First off, a big thank you to both the Author and NetGalley for allowing me first access to this incredible story.

This book was soo good. As someone who loves anything to do with Norse Mythology and Vikings, this was right up my alley. The story begins with Sigrid, a stable hand, who is the lost amongst the world of high-flying Valkyries, with only her Midgard horse- Hesture, she finds herself stuck in a life she knows she's better than. In this life, she's bullied, and held down by bother her peers and superiors. It's not until her home is attacked and a precious artifact is taken that we get to follow s Sigrid as she goes on an epic journey to not only retrieve the stolen stone, but unveil the truth of her past while finding both love and friendship along the way. I plan to purchase this once it becomes published, I found it appropriate for YA and older adults alike.

All I had going on in my head while reading this book was The Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, and it was a wildly good time. The first 20% of the book was a bit chewy and little bit hard to get into, but the story begins to flow super amazingly especially when Sigrid means Elina. Also this story was so gay!! Wish I had this back in my little questioning days. By the end I was sprinting through pages because I was so invested. Book 2 now plz!!

3.5 stars! (coming out May 3, 2022!!!)

**Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

~PETITION! Please change the cover back to the original blue one with the woman warrior on it! It looked so awesome and unique. Unfortunately, the current yellow cover is not one I would pick up :(

Pros
+ SAPPHIC MYTHOLOGICAL HORSE GIRL ENERGY
+ Canadian author
+ LGBT+ rep: lesbian
+ themes: Norse mythology, valkyrie legend, horse girls, proving your worth, loyalty, bravery, strength, destiny/fate vs. choice
+ Sigrid: a highly-skilled equestrian who is one of the valkyrie stable hands
+ plot: Something important is stolen away to Helheim (Hel) and Sigrid must team up with the thief, Mariam, on the journey to recover it and fulfill her destiny.

Neutral
/ This is shelved as YA, which IS appropriate. However, many YA novels these days are skewed older in themes/writing style. This is NOT the case with this book. If anything, I'd say the writing is lower YA, nearer to middle grade almost. (It probably isn't appropriate for middle grade since it has battle scenes.)

Cons
- The breadcrumbing in here is as subtle as a hammer. But, again, that might fit the lower-YA target audience better than a 31yo lady (me).
- The character relationships are VERY dramatic, in a near-hyperbolic way. Again, can't tell if I would have loved that when I was 13 or not... it's been a while.
- The battle in Hel essentially happens 3 times, in the exact same way... It felt a bit repetitive and I wished it had been executed differently.

TW: child abandonment, animal cruelty, animal death, death, bullying

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. Over the past couple months I keep picking it up but I just can't keep myself interested. The start was very slow which some people enjoy I sadly am no one of those.

I gave feedback in Nov 2021 when it was named The Helheim Princess but it must have been erased when the title changed names.

This was a quick read and super enjoyable! Though this book seemed targeted for teens (I’m in my upper 20s), it was easy to get lost in the story and the pages seemed to fly by. I honestly wish I read this book in high school.

The characters are flawed and relatable and the MC’s strength and resiliency is inspiring. The horses were by far my favorite characters. I loved how the author was able to show the horses’ personalities even without dialogue.

The descriptions of the worlds had a good amount of detail and the author was able to portray the atmospheres of each scene so that you could feel like you were there.

The slow burn love side story is just intense enough to hold interest but not ✨spicy✨ so it’s definitely appropriate for younger readers.

The only negative opinion I have about this book is the chapter titles. The titles often gave away what was going to happen so I ended up trying not to read them to avoid spoilers.

This book could definitely be a standalone book but I’m excited to read more about this universe in the following books and the author’s take on Norse mythology.

Side note: I now have an urgent need to take up horseback riding

3.5

Norse mythology? Valkyrie? Night elves? Flying horses? An LGBTQIA+ romance? The Valkyrie’s Daughter by Tiana Warner had everything I wanted, and I WANTED TO LOVE IT SO BAD. But it just didn’t connect with me — not the pacing, not the writing, not Sigrid or any of the other characters. And I really wanted to love it?? But it really (tragically) wasn’t my thing.

While I didn’t finish The Valkyrie’s Daughter, I hope that, if the synopsis/aesthetic/concept resonates with you, you still check it out. Who knows? This might just become your next favorite read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for a e-arc copy to read and review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure with Sigrid and Hestur. There are Valkyries, Night Elves, Royalty and Gods all wrapped up in this quick paced adventure. This is an underdog story, and who doesn't love an underdog.

I loved all the worlds, and world building and definitely recommend.

