"Between the Blade and the Heart" is a YA fantasy about Malin, a Valkyrie in training. Here, Valkyries kill (they call it "return" as they go to an afterlife of sorts) immortals at a time destined by the gods but are themselves mortals (albeit with immense strength and some immunity to the powers of the immortals). Valkyries run in families and the ability is passed from mother to daughter. Malin is in training with her mother, Marlow, who is pretty cold and distant (asking her daughter to call her by her first name and telling her Valkyries couldn't love/have feelings). Despite this, Malin still cares for her mother. Malin lives with Oona, a witch in training, and by far my favorite character.

The real story begins when Asher shows up and threatens Malin for the death of his Valkyrie mother. After the initial threat, Asher reveals that his mother was killed by an immortal that Malin's mother had been supposed to kill the year before. Indeed, as Malin investigates, she learns that her mother spared his life because he seemed to make the world a better place (took care of his wife and kids and helped out at an orphanage). However, this goes against the master equation which Valkyries are not supposed to question, and his living after this time has lead to first Asher's mother's death and soon other Valkyrie's deaths and even bigger problems to come.

Malin and Asher set out on a quest to return this immortal before its too late and the balance of the world gets too out of hand. They are accompanied by Oona and Quinn, Malin's Valkyrie ex-girlfriend. A lot of the story is spent on a love triangle for Malin with Quinn and Asher, and I found it was unnecessary with all the action/adventure going on. There are a lot of supernatural creatures revealed in the story, and I actually wish more time had been spent on these creatures as they were fascinating but I felt only surface level explanations were given. There were a lot of new names and creatures that made the story hard to follow at times, as they are quite complex.

The overall storyline of the immortal who should have died and the search for him was interesting but it was overshadowed by a lot of the smaller plots. I actually would have enjoyed a book exploring what it was like to become a Valkyrie, with more information about the school and creatures, etc. The school Malin goes to was really interesting but only showed up in bits and pieces at the beginning and then slowly fades out (although it was supposed to be important to getting her license/final job as a Valkyrie). I ended up having some mixed feelings about the book for these reasons. That being said, I think it's an interesting start to a new series and a fascinating new world with a lot of potential.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

For fans of "The Mortal Instruments" series and the television show "Supernatural", "Between the Blade and the Heart" is the start of a new fantasy adventure series from author Amanda Hocking.

Malin is a Valkyrie like her mother, Marlow, and works with her as an apprentice while attending Ravenswood Academy for training. Valkyries are in charge of making things fair in the real world by returning immortals who have taken on human form back to the underworld of Kurnugia to never return. The list of which immortals to be returned is chosen by the gods who rely on the Valkryie to carry out the "returning" of these immortals, otherwise there is the potential for them to become more powerful if they are not "returned" when they are chosen.

But one immortal that was supposed to be killed wasn't. And it was Marlow, Malin's mother, who was supposed to have killed him.

Because of this apparent oversight, it seems the immortal has killed and the son of the deceased, Asher, comes looking for revenge against Marlow. It's here that we find that there's much more to the story, including Marlow's act being one in a handful of acts with a powerful immortal pulling the strings that just might mean the end for all other beings and humanity.

"Between the Blade and the Heart" is a good, diverse YA novel that brings a whole new fantasy world to life. An interesting backstory, more depth to characters, and original locales make this a general intriguing read.

Readers will enjoy the drama and the love triangles that run rampant alongside the monsters and immortals Malin and her team of misfits are chasing.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for early access to this title due January 2nd, 2018.

I'm a big fan of Amanda Hocking and have been for year. This new book was ok for me but not as good as some of the ones I have read in the past and I don't know if it was the subject matter or characters that didn't grab me as much as they usually do. Some great information on Norse mythology and a decent storyline, just not my favorite by her.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with this ARC.

Between the Blade and the Heart was a fairly quick and easy read. More lusty than emotionally poignant. The mythology was two-dimensionally there. The world building was so-so. The vibe was a fairly flat, demonhorns-sexy incu/succu-bi-love triangle occulty. I know. But remember the word flat.

It is absolutely NOT "Game of Thrones meets Blade Runner." ( Who comes up with these?)

So what do we have? Valkyrie Malin is daughter to all-business bad ass Marlow. Mommy (misses) her mark one time and that sets about the events that potentially lead to the end of the world. There's handsome Asher, who was originally out for revenge because of this missed mark, but who is now out for love. There's super hot Quinn, who is out for both closure and love. There's the cutie sorcerous-in-training bestie Oona, who really holds it down on the "support" front. They plan a bit. Three of the four kiss each other a bunch. There's some tears. Some interesting supernatural creatures come and go. There's some info-dump. Something, something, and then there's the very easy-to-handle cliff hanger.

