laconni4's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ellentkiser's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
fieldofhats's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Not everything in this book is accurate to Norse mythology, of course, but Tiana Warner uses the backdrop of Norse mythology to create a rich, sprawling world full of interesting magic, creatures, and stories. The various races of the nine worlds are imagined in a new and fun way as well, I loved the night elves and Fisk. However, there is one aspect of Norse mythology I thought was weird to not include; Freyja is the leader of the Valkyries, and she is absent from this book. We know the gods are real because they’re mentioned, and for the most part I get why we don’t see them. But I would really liked to have seen Freyja.
One thing this book gets absolutely right, though, is its approach to fate. This book exemplifies the Norse idea of fate so beautifully. You have the choice to live your life however you want, and if you want to be a good person you have to actively work at it — fate will reflect your choices. Sigrid made her own choices, and it eventually led her to the image in her vision, even though it wasn’t exactly what she expected. Fate is tricky, but ultimately your choices are your own.
The character development was okay, though not super deep. Sigrid does the best that she can given her circumstances, but she makes frequent mistakes. The story always frames her mistakes as a learning experience and she grows from all of them, which I really liked. The other characters are interesting and do have some growth, but not nearly as much.
The plot was pretty good. It was a basic hero’s journey structure, and the emphasis seemed to be less on the endgame goal and more about Sigrid’s development. I didn’t mind this at all, but it did make me less interested during the final battle.
The queer representation is phenomenal. A huge part of this book is the romance between Sigrid and Mariam, and it is portrayed so beautifully. There’s also other, more minor, queer representation, but I still found it very nice to see. When going into how Valkyries are born, Warner tells us that “there were deviations. Some, like Edith, were born with the spirit of a Valkyrie and the body of a boy. Like others before her, Edith had followed the call of her spirit and become a Valkyrie instead of a stable hand.” I love this casual trans representation, it’s weaved into the story so well and makes it normal within the world.
Overall, fantastic book. It’s nothing special in terms of plot, but the intriguing world and amazing queer representation makes it so worth it. Definitely give this one a read!
One thing this book gets absolutely right, though, is its approach to fate. This book exemplifies the Norse idea of fate so beautifully. You have the choice to live your life however you want, and if you want to be a good person you have to actively work at it — fate will reflect your choices. Sigrid made her own choices, and it eventually led her to the image in her vision, even though it wasn’t exactly what she expected. Fate is tricky, but ultimately your choices are your own.
The character development was okay, though not super deep. Sigrid does the best that she can given her circumstances, but she makes frequent mistakes. The story always frames her mistakes as a learning experience and she grows from all of them, which I really liked. The other characters are interesting and do have some growth, but not nearly as much.
The plot was pretty good. It was a basic hero’s journey structure, and the emphasis seemed to be less on the endgame goal and more about Sigrid’s development. I didn’t mind this at all, but it did make me less interested during the final battle.
The queer representation is phenomenal. A huge part of this book is the romance between Sigrid and Mariam, and it is portrayed so beautifully. There’s also other, more minor, queer representation, but I still found it very nice to see. When going into how Valkyries are born, Warner tells us that “there were deviations. Some, like Edith, were born with the spirit of a Valkyrie and the body of a boy. Like others before her, Edith had followed the call of her spirit and become a Valkyrie instead of a stable hand.” I love this casual trans representation, it’s weaved into the story so well and makes it normal within the world.
Overall, fantastic book. It’s nothing special in terms of plot, but the intriguing world and amazing queer representation makes it so worth it. Definitely give this one a read!
sevguilbault's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
o_mcg318's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jesster642's review
4.0
Another great book from Tiana
Trading in mermaids for Norse mythology but keeping the same style of well crafted world lore, and interesting characters made for a fantastic start to a new series, with plenty more room for expansion in the sequels
Trading in mermaids for Norse mythology but keeping the same style of well crafted world lore, and interesting characters made for a fantastic start to a new series, with plenty more room for expansion in the sequels
vharting's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
This book was enjoyable. The chapters were short enough that it kept me engaged with reading it. Occasionally it felt slightly cringy because I think I’m a little above the target age group, but overall thought it was great.
alannaf182's review
I found what appears to be a typo two pages in, as I couldn’t make sense of the sentence. After two pages, I can tell the author’s writing style doesn’t mesh with me either. It’s not bad, just not for me!
raebrock's review
5.0
I’m glad I requested this ARC when it was titled The Helheim Princess with the gorgeous cover because with this new bland cover of The Valkyrie’s Daughter I don’t think I would’ve even bothered to read the blurb. They downgraded with the cover for sure but the book itself was fantastic. I missed out on sleep 2 nights in a row because I couldn’t stop reading and my workdays were filled with eager anticipation of getting home so I could read some more.
Prophecy can be a risky storytelling device because when you reveal big pieces of the climatic ending so early, the journey leading up to it has to be just as interesting to keep the readers attention, and you have to keep enough surprises in store for later once the prophecy has come to pass. Warner did this flawlessly. Sigrid, Mariam, and Fisk are wonderful characters with personalities, flaws, and realistic motivations and backstories. The supporting characters were written well, too. I’ve never been so attached to a fictional horse, but Hestur is everything. I can’t wait for the sequel.
Prophecy can be a risky storytelling device because when you reveal big pieces of the climatic ending so early, the journey leading up to it has to be just as interesting to keep the readers attention, and you have to keep enough surprises in store for later once the prophecy has come to pass. Warner did this flawlessly. Sigrid, Mariam, and Fisk are wonderful characters with personalities, flaws, and realistic motivations and backstories. The supporting characters were written well, too. I’ve never been so attached to a fictional horse, but Hestur is everything. I can’t wait for the sequel.