Monday 1 January 2018

Blog Tour: Between the Blade and the Heart Review and Giveaway


Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie, #1)

Between the Blade and the Heart

by Amanda Hocking

Release Date: January 2nd, 2017


Publisher: Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press

SUMMARY:

When the fate of the world is at stake
Loyalties will be tested


Game of Thrones meets Blade Runner in this commanding new YA fantasy inspired by Norse Mythology from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking.

As one of Odin's Valkyries, Malin's greatest responsibility is to slay immortals and return them to the underworld. But when she unearths a secret that could unravel the balance of all she knows, Malin along with her best friend and her ex-girlfriend must decide where their loyalties lie. And if helping the blue-eyed boy Asher enact his revenge is worth the risk—to the world and her heart.


AUTHOR BIO: 


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.

Buy Links:


Social Links:
Twitter: @Amanda_Hocking

Author Blog

My Thoughts:


I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this book 4 stars. It’s an incredible start to a series and I have no doubt it’ll bloom into an even better series. 

This is the only realistic love triangle I have ever read about and probably the only one I will ever read about in the future. We have a bisexual protagonist who can’t decide between her bombshell ex-girlfriend and a sweet sexy new guy in her life. It wasn’t as dramatic as you may think, I honestly had such a good time reading about it. If you’ve been following my blog then you know how much I hate love triangles. This is the first time that I haven’t absolutely detested one and that’s huge for me, therefore this book can do no wrong.

I’m loving this influx of books based on Norse Mythology. A few years ago I had maybe one series centered around Valkyrie and now there are so many and I love it. Valkyrie are something I personally have always found incredibly intriguing so any book about them is guaranteed to have me reading.

I’m slightly confused about the setting. It wasn’t exactly clear is the story was set in our world with a secret underworld, or if it was our world but everyone was open about being supernatural, or if it was complete fantasy. 

Our protagonist is a bit emotionally stunted which seems to cause quite a few problems in her life. This all ties back to her mother. I personally hated her mother, she was awful. Malin however, feels a bond towards her mother despite her mother barely being just that, a mother. It bothered me that Malin cared so much about her mother when her mother obviously didn’t care at all about her. It’s understandable since that is her mother, but it’s still really annoying.

I’ve read this author's writing before and this is so completely different from what I’ve read that I was a bit surprised that it was even the same author. This is in no way a bad thing, just an observation.

Overall, I would highly suggest this book to those who love upper YA and fantasy novels. It was in short, epic.

Giveaway:

Rules:
  • This giveaway will run from January 1st to January 3rd
  • The prize is one finished paperback copy of BETWEEN THE BLADE AND THE HEART
  • U.S. entries only. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment:

  1. This is one of my most-anticipated 2018 releases simply because I love any and all fantasy that incorporates even the smallest bit of Norse Mythology. I’ve only read one other book by Amanda Hocking and that was last year’s release, Freaks. It was fairly enjoyable, and certainly a good addition to the circus and carnival themed books that are becoming incredibly popular. Thanks so much for the chance!

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