The Valkyrie’s Daughter (weird title change since from what I remember she is not the daughter of a Valkyrie) is a sapphic fantasy novel inspired by Nordic mythology. It is categorized as YA which I think is not entirely accurate. Sure the it has all the outward characteristics of a YA novel (including a 16 year old protagonist) but it honestly reads more like a middle-grade book. Which is in no way a bad thing, I just think it’s worthy of note. I also think the old cover (while beautiful) was also aiding in that, it made me expect a way more adult story.
But enough of the formalities, how was the book? Really good! I did enjoy it a lot. The first half is a little stronger than the second but the whole thing is rather entertaining.
I do like all the main characters, Sigrid especially. She’s likable without being a pushover, makes mistakes but acknowledges them and feels true to her age (16).
I also really like the relationship between her and Mariam. It didn’t feel rushed and was very cute, exited to see how they continue from here. Although I think the romance aspect of this book is not as extensive as the synopsis and marketing make it seem.
The plot is fine. It’s a little formulaic which might annoy some readers although I don’t really mind. What I did mind is something I always hate in books: All the female characters other than our protagonist and the love interest are catty, condescending, and jealous. It’s not quite ‘Not like other Girls’ territory because Sigrid doesn’t look down on them but it’s still noticeable. It’s just not something I enjoy, and I think this trope can do real harm to young readers when they see it in a lot of books.

I feel in love with this story instantly. I'm sucker for mythology and this book was perfect. Even if you're not a fan of mythology, this book is wwwaaaay to live and you won't want to put it down

2.5 stars.

It's interesting, but nothing special. This is another one of your typical YA fantasy books. A strong female protagonist, who is strong willed. It is enjoyable to read, a quick read, but no longer what I look for in books. I would a 100% recommend this to a younger reader getting into the Fantasy genre.

I have not read much Norse Myth but I want to! This story starts with Sigrid who is a stable hand for the winged horses. The strange thing is that most girls are BORN with a matched winged horse but Sigrid was born with a Midgard Mare. So she can't fly and train with the ither girls, she has to clean their tack instead. I loved traveling thru the Norse Worlds from Vanaheim to Helheim and the Gaint Snake Jorgumnundso and Garvir the dog that gaurds the underworld. Sigrid was a great character that grows and shows true spunk! Great read. I read The Witch's Heart previous to this and it helped a lot with the words and names of Norse characters!

First off, let me just say that I adore this new cover & title! I read this book when it was called the Helheim Princess, but I think current this title sounds so much better. I know that it's awful to judge books by their cover, but I can't help doing it (internally!) sometimes. It's not a deal-breaker for me, but I really hate it when book covers have a picture of a real person on them. The new cover is absolutely stunning and if I were walking through Barnes and Noble it would definitely pique my interest enough to pick it up.

I love books based on any type of mythology, so I was so excited to read this one since I haven't read anything based on Norse folklore before. I really wanted to dive into this world, and The Valkyrie's Daughter did NOT disappoint.

The main character, Sigrid, was so easy to fall in love with, and I empathized with her struggles (always love an underdog!). Throughout the course of the book, she goes through an extremely well-written journey of self-discovery and transition that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. I loved her bond with Hestur — it was such a great example of the lasting friendships that humans can form with animals.

The romance was also adorable, but I'll admit that it was kind of forgettable too. I understand that the focus of the book wasn't on the love story, but I would have liked a little more of it.

It was definitely a slower start than I would have liked, but the pace did pick up once I got a little way in. I also didn't like the writing at times — some of the dialogue felt awkward and stilted like it was just there to move the story along.

Excited to see what happens next in the series!

The Valkyrie's Daughter was a fun Norse fantasy. It's written more like an urban fantasy than high fantasy so it would be great for younger teens or a starter high fantasy. It features a f/f romance, adventure, Norse mythology and warrior girls.

In other news I guess this one has been updated. New title, new cover, and a new release date. Well this one may not be coming out until May now but I am doing my review now. This was a cute norse story. This horse loving girl was all in a flutter with this story of a girl who bonded with a regular horse. I loved the mythology and the story and the characters and I can't wait for book two.

Thank you Entangled teen for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please be warned this review contains spoilers.

This book started so promising. I was captivated by Sigrid and Hesteur and Sigrid's longing to be a Valkyrie. I loved how determined Sigrid was, doing everything in her power to train and fight like a Valkyrie even on the ground.
About half way through, when Sigrid goes to Helheim, is where my interest fell flat. So far the plot had been decent, there were cute moments between Sigrid and Mariam and even a couple scenes that made me laugh. The dialogue became quite confusing when they group reached Helheim, especially between Mariam and Sigrid when they were arguing outside the gates. It felt like things not even related to the conversation were being brought up and it went in very lopsided circles.

When we find out Sigrid is Elina's daughter, that did surprise me. I was disappointed in how fast their relationship went forward and it just felt extremely unrealistic even in a fantasy book. Elina's "betrayal" ( if you can even call it that, Elina literally said what she wanted to do from the beginning ) bored me. After that point in the book is where I got very close to DNFing. Some of the action sequences were decent, but the plot quickly deescalated.
One of the only aspect's I enjoyed at the end of the book was that Sigrid didn't become a full Valkyrie, staying with Hesteur and doing Valkyrie work on the ground.

