Cover Image: The Valkyrie's Daughter

The Valkyrie's Daughter

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I love this cover! This was a fun YA Norse mythology book filled with lots of adventure. Highly recommend to all readers!

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I loved this book, it gave me everything I wanted as a reader and more. I am a sucker for a cover and fell in love with the storyline and characters. Well written and kept me engaged :)

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I love an underdog story.

Sigrid is a stable had with a wish to become a mighty Valkyrie. Unfortunately her horse doesn’t have wings which means her dreams seem unlikely. When she sees a vision of something more than what she is, a spark of hope is lit.

A fun journey with a girl/girl love interest.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This was a top 5 read of 2022 for me! Another can’t put down book, this story is a fantastic story based loosely on Norse mythology. The pacing was exceptionally well done, and while most books you can see the twists and turns coming, here, every twist was a surprise. Not only that, but the world building and journey was just magical. I was drawn in almost immediately, so much so that I bought the hardcover, despite receiving this as an e-arc.

The Valkeryies Daughter is a great coming of age book, where the strong female lead is able to go on an epic journey to truly discover herself. In a race to save everything she has known, Sigrid is able to grow into her own, while bucking tradition. The themes are fierce yet gentle, and the blooming romance is both a joy and infuriating at the same time. Basically the best mix to pull you in and keep you there. I cannot say how well written this book is.

If you are looking for a fast-paced, coming of age self-discovery novel, this book is for you. Please note that this is a YA book, and does contain mature themes. Thank you netgalley and entangled publishing for this e-arc!

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This is an awesome read for someone who is reading for the first time. A tween or something. I loved that this story was based on the Noree Myths and the Valkyries - which I love.

Tiana has started a backstory that I can appreciate and I was shocked about some of the big reveals in the story.

I did love the friendship more with Sigrid and her friends and the journey to them becoming friends more

I know there is more to come and more to learn about these characters and I can't wait for more

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This was an easy, fun, action packed read -the storyline had a slow start but became quite exciting (love an underdog story!) and the writing was very easy to follow. I love the Norse mythology and Valkyrie's in this one - so iconic and who doesn't love a story about female warriors on flying horses! Admittedly, as of right now, Sigrid isn't my favourite FMC - I found her selfish and very very easily manipulated. That being said, she goes through some growth in this book and that was nice to see during a first instalment. There is also a slow burn sapphic enemies to lovers romance happening in this story but so far it is still very sweet, can't wait to see how that develops as well. I always love it when animal companions are given personalities and that definitely occurs in this one! Will be looking forward to reading book 2!

Content warnings: Bullying, animal death, violence.

A huge thanks to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the e-copy. All opinions are my own.

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The Valkyrie’s Daughter is the first part in the Helheim Prophecy series by Tiana Warner. I’ve read many good things about this series and became curious myself. What will Tiana Warner have in store for her readers?

Sigrid was born as an ordinary girl with an ordinary horse. Due to this she will never be a Valkyrie, but when she sees an vision of herself on top of a mythical horse she goes chasing after this future. She must ally with a fallen Valkyrie to reach the gates of Hel, where the vision took place. What will this journey bring? Why did it show her on the mythical horse?

At first I didn’t really know what to think of this book. Sigrid is being bullied and has big dreams for her future. However it is clear that general Eira doesn’t want to make a Valkyrie, Sigrid keeps on dreaming.

After reading for a while I really started to enjoy the storyline and I like most of the characters. They are all worked out just good enough. The tension builds during the story and you will also get to know more about Sigrid’s origin as well.

Tiana Warner has a nice writing style. The worldbuilding is great and I felt like I was in Vanaheim and Helheim. All in all I enjoyed reading The Valkyrie’s Daughter and give it a 4 star rating.

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Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This fantasy novel will appeal to those who enjoy Nordic mythology. Beyond the world of Asgard, this novel tackles the full Nordic universe with the nine kingdoms. It is continually mentioning some aspect of the myths and legends. However, this is probably a bit of a weakness as some of the references are straight up dictionary definitions rather than a smooth incorporation into the flow of the plot line. If you can get beyond this, you are likely to enjoy the book.

The protagonist is filled with angst over her lack of a true birthright, and this drives the action in a believable manner. Nonetheless, she takes many supposedly actions that go against those in authority, yet she is only slightly chastised for her actions. It's a bit hard to reconcile this incongruity.

I liked the developing relationship the protagonist has with another female character as it seems to evolve naturally and on pace with something in the real world. I also liked the relationship that she has with a senior stable hand who has acted like an older brother. These relationships seem true and legitimate. Some of the other characters who enter the tale seem quick to join her quest without any real background motivation, and the protagonist just goes with the flow even though this sometimes feels like a bad decision.

The abrupt lack of transitions between plot actions was jarring and made it difficult to enjoyably read. Thus, I stopped reading after chapter 22. Perhaps it gets better after that, but I didn't enjoy it enough to power through.

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Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This was my first Tiana Warner book, and it will not be my last.

I loved everything about this book, from the plot to the characters.

