This is my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more by them! This is such a uniquely written story that you will find yourself thinking about long after you finish it. Highly recommend!!

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

Sigrid is an orphan and stable hand who wants to be a Valkyrie. While Hestur, her horse, is the fastest horse around, Valkyries ride winged mounts, which is not Hestur, and Valkyries are sky troops, not ground troops. Nothing she has done has been able to convince General Eira to give her a chance to prove herself, confining her to life as a stable hand, tending to the Valkyries mounts and dealing with the teasing and disdain of the junior Valkyries. The kingdom of Vanaheim, where Sigrid lives, is attacked. The assumption is that the attackers will target the royal family, so efforts are made to keep them safe. However, hiding in the stable, Sigrid overhears an enemy Valkyrie (Mariam) talking about the Eye of Hnitbjorg, which was a magical stone that showed visions about the nine worlds, and that they could not return to Helheim (the underworld) without it. Unable to find anyone to warn that the Eye was in danger, Sigrid and Hestur set off to try to stop the theft. Sigrid is ultimately unsuccessful, but in the process, she touches the Eye and sees a vision of herself riding Sleipnir (Odin's eight-legged horse) and leading an army of Valkyries.

Sigrid is determined to try to fulfill her destiny, helping Mariam escape on the condition that she leads Sigrid to Helheim, where Sleipnir is in the possession of Queen Elina. Sigrid, Hestur, and Mariam will have quite an adventure traveling to Helheim, and they will be aided by a night elf named Fisk. Meeting Queen Elina will provide Sigrid with answers to her questions about her parents and her past. Sigrid will also be given the opportunity to fulfill her destiny and not only be a Valkyrie but be a Valkyrie general leading an army. However, Sigrid will discover that Elina just wants to use her for her own benefit/enhanced power, and that the opportunity presented to her comes with costs which are much greater than she is willing to endure. She will realize that the life she had was actually pretty good, and that there are opportunities to make a difference and have a meaningful life while still being true to herself, especially with the help of old and new friends.

This was a delightful, quick read. The pacing of the storyline was excellent and the main character is extremely well developed. I appreciated the thoughtfulness given to the interactions between the characters, and how the characters grew from their mistakes and choices. I would have liked to see a little more development with the romance and some of the ending fights and scenes in Hel felt a bit rushed compared to the first part of the book, but overall this was a highly enjoyable, smooth read.

Ratings 3.5 stars

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review.

When a valkyrie is born at the same time her winged mare is born. They share a connection in their soul as they grow, train, and battle together. So when Sigrid showed up in the Valkyrie nursery paired with a plain brown horse they had no idea how she got there, or what to do with her. Sigrid grows up a stable girl, tending to her horse Hestur and all the Valkyrie’s mares. She loves what she does but deep down she yearns to be a Valkyrie. When Vanaheim is attacked, Sigrid is the only one who overhears what they are after. The eye of Hnitbjorg is the source of the seer’s power and what gives her her visions. In an attempt to save the eye Sigrid is shown a vision of her future riding alongside the Valkyries. Now we see how far she will go to make the vision come true.

This is a book very loosely based on Norse mythology. It is also a story of an underdog desperate to change her fate. I enjoyed watching Sigrid fight to be who she knew she could be. And watching her relationship with Mariam blossom from adversaries, to friends, to a blossoming relationship was too cute. As someone who enjoys mythology I did enjoy this book. I enjoyed Warner’s take on the mythology that led to a new and good story. I look forward to the story being continued.

I’m glad I requested this ARC when it was titled The Helheim Princess with the gorgeous cover because with this new bland cover of The Valkyrie’s Daughter I don’t think I would’ve even bothered to read the blurb. They downgraded with the cover for sure but the book itself was fantastic. I missed out on sleep 2 nights in a row because I couldn’t stop reading and my workdays were filled with eager anticipation of getting home so I could read some more.

Prophecy can be a risky storytelling device because when you reveal big pieces of the climatic ending so early, the journey leading up to it has to be just as interesting to keep the readers attention, and you have to keep enough surprises in store for later once the prophecy has come to pass. Warner did this flawlessly. Sigrid, Mariam, and Fisk are wonderful characters with personalities, flaws, and realistic motivations and backstories. The supporting characters were written well, too. I’ve never been so attached to a fictional horse, but Hestur is everything. I can’t wait for the sequel.

“The Valkyrie’s Daughter” was a really great read! It’s definitely a good book for people who grew up reading Percy Jackson.

