Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking
Series: Valkyrie Book 1
Publisher: Wednesday Books

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Wednesday Books for the ebook ARC of Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking in exchange for an honest review.

Valkyries only have one great responsibility. That is to return immortals to the afterlife by slaying them.
As a Valkyrie, Malin has always known that the balance of the world rests on her ability to carry out orders. When Malin discovers that her mother has spared the life of an immortal who was destined to die, her world is thrown into chaos.
Malin is now wondering if her mother is not who she thought she was. She also meets a gorgeous blue eyed guy named Asher, who needs her help slaying the immortal who destroyed his family.
The balance of the world is now at stake.

I give this book a rating of 5 stars and I highly recommend reading it. It was well written and flowed very easily. I really liked the characters. As soon as I saw this book on NetGalley, I had to read it. I really like the cover of the book too, which also made me want to read it. I always find Amanda Hocking books a great read and I am never disappointed in any of them. She is one of my favourite authors. I can not wait to read Book 2 of the Valkyrie series.

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.

So, Valkyries huh. This is an awesome concept. I've always been a big fan of Norse mythology. My husband is Norwegian and it turns out, I have some Norwegian in me too. Its in my blood.

This book started off promising. It felt like it had a mortal instruments kind of vibe. All the paranormal creatures and things to really pull you into this interesting world. Things moved fast though. All of a sudden, there was a strange man that broke into the main characters house. The scuffle, there are words exchanged, then he hands her his card. Its seemed like a lot of situations were just placed there to move the story along, and they didn't seem very plausible.

The story was interesting and I'm lad I read it, but there were somethings that could have been situated better.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Amanda Hocking is an author I've had a lot of trouble getting into. I'm not completely sure why, but it never seems to catch my attention for long periods of time! It may be the style of writing, or maybe my mind just automatically assumes, but this book didn't hold my attention much either. I didn't downright hate it - I just couldn't get into it. Nevertheless, this book will be on my mind whenver somebody wants a book based on mythology that isn't Greek or Roman. At least there is that!

Between the Blade and the Heart is a story about nineteen year-old Malin who is training to be a Valkyrie. In the first book of the series Malin is coming to terms with finding out that what she was raised to believe about Valkyries may not be as it seems. This was a quick read for me. I loved the mythology aspect of the story and thought some of the characters were interesting, but the overall story and Malin's behavior were predictable at times. It's a good book but it just fell somewhat flat for me and I found myself skimming more than reading towards the end.

This book is PERFECT FOR FANS of nordse mythology, kick ass female characters, and a little bit of LOVE!

I was really excited for this one. I’d read Amanda Hocking’s Freeks and enjoyed it, but Between the Blade and the Heart just sort of… didn’t work for me.

Like, look at that description. That sounds awesome! A girl who can kill immortals? How cool is that? I’m choosing to ignore that tropey gorgeous new guy competing with the main character’s ex romance sub-plot. That had nothing to do with the fact that I had to DNF this one.

I like Hocking’s writing in Freeks. It was punctual and flowed well. But something about Between the Blade and the Heart‘s writing just felt so damn boring that I couldn’t get back the 15% mark.

I’m not sure what it was. It was an interesting premise and a cool world, a little sci-fi, a little urban fantasy, and I liked the idea of it.

But liking the idea of something isn’t the same as liking the actual thing itself.

I was bored and annoyed with Malin, I didn’t care what happened to her and I just wasn’t connecting to the story. Not to mention how often I found myself rolling my eyes at every single page.

I couldn’t connect to the story; it happens. This one wasn’t for me.

Review to come at end of dec with cross posted link

Pulling together characters both familiar and horrifying, the plot races ahead in this world ruled by gods. Valkyries are compelled to kill (or “return”) immortal beings under the instructions of social order, blind duty, and population control, but what happens when one Valkyrie refuses her call? When one immortal slips free from his fate, will that be the first piece pulled from a precarious house of cards?

BETWEEN THE BLADE AND THE HEART is a mash-up of fantasy, mythology, and paranormal genres and it spins together a gripping tale full of action, romance, and deadly conspiracies. Definitely check this one out if you’re into complex worlds, terrifying monsters, myths, and powerful beings, and a protagonist who is fierce.
-pooled ink

One thing can always be said about Amanda Hocking’s writing, it always flows along, the dialogue is spot on, relaxed and natural feeling, as if the characters were right there, feeling exactly what you are feeling.