First let’s talk about the plot, I am a huge fan of Norse mythology. I love learning as much as I can about Norse mythology and I really enjoyed the author’s note in the back of the book about where she got research from. I loved that it was wrapped up beautifully in this book, you have adventure, mythology, fantasy, romance and finding oneself all in this book.

I thought having the two outcasts of the world come together to figure out their destiny/redeem themselves was done great. I did not get the fill of an info dump but throughout the book you got more and more information. I loved that it was not all plot-driven, but for me it was more character-driven and you see this throughout the book. I loved that in this book you get to see two young teens trying to figure out where they fit in with the life that they were given. One is unsure of what her identity is, and you see her throughout the book questioning it but in a sweet loving way, that any adult or young adult can understand wondering about their feelings towards someone else.

I loved that this author gave us a story with two strong female characters and 1 adorably sweet elf, who does not fit in with his other night elves. This story starts out as enemies to lovers with a twist, and you see the bonds of friendships really deepen throughout the book as well. I do wish that we could have had a dual POV between the girls because I loved Mariam's character a lot, she is fierce, strong minded and I would have loved to see what she was thinking when Sigrid went into Hel. I really enjoyed that the girls in these books love horses and use flying horses to get around but not Sigrid’s, her horses have no wings, but she loves her horses as if it did.

I cannot wait to start book two and see what adventure will happen next. Does Sigrid’s mother get out of Hel? Does a certain horses follow and protect Sigrid? Will she become part of the Valkyries?

I recommend this book to anyone who loves mythology, strong women, YA fantasy books, with adventure and is okay with LGBTQ.

I want to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

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Norse mythology inspired, Valkyrie’s and a cute sapphic romance made me want to like it more than I did. The very beginning was good and attempted to be fast paced but is died of and then It took me to nearly 60% for it to get really good again. I wasn’t a fan of the MC Sigrid she was mean and somewhat narcissistic most of the book. Overall I wasn’t very invested in the characters or plot. With this being a first book I would be willing to read the second to see if it picks up.

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This is a fantastical story based on Norse mythology of an underdog and her epic journey to finding herself and her origins. I really loved the concept of this.

I felt like the pacing was a little slow for the kind of epic nature of our FMC, Sigrid's journey. Some of the plot twists were also a little predictable for me. It just didn't capture me like I wish it would've.

This was more of a 3.5☆ rounded up for me.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a YA historical fantasy, book 1 in a series.

Things to expect:
🔷Norse mythology
🔷horses
🔷sapphic love interest
🔷found family
🔷enemies to lovers
🔷adventure

This is a fun fantasy adventure. I loved the Norse mythology and the strong female MC. The romance was more of a subplot and cute, not the main event and it was perfect for the book. I liked the concept of Hel and the Valkyrie. I think the characters were well developed and fun. I will be reading book 2 for sure! 🐴

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The Valkyrie's Daughter by Tiana Warner is an engaging and captivating fantasy novel that takes readers on a thrilling journey through the nine worlds. The story follows Sigrid, a seemingly ordinary girl who dreams of becoming a valkyrie. But when a terrible enemy threatens Vanaheim, Sigrid sees a vision of herself leading the valkyries into battle, and her destiny takes a dangerous turn. With well-crafted characters and a gripping plot, this is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy.

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This fantasy-esq heros journey arc was fantastic.. First of all you get the sapphic vibes which I loved bc I feel not enough books are inclusive enough in today's times. Then you get the wonderful Norse mythology thrown in and blend it all together and you get this wonderful fast paced read. I highly recommend for those looking for the heros journey, Norse mythology, finding oneself book.

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I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow YA fantasy ⚔️👑

I really enjoyed The Valkyrie’s Daughter! Classic YA fantasy tropes: the chosen one, enemies to lovers (+ it’s sapphic!) a dangerous quest…all the things I love. My only real complaint is the overuse of the phrase “cosmic destiny”. Were there plot-holes? Probably, but I read it so fast that I didn’t think too much about them. I can’t wait for the sequel!

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This book blew me away. I was so enamored with it while I was reading. Admittedly, I am a sucker for Greek myth, and I'm a sucker for a sapphic story, so this had a lot going for it out of the gate. That being said, I love the way that the mythology was played with an interpreted. It's such a great blend of Norse myth and unique and original worldbuilding/storytelling. I loved Sigrid's character, I think she's one of that characters that you can't help but love. And that makes you feel for her, which I absolutely did. I celebrated her victories, and my heart broke when hers did. The slow-burn story between her and Mariam is perfection. It's everything I wanted it to be, and it's told in the most beautiful way. The supporting characters are just as dynamic, and they had me deep in my feelings as well. I loved the way the characters of the horses were personified as having their own personalities, but not through giving them human traits, just in the actions of them. I cannot wait to read the next book, I am so excited to see where it takes Sigrid and Mariam. I have serious theories about the next book already!

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This was a fun read that would be a wonderful book club read. The author does a nice job creating a world based on Nordic mythology.

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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

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Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book in addition to the sequel. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

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Thank you I was so excited for this arc I've been dying to read this and it did not disappoint at all. I absolutely loved it so much will be buying my own copy and recommending

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