It was a bit slow here and there, but I think it is a really great start to a series (which is hopefully where this is headed). This is definitely a book I want to revisit!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Valkyrie's Daughter was a very interesting book. At first, I was confused though. Mostly because my kindle kept showing a different title than what goodreads was. Eventually the lightbulb went off in my mind and I quickly realized that the title changed. Way, way, after I downloaded it to my kindle.

Originally under The Helheim Princess, you are still following the adventure of Sigrid. She is an orphan and had dreams of becoming a Valkyrie. Hence the title change. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and dreams are crushed. Quite violently. Okay, just kidding! She actually ends up bonding with a normal horse instead of a winged one. So, yeah, her dreams were crushed still.

Luckily, for all of us, she doesn't take that for an answer and trains in private. Of course, once things are starting to get better for her there's an attack. While figuring out that a certain ancient relic is about to be stolen, so goes off and takes it for herself. Which ends up showing her a vision that ends up reigniting her hopes and dreams.

Besides Sigrid, we meet Mariam. Now she is a Valkyrie who unfortunately ends up being captured. After freeing her, they start their own adventure. I honestly really enjoyed getting to know these two. Obviously, I had a favorite of the two because Sigrid was just so easy to like. She fascinated me and I just wanted to see her dreams come true.

The adventure, and slow burn of a romance, definitely kept the pages turning. It was honestly so easy to devour this in one sitting and I'm freaking happy that I got the chance to jump into this beautiful book. Not so secretly, I am beyond excited for the next book to come out and hope to get the chance to read it as soon as possible.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

What if we were kind of both Valkyries but we were fighting for the other side and have to work together to accomplish our destiny???

This book was a joy to read from the beginning to the end. If your a fan of Norse mythology, especially the Valkyries, then this is a must read. The romance between Sirgrid and Mariam was a delicious little slow burn enemies to lovers, with the perfect about of heart ache and longing.

I grew to love every character in this story, a few that even surprised me. My one complaint is that the final "fight" scene that molds into about three fights scenes, was a tad long for my taste. But overall a great story and I will gladly read the sequel. I am left with some questions that I'm intrigued enough to want the answer too.

Also wlw main spring with spears?! I mean, come on.

The Valkyrie’s Daughter is a sapphic take on Norse mythology, focused around Sigrid – the only girl in the Valkyrie training camp without a flying horse, who is desperate to prove that she is worthy of something. I was excited to see what this book could do with the source material, and it does do a good job in that regard: the focus on valkyries in particular allowed for a relatively feminist take on the myths that gave us a wide variety of female characters and allowed them a chance to shine. There are also some fun horse-chase scenes that I really enjoyed.

However; overall, this book reminded me of a slightly aged up version of a Rick Riordan story. It would be a good fit for younger readers who are looking to make the transition from middle grade to young adult, or who have simply read all the available books in those series and are looking for more. But for an adult reader – or a more mature YA reader – there simply isn’t a lot to offer here. There is no nuance in Sigrid’s story – every emotion is telegraphed very explicitly on page – and the plot twists are all very predictable, regardless of whether the reader has any background in the original myths. It does hit the emotional beats well, especially in the back half of the book, when Sigrid’s family origins come into play, and the romance between Sigrid and Mariam is sufficiently sweet, but The Valkyrie’s Daughter isn’t quite the refreshing new addition to the genre I’d been hoping for.

I was super excited about this book; I mean it’s about Valkyries, but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to it’s premise. The beginning of the book was ok but then it got slow and boring. I found myself looking at the percentage read and thinking, “I’ve only read 3% more, it felt like so much more.” The activity picked up at the end but by then I just wanted the book to be over. I didn’t care for how the relationship between Sigurd and Mariam was left, but I guess this is supposed to be a first book in a series.

I didn’t care very much for Sigrid. I found her very selfish and so obsessed with her destiny. The other characters were much better. I, of course, loved the horse Hestur, Fisk was cute, and even Mariam wasn’t that bad. Sigrid did grow by the end, but by then she had annoyed me so much, I was over it.

The ending was a little complicated but it was definitely something I was not expecting. And it left open mysteries to be solved in the later books. I just don’t think I’ll be reading them.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. The opinions expressed within are my own. “

My go to genre is fantasy and so this book was definitely in my wheelhouse.
This is the story of a young girl, Sigrid, who is a stable hand who dreams of becoming a Valkyrie.
When her village is attacked, the attackers take a magic stone. Before they do, Sigrid briefly holds the stone and sees a glimpse of her future. The story then follows Sigrid as she sets out on an adventure to find the magic stone, the Eye of Hnitbjorg, and return it to her village. I loved the adventure and the relationships that developed between the characters. For people who enjoy fantasy, I would recommend this book. Happy reading!

