A lively divine hero headlines a keen and rewarding epic tale.
A Valkyrie in human-teen form vows to save the boy she loves—as well as the universe from annihilation—in this collected YA fantasy-romance trilogy.
Valerie Frigg, though she outwardly looks like a 16-year-old mortal, is actually an immortal Valkyrie from another planet. She feigns a typical human life in Tennessee as she gets close to schoolmate Will Johnson—the first soul she’ll reap. Will is cursed with darkness by the Norn, former Valkyries who feed on suffering. Valerie, however, suspects that reaping Will’s soul and putting him in the “service of the gods” isn’t the best course of action. She’s fallen in love with him, and she vows to save him by breaking the curse, a reputedly impossible feat. Valerie has indisputably broken Valkyrie laws, including the first law by falling in love, and incites the wrath of new and old enemies. As her fragmented Valkyrie memories, at odds with her implanted human recollections, slowly return, Valerie feels herself torn between Will and fellow Immortal and best friend, Tyler. Although each book in Flowers’ collection has its own arc, all three connect seamlessly. The author deftly weaves Norse mythology into the story, from recognizable elements, such as Asgard and Ragnarök, as well as characters or creatures readers may not know as well. Valerie, who narrates, is a resilient, sympathetic protagonist—one of the only Immortals who cares about human lives. She’s still mastering her Valkyrie powers on Earth, leading to superb visuals, as she sees others’ colorful auras (his aura glimmered around him like a fuzzy backdrop, fluttering blues, greens, and purples through the air like tiny sparks of lightning”) and, sometimes inadvertently, manipulates space and time. There’s ample mystery in Book 1: Valkyrie Landing, with Valerie’s missing memories and neither her older sister nor Tyler filling in the gaps. This carries over to Book 2: Valkyrie Rebellion, which likewise builds to the trilogy’s fraught conclusion, Valkyrie Uprising, as Valerie fights to save people she loves while impeding the universe’s destruction.
A lively divine hero headlines a keen and rewarding epic tale.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2022
ISBN: 9781953393067
Page Count: 652
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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