Format: ebook
Published: March 30th, 2023
Age: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Goodreads
Rating: 5/5 Stars
The Valkyrie is the story of Brynhild, Gudrun and Sigurd, a fantasy retelling from Norse mythology that reveals another side to the Valkyrie, princess, and hero. Going into this, I’m not overly familiar with Norse mythology and the sagas, so I can’t compare this to the ‘original’, but it has made me keen to look into it more, especially following the author’s comments discussing her inspiration.
What I can say is this is a good, sapphic fantasy, told in a way that keeps you invested in the story and not quite sure where the history ends and the fiction begins. It’s clear early on we’re getting the two POVs from this, Brynhild and Gudrun, in a style that makes it clear as they’re telling it to us, they’re also telling each other. It keeps the intrigue high, curiosity about how they got from the start of the story to the end, together, keeping the plot threaded tight.
Exiled to Midgard (Earth), Brynhild sets out to do what she does best; be a Valkyrie, with or without the ability to fly. Soon she hears of a monster nearby, and allies with a wannabe hero, Sigurd, to fight it and save the local area from the beast. Soon, Brynhild and Sigurd are tangled up in a local ruling family, including the princess, Gudrun, who will do what she must to secure her family’s home.
The journey these characters take blurs historical fiction and fantasy, giving us a fully realised historical setting alongside the more fantasy elements. There’s always the sense of the ‘wider world’ past the borders, too, as Brynhild is aware Odin is up to something, and watches him push the pieces into place as she tries to work out what her own role might be.
I really enjoyed reading this one and found myself completely immersed in the story and hooked into finding out how Brynhild and Gudrun get from their starting points to a place where they’re able to tell each other their own stories, from beginning to end, and where the crumbs laid out near the start would lead us. The character voices are really strong throughout, and if you like Norse inspired fantasy, this is a good one to delve into.
Reading Challenge
Avengers Challenge!
Prompt: Thor – anything related to Norse mythology or anything with a himbo
Progress: 1/6 Completed
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