After disobeying Odin, as described in Choosers of the Slain (2020), the young Valkyrie Brynhild has been cursed: If she ever has sex, she’ll lose her powers. After a magical sleep, Brynhild meets the rugged warrior Siegfried. They journey together, resisting their mutual attraction; he travels to Burgundy to retrieve his dragon’s hoard while she waits. But he doesn’t return, and Brynhild is attacked by the Huns. She fights them so successfully that they come to protect her, believing her to be a powerful sorceress. Meanwhile, Siegfried has been enchanted in Burgundy to forget about Brynhild and the treasure and marry Princess Gudrun. Her brother, King Gunther, wants to marry Brynhild and engineers a contest to claim her at the Hun’s camp, which is attacked by the rivalrous Attila. Fleeing with the Burgundians, Brynhild is forcibly married to Gunther but resists him in bed. When Brynhild determines to break the spell on Siegfried and give in to her desire, she falls under Odin’s curse at last. But Siegfried’s sole vulnerability, a linden-leaf–shaped spot on his back, becomes known to the Burgundians, putting him in danger. Chamberlin, a prolific writer of historical fiction and fantasy novels, succeeds brilliantly in giving context to her mythic tale that brings it vividly to life. Though it’s a little slow to get started, the story soon gains speed. Especially strong are the episodes of Brynhild’s training in magical techniques, offering one enthralling detail after another. Brynhild’s narrative voice conveys her strength, passion, and pain over the impossible choice she has to make, and she displays appealing resourcefulness throughout the novel.
Immersive, well-researched, and deeply evocative of the doom-tinged world of Norse mythology. (Historical fantasy, 14+)