September 06, 2012

Review: Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson!

Valkyrie Rising
By Ingrid Paulson
Hardcover, 352 pages
Expected publication: October 9th 2012
By HarperTeen

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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.
Where do I start with this review? I really wanted to love this book. I was drawn to it by the cover and the blurb, but unfortunately, it didn't do it for me. I say this with a sad face. This review might come off as bit of a rant.

I think my biggest issue was the main character, Ellie. I couldn’t connect with her and found her to be immature, whiny, and weak. There were times that I thought okay, here we go. She is going to kick-butt now and show these girls whose boss, but that never happened. It was a tease. Every time she took one step forward, she took three steps back. I really felt like I was a kid being tricked and this annoyed me to no end. It made it hard for me to really enjoy the story. I liked every character in this book, but Ellie. I even liked the main female villain more than her.

Tuck is the love interest in the story, and he’s also Ellie’s brother’s best friend. The relationship between Tuck and Ellie started off great and I really liked them together, but the more I kept reading, the more I was praying for a love triangle. And I hate love triangles. I wanted him to stop pursuing Ellie. It was so obvious he liked her, but Ellie refused to believe it and constantly put herself down. It was the hardest thing for her to believe that someone like Tuck would actually want to be with her. Eventually down the line, though, she realizes how much Tuck cares for her and this made me like them again as a couple. I kept on reading because even though I didn’t really care for Ellie, there was a good story being told here. I started to like it a little bit better, but then the author throws in a curve ball that, to me, was just too convenient. I couldn’t buy any of it.

Now that I’ve gotten all that out, I will say that the book wasn’t all that bad to the point that I did not finish it. I did read until the end, but I think it was more because of Tuck and the world of the Valkyrie’s than it was anything else.

2 out of 5 stars!






13 comments:

  1. oh wow, just reading your review makes me frustrated! ugh the combination of an annoying, spineless protagonist and the whole curveball in the end being too convenient doesn't really make me want to read this novel. We book bloggers have so very little time to read non review books so thanks for being totally honest here!!

    - Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf

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    1. Juhina, I say try it. You might like it. It was interesting enough for me to finish reading it. I just wasn't a big fan of the main character. I liked everyone in the book but her.

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  2. I actually saw this today and was really excited about it! My mom's side of the family is all Norwegian (full-blooded) like her great grandpa came from Norway to Minnesota type deal! I get all kinds of nerdy about it :)

    I think I may still try and read it, just because I find a lot of people hate the whiny, spineless female leads, but it doesn't really bother me. And if it wasn't so bad that you didn't finish it, I definitely want to give it a try!

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    1. Sarah, I would love to know what you think of it once you read it.:-)

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  3. This book sounds good. I hate it when you get really excited about a book, and then are disappointed when you finish it. Thanks for the review!

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  4. I get the same vibes from this book. I really want to like it, but I feel like I'm going to be let down. Thanks for the review!

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  5. bummer that you didn't like the main character. i hate when that happens. sometimes i just want to slap some sense into them. thanks for the review!

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  6. Aww, sucks that you didn't like it. I actually was drawn by its cover and summary too, but a whiny MC... Now I have doubts. :/ But I still wanna read it, so maybe I'll give it a try. :)

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  7. awwwww, this book sounds so good. I was really looking forward to it. I hope I like it better than you do! : (

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  8. Thank you so much for sharing your honest review. I had considered buying this book, but I think I'll check it out from the library first. There's little that annoys me more than a weak heroine. :-/

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  9. That's too bad about the main character. It's almost impossible to like a book when the main character just doesn't work, no matter how great the story may be. I think I'll still read this one at some point, but your honest review was great. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Mythological warriors! That sounds so cool! I need a good book about them. But the heroine wasn't that great?! That sucks. That's like, one of the most imoprtant components of the entire story! Wow. 2 out of 5 stars is not so great. But that's okay. Thanks for the review!

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  11. Hmmm, I've been mulling over the idea of reading this for some time now. I'm glad I read this review, because all of the negative qualities that you say irked you about the main character are all things that would disappoint me, too. I'm not convinced I'll like this book. Great review!

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