{Review} of Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Romance/Mythology
RECEIVED: ALA
AUTHORS BLOG: Ingrid Paulson's Site

BLURB:

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 there’s 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.

REVIEW:
FINALLY! No vampires, werewolves, fae, etc. Just awesome mythology on Valkyries and it was one heck of an adventure story. I absolutely adored this book and the writing was fantastic, it was fast paced and always kept me on the edge of my seat. Plus the characters are so well rounded and the surprises just kept on coming.

Valkyrie Rising follows Ellie aka Elsa and her brother Graham as they visit their grandmother in Norway. Little does Ellie know that the females in her family history have somewhat of a reputation and the town’s people don’t give her in particular a warm welcome. When boys start to go missing and her brother is targeted, Ellie figures out she can stop what’s happening and that she must become the very thing the town fears.

Ellie’s character was of course the strongest, not only because she discovers the Valkyrie side of her but also that she wants to save the boys and town along with her brother. She becomes the hero by fighting the instincts of what a Valkyrie is supposed to do. Her whole life she has been protected by her brother, overbearingly at times and for once she wants to protect him. I liked the whole development behind who she is and will become. The Valkyries are somewhat the enemy, making the towns people fearful of her and she has to learn how to fight her own kind. Paulson did a great job in Ellie’s character development by getting into the Nose mythology and bringing it to life.

Tuck, is what you might call the bad boy of the story but really he’s just the sweet guy. His character is introduced as the party boy that every girl loves and best friend to Ellie’s smart and perfect brother. I loved this guy, he really knows how to mess with Ellie’s head and you could just sense the chemistry right off in the beginning. I knew these two would be a thrill to follow. He’s also the humor side to the story, he has some great lines and most of them are with Ellie. What was great about his character is there is a lot of mystery behind him, I don’t want to give much away but he really help’s Ellie along the way and together they try to save her brother.

Loki, is the perfect villain-ish character. He may not be the main villain but he makes Ellie’s life that much more complicated. When I first read about him, I immediately thought of Thor from the comic books, and I almost wished he appeared just for the fun of it. But Loki wants revenge and is using Ellie to get back at Odin, which put the town and Ellie in the middle of a war.

The Valkyrie, these girls are hard-core and will steal a guy from right under your nose. Let’s just say I would so what their powers, because they kick major booty and look good doing it. I don’t want to give too much on them because they are major to the plot.

Overall I loved this book, I always look for a plot that has a lot of action, great characters and of course some romance. The romance is perfect for this kind of story; it’s there and sweet but not focused majorly since there is a lot of story to tell. Everything was well thought out and clever; I loved the originality and fun that was put into such a great book. I highly recommend this and definitely look forward to reading more from Paulson.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a young adult novel that you don’t want to miss out on. Fans of Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade series and Nancy Holders Crusade series will love the Dirty Blood series by Heather Hildenbrand.

View all my reviews