Think Thor is the only game in town when it comes to Norse myths? Meet the Valkyries.
Valkyrie Rising, by Ingrid Paulson
Harper Teen, ISBN: 978 0 06202 572 2
Ellie will be spending the summer in Norway with her grandmother and her brother will join them. Yawn. But then it comes out that her brother’s best friend, the ridiculously good looking one who always teases and annoys her, will be coming along, too. Both intriguing and irritating. And to really top things off, she gains the immediate attention of one of the local guys and the stares and hostility of the villagers – but she doesn’t understand what she’s done to deserve that or why people seem to think she would know anything about the disappearances of young men in town.
As it turns out, Ellie has unfortunate timing, getting caught up in a takeover bid by Odin and carried out by Valkyries, and yes, it gets stranger from there as she discovers some things about her ancestry and helps thwart Odin’s rather evil plan.
It’s a book with some solid action scenes, a nice little unfolding romance, and yes, plenty of Norse mythology for those who are loving all the mythology that’s been cropping up in YA books on the heels of Percy Jackson and the wave of paranormal material that swamped teen lit a little while back. It’s a fun read with plenty of girl power – I enjoyed watching the newest Valkyrie’s powers starting to develop, too.
Also available as an ebook.
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