ARC Review: "Valkyrie's Prey: A Viking Romance" by Wendy L. Anderson ★★★★

ARC Review: Valkyrie's Prey: A Viking Romance by Wendy L. Anderson

I am usually sold if I see any book about Vikings or Valkyries, but this one was really worth diving into! A spectacular unique tale of forbidden romance between a Viking warrior and a Valkyrie. With a touch of mythology, magic, mystery, betrayal, and a lot of conflict (from wars to religions to friendships to internal struggles), everyone should feel the need to check this out.

Neither one could know that this was a beginning, a binding between them that would break the laws of the Norse gods. This one kiss would create a forbidden entanglement between two opposite souls from entirely different worlds.

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
The Valkyries of Odin have but one task whenever battles are fought: bring the fallen warriors to the halls of Valhalla. Thyra Thunder Warrior is the pickiest Valkyrie who takes the worthiest soldiers. She is even called such because of the speed with which she would gather the souls. She is drawn to one of the warriors, Kaiden Raynersson, who is fighting on behalf of the King of Norway in a berserker manner, refusing to die, and he becomes her prey that she is waiting to carry away.

After escaping capture by men who mysteriously seem familiar to him, Kaiden finally lays dying and Thyra comes to him. Kaiden cannot believe his eyes, but reveals he is Christian so is destined for Heaven’s gates, not Odin’s halls. Desperate to claim him as hers, Thyra saves him with the help of Draumr the wolf, son of Fenrir. Her dereliction of duty now makes her a traitor to her own kind and at risk of the Gods’ wrath. And what’s more, she now owes Draumr himself a debt that he can call upon her whenever he needs her – and for a very dark purpose.

Kaiden is eager to get back to his men and find out the outcome of the battle but must hide away with Thyra and heal. Her very presence and the fact he is still alive contradicts everything he has ever known and been taught. The longer they spend together, the more they fall in love. But there has never been a union of man and Valkyrie.

On a quest to find answers, Thyra and Kaiden find the most unlikely of creatures who might be able to help. But, as most who are familiar with Norse mythology, knowledge always comes with a price. And what will happen when Kaiden discovers why he recognised those men, and thus becomes hell-bent on revenge?

This is told from the third-person past-tense POV of Thyra and Kaiden, with occasional chapters from the narrative of Saga the Seeing One (a Valkyrie), Njord the Sea God, and Draumr.

OVERALL OPINIONS
This is set when the old pagan ways are slowly being replaced by Christianity (and thus the denial of Valkyries taking Christian souls to Valhalla). Though no specific years are mentioned, this is some time around the Medieval period when this happened. The souls the Valkyries go for have a white aura, but Christians have gold and cannot get to them. I love this idea a lot, as a way to show this conversion taking place. I have never seen this as a concept before and find this refreshing.

This is also a new take on the forbidden romance trope of a mortal and immortal being, where Kaiden is left to question his beliefs for the sake of this angel (or witch). The world-building is rather straightforward, and nicely ties together old Norse mythology with Anderson’s real world Norway. Indeed, there are many creatures and Gods from mythology that readers will instantly recognise some of the tales, or, if unfamiliar, will learn of them. Of course, there are fictionalised characters too like the names of the Valkyries or Fenrir’s son Draumr but this is a good thing as they still carry the essence of the mythology and fit into the narrative very well. Not all of this tale was predictable, for example the Margygr chapter, and full of twists and turns which is always good.

The descriptions were fantastic! In terms of both dialogues and descriptions, I was reminded of the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or Bernard Cornwell’s Winter King trilogies.

I personally found it annoying that Thyra is considered a strong independent woman – but has to deal with so many problems because of men, specifically the male Gods. In fairness, Kaiden has a similar issue with his fate being in women’s hands through the Valkyries fighting over him. At least, it works out for the better for him, and his overall story arc. In Thyra’s case, she is trapped under various oaths, and her story could be considered depressing, in comparison, but this gives the vibes especially of myths and legends as these are usually tragic in some ways. The ending was abrupt, in some ways sad, but hopeful. I doubt Kaiden will be happy when he learns of what happened to her.

Overall, I commend Anderson for her efforts with this story. I am as obsessed with this book as Thyra is with Kaiden! This is the first book I have read by Anderson, and I am sure it will not be the last because I enjoyed the plot and her writing style. I will be sure to check her other work, particularly the Vikings stories (A Cut Twice as Deep and Solstice Child) and the time-traveling romance Ulrik as these are my favourite genres. There would appear to be potential for a sequel for this book, and I hope this is the case.

