sc104906's review
3.0
I received a review copy from Edelweiss.
In a world where mortals and immortals must coexist, valkyries are the women tasked with keeping the balance. This race of semi-mortals is given the task of ending the lives of immortals chosen by higher beings. Malin is training with her mother to become a full-fledged valkyrie and will soon be able to complete missions on her own. When a mysterious, yet hot guy, explains that Malin's mother did not fulfill all of her duties and now people are dying as a result. Malin and a few others come together to set things right again, but there may be more at play.
I found that I never connected with the main character and had trouble getting on board with the romance. The concept and story was interesting, but I found myself wanting more.
In a world where mortals and immortals must coexist, valkyries are the women tasked with keeping the balance. This race of semi-mortals is given the task of ending the lives of immortals chosen by higher beings. Malin is training with her mother to become a full-fledged valkyrie and will soon be able to complete missions on her own. When a mysterious, yet hot guy, explains that Malin's mother did not fulfill all of her duties and now people are dying as a result. Malin and a few others come together to set things right again, but there may be more at play.
I found that I never connected with the main character and had trouble getting on board with the romance. The concept and story was interesting, but I found myself wanting more.
meganmreads's review
4.0
Between the Blade and the Heart was a fun read. I loved the setting! It was sort of like an urban fantasy set in an alternate world where immortals roamed and gods existed. The valkyries were human women that were chosen to dispose of immortals, as choosing other immortals would provide a conflict of interest. The main character, Malin, was a valkyrie in training and a student when she wasn’t out trying to take down the next immortals on the list.
I wouldn’t consider Between the Blade and the Heart anything like Game of Thrones or Blade Runner, so the synopsis is a bit misleading in that regard. I’d categorize it with other urban fantasies blended with a bit of Norse mythology. I think the comparison in the synopsis is trying to allude to the fact that there are gods and it’s futuristic in a way. It was more in the same vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, both fun and adventurous.
Malin was a character I couldn’t help but want to root for. She went against the grain, cared about her friends, felt sort of unloved, and pushed people away who cared too much about her. She was interesting and I wanted to sort of figure her out, while also following her on this epic adventure where things went drastically wrong. Everything she thought she believed was basically wrong and her world was upside down. She had to form some alliances that weren’t comfortable, like teaming up with a guy who tried to kill her and teaming up with her ex girlfriend. Awkward, right?
The personalities of the characters were what made this book shine. None of your typical tropes were present (aside from girl suddenly possesses the qualities to save the world).The main character was sarcastic, a bit rough around the edges, and yet soft and vulnerable in different ways.
I definitely recommend the book if you’re looking for a fast paced, fun, and entertaining urban fantasy. I loved the attitude and sass of the characters, the relationship drama, and the serious fate-of-the-world drama. It was enjoyable to read!
I wouldn’t consider Between the Blade and the Heart anything like Game of Thrones or Blade Runner, so the synopsis is a bit misleading in that regard. I’d categorize it with other urban fantasies blended with a bit of Norse mythology. I think the comparison in the synopsis is trying to allude to the fact that there are gods and it’s futuristic in a way. It was more in the same vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, both fun and adventurous.
Malin was a character I couldn’t help but want to root for. She went against the grain, cared about her friends, felt sort of unloved, and pushed people away who cared too much about her. She was interesting and I wanted to sort of figure her out, while also following her on this epic adventure where things went drastically wrong. Everything she thought she believed was basically wrong and her world was upside down. She had to form some alliances that weren’t comfortable, like teaming up with a guy who tried to kill her and teaming up with her ex girlfriend. Awkward, right?
The personalities of the characters were what made this book shine. None of your typical tropes were present (aside from girl suddenly possesses the qualities to save the world).The main character was sarcastic, a bit rough around the edges, and yet soft and vulnerable in different ways.
I definitely recommend the book if you’re looking for a fast paced, fun, and entertaining urban fantasy. I loved the attitude and sass of the characters, the relationship drama, and the serious fate-of-the-world drama. It was enjoyable to read!
kai_downcloud's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
iggyebab's review
3.0
Quick read. I’m fascinated by the lack re surrounding Valkyries so this book was an easy choice. I liked the characters, although a few felt a bit underdeveloped. There is good use of Norse mythology and an interesting storyline. There were a few plot points that were muddy.
