never know…

Penelope's Review

Time travel, teen angst, and a hidden "boarding" school run by a billionaire? Yea, I'll sign up for that! Lol! Alyson Noel is back with a new young adult series that follows Natasha as she is swept up in a world of intrigue, mystery, and of course, time travel!

Natasha's life has been up-ended, and nothing will ever be the same. She has been whisked away to an off-the-grid school that goes a little beyond teaching your basic math and science courses. I liked Natasha as a female lead - her reactions are pretty realistic and I like that she stands up for herself and doesn't let petty drama get in the way of her standing out. The romance with Braxton kind of took me by surprise... it happened super fast and honestly... I wasn't really feeling it. It just lacked the chemistry and connection that should have been jumping off the page. There seems to be another love interest at the end of the book, however, that I am MUCH more excited to see play out... My fingers are crossed for that one because there is some serious potential for that match.

The side characters were pretty good - Elodie was your basic mean girl with daddy issues, but played the part well. There seems to be some hints toward some layers with the girl, but we'll see how her character pans out in the next book. Arthur Blackstone is a billionaire with an agenda, but his love of art shines through. 

I feel like this was a good book, but a bit on the slower side. There are bursts of activity and excitement and the combination of time travel, numerology, astrology, tarot, art, and so on was very cool to read about. But I didn't get that "can't put it down" feeling. That said, I think the way this book paves the way for the second, shows great potential for the rest of the series. I think alot is going to happen in the next book and I think it's going to be much faster-paced. Looking forward to continuing the series!

Rating: 3.5/5 Devils!