Honestly, it wasn't bad. It wasn't the greatest...but it wasn't bad. I mean, I didn't dnf so that in itself is 2 stars right there. I am certain that if you don't take this particular supernatural arcane fantasy in any way other than a light hearted, let's-throw-some-stuff-together-and-see-what-emerges read, you'll be fine. Satisfied even. Me? Valkerie #2? Meh. I think I'm okay for now.

4/5
I received an e-galley from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first requested this book, I expected it to be in a completely different setting, instead the setting reminded me of the comic and movie Hellboy. It's more of an urban fantasy and at first I was a little disappointed, but I still ended up enjoying it.

I liked Malin most of the time. Lately all of our YA heroes have been super badass, never get hurt, always win kind of women and she has some of that at times. Malin is hesitant, she's indecisive, she doesn't know exactly what she wants, and she's confused. She's still badass and can kick ass, but he personality was a bit more human and less stereotypical YA hero which was refreshing.
Keeping up with her multiple love interests was a tad bit much for one book though. I didn't like the relationship she had with her mother and I'm not going to elaborate more because spoilers. Hopefully as the series progresses we'lllearn more about why their relationship was the way it is. Maybe it's just me being overly annoyed since I grew up without a mom and just wanting to read about a happy family once in a while.

The setting is interesting it almost feels like an alternate and possibly future universe where demons, humans, and valkyries walk the Earth with different gods and other mythical creatures you rarely hear about involved. I really enjoyed the setting and can't wait to see where that goes in the future.

My main problem was that some of the plot was very predictable and the foreshadowing was less of a hint and more of a flashing billboard shaped like an arrow pointing to the outcome. Fortunately these were smaller and less important parts of the plot.

Overall I enjoyed this book and will continue the series.

The main problem I had with this book was that I felt like I had read it before. It reminded me of Percy Jackson, The Mortal Instruments, and many other fantastical teen books; there was nothing that really popped and got me excited about this story and these characters. While I liked the use of Norse mythology, I feel like a lot of things were just mentioned at a glance and never really delved into which I would have liked (more info on the Valkyries and all these creature they are fighting would have been great!). I was also never really rooting for any of the romances in the book which was disappointing.

That being said, it was fast paced and easy to read and I can see fans of an author like Cassandra Clare really enjoying this.

*Note: I would say this is for older readers, probably 14+, since there is a lot of suggested sexual activity going on.

As a fan of Amanda Hocking, I was very excited to get an advanced copy of her new book. I love the Trylle, Kanin, and Watersong series, so I had high hopes for this new series too. Unfortunately, Between the Blade and the Heart, the first novel in her new Valkyrie series left me empty.

It was incredibly hard to connect to the protagonist, Malin. She is a kickass Valkyrie with a heart of gold. She is loyal and fiercely determined, but yet her plight to find the truth was lacking. There were so many unanswered questions and the climax fell kind of flat.

I will probably continue with the series, because I such a fan of Hocking’s work. Hopefully the next effort will have more of an emotional impact on this reader.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

I received a digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

An original concept that unfortunately falls flat.

In Between the Blade and the Heart we meet Malin a Valkyrie in training who follows the beliefs and rules of a Valkyrie to a tee and wants to follow in her badass mothers footsteps, that is until she discovers that her mother spared the life of one destined to die unknowingly setting off a chain reaction of events that may be more catastrophic than anyone first thought.

I requested this book from NetGalley because I thought the cover was nice and I loved the idea of a YA series about Valkyrie’s. I love a bit of Norse Mythology. However, it feels excruciatingly slow. Sure stuff happens every now and then but I expected it to be paced a lot better. Valkyries kill those who are meant to die in order to keep the balance so you’d think when discovering a Valkyrie had failed to do that they’d move just a little faster. Come on people where’s your sense of urgency. The writing was decent but the pace made reading this book feel like a chore rather than an enjoyment

The characters were decent. Malin is smart, stubborn and strong. My thing with her however, is for someone who says Valkyrie’s aren’t allowed to feel or have emotion she seems to have a lot of them. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that but the Valkyrie’s emotions are referenced throughout the book by Malin yet she is constantly showing emotion. She contradicts herself and it does get quite annoying.
There isn’t really anything special about the supporting characters. You’ve got the funny best-friend, the crazy, hot ex-girlfriend and the mysterious new boy. It’s the basic YA squad tropes.

The world-building is nearly nonexistent. You have the little titbits and elements of Nordic history and the way that fits into the book with the Valkyries but it is brief. It’s only really mentioned at the beginning. Amanda Hocking seems to take more care in describing the mythological creatures encountered as opposed to the world they are in. There also appears to be a lot of name dropping in regards to weapons or creatures and it may be quite confusing for those not familiar with Norse mythology. I think it would’ve been helpful for Hocking to create a glossary as a reference, especially since not all of these names slip-off the tongue.

