This is a wonderful book, and I was captivated from the first pages. Kate Heartfield creates a completely believable and yet utterly strange world from the very start, and I found myself deeply absorbed in the story of Brynhild and Gudrun.
The way the story takes and builds on a recognisable set of characters works brilliantly, introducing new thoughts and ideas to a familiar set of myths. I particularly loved her battle scenes, which brought to life vividly the way the gods and the Valkyries played with and directed the lives of humans.
There were occasional moments where the two voices merged a little, and I found the ending softer than the rest of the book, but this was, overall, a hugely compelling and beautifully written book. I loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read it.

The same story told by two different people. A Valkyrie, disillusioned by the god she served and who expelled her to the mortal world, and a princess of a displaced people striving to hold onto the place they have come to call home. As their stories entwine through battles and adventures they find themselves fighting for the same cause, love. The Valkyrie follows the lives of Brynhild and Gudrun, weaving through encounters with a dragon, arranged marriages, and conflict at the edges of the Roman Empire.

I am not familiar with Norse mythology, but I do enjoy myth retellings so I was pleasantly surprised when I realised this was a retelling! I particularly loved the descriptions of Hel and Folkvangr, and understanding how death and the afterlife were thought to be.

i loved it, the writing style is really good and the cover is stunning! Highly recommended!

Now I will also read Kate Heartfieldes other book, "the Embroidered Book".

Thanks to netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this ARC!

The same story told by two different people. A Valkyrie, disillusioned by the god she served and who expelled her to the mortal world, and a princess of a displaced people striving to hold onto the place they have come to call home. As their stories entwine through battles and adventures they find themselves fighting for the same cause, love.

A really thrilling read and a page tuner, with monsters, epic battles, heroes, and villains aplenty.

Thank you netgalley for my review copy.

A fast paced, exciting myth retelling from Germanic and Scandanavian legend. I loved how this turns the apparent rivalry of Brynhildr and Gundren on its head, setting them as lovers and ignoring sexist tropes. Loved it!

**⭐⭐⭐.5/5**

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an early copy in exchange of a review!

The Valkyrie follows the lives of Brynhild and Gudrun, weaving through encounters with a dragon, arranged marriages, and conflict at the edges of the Roman Empire. Every detail mentioned served a purpose, helping with the overall feeling of gathering around a fire to listen to a story.

I am not familiar with Norse mythology, but I do enjoy myth retellings so I was pleasantly surprised when I realised this was a retelling! I particularly loved the descriptions of Hel and Folkvangr, and understanding how death and the afterlife were thought to be.

Moreover, the way the author described how life was at the edge of the Roman Empire, with its melting pot of cultures and faiths helped breaching the gap between this far-away (and far-in-time) land and today’s world. You can really believe magic was alive and part of every day life back then. It is safe to say I will be interested in reading more stories like this!

The characters were well fleshed-out, especially the relationships Gudrun had with her family and her court. I loved how smart and how close to each other Gudrun and her mother were, using the assumptions people made about them and their status at their advantage, to control the events that ensued.

Brynhild was an unreliable narrator and I enjoyed being inside her head. Her interactions with and considerations in relation to the divine, her abilities and her former companions were a delight to witness.

The two women narrate the story, and they have distinct voices. I absolutely loved the tenderness with which they referred to each other, as they reminisce on how they met and their impressions at the time. This leads me to my major complain about the book.

I wish we had seen more of Brynhild and Gudrun falling in love, and generally interacting and getting closer! The author states in the *Acknowledgement & Author’s note* that she was struck by how the two characters were described in other retellings, particularly how intensely they looked at each other. Instead of describing the as jealous enemies, she wanted to propose a new read of those stares. I believe we had spent more time being *told* by Brynhild and Gudrun how fond they were of each other in their narration, but the moments we are *shown* them interacting and their closeness are few and far between. As a result, the declaration of their feelings toward the ends felt a bit rushed and out of the blue.

This book is slow paced despite being very eventful, unfortunately I tend to enjoy faster-paced books better. This is just a personal preference, but something people might want to know before getting into the book.

Retelling the Nordic myth of a fallen Valkyrie, a witch and a warrior, but I couldn’t really engage. Perhaps because I was not familiar with the source material, so couldn’t enjoy any reinterpretation (Circe style). Nor did the narrators come alive as distinct characters, so it all felt quite monotonous. Enjoyable enough, but not magical or immersive

4.5/5 starts. First of all, THIS COVER! Gasp! It is stunning. And the storyline really measured up to the cover. This book has everything a mythology re-telling should possess. I especially love Norse mythology because it doesn't have the mainstream following of Roman/Greek mythology. I think anyone that enjoys mythology, fast-paced storytelling, and surprise romance and kinship, will gobble this book up.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I love mythology of any kind but Norse mythology for me has to be up there and so I loved this book. It was well written with a captivating storyline and well developed characters that I loved. A fantastic read and fastly becoming one of my favourite authors

I really enjoyed this book it is based on the Norse tales and centres on a valkyrie who comes from valhalla back to midgard.
If you like stories about God goddesses and anything remotely mythical this is the book for you
And I would also recommend Kate heartfields book the Embroidered Book.

I really enjoyed this book and found it a very engaging read. I know very little about Norse Mythology, so it was interesting. The characters were well-written and it made me want to find out more about the subject. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

Brynhild and Gudrun are the lead characters in this fantasy. Very well drawn characters at that, especially Brynhild, who enchanted me from the beginning.
This is an impressive fantasy, with lots of colourful and detailed descriptions. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.