Overrall it wasn't the worst book I've read but certainly not the best. If the plot was paced better and the dialogue made more sense near the end, I would've bumped this to a 4, perhaps even a 5 star read.

This book is a beautiful, easy flowing story about an underdog and a sapphic enemies to lovers.

It follows Sigrid as she attempts to discover more about herself, her past and her future. Using Norse mythology as inspiration, a beautiful world is developed and the interactions between our main characters and the worlds around them is easily discovered and understood.

This story is about Sigrid discovering her place in the world, coming to love and cherish what she already has while embracing something a little new for her. The chapters flow easily and the entire story makes you want to continue reading.

I cannot wait for more of Sigrid's stories.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4446750841

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was spot on, and I loved the character's depths and how they interacted with everyone. It was such a fast, fun read, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost in a great story for a while! I love Norse mythology, and this definitely scratched my itch for a good book that included it.

“You’re the most talented rider I’ve ever seen, stable girl.” Mariam nudged her and smiled. “Yggdrasil threw you the most powerful horse to ever exist. Now what are you going to do with him?”

Sigrid had dreamed of being a Valkyrie since she was a little girl, but that dream would always be just out of reach since her bonded horse Hestur has no wings. After seeing a prophecy where she is riding one of the most legendary horses of all time, Sleipnir, Sigrid resolves to take fate into her own hands. Readers who pick up Tiana Warner’s The Helheim Princess can expect great characters, lots of action, and an exciting story inspired by norse myth.

As a fan of Norse mythology, I absolutely had to read this book after seeing the blurb. I appreciated how the author brought in some more obscure figures from the myths (like Ratatosk) instead of just focusing on the most popular ones like Loki or Odin or Thor. It’s always a lot of fun to be surprised by a story, and Ms. Warner did exactly that. Her slight changes to the versions of the myths that I’m familiar with served the story well, and it still honored the heart of the tales.

I’m a sucker for an underdog story, and Tiana is the type of character who just makes you want to root for her. I wanted her to prove all the stuck up Valkyries wrong from the very first page. You don’t need a flying horse to be a badass female warrior. Hestur is awesome and he’s the fastest horse on land (outside of Sleipnir) even without wings. I really enjoyed her journey and the character development over the course of the story.

For those in search of books with more diverse characters, the culture of The Helheim Princess is very LGBTQ friendly (the author is part of the community too). Sigrid is queer/lesbian (her love interest is a girl) and its quite common for Valkyries to have wives. The relationship between Sigrid and Mariam is a very sweet sapphic romance suitable for young adult readers.

Altogether, The Helheim Princess by Tiana Warner is an exciting, action packed, sapphic young adult fantasy romance. I would happily recommend it to fans of mythology or those who love reading stories with strong female lead characters. Can’t wait to read the next book in The Helheim Prophecy series, and find out what’s next for Sigrid.

Thank you to the author, Entangled Teen and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of the book at no cost to myself. I appreciate the opportunity immensely! Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed The Helheim Princess. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

I have major mixed feelings about this book. ‘The Helheim Princess’ at first glance looks to be a YA fantasy based on Norse Mythology, specifically Valkyries. I was very disappointed in the lack of actual Norse Mythology in the book, we see not a single Norse God and they are barley even mentioned. Now it’s always a challenge to take something such as Norse Mythology and turn it into its own unique world but this just didn’t hit the spot of a Norse Mythology based story. The lack of Viking influence is also noticeable, mentioned a few times, but still very lacking.

While the plot, world and story themselves are nice, I could not connect with a single character. The pace of the book itself was annoying, sometimes too slow and stayed on one single topic for chapters and then other times it seemed too fast and had full battles within a few short chapters. All in all it left me without much motivation to finish, I only did finish for the plot. The plottwists were unexpected yet in a way that after you reach them you realize you should’ve expected it. The romance felt a little forced in the beginning but by the end seemed to be a viable point of the plot- when the main character is forced to choose between the love interests and taking down the villain.

One of the things I absolutely adored about this book is the amount of details when it came to the horses (and Pegasi.) I didn’t found out until after finishing the book that the author is in fact an equestrian, much like myself. I’ve never once read a book with this intense amount of details- from in the saddle training to simple things like cleaning hooves. The author did a great job of incorporating every little horse based detail but in a way that it’s easy to understand to a non-horse person. All in all, really enjoyable.

I do want to note that I did enjoy this book, while it was difficult to continue in some parts it is an enjoyable novel if you enjoy Norse Mythology inspired novels.

First off, the idea of Valkyrie is what brought me in but this love story is the best thing to come out of this story. The instant chemistry between the characters and their journey with finding themselves is incredible. It feels like we are just touching the surface of this world and there is so much more to explore so I am hoping this book will continue into a series! 5⭐️