<< Positives >>
🠚First of all, the cover is so stunning! Of course, they are not everything but the fact I was drawn in by that alone before I read the blurb says a lot.
🠚The plot is good. I got to a point quite early on where I wanted to keep reading to find out more. There was a decent amount of action too.
🠚The relationship is lovely! The romance has to be my favourite part. I adore how dedicated Thyra is to Kaiden, which again is different from usual books as straight off the bat, you usually get the man will do anything for the woman first. She fell first and he fell harder, for sure. She is willing to risk so much to be with him. I like that while they work together well as a team, they also go their separate ways near the end to fulfill purposes and then can finally be together.
🠚I like the parallel that they both feel trapped in and tired of this endless cycle of wars, forced to do their duty: Thyra collecting the dead, and Kaiden fighting.
🠚The tension when Kaiden feels he might have to slay Thyra was done especially well!
🠚One of my favourite moments is when Kaiden wraps Thyra’s thread around his crucifix “realizing the old-world beliefs were now mixed with the new”. Very symbolic and beautiful!
🠚The silver rope able to form any shape desired is a really cool concept.
🠚Character names are clever and very fitting. Thyra literally means “thunder warrior” and Kaiden, as told in the book, means “companion warrior”; Saga means “seeing one” and is also the goddess of prophecy, considering Saga receives visions the name works effectively; Bjorka one of the other Valkyries means “Universe” which works so well because she is jealous of Thyra and essentially wants the world to revolve around her, she wants to be at the centre of everything; Tove means “beautiful Thor”, and she is the most gorgeous and seductive of all Valkyries; Draumr means “dream” which ironically is the opposite, he seems a nightmare.
🠚The side characters were interesting. My favourite is Saga, because she is so defensive of Thyra like a true friend. It is such a shame that she and Thyra were once close, they both watched their husbands go to Valhalla never to be recognised by them again. She is the voice of reason and her visions are really cool.

<< Negatives >>
🠚There was not a lot of spice, though what is here is sensual and beautiful. I feel for a story like this, there was some potential for more (particularly when it is advertised as being for fans of the Vikings series) and I might have preferred this.
🠚One particular conversation felt unnatural where Kaiden is asking about the hiding lodge and Thyra explains it was hers before she became a Valkyrie – and he essentially does not really react to this new information, he just wants to get out of there instead. At the least, he should have mulled what she said over.
🠚A few conversations or descriptions felt repetitive. Like Kaiden once again asking Thyra why did she really save him. I know it is to accentuate his distrust in her. 🠚There was a moment where it seemed like Thyra knew Kaiden, which implied she had seen him before, but nothing ever came of this.
🠚Missing purposes – One major example is the crucifix given to Thyra by Kaiden. I feel there could have been more to this idea: it was effective against Margygr but the second time she is stuck with him, she does nothing to try and escape? I thought at the very least, there would be a scene where she looks at the crucifix and thinks of him. I thought more would come of the Gods too, or the Valkyries would appear again as they never appear after that battle.
🠚The battle at the end felt very quick, I would have liked a little more description.

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Thyra꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I admire her courage and that she is willing to sacrifice everything she has known for over 100 years because, with Kaiden, she feels so alive. I hate that she has to always bargain for her freedom with Njord and Draumr, and has to turn against her sisters the Valkyries, but again admire her firmness in what she wishes.

“I want a man’s voice to call my name in the night, a strong hand to gently touch my cheek. Someone to dispel the darkness and bring light. I want warmth and eyes that see me. I want truth and…life.”

-ˋˏ ꒰ Kaiden꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I really loved his character arc. He always wanted to prove himself worthy and goes through a very confusing time haha but thanks to Thyra saving him, he discovers the great betrayal that was meant to kill him and can turn this back around and put the rightful king on the throne. It is beautiful to see him go from distrusting Thyra to opening up to her completely.
🠚I also like that he names her “Lady Valkyrie”, it adds an old-fashioned charm to things.

“I want you to be my equal and face whatever fate the Norns have woven for us… For now, the only thing I am sure of is that I want you by my side from now on, to be my wife.”

FAV QUOTES
• Kaiden felt a moment of disappointment that he could not go with her because she was the most magnificent creature he had ever beheld.
• True he was handsome, a beautiful male specimen, but fine features and a strong body were only secondary, it had been his berserker spirit, fighting skills, and valor that attracted her the most.
• Initially, he had only been the Valkyrie’s prey to take to Valhalla. Now he leaped into her heart suddenly and became so much more.
• The more he seemed to hate her, the more she loved him.
• “I wish to be done. I have claimed this warrior and will not give him up to be one of the dead-eyed and blank-minded, endlessly feasting in Valhalla, waiting to perish at Ragnarök. He is mine!”
• “You’ve gotten yourself into a mess, Lady Valkyrie.” Kaiden gave her a sideways smile and his eyes danced with smug satisfaction as if he were outside everything that had happened and was not in a bit of danger.
• he was tampering with old-world beliefs that were contrary to his Christian beliefs. He would have to decide if he was willing to risk his very soul.
• Drops of rain fell on them and one hit her cheek running slowly down her soft skin like a tear. Kaiden cupped her face and smoothed the drop with his thumb.
• Where he had been afraid of her and what she was and who she represented, now his heart changed. He let go of the superstition and prejudice and looked at her as a woman.
• Being with Kaiden was more than she dreamed it could be. He was alive, he was warmth, he was hers.

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I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Wendy L. Anderson and BookSirens for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“Valkyrie's Prey” is out July 19th