This book was an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. The Norse mythology aspect is fascinating. I really like the main character, Sigrid, and found myself both rooting for her and feeling annoyed and angry by some of her decisions. One of my absolute favorite relationships in the book was between Sigrid and her horse, Hestur. For all those people who went through a phase of longing for a horse, I think they will be pleased by the descriptions of their bond and how well Sigrid cares for Hestur. The author does a wonderful job with sensory details. It is a quick and entertaining book!

This book has been on my radar for quite a while! In fact, it's been on my radar for so long that it got a new title and cover design before it's release! This book used to be known as The Helheim Princess, if you've seen me mention it before.

This is a Norse Mythology inspired Sapphic fantasy, and it was such a fun read! We follow Sigrid, who is a stable hand whose only wish is to become one of the fabled Valkyries. In this world, you can only become a Valkyrie if you were bonded to a winged horse at birth, and Sigrid was bonded to a regular horse. She eventually sees a vision of her riding on the legendary eight-legged horse Sleipnir and decides that she is going to do everything she can to fulfill her destiny.

The characters were a big highlight for me, Sigrid is a total underdog and everyone underestimates her, and I loved her character development. Mirriam is an enemy Valkyrie that Sigrid frees to help her get to Helheim to find her destiny, and the way these two interacted was fun to read about.

To me, this book seems like it would be perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and other series by Rick Riordan, as this read a bit more on the younger side of YA for me. Since I read so many dark fantasy books, and some pretty steamy romances the stakes were much lower than what I'm used to and the romance was more sweet than anything else.

This is a fun book about a girl learning who she is and what she wants in life and has a great adventure with a few twists along the way! Definitely recommend this one, especially if you're looking for a lighter read!

First of all thank you so much for the e-arc !!!

Now, to the review.
I’m going to be completely honest with this one because oml, I tried my best, I PROMISE I TRIED MY BEST.

The book itself it’s good, it’s fun and I gotta love the representation, but it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table NOT in the aspect that it’s warrior women (god bless) and not men, I LIVED FOR THAT.

It just felt looong, can’t really explain how.

Anyway, I will definitely give the book another chance, going to blame my first impression in how my mind was everywhere whilst reading it, so I will be getting it !!

But for now my rating is 3 stars.

Thank you Netgalley! I received an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

The Valkyrie's Daughter by Tiana Warner revolves around Sigrid, who wishes more than anything else in the world to be a valkyrie. She works as a stable hand until one day her home town gets invaded and she finally has the chance to prove her skills.

First things first, the story was absolutely easy to get into it! Since I am a mood reader I sometimes have problems to find my way into a book within the first few pages, but not with this one. I felt like I knew Sigrid even before I read the book. The characters overall were very relatable, likable and written deeply. I am kind of sad the book is over for now. I will miss them for sure.

Almost forgot! I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation here! Not gonna spoil to much :)

The book doesn't stop for a second. If you think you have a few pages to digest all you have read before, you are wrong! There is so much happening, but not so much you are feeling overwhelmed. And prepare yourself for all the twists and turns. Oh dear, I haven't still recovered from them.

Overall, a solid read! I hope there will be more very soon!

The Valkyrie’a Daughter by Tiana Warner explores the story of Sigrid, a female stable hand, who yearns to join the esteemed Valkyries. She is bullied by the junior Valkyries, girls her same age, for her inability to become a warrior due to her bond with a Midgard (Earth) horse instead of a typical winged horse. She finds some friendship amongst the other stable hands, but she secretly trains with her horse to prove her worthiness. One day, everything changes when the kingdom is attacked by other Valkyries, dire wolves and Night Elves. Sigrid rushes to battle, attempting to stop an enemy Valkyrie who attacked the kingdom’s seer for a precious stone that grants visions of the future. In the fight, Sigrid receives a vision of herself leading the Valkyries on the legendary Sleipnir, Orin’s eight-legged horse. Fueled by hopes of a great future, she slips away in the middle of the night to follow the Valkyrie who stole the stone. She is soon captured by another band of Night Elves, but finds the Valkyrie, named Miriam, also captured though without the stone. They form a tense alliance to escape the Night Elves along with a smaller, bullied Night Elf, named Fisk. The three escape and make their way towards Hel, where the stone is being held by its queen, past a series of dangerous obstacles. Their bond grows, but upon their arrival, Sigrid realizes she was misled to Miriam’s true intentions. The queen of Hel actually sought her for her connection with Sleipnir and ability to utilize his power to travel the nine worlds, with which she hopes to overthrow the king of Vanaheