I really wanted to like this book, but it was just so...meh...and I found myself skimming a lot of parts.

The plot felt really predictable and solutions ever the more convenient. And because of that nothing ever felt dire, like, "Oh no, something terrible is going to happen to the world." But then they come up with a plan so quick it's a wonder they were ever stressed, to begin with.

Well... honestly...okay whatever.
I am gonna read books by Amanda Hocking ever again. The first book I read was Freeks. The plot was nice but the implementation of it was not. The second book I read was Between the Blade and the Heart, the first book of her Norse mythology series. And now the second instalment of her Norse myth series. None of them is really something I have genuinely liked.

Amana is a pretty prolific writer but if this is how she writes all of her books, I guess I can't continue reading her.
The first book is quite fast-paced but the second book runs backwards, pretty slow-paced with a somewhat predictable plot.
Well kudos to the writer for writing so many books but I also hope she would try to make her writing more engaging.

I really loved the first book in this duology but for some reason I couldn't get into the second book which is a shame because I truly wanted to know the fate of all the characters.

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title, and the fact that the title has been archived.

This was full of Amanda Hocking’s signature storytelling. She has a way of writing such complex and relatable character in fun settings.

I studied the Vikings in college and I immediately disliked this book on the basis of misinformation and a lack of research on the part of the author. If you can get past that (or didn't notice it) then it's a solid book to recommend to teens if they are a fan of romance. This book series has a lot to offer and I felt the basic story line felt pretty original, which isn't usually the case with YA.

I couldn't finish book 1. Strongly do not like this series. I found the main character unlikable and truly messed up. She does not seem like an appropriate character for a YA novel with drug use and sleeping around. I can't continue in this series. Yowza. This is the first series I DNFed.

Wednesday Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of From the Earth to the Shadows. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

From the Earth to the Shadows is the continuation of the Valkyrie series that started with Between the Blade and the Heart. Malin Krigare is once again thrust into a quest to save her world from imminent destruction. With the help from unlikely allies, will Malin be able to complete the tasks set forth by a higher power? Will Malin learn more about her past and about her family history?

From the Earth to the Shadows was a little too transparent, especially in regards to Asher. His storyline, although necessary to advance the plot, was the part that I liked the least. The path to Armageddon was too easy, as you would think that the destruction of the world would be a little difficult to achieve. Although I did like Malin as a main character, there was just not enough here to keep my interest. I found the first book to be interesting for its uniqueness, but From the Earth to the Shadows is just more of the same. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend this novel to other readers.

I finished Between the Blade and the Heart right before starting this one. I thought the first book was just alright. I had a lot of issues with it, but it was entertaining.
I tried a couple of times to read From the Earth to the Shadows and I could just not get into it. I kept reading the first 40 pages and then putting down.
I found that the problem I had with the first book was even more frustrating in what I read of the second book.
Personally, I like the Kanin Chronicles by Amanda Hocking more.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this novel. I very much enjoyed the first book in the series, but this one was so hard to follow along with. It was uncaptivating and vastly boring, in my opinion.

So I clearly decided to pick up book 2 of this duology (at least, I’m pretty sure that this is a duology). I think the main thing that seems to be missing from this series as opposed to Amanda’s other series, Trylle, is the fact that it’s not as engaging nor gripping in terms of character development and plot. I was really able to get sucked in with the characters from Tyrlle but somehow for this series, the characters felt really 2D and not as interesting.

This second book essentially picks up right where book 1 ended where Malin is torn between having to rescue Asher from the underworld or figuring out a way to maintain the stability between the immortals and the humans. However, random things were popping up especially with Odin and his random quests. To me, it felt a little random at first and it wasn’t until later when things finally started to make sense. However, it definitely took a while to get there.

As for character development, I do think that Malin grew up a bit towards the end of the second book. Her relationships with Asher as well as her friends seemed to mature. She definitely didn’t seem as lust-crazy as she did in the first book which was nice because that was honestly such a huge turn-off for me. I was also able to understand her a bit more now that her relationship with her mother was explained because she came off as quite brash and off-putting but I came to like her more now.

The ending was a bit of a letdown for me. I felt disappointed because I was expecting it to be so much grander than it ended up being. Actually, I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting the ending to be but it certainly wasn’t that.

Overall, again, not too entirely impressed with this series but at least the characters were better in the second book. I did think that there were too many varied immortals that it was sometimes hard to follow along because I forgot who was what or whatever. But if you enjoy books like that or if you can keep track of everyone then I think this book might be worth picking up.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think I’ve read all of Amanda Hocking’s books at this point and I’ve always enjoyed her writing. That being said, even though this had a really cool premise, it fell a bit flat for me compared to her other works. I do appreciate the amount of research that went into this though, and the level of detail was great. I just didn’t connect with the characters as much as I usually do. I’m also not sure if there is going to be a third installment or if this was it. I’d definitely read it if there was. I’d recommend this for fans of Norse mythology. It puts a bit of a different spin on things but it’s not the typical stuff you’d expect from this author.