This time out, we are treated to Norse Mythology and specifically, Valkyries, those amazing women warriors, trained for battle, to carry out the biddings of the gods, to return immortals to the underworld when it is their time, no exceptions. To fail in their duties would cause catastrophic consequences. Welcome to Malin’s world, a world of strict rules, duty and no time for emotional connections, at least Malin was always told by her cold mother that Valkyries couldn’t love, but is Malin discovering that isn’t quite true? Will Malin also discover that the one Valkyrie she thought would never fail at her duty had done just that and now it was up to her to right the wrong that had been done so long ago? Was that one indiscretion really a “wrong” to begin with? A Valkyrie’s duty is to deliver those chosen for death, not to question if it is wrong or right, not to judge for themselves…but one Valkyrie did just that, and the fallout has truly been horrendous.

The balance of the world now lay at Malin’s feet as she prepares to make things right with a ragtag group of friends, an old lover, a possible new lover and one powerful immortal who doesn’t want to go to the underworld.

BETWEEN THE BLADE AND THE HEART by Amanda Hocking is fast-paced tale of a young Valkyrie-in-training who discovers her mother and mentor may not be the person she thought she was and the fallout has become a web of tangled lies, lives and loves that could all be gone in an instant. Easy reading, not overly deep, but definitely entertaining!

I received an ARC edition from Wednesday Books/St Martin's Press in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Series: Valkyrie (Book 1)
Publisher: Wednesday Books (January 2, 2018)
ISBN-10: 1250084792
ISBN-13: 978-1250084798
Genre: Fantasy | YA
Paperback: 336 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

2.5*
It's been a couple years since I read something by Amanda Hocking, I've read two of her other series in the past, and I've heard great things about some of her other books. When I read the premise for this book I was super intrigued by it, I was so happy when I received an e-arc of this, but I think I was disappointed by this book.
There writing was fine, and there was great world building in this story but I feel like the story itself fell a little flat for me. I don't feel like there really was anything new with this one, I feel like I can read many other books that were more interesting and also includes similar content. This was a quick read and I do feel that this was decently paced, and I followed along well enough, I also was really a fan of this story putting into question of pre-determined fate versus free choice, and if one choice can alter an entire course of events.
There was somewhat of a love triangle which I feel was completely unnecessary, I feel like the relationship between Malin & Quinn didn't need to be something that took place in the present and could have stayed in the past. Other than that I think that the relationship between Malin and Asher was great, and the characters were overall pretty solid. I don't think that this is a book series for me, I don't know if I will continue it, that's based on personal preference but I'm not closed off to giving it another shot in the future.

I won't say much because this is a book that I think will be 100% your own personal opinion. I had a hard time really connecting to the book. While the writing was interesting and the concept was cool I found myself not really liking anyone, which made it difficult for me to read. I definitely think it's more of a me problem than a problem with the book, and I honestly hope that others read it and love it

"Between the Blade and the Heart" is a YA fantasy about Malin, a Valkyrie in training. Here, Valkyries kill (they call it "return" as they go to an afterlife of sorts) immortals at a time destined by the gods but are themselves mortals (albeit with immense strength and some immunity to the powers of the immortals). Valkyries run in families and the ability is passed from mother to daughter. Malin is in training with her mother, Marlow, who is pretty cold and distant (asking her daughter to call her by her first name and telling her Valkyries couldn't love/have feelings). Despite this, Malin still cares for her mother. Malin lives with Oona, a witch in training, and by far my favorite character.

The real story begins when Asher shows up and threatens Malin for the death of his Valkyrie mother. After the initial threat, Asher reveals that his mother was killed by an immortal that Malin's mother had been supposed to kill the year before. Indeed, as Malin investigates, she learns that her mother spared his life because he seemed to make the world a better place (took care of his wife and kids and helped out at an orphanage). However, this goes against the master equation which Valkyries are not supposed to question, and his living after this time has lead to first Asher's mother's death and soon other Valkyrie's deaths and even bigger problems to come.

Malin and Asher set out on a quest to return this immortal before its too late and the balance of the world gets too out of hand. They are accompanied by Oona and Quinn, Malin's Valkyrie ex-girlfriend. A lot of the story is spent on a love triangle for Malin with Quinn and Asher, and I found it was unnecessary with all the action/adventure going on. There are a lot of supernatural creatures revealed in the story, and I actually wish more time had been spent on these creatures as they were fascinating but I felt only surface level explanations were given. There were a lot of new names and creatures that made the story hard to follow at times, as they are quite complex.

The overall storyline of the immortal who should have died and the search for him was interesting but it was overshadowed by a lot of the smaller plots. I actually would have enjoyed a book exploring what it was like to become a Valkyrie, with more information about the school and creatures, etc. The school Malin goes to was really interesting but only showed up in bits and pieces at the beginning and then slowly fades out (although it was supposed to be important to getting her license/final job as a Valkyrie). I ended up having some mixed feelings about the book for these reasons. That being said, I think it's an interesting start to a new series and a fascinating new world with a lot of potential.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I'm a big fan of Amanda Hocking and have been for year. This new book was ok for me but not as good as some of the ones I have read in the past and I don't know if it was the subject matter or characters that didn't grab me as much as they usually do. Some great information on Norse mythology and a decent storyline, just not my favorite by her.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with this ARC.