I will read the next book.
I will read the next book.
melissasfandomworld's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars!
A really fun first book in a new series with the potential to grow into something greater.
+ I loved the Norse mythology and the concept of it all.
- I couldn't quite get a good grip on the romance developing (it was a bit all over the place, lol) so hopefully, that progresses a bit better in the next one.
+ The writing was enthralling and therefore made it a fast-paced read.
+ The characters are fun, each of them adding 'something unique' to the story.
+- The story-line itself was okayish and quite predictable to me, but as I said; there's a lot of potential for the next book!
Overall: a fun, fast-paced read with some great Norse mythology elements, a cool concept and the promise of it becoming a really great series with the next book (hopefully). If you like Valkyries, Norse mythology, a young adult read suitable for the younger readers as well.. this is definitely a book you should give a try. I really hope book 2 is only getting better as I'm familiar with when it comes to Hocking's writing; her series normally progresses a lot, only for the better. So we'll see!
A really fun first book in a new series with the potential to grow into something greater.
+ I loved the Norse mythology and the concept of it all.
- I couldn't quite get a good grip on the romance developing (it was a bit all over the place, lol) so hopefully, that progresses a bit better in the next one.
+ The writing was enthralling and therefore made it a fast-paced read.
+ The characters are fun, each of them adding 'something unique' to the story.
+- The story-line itself was okayish and quite predictable to me, but as I said; there's a lot of potential for the next book!
Overall: a fun, fast-paced read with some great Norse mythology elements, a cool concept and the promise of it becoming a really great series with the next book (hopefully). If you like Valkyries, Norse mythology, a young adult read suitable for the younger readers as well.. this is definitely a book you should give a try. I really hope book 2 is only getting better as I'm familiar with when it comes to Hocking's writing; her series normally progresses a lot, only for the better. So we'll see!
illbefinealone's review
3.0
Read an excerpt from this book on my blog illbefinealone reads.
This was an interesting read. This is the second Amanda Hocking book I've read, and it's also the second time that I'm disappointed with the romance aspect of the story in her books (in case you wonder why I'm mentioning it first it's because I really like romance). The main character was a bisexual girl, and I was all for it until she was involved in one of the weirdest love triangles I've ever read, and it made me dislike all characters involved.
The book feels a little slow, but the story is still great, and the writing is decent. However, some decisions made about the characters and the world it's set in made it a little messy.
Whether this book is for you or not depends on how big of a fan of fantasy YA you are.
*Copy received through NetGalley, thanks to St. Martin's Press for generously providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review
*Rating: 3/5 stars
This was an interesting read. This is the second Amanda Hocking book I've read, and it's also the second time that I'm disappointed with the romance aspect of the story in her books (in case you wonder why I'm mentioning it first it's because I really like romance). The main character was a bisexual girl, and I was all for it until she was involved in one of the weirdest love triangles I've ever read, and it made me dislike all characters involved.
The book feels a little slow, but the story is still great, and the writing is decent. However, some decisions made about the characters and the world it's set in made it a little messy.
Whether this book is for you or not depends on how big of a fan of fantasy YA you are.
*Copy received through NetGalley, thanks to St. Martin's Press for generously providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review
*Rating: 3/5 stars
katkinney's review
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review “Between the Blade and the Heart” by Amanda Hocking. Malin and her mother Marlow lead an interesting life as Valkyries, though it isn’t without moral questions at times. They are assigned to go out and kill those whose time it has been deemed to die. I found the world-building creative and am interested to see what happens next.
navardareads's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
elleerose's review
4.0
4.5 Stars. I really enjoyed this book, the world building and characters were great.
I also loved that this was a urban fantasy, not necessarily about a chosen one with a bisexual main character. Having the bisexual rep in a fantasy was amazing especially because the story wasn’t about her sexuality, it just was one facet the made up Malin, our main character.
I loved the incorporation of a lot of different supernaturals, mystical creatures and gods.
I also loved that this was a urban fantasy, not necessarily about a chosen one with a bisexual main character. Having the bisexual rep in a fantasy was amazing especially because the story wasn’t about her sexuality, it just was one facet the made up Malin, our main character.
I loved the incorporation of a lot of different supernaturals, mystical creatures and gods.