This book just didn't do it for me. I couldn't get myself to care about the characters much. The plot was fine, but not enough to save the books. I normally really enjoy Hocking's work, I just think this series is not for me.

I was on the fence about continuing with this series after reading the first book. I had mixed feelings about Between the Blade and the Heart, and I think I feel relatively the same about From the Earth to the Shadows. I was really excited about the synopsis because the idea of reading about valkyries was very appealing to me, but I'm just unsure if I was able to click with the book(s) as a whole. It may be that I was just in the wrong mindset, but I was a solid "maybe" by the end of this book. I think I can see where others would definitely enjoy this, but I think I'd have to give these books another read to really understand how I felt about them.

Oh, I really enjoyed reading these books! They were in a different world, of immortals and mortals, and I loved the world building! Plus these characters were pretty great, though sometimes I just wanted to shake my fists at them!

One big thing was free will, and the fact that the people in this world, they don't have it. Everything that was happening, was pre-determined to happen. On one hand, boo, no free choices and making your own mistakes and wonderful decisions, on the other, you're not to blame for anything that goes wrong in your life.

The first book was more about what happens when a Valkyrie doesn't kill an immortal like they're supposed to. Because Malin's mom decided that this one dude that she was supposed to kill was a good person and did good for the world. And boy, were there consequences!

The second book continued with those consequences, but there were also the missions that Odin was sending her on, and discovering just how much they could change the world. Some pretty heady stuff, what with the world in chaos, and all! Loved how it all worked out!

These books were so great, and I really enjoyed reading them!

If you are looking to go on a quest then you are in for a trip to the underworld with this book! Odin sends Malin a Valkyrie in training on two errands, one is to retrieve a cloak and the spear called Gungner. To retrieve the spear they must travel to the underworld one small thing the underworld is for the dead. They need to figure out a way to get into the underworld in order to stop Ershkigal so she doesn't unleash on earth all the evil and power that has been locked up for centuries.

Book 2 in the series. A quick fun read. I must admit that I did wish that they had more trials to overcome but that is just the adventure seeker in me. Do not read if you haven't read the first one you will miss out on a lot if things and you would be confused. There were moments the story line slowed down but overall I enjoyed reading this book. I did love the premise of do we really have free will or are we all pawns of the gods. Pick up this series and let me know what you think.

I'm not sure what went wrong. I really enjoyed the first book, so I was totally hyped for the sequel. But...something was missing or disconnected. I didn't care anymore. Things were jumbled. I didn't feel any story flow. In fact, it almost felt like things got added as an afterthought at times.

I also HATED the "love triangle." Which, in turn, made me start to despise Malin. I didn't care who she chose. I just wanted her TO CHOOSE.

This is sadly not my favorite work by Hocking. I do look forward to what she puts out next.

I wasn't able to finish this book, as I already had a hard time reading the first book in the series.

I tried to like this guys. I really really did. Perhaps because I didn't fully like the 1st book.
I'm not sure, this just wasn't my cup of tea.
Thank you though to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I gave the first book in this series 3 stars. Wasn’t blown away by it, yet still intrigued enough, I had decided, that I would read the next one. I now feel like that may have been the wrong choice, as I had the feeling the second book would be better…. but sadly, I was wrong.

One of my main issues from the first book stayed the same, and that is Malin. She did not grow on me, nor did I feel like she really redeemed herself. It’s hard to stay invested when you just cannot connect with the main character! She is just not super likable. Not to mention, she is still wishy washy and the love interest issues surrounding this series still bother me. I also hoped that, as this was stated as being New Adult, and the first book still felt like YA to me, that maybe book two would step up the game, but nope. Still that same YA feeling as before.

Another issue that carried over from the first book yet somehow got worse was the info dumping an excessive descriptions, focusing on non relevant things for too long… like, the book is long enough. Many of the details are not necessary, the world building is good, but I just didn’t need all the additional fluff. At one point, I stopped and realized I was reading but had no idea what the last few paragraphs were even talking about

Then, inevitably, I had to start skimming. I was losing interest, but I was determined to finish and see if the book was redeemed in the end. I love the mythology parts of this series. I love that it is based in Norse mythology, that we see Odin and other Gods, Valkyries, and all that cool, interesting stuff. I even like the attention the author gave to backing up that history within the book (though it could have been a little less long winded at times). But the interest in the mythology was not enough to keep this book afloat for me. The ending is good, I guess it seems to work for the story, it made sense I guess…. but I couldn’t maintain interest or excitement throughout the overall book, which lead to less interest in the ending as well. The series is not terrible, I think it’s just not for me!