Very excited for the sequelll!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was well written with good character development. The flow and pace of the story kept me in my feet and always left me wanting to read more.

Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking is a whole new adventure and journey nothing like any of her other reads. This novel follows the story of Malin, a young Valkyrie, who is definitely finding some trouble. Or maybe trouble finds her? Malin is approached by Asher who is trying to find the one who murdered his mother. The two unlikely allies with a couple other friends seek out to stop some catastrophic events from happening. Malin is an interesting character because she is very by the book. She follows the rules and does exactly what is expected of her. Her mother instilled very rigid beliefs of what it means to be a Valkyrie is and these beliefs are the foundation of who Malin is. A Valkyrie doesn't cry, doesn't fall in love, and always does her job. Yet these standards are a little interrupted throughout this novel because of the actions of Malin's mom and also some interactions with some interesting characters. Malin is definitely a character people can connect to because she does have trouble expressing herself and struggles to keep all of her feelings constantly wrapped up. And this inner struggle has led to the degradation of some personal relationships. Personally I was a huge fan of Malin because she always followed her heart or what she believed in. She definitely made some mistakes and had some struggles, but these instances just build her into a more dimensional character that people will connect to. Something that I really appreciated about this novel is the fact that the prologue explains this new world perfectly so that none of the plot is given away and yet the reader has a good idea of what this new world entails. There is a pretty strict hierarchy and the Valkyries are like the enforcers who follow orders and "return" immortals who have been chosen by a lead council. All Valkyries are female and have natural defenses against a lot of different immortals - for some reason boy children of Valkyries just don't have the same immunities. It's pretty much unheard of for a Valkyrie to fail on "returning" an immortal as it is a job taken very seriously in order to keep the balance. This book has adventure, romance, betrayal, heartache, and basically everything else you could expect from a novel. I'm very excited for this series and can see that a lot more adventure awaits! For fans of Amanda Hocking and fantasy in general, this is definitely the book to pick up and read.

I really liked this book! There were a few parts in the beginning that dragged a little bit, but overall I had such a good time with this book. The characters were so delightful and full of depth. I loved Oona is a doll and Asher is adorable. I wasn’t sure about Malin at first, but she grew on me too after the first couple chapters. I loved how each character had their own unique personality and history. Now I really need to know what happens to them! And the world. Oh, I loved this world. I’m a huge mythology buff, so reading about Valkyries and immortals and gods/goddesses was just so fun! Plus I loved the mix of technology and mythology. I haven’t seen anything quite like this before. So, overall, I was so glad to get the chance to read this. If you like urban fantasy and mythology, I’d highly suggest giving this gem a read!

Between the Blade and the Heart is an exciting upcoming read which I recommend to any fans of love triangles, bad ass fight scenes and Norse mythology. Hocking has meshed the past and present into an interesting and fun urban fantasy which will keep you hooked whilst exploring some deeper themes within the narrative. There are a few things I felt lacked in the book, which is why it wasn’t a five star rating, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it to others. I am also excited to see how the sequel develops and to find out what happened after that cliff-hanger ending! Read the full review: https://mythicreader.wordpress.com/20...

3.25 Stars Firstly, I received an e galley of this story from St Martin's Press, in exchange for an honest review. I typically love Amanda's work so I expected to love this just as much but something just felt off for me. There was very minimal world building. Enough that I knew it wasn't set in either our time or our reality, but not enough to get a full grasp of where (or when) they actually were. Was it the future? Was it an alternate reality? Both? Who knows, not me. There was just not enough world building for me to fall in love with it. The characters were hard for me to connect with as well. Malin was only likable for about the last quarter of the book. I liked Oona and Asher and that was about it. I honestly had to look up Quinn's name because, despite the fact she plays a major role throughout the book, I couldn't remember if her name was Quinn or Gwen. There were none of the usual twists that I love in Hocking's writing. The foreshadowing was so heavy you pretty much knew exactly where the story was going to go but unlike in her Trylle and Kanin series, it got there exactly how you expected it to. There wasn't a lot of action or anything. It was mostly the group sitting around talking about what the next step in their plan was, and it just felt off for me. I like the little bit of Norse mythology that we got, I just wish there was more of it. Will I continue this series? Yes, because I know what Hocking is capable of and I expect to see it in full force in the sequel.

*I got this book from the publisher to review* I loved this author talk on the Valkyrie myth. This book was so fast pace and I really loved both the characters and also the world building. I thought all of these elements made the book not only engaging but also so enjoyable to read. I was not in love with romance that developed and felt like I would have enjoyed the book more, if those two characters remained friends. But I am really excited to read book two and am happy it comes out mid 2018! I will def being checking out how this series ends! If you enjoy percy jackson novels but with a focus on world budding and romance I would rec you check out this book!