Between the Blade and the Heart was a fairly quick and easy read. More lusty than emotionally poignant. The mythology was two-dimensionally there. The world building was so-so. The vibe was a fairly flat, demonhorns-sexy incu/succu-bi-love triangle occulty. I know. But remember the word flat.

It is absolutely NOT "Game of Thrones meets Blade Runner." ( Who comes up with these?)

So what do we have? Valkyrie Malin is daughter to all-business bad ass Marlow. Mommy (misses) her mark one time and that sets about the events that potentially lead to the end of the world. There's handsome Asher, who was originally out for revenge because of this missed mark, but who is now out for love. There's super hot Quinn, who is out for both closure and love. There's the cutie sorcerous-in-training bestie Oona, who really holds it down on the "support" front. They plan a bit. Three of the four kiss each other a bunch. There's some tears. Some interesting supernatural creatures come and go. There's some info-dump. Something, something, and then there's the very easy-to-handle cliff hanger.

Honestly, it wasn't bad. It wasn't the greatest...but it wasn't bad. I mean, I didn't dnf so that in itself is 2 stars right there. I am certain that if you don't take this particular supernatural arcane fantasy in any way other than a light hearted, let's-throw-some-stuff-together-and-see-what-emerges read, you'll be fine. Satisfied even. Me? Valkerie #2? Meh. I think I'm okay for now.

4/5
I received an e-galley from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first requested this book, I expected it to be in a completely different setting, instead the setting reminded me of the comic and movie Hellboy. It's more of an urban fantasy and at first I was a little disappointed, but I still ended up enjoying it.

I liked Malin most of the time. Lately all of our YA heroes have been super badass, never get hurt, always win kind of women and she has some of that at times. Malin is hesitant, she's indecisive, she doesn't know exactly what she wants, and she's confused. She's still badass and can kick ass, but he personality was a bit more human and less stereotypical YA hero which was refreshing.
Keeping up with her multiple love interests was a tad bit much for one book though. I didn't like the relationship she had with her mother and I'm not going to elaborate more because spoilers. Hopefully as the series progresses we'lllearn more about why their relationship was the way it is. Maybe it's just me being overly annoyed since I grew up without a mom and just wanting to read about a happy family once in a while.

The setting is interesting it almost feels like an alternate and possibly future universe where demons, humans, and valkyries walk the Earth with different gods and other mythical creatures you rarely hear about involved. I really enjoyed the setting and can't wait to see where that goes in the future.

My main problem was that some of the plot was very predictable and the foreshadowing was less of a hint and more of a flashing billboard shaped like an arrow pointing to the outcome. Fortunately these were smaller and less important parts of the plot.

Overall I enjoyed this book and will continue the series.

The main problem I had with this book was that I felt like I had read it before. It reminded me of Percy Jackson, The Mortal Instruments, and many other fantastical teen books; there was nothing that really popped and got me excited about this story and these characters. While I liked the use of Norse mythology, I feel like a lot of things were just mentioned at a glance and never really delved into which I would have liked (more info on the Valkyries and all these creature they are fighting would have been great!). I was also never really rooting for any of the romances in the book which was disappointing.

That being said, it was fast paced and easy to read and I can see fans of an author like Cassandra Clare really enjoying this.

*Note: I would say this is for older readers, probably 14+, since there is a lot of suggested sexual activity going on.

As a fan of Amanda Hocking, I was very excited to get an advanced copy of her new book. I love the Trylle, Kanin, and Watersong series, so I had high hopes for this new series too. Unfortunately, Between the Blade and the Heart, the first novel in her new Valkyrie series left me empty.

It was incredibly hard to connect to the protagonist, Malin. She is a kickass Valkyrie with a heart of gold. She is loyal and fiercely determined, but yet her plight to find the truth was lacking. There were so many unanswered questions and the climax fell kind of flat.

I will probably continue with the series, because I such a fan of Hocking’s work. Hopefully the next effort will have more of an emotional impact on this reader.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for providing a digital copy to read and review.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't connect with me on many levels.
The writing style was decent and many chapters had cliffhangers that kept me reading, but then left me disappointed.

She left a good cliffhanger that I want to see play out.

If you are a fan of Amanda Hocking you will love this! This book comes out January 2, 2018.

Such an interesting concept. I love Norse mythology! Totally something I'd recommend to my students.