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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love all things mythology but tend to struggle a bit with the writing style of this book.. written as if it’s a being spoken as a bed time story to the other person, which is a little like a diary entry honestly. Not sure how I feel about it
The story follows a princess of Burgundia and a fallen Valkyrie, and this combination is just so good ❤️ Both storylines were so interesting, and I love how they flowed into each other while also being strong in their own storyline’s.
I really appreciated how this book was a combination of Norse mythology and Germanic history, you rarely get a cross over between the two
There are battles and wars, betrayals and betrothals, royalty, diplomacy, court politics, Gods, and even a dragon! Love me some dragons!!
I will admit there was a part in the middle where I lost a bit of interest, there is a lot happening at the beginning and the end, but the bridge between the two felt long and a bit blaze.
I also didn't understand the romance in the book. It felt like a slow-burn but without the actual romance. The majority of the book once the characters had met, they didn't like each other and suddenly within a page they were in love? The book tells you they're in love without showing any of it or evidencing how they've fallen in love which made it very unbelievable for me. How did this happen? Why did it happen? This is what was missing
There was an overarching plot about the god in this book, however as there's already so much happening in a short book, the plot around the gods didn't get given as much detail. So when it got to the point in this book where it was "resolved", it felt very rushed and random. I think this book may have been flowed better and been more engaging if it had solely focused on the battles in Midgard and Brynhild's life after her fall from Valhalla.
Overall I recommend this book to fans of books like Circe and the song of achillies by Madeline Miller it’s very much resembling this style work.
I really wanted to give this a 3… but because I am so on the fence it’s a 2.5 for me.
The story follows a princess of Burgundia and a fallen Valkyrie, and this combination is just so good ❤️ Both storylines were so interesting, and I love how they flowed into each other while also being strong in their own storyline’s.
I really appreciated how this book was a combination of Norse mythology and Germanic history, you rarely get a cross over between the two
There are battles and wars, betrayals and betrothals, royalty, diplomacy, court politics, Gods, and even a dragon! Love me some dragons!!
I will admit there was a part in the middle where I lost a bit of interest, there is a lot happening at the beginning and the end, but the bridge between the two felt long and a bit blaze.
I also didn't understand the romance in the book. It felt like a slow-burn but without the actual romance. The majority of the book once the characters had met, they didn't like each other and suddenly within a page they were in love? The book tells you they're in love without showing any of it or evidencing how they've fallen in love which made it very unbelievable for me. How did this happen? Why did it happen? This is what was missing
There was an overarching plot about the god in this book, however as there's already so much happening in a short book, the plot around the gods didn't get given as much detail. So when it got to the point in this book where it was "resolved", it felt very rushed and random. I think this book may have been flowed better and been more engaging if it had solely focused on the battles in Midgard and Brynhild's life after her fall from Valhalla.
Overall I recommend this book to fans of books like Circe and the song of achillies by Madeline Miller it’s very much resembling this style work.
I really wanted to give this a 3… but because I am so on the fence it’s a 2.5 for me.
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Started a different book and never came back to this one
I received this free from the publishers via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
rep: sapphic m/c's, f/f romance
content warnings: death, murder, violence, threat of sexual violence
The Valkyrie is a queer retelling of a Norse and the Germanic tale of Brynhild and Gudrun. The main sources used are The Song of the Nibelungs, the Völsunga saga, the Rose Garden of Worms, and the Prose Edda. I'm not very familiar with these particular stories, but I do know the basics, and I enjoyed the female perspective we got on the story. The Valkryie is narrated by our two protagonists, Brynhild - our fallen valkyrie - and Gudrun - princess of burgundy - as if the two were narrating their story to each other.
An enthralling read filled with monsters, epic battles, heroes and villains, and an endearing and tender love story.
rep: sapphic m/c's, f/f romance
content warnings: death, murder, violence, threat of sexual violence
The Valkyrie is a queer retelling of a Norse and the Germanic tale of Brynhild and Gudrun. The main sources used are The Song of the Nibelungs, the Völsunga saga, the Rose Garden of Worms, and the Prose Edda. I'm not very familiar with these particular stories, but I do know the basics, and I enjoyed the female perspective we got on the story. The Valkryie is narrated by our two protagonists, Brynhild - our fallen valkyrie - and Gudrun - princess of burgundy - as if the two were narrating their story to each other.
