[ARC] Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

Publication Date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352
Genre(s): YA, Mythology, Paranormal, Romance
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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 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.

My Thoughts:


I love it when there are no reviews to read from a book because then I have no idea what to expect except from what’s in the synopsis. And I think that made reading Valkyrie Rising all the more better for me, so I’ll try to make this review as vague as possible so I don’t ruin anything for you. From the very first page, Valkyrie Rising had me intrigued. It was so hard to put this one down because I wanted to know what would happen. Paulson truly has written one fresh and compelling story with Valkyrie Rising.

Ellie really changes from the beginning of the book to the end. At first she’s a normal teenage girl that hates being in the shadow of her older brother Graham. But then as the story progresses, and when Ellie starts to find out who she really is, she quickly starts turning into a kickass heroine. Even though she did have a lot of badass moments, she still got her ass kicked, specifically by Astrid, but I think the title says it all. In this book, she’s rising to become who she’s meant to be, she’s just not there yet. But she was still brave, strong and determined to get her brother back.

Along with Ellie getting her brother back, is Graham’s charming and witty friend, Tucker, as a companion. Tucker really lightened the tense moments with his jokes and easy going attitude. And the teasing and bantering between him and Ellie was always entertaining. It’s not so hard to guess that he’ll be Ellie’s love-interest with his constant flirting. And his feelings for her and vice versa were all very real. I could already feel their connection quickly from their long - sort of - friendship before this book.

I haven’t heard of Valkyrie Mythology until reading this book, and it is definitely something different. We get thrown into this world along with Ellie and learn about this myth and where Ellie stands in it and it was all very interesting. I don’t recommend you researching it before reading this though because it might ruin the story for you. Even though this was all something completely new to me, I did find myself figuring things out before Ellie and that kinda bothered me. Although it wasn’t all predictable, as they were many secrets a certain someone was hiding that I had no idea about until said person came clean.

Overall, this was such a refreshing and unique story that will have you eagerly flipping the pages. The characters, plot and mythology all made this story amazing to read for me. No cliffhanger at the end, so go ahead and celebrate, but I am still eagerly waiting book two. (There better be a book two or I’ll cry. D;) Anyone wanting a refreshing mythology with a fast-moving plot and great characters will love this.

An ARC was provided by ATW ARC Tours

4.5/5