Blog Tour Stop : Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
Hi guys!
I'm super excited to be part of the Valkyrie Rising Blog Tour. As part of the blog tour, I'll be sharing with you all my review for this fabulous book! Be sure to check out the other tour stops for this blog tour!
Title : Valkyrie Rising
Author : Ingrid Paulson
Publisher : HarperTeen
Publication Date : October 9th 2012
Goodreads - The Book Depository
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.
Personal Thoughts
I've been pining for Valkyrie Rising ever since I saw the cover and read the title. YA has explored endless paranormal creatures from vampires to aliens. Yet, Valkyries are pretty new to the genre. So, you can imagine how excited I was when I realized that this book was going to be based on Norse mythology. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.
When Ellie, along with her older brother, Graham, travel to Norway to spend the summer with their grandmother, Ellie's life changes for good. In the small town where her grandmother resides, young boys are swiftly going missing and rumors of Valkyries are slowly spreading through the community. Ellie doesn't realize the extent of the kidnappings until her own brother goes missing. Now, along with Tuck, Graham's sarcastic and humorous best friend, she must do everything possible to save her brother and along the way she learns about the ancient mysteries surrounding her.
At the beginning of the book, the reader is introduced to Ellie, a smart, but shy girl who has always been known as "Graham's younger sister". Ellie doesn't like being in the shadow of her older brother and she wants nothing more than to be known for herself, but it's not easy for her considering her brother is very overprotective of his baby sister. At first, I thought Ellie's character was bland, but as the story progressed she underwent a tremendous growth, easily making her one of my favorite female YA characters. Seeing her grow as I read the book was very much a pleasant experience since her maturing process was realistic. As a reader, I could see what propelled her towards such an incredible growth. By the end of the book, she had shed her mousy appearance to become a fearless tigress. There's nothing more I enjoy reading than characters who grow due to circumstances, so you can see why I adored Ellie's character. Moreover, Ellie was a down-to-earth girl that I could easily see myself becoming friends with. Her friendly personality was yet another appealing trait of hers. Although I really liked Ellie as a protagonist, my favorite character in the book was Tuck. He was such a fun character to read about. He was a sarcastic, but not overly sarcastic that he appeared conceited, and absolutely lovable character. He would make the wittiest of comments in the most serious situations and that would make me grin like crazy. I thought that the secondary characters were also really well fleshed-out. They all had distinct personalities and I never felt like they were underdeveloped. All in all, the characters in Valkyrie Rising were fantastic.
Since Valkyrie Rising is set in Norway, I was expecting it to be highly descriptive and to have a strong world-building. And thankfully, I was right. The world building was absolutely mesmerizing. Ingrid Paulson ensures that her readers thoroughly understand what's going on with her setting. I thought that the mythology in the book was rich and very knowledgeable. Ingrid Paulson went to lengths, making sure that there are no holes in her world-building. Complex, but rich, the world-building was fascinating. I honestly felt like I was with Ellie in her world.
The plot itself was mysterious and highly entertaining. I did feel like in some places, the plot didn't move much, but for the most part it was intense, fast-paced and very addictive. The author maintained the element of secrecy and mystery, making me very curious to find out what was going on. I also enjoyed the different relationships that existed in the book.. The relationship between Ellie and Graham was one of the highlights of the book for me. I loved the deep sibling bond that they shared. It was heartfelt and realistic. The romance between Ellie and Tuck was simply put, perfect. There was nothing instant about it since they've known forever. Moreover, it progressed at a slow pace, never taking over the plot, instead developing at the same time as the plot. The author's writing was addictive and I strongly believe that she will become very well known in the YA world if she keeps on writing this well.
To sum up, Valkyrie Rising was an original, highly entertaining and riveting story with characters that enraptured me. I do not hesitate at all to recommend this book to all fans of YA paranormal looking for something fresh with a kick-butt heroine and an exciting plot-line.
Rating
Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5
Author Biography
Ingrid Paulson lives in San Francisco with her husband and daughter and enjoys long-distance running, eavesdropping, and watching science documentaries. She has always loved books and writing short stories, but was surprised one day to discover the story she was working on wasn't so short any more. VALKYRIE RISING is Ingrid's first novel.Ingrid's grandmother might actually be a Valkyrie; she's still waiting for her to come clean.
Official links:
Website: http://www.
Goodreads:
Giveaway
Ingrid Paulson is also giving away a signed copy of her book.
Prize : Signed Copy of Valkyrie Rising
Open : US ONLY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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