An enthralling read filled with monsters, epic battles, heroes and villains, and an endearing and tender love story.
The real enemies to lovers: in the original myth they're enemies fighting over the same man, in this one they're lovers.
I love how this story retells the myth - to take it from a story of jealousy and rivalry and turn it into a story about love and perseverance. I felt like their love came out of the blue though, and I felt like them actually falling in love was left out.
I like the casual queerness and how it's just normal. We don't need homophobia or a big coming out in every story
CW: murder, blood, war, death of a sibling
I love how this story retells the myth - to take it from a story of jealousy and rivalry and turn it into a story about love and perseverance. I felt like their love came out of the blue though, and I felt like them actually falling in love was left out.
I like the casual queerness and how it's just normal. We don't need homophobia or a big coming out in every story
CW: murder, blood, war, death of a sibling
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Having read a few mythology retellings through fantasy recently I was really excited for this book - and it didn’t disappoint.
This is a retelling of Norse mythology and has everything from mythical creatures, heroes, villains, politics and epic battles. It shows a world intertwined of Gods and Mortals and the game of power played at every level.
For a fantasy read, the world building isn’t complex and with the addition of character cameos from Odin, Loki, Freyja & Attilla it makes the world feel wholly familiar all at once.
The story is told through a dual POV between Brynhild, a fallen Valkyrie disillusioned by the god she followed, and Gudrun, a princess/witch seemingly destined to a political marriage to serve her people and save her home. What begins as a heroic folklore tale of battles and war ends as a tale of love between these two main characters.
Having read a few mythology retellings through fantasy recently I was really excited for this book - and it didn’t disappoint.
This is a retelling of Norse mythology and has everything from mythical creatures, heroes, villains, politics and epic battles. It shows a world intertwined of Gods and Mortals and the game of power played at every level.
For a fantasy read, the world building isn’t complex and with the addition of character cameos from Odin, Loki, Freyja & Attilla it makes the world feel wholly familiar all at once.
The story is told through a dual POV between Brynhild, a fallen Valkyrie disillusioned by the god she followed, and Gudrun, a princess/witch seemingly destined to a political marriage to serve her people and save her home. What begins as a heroic folklore tale of battles and war ends as a tale of love between these two main characters.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley*
- Note: While I did receive an e-copy to review, I ended up listening to the finished audiobook -
2.5 stars
Brynhild is a Valkyrie, chosen by Odin, the All-Father to enforce his will during mortal battles, both saving and killing those Odin chooses.
Then Brynhild is exiled to Midgard, where she must decide how she wants to live her life.
Gudrun is a princess who loves her home and people. Together with her brother, the king, and her mother, Gudrun fights to keep her home safe from the greedy, war-loving Atilla,
Brynhild and Gudrun are brought together by Sigurd, a man who wants to be a hero and a legend.
Can Gudrun save her home?
What will Brynhild decide to do now she is exiled to live a mortal life?
I like Norse mythology, so I was excited to read this book. However, I ended up being a little disappointed.
I found both Brynhild and Gudrun to be likeable protagonists - they both wanted to help people and put the well being of others before their own. However, I didn't feel that I really connected with either of them. Sigurd was an interesting character, but I felt that he could have been fleshed out more.
The story is told from Brynhild and Gudrun's perspectives, and as if they are telling each other what has happened while they were apart. I found this different and didn't dislike it, but I wasn't sucked into the story and I didn't feel invested.
The plot was mixed for me. There were times when I enjoyed it and found what was happening interesting, but there were also times when I was a bit bored, so the pacing could have been better.
The romance wasn't one of my favourites as I couldn't feel the connection between the characters.
The writing was easy to follow.
I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.
Overall, this was a mixed read.