I did like the attention that was given to the idea of ore-determined fate versus free will. There’s a lot of “chosen one” stuff nowadays so it was nice to see something that actually commented on it. Do you determine your path or has someone already determined it for you? Could one small action actually change everything? It is a continuing theme throughout the book and adds an element to the story.

Overall, Between the Blade and the Heart has an interesting premise but doesn’t really capitalise on it. It seems to drift from info-dumping to the bare minimum and back again with no real control. It gets slightly confusing because there seems to be a lot of different creatures in a world that’s never truly developed and it’s sometimes hard to keep up. The characters aren’t particularly memorable nor do any of them offer anything to the story itself. I failed to really connect with any of them which makes it hard to get emotionally invested. The pacing doesn’t help and the story doesn’t offer much until the last 15-20%. It does give a cliff-hanger but I do find myself questioning whether it’s worth it.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for providing a digital copy to read and review.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't connect with me on many levels.
The writing style was decent and many chapters had cliffhangers that kept me reading, but then left me disappointed.

She left a good cliffhanger that I want to see play out.

If you are a fan of Amanda Hocking you will love this! This book comes out January 2, 2018.

Such an interesting concept. I love Norse mythology! Totally something I'd recommend to my students.

I was given a copy through NetGalley.
I love Amanda Hocking's books. So I was very excited to receive an early copy of Between the Blade and the Heart. But this one just didn't have the same draw you in sort of lush magic her other series have. I'd have to give it a 3.5.
We meet Malin, a dedicated Valkyrie in training, under the supervision of her mother Marlow. Their relationship strained and complicated, Marlow isn't the warm and fuzzy type. But Malin understands the importance of the job they both will give their lived to do. Return immortals, when their time is up to the underworld, Kurnugia.
Although the world built is just as complicated and well thought out as Hocking's other worlds, this just feel as a first dive into this world that it's missing some heart.
This whole book is just sort of a pre-requisite to set up a really big event, tying everything Malin thinks she knows and understands about her world and being a Valkyrie to this big huge point. Which is revealed in the last chapter and page really.
I'm not saying not to take a chance on this new series, but if you've read her other stuff, it's not going to be comparable in feel. But I will see where Malin goes in the next one, I'm not ready to give up on this one yet.

Malin seems like a typical girl late for class, having love interest issues, and of course, mom issues but she's not. She's a Valkyrie, goes to a supernatural school, and her love interests are a girl Valkyrie and a boy Valkyrie. Her mom is known to be a bad ass and not very mom-like. The story moved at a steady pace and the characters we meet are interesting. Near the end there was a lot of scenery info all at once and it was a bit hard for me to picture. It did end on a cliffhanger and I will be picking up the next book. Received an ARC for which I voluntarily provided an honest review.

The author tries to remake Norse mythology to add several major difference. In some instances they work, in others they don't. The protagonist, nineteen year old Valkyrie-in-training Malin is somewhat likable, however her ambivalent feelings towards ex-girlfriend Quinn, sometimes one-night-stand Jude, and possibly present boyfriend Asher makes it hard for me to like Malin. I understand that she's somewhat emotionally stunted from her mother Marlow teaching her incorrectly that Valkyries can't love, but she knows this is false since she loved her mother even though she was a bad parent. The ending left enough of a cliffhanger that (though I probably won't read the rest of the series) left me somewhat interested in knowing what happens next. I also felt that the mystery of who Malin's father is should've been addressed, which might have to do with another point that should've been addressed but wasn't, why Malin didn't have all her Valkyrie strength and poison immunity when fighting the spider demon. And though we find out who sent the huge raven (not much of a shocker) we don't know why Malin was the Valkyrie singled out to help with the new fight against the demon queen.

When I requested this book from Netgalley, I completely forgot what it was about. I would love to see more books with Norse mythology in them! It has completely awoken my need for more stories about Valkyries, and Norse gods. It definitely had its issues though.

For one, I had no idea what time period this book was taking place during. From what I gather, it seemed to be an alternate Earth where places that were once really nice have become run down due to time. We do know that humans and these creatures from mythology are living side by side, going to school, and working together.

Character wise, Malin was really not likable. She was cold to pretty much everyone around her because her mother once told her that Valkyries aren't supposed to love. So she ends up pushing away those that care about her. Malin also makes stupid, reckless decisions before consulting said people.

Oona, Quinn, and Sloane pretty much were the only characters that I really liked. Quinn was Malin's ex-lover and fellow Valkyrie who was always looking out for Malin. Quinn was a classmate who didn't really like Malin until they had a heart to heart about their mothers. Oona was Malin's best friend and roommate who was loyal and extremely helpful to Malin. I honestly didn't really care for Atlas, the love interest.

