Friday, April 18, 2014

Review Valkyries Rising

Valkyries Rising by Ingrid Paulson Goodreads|Amazon

Published by HarperTeen 2012

352 Pages

Standalone

Source: The Europe YA Map from Epic Reads (heard about it), from the library

*There is a lot of offensive language in this book. So please do be careful if you are going to pick it up.

Bookologists Analysis: Valkyries Rising is a book that makes you see the world through the eyes of a girl that has a crush on her over protective brother’s best friend. I was branching out in terms of my mythology (I usually prefer Greek/Roman/Egyptian), but I decided to try something in Scandinavia. The book was okay, but everything can have improvement, right?

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 that something powerful and ancient will awaken in her and that strange whispers will urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, suddenly there's 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.

Let’s be honest. Fishing villages?? Who thought of the idea to come up with fishing villages? (My rant is now over. Merci for listening). Valkyries Rising made you feel the over advertisement of coming-of-age books. Realistically you hope all books have characters maturing, but in this book it felt a little overdone with the whole "your family is secretly part of a secret mythological society and so is someone very close to you" (shhh). The book had the feeling of wheel turning and turning never stopping.

Valkyries Rising had the positive air to it with the coming-of-age thing. When a book advertises itself of a coming-of-age book, it is overdone with the whole idea of wanting to be more grown up. These books are almost desperate to become inspirational.  Growing up and being mature is a lifelong journey. Ellie forgets that just because her grandmother is a super powerful Valkyrie doesn’t mean she has to give up her life and just become a badass fighter.

Valkyries Rising is about the hope you have to have to persevere. No matter how many twists there are from older college guys, girls in hardcore leather boots, or from friends that tap on the roofs and on walls with you. Ellie took everything that was thrown at her with her head held high (because nothing lasts forever- you know I love my song references) and took everything with a grain of salt because you never know who your enemies are.


This book makes you want to have a cool grandmother that never leaves you wanting. The power of family and friendship is portrayed as something that is either constraining or freeing, but most of the time it is a tug of war between both variables. Her brother Graham constrains her to be the little sister of nine not the young lady of sixteen she is. Her Grandmother however want s her to step up to take the responsibility of being of a Valkyrie. She doesn’t have a lot of friends only a sort of sarcastic banter between her and Tucker.  Valkyrie Rising is about rising up to the moment that when your call rings no matter how you are brought up because you can overcome anything.  Rating: «««

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