amanda hocking
ARC Review: Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie #1) by Amanda Hocking
Valkyries have one great responsibility: to return immortals to the afterlife by slaying them. As a Valkyrie, Malin has always known that the balance of the world rests on her ability to carry out orders. But when Malin discovers that her mother spared the life of an immortal who was destined to die, her world is thrown into chaos.
Malin not only wrestles with the knowledge that her mother might not be who she thought—she’s also thrust into the path of a gorgeous blue eyed guy named Asher who needs her help slaying the rogue immortal who destroyed his family. The balance of the world is at stake. And, as Asher competes with Malin’s ex for her love and loyalty, so is her heart.
*** Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review***
This ended up being such a quick and entertaining read! Everything just flowed so well and I absolutely devoured this!
The story is an urban fantasy that mixes together many different mythologies but the main one mostly being Norse since the story revolves around Valkyries who were created to kill immortals. However, there are so many different supernatural creatures portrayed including your basic vampires, demons, and angels but we also get to see some more unique ones such as gorgons, aswangs, and jorogumos! I thought the world building, in this case, was fantastic it was fun seeing such a blend of supernatural beings! I did want a little more information and details on the world but I’m sure I’ll get more in the sequel.
Apart from the world building, another aspect I really enjoyed was the pacing. This was an incredibly fast paced book, I was hooked right off the bat and all the way up until the end. The writing and dialogue flowed well and kept my interest, I’ll definitely be checking out more of Hocking’s books!
There also wasn’t any lack of action and twists, and be forewarned the book ends off with a pretty brutal cliffhanger!
I also really enjoyed all of the characters and while I think they could have used a bit more development and complexity I still thought they were all a lot of fun.
Malin, our MC, is a badass Valkyrie who is also smart and stubborn at times. I liked how feisty she is, however, at times I felt she could be a little….fickle since she seems to not really know what it is that she wants.
Then there’s Quinn, the ex-lover, and Asher the new guy and both are love interests. I liked both characters and I could easily see how Malin fell for both of them. Basically Quinn and Asher are both badasses as well.
Speaking of badass….Malin’s mother, Marlow, was also really badass. She’s a fellow Valkyrie and is incredibly focused on her job and doesn’t really open up ever, even with her own daughter. I kind of had a love/hate relationship with Marlow.
There was also a strew of many other side characters that I loved as well such as Malin’s best friend who is also a witch and her pet Wolpertinger (which is the most adorable thing ever).
I wouldn’t say I loved the romance in this book but I also didn’t hate it either but there is a bisexual love triangle so there is that. There is a bit of insta love and there definitely is a love triangle, but as I mentioned I didn’t mind it too much. Malin’s attraction to both Quinn and Asher was believable as both characters could offer her something different, however, I don’t think Quinn treated Malin the best though. I’m here for Malin x Asher!
What I Loved:
- World building
- Fast paced, action packed plot
- Unique supernatural/mythological creatures
What I Didn’t Love:
- Characters could have used a bit more development
- Romance was “meh”
I highly recommend checking this book out! Especially if you love urban fantasy, mythology, or just a fun, action-packed read!
• Add on Goodreads!
• Purchase: Amazon – B&N – Book Depository
Amanda Hocking is the author of over twenty young adult novels, including the New York Times bestselling Trylle Trilogy and Kanin Chronicles. Her love of pop culture and all things paranormal influence her writing. She spends her time in Minnesota, taking care of her menagerie of pets and working on her next book.
WEBSITE • GOODREADS • FACEBOOK • TWITTER
Top Ten Tuesday: A Winter TBR
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
My planned TBRs always end up becoming such a mess because I get too ambitious or sidetracked and end up not reading the books I planned on reading. That being said I’m still going to try and have a TBR for the winter here and HOPEFULLY I will read at least a few of these. I really am terrible.
Also some of these will be included in an upcoming Book Haul I’m going to be doing I didn’t want to spoil ALL of the books I received and bought! I have a TON of ARCs that I’ll have to be reading here this winter as well but as I said I’m not going to spoil all of them!
These are in no particular order.
10.) Dear Martin by Nic Stone
I JUST got this from the library so I’m going to be reading it right away here, I’m super excited to finally be reading this book! I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about it so I’m expecting to love it.
9.) There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
Another library book I’m going to finish here quickly. I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about this book so I decided to just read it myself and see what I think although I’ll go in with lower expectations.
8.) Final Girls by Riley Sager
Once again another horror/thriller that I’ve heard mixed things about and yet again I wanted to read it myself and see what I think of it. I just really love the idea of the “final girl” trope being used in a book!
7.) Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I know, I know. I have been adding this to my TBRs FOREVER and I still haven’t read it! Once I battle through all of the ARCs I have to read I WILL READ THIS BOOK! I stare at it every time I pass my bookshelf!
6.) Because You Love To Hate Me
Another book I “had to have right away” and still haven’t read but I really do want to get to it sooner rather than later! It’s a collection of short stories so I feel that it will be a quicker read.
5.) A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir
After reading the perfection that is “An Ember in the Ashes” I seriously need to get on to reading the sequel! I’m ready to be emotionally wrecked again, bring it on.
4.) City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while but since it released this month I’ve seen TONS of great reviews so I’m even more excited to read it. I love fantasy but a fantasy set in Egypt is right up my alley.
3.) Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking
I’m SUPER excited to be reading this ARC and I’m going to be a part of my first blog tour with it as well so be on the look out for my review this coming month!
2.) A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole
Another ARC I’m excited to read here soon, it’s a YA sci-fi and it has one gorgeous cover.
1.) The Fire Queen by Emily R. King
I received an ARC of the first book in this trilogy and actually really enjoyed it! I also recently received an ARC of the last book in the trilogy as well and have a copy of the sequel on its way so I will be reading both of these here this winter but especially the second book.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
What’s on your winter TBR?
Let me know in the comments!
thesassygeek.wordpress.com 