The bi-sexual romance was nice, but it just felt 'Meh' because of Malin's character.

Plot wise, nothing much was really happening until the end of the book which led to a cliffhanger. The writing and story kept me reading, but it wasn't super exciting.

I'm hoping that this world and time period will be explained more in the second book and that Malin will go through some serious character development, because she needs it.

Overall, this was a fun and fast read that could have been fleshed out a bit more.

Book: Between the Blade and the Heart
Author: Amanda Hocking
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with this ARC.

I have loved Amanda Hocking’s work for a number of years. I love the easy flow that she has with her writing and how easy it is to read her books. I love all of her characters and worlds. I have not read an Amanda Hocking book that I haven’t liked and this one is no different.

I found Between the Blade and the Heart to be a quick and pleasant read. I loved the steampunk and fantasy feel that the world had. It had almost a more northern feel to it, with all of the Norse gods and whatnot. I don’t know I could be completely missing the point here. Anyway, I loved the world. I think that this is my favourite Amanda Hocking world so far. It was dark, but in that darkness, there was a since of hope.

We have a really great cast of characters. Though these are not my favourite Amanda Hocking characters, I still found them to be rather likable. Malin is a bisexual character. I am not going to lie, I have not read a book where the main character is bisexual, so I don’t know how well Amanda did on that end. However, I did like Malin. She’s strong and loyal, but real at the same time. She is a Valkyrie, which means that she “returns” immortals, aka she kills them. She has grown up with being told that it is not okay to fall in love, which causes her to put almost a buffer between herself and those who she cares about. She has a loyal best friend. As the story goes, she also picks up a group of friends.


Now, there is a love triangle. Quinn is Malin’s ex-girlfriend and Asher is the new boyfriend. Let me just say that I found it rather difficult to pick a team, because I found them both to be really likable characters. I don’t know…I would be happy with either one of them.

Again, if you are a fan of Amanda Hocking you will love this! This book comes out January 2, 2018.

I must admit that I am a fan of Amanda Hocking, but with every new book there is this deep hope for another winner and the dreadful fear that that book will ruin your opinion on one of your favorite authors, and this is me saying have no fear because this one is a winner too. There is nothing like falling into a story and realizing when you read that final page that you are disappointed but thrilled at the same time. I mean how did it go by so fast! But there it is the ending and your hopelessly in love with a new adventure that bespelled you without even knowing it. I just can't help myself, but I found this story gripping with details and information that really brought a myth to life. I mean truly, this was something else and man did anyone see that ending coming!? I sure didn't but I loved it! I just want to read it all over again.

Supernatural books are my FAVORITE and this one did not disappoint. The cover is stunning, the author's writing is fantastic, and you will LOVE the main characters! I mostly love supernatural books because of the worlds that they describe and deliver you to. The plot will keep you flipping through the pages faster and faster and I'm already counting down till the next book!

I'm between 3 and 4 stars with this book.

Amanda Hocking is an author whose work I love to read, and this book about Valkyries with a Dystopian world full of Others seemed really cool, you know? It turns into a sort of detective story with a secret from the past coming back to haunt them all, and if not taken care of, the end of society could be destroyed.

I liked that a lot of unfamiliar myths were in here, though personally it took em out a few times because I had to know about the demons or creatures she was interacting with. I did love her friends, and the people she met along the way of her journey. A few things lagged for me, and the ending left me a little wanting, but I thought it was an overall pretty good book.

Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie # 1) by Amanda Hocking is full of Norse mythology, romance and action. Malin is a Valkyrie in training who learns something her mother did, had tragic consequences and now is working to rectify this. In this new universe Hocking created, mortals and immortals live side-by-side and it’s interesting to see how each type of being interacts with others and how that influences their beliefs.

What I liked about Malin is the fact that you see her strength and how she is honing her craft. Another awesome thing about Malin is that she is a bisexual character. It’s not something that you see in books often and she was torn between woman and man. It got a little repetitive, her wishy-washy nature but it was neat to see.

What I didn’t like, was you were just thrust into that world and expected to know what was going on. Yes, as you read on you learn more but I still feel like I may have been missing a lot of information. Like was there a prequel I didn’t know about? Then there were characters that I did not get the purpose of them being written for a brief moment and then forgotten until they need a place for Bowie.

Anyways, I do want to know more. When the next book in the series comes out I will buy and read it. Would I recommend it? If you need a fast read and like Hocking’s other series I say go for it!

The editing wasn't there, which I understand for an ARC. I needed more world building for a fantasy story of this size. I don't see this standing out in the current market. There wasn't a strong enough hook to get me past the gorgeous cover.