Valkyrie Rising Review,Excerpt + Giveaway

Valkyrie Rising

by Ingrid Paulson

 blurb:

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there. 

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

Source:Shane for Blog Tour

Got this from Lori @Pure Imagination.Thanks Lori!

I don't know how to rate and review this novel.I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.It's much better than a lot of novels I've read recently but it lacks something that stops it from becoming AMAZING.

The concept

I loved the concept. I've never heard of Valkyrie's before (unless you count that Tom Cruise movie) and it was interesting to read about and discover these new beings.I also loved the fact that Norse mythology was incorporated in this novel. I actually wanted to find out more about the history of Valkyrie's and find out more things about Odin.[I read part of his introduction of Wikipedia and found it to be a very interesting read]

The characters

Tucker

I really liked this character.I really enjoyed this novel because of him. The only problem I had with him was that whenever I would read his name I would be reminded of Tucker from the Unearthly series.Apart from that I have no complaints against him.

Ellie

I have mixed feelings towards this character. There were times when she really frustrated me and I wanted to yell at her to grow a backbone but I can understand why she's the way she is which made her more bearable. I didn't like the way she mistreated one guy but it's something that can be ignored.

Grandma

I really liked her when she wasn't hiding things from Ellie "for her safety" .

The plot

Some parts were unpredictable and I liked that.The first half was a little slow and a little frustrating.The second half was interesting and different.

Overall,I think if I was in a better mood I would have liked this a little more but I just felt as if something was missing.I thought the end was a little too tidy(i.e. things came together too easily) .This book is a standalone and maybe that's why I thought it was a little too rushed but the fact that it's a standalone is also a big plus for this novel.The author did manage to keep me hooked throughout the novel though.

Enjoyable read with a great male character and Valkyries.

My Rating:

3.5 /5

Scroll down for the giveaway

EXCERPT
This is from the ARC .There may be changes in the final version.

“What do you want?” I asked, instantly wary. “Shouldn’t you be enjoying the party?”

His smile curled up at one corner, proof positive he was up to no good.

But then he did something weird. He just shrugged and stood there, looking back down at the party without saying anything at all. After a minute like that, his silence was more unnerving than his usual fast talk. Anyone who looked up just then could definitely get the wrong idea.

I glanced down toward the pool, half expecting to see an army of girls watching me, planning their revenge.

“Are you leaning on me because you’re drunk?” I choked out, once the silence had stretched itself so far and thin it was fine dust coating my throat. Then I grasped for the only logical explanation. “If you’re trying to make some girl down there jealous, you should cozy up to someone else. No one would ever see me as a threat.”

“Why do you say that?” His grin reappeared, settling in and preparing to stay for a while. And marking the return to familiar footing. The muscles in my shoulder started to uncoil.

“Because of who I am.” Freshman year, Graham had thrown a boy out of a party for ignoring my polite hints.

And he had interpreted my one-time plea for help as an open-door invitation into my love life. Or lack thereof, thanks to his constant interference. I wasn’t supposed to know that my touch carried a social stigma second only to leprosy, but word gets back to you after.

“I meant, why play games? I get by just fine on looks alone.” His smile was blinding, driving his point home.

“Don’t forget your charming personality,” I said, and my stomach flipped when his grin widened at my words. Making Tucker laugh was the best kind of rush. “I hear modesty is quite the aphrodisiac,” I added.

“Listen to you.” He lifted those gray eyes to meet mine. “Graham would die if he heard sweet little Ellie use a word like that. And die all over again if he thought you knew what it meant.”

“Lucky he’s not here,” I said.

“Lucky indeed,” he said slowly. “For more than one reason.”

His smile was so pretty I almost sighed out loud. Fortunately, that was all it took to remind me of the manifold dangers of dropping my guard around Tuck. Because he was softening me up. It was a dance I knew all too well, even if he usually preferred a more direct assault with me.

“What do you want?” I repeated.

“Time with you,” he said sweetly. “Your undivided attention.”

“Cut the crap, Tuck.”

“Isn’t that the right answer?” he asked, all false innocence. Tipped with sarcasm. “Seems to me that’s what most girls want to hear.”

“For the record, insincere compliments work better when you don’t point them out,” I said. “And I’m not most girls.”

“Duly noted,” Tuck muttered before rallying and changing tactics. “I came to the right place, since you’re such a wise woman, seeing through all my subterfuge. I know you’ll be my savior.”

Apparently his plan was to exasperate me into submission. “For the third and final time, what do you want, Tucker Halloway?”

“Last name too? Bad sign. But here goes.” He leaned closer, knowing full well how destabilizing his proximity could be. Before I could help it, I was batting my eyelashes right back at him. A reflex as involuntary as the knee-jerk test at the doctor’s office.

“Hypothetically speaking, if a person urgently needed the key to the cabinet in the china hutch, what would that person need to do to acquire it?”

“Mug my mother,” I told him. “Hypothetically speaking, of course.” I held up one hand when he started to object. “You have a flask. That should keep you busy for the afternoon. I’m not helping you steal more alcohol.”

“Not everyone drinks scotch,” he said with a wink. “And Graham put me in charge of fun. Plus, I’ve already taken care of the hard part. We just need to put this back before anyone notices.” He held up a small glass bottle of gin that he pulled right out from the tangled green leaves of the geraniums. So that’s why he was really here, loitering around with me. He’d come to retrieve the bottle and was fortunate enough to find me standing here, a potential minion to do his dirty work. “You’ll be righting a wrong, so to speak,” he added. “Very noble of you, by the way.”

“Impressive,” I said, and I meant it. “It’s not easy to get around my mother’s radar.”

“Thank you, Ells,” he said. “It’s nice to be appreciated. Graham would have flipped. You, on the other hand, always understand.”

“Graham doesn’t know?” As far as I knew, Tuck never kept secrets from Graham. I’d assumed Graham had sent him to me for damage control.

“We don’t want to ruin his birthday with unnecessary stress,” Tuck said. “We owe it to him to handle this ourselves.”

I wasn’t sure how Tuck’s problem had suddenly turned into a “we” situation. But no one was more persuasive than Tuck when he was in the zone like this. His smile. The sweet, beseeching look in his eyes. Like I really was the only girl on the planet who could give him what he needed. I couldn’t believe I was falling for it.

Too many other girls had shown me where this particular road dead-ended.

“Fine. I’ll make sure it’s unlocked tonight,” I heard myself say. “Just put it all back by morning, or we’ll both be screwed.” Then I wiggled free of his arm, ashamed when I immediately missed it. But it was pointless to let myself pretend he was there for any reason other than covering up his typically Tuckish crime.

I expected him to leave now that his mission was a fait accompli. But he stood there a second longer, elbows propped on the railing, like he too needed a moment to catch his breath before plunging back downstairs.

“What are you two doing up here?” Graham asked. We both jumped and turned in unison, a little too fast.

Somehow Graham had extracted himself from his entourage and made his way up the deck stairs without either of us noticing. He looked at me, then at Tuck, and his eyes narrowed in mock suspicion.

I squirmed, uncomfortable he’d found us like that—locked in private conversation when the whole world was downstairs. Especially since Tuck and I now shared a secret.

“I could smell you five feet away,” Graham said, glancing at me, but then dismissing the thought as he zeroed in on Tuck. “Is that why you’re hiding up here? Seriously—lay off the scotch.” He made a grab for the flask, but Tuck was slippery as an eel. “If you’re hung over during practice, I’m not covering for you again—I don’t care if you throw up.” But his smile told a different story.

“Oh, I would never do anything to compromise my athletic career,” Tuck said, parroting the serious, grown-up voice Graham saved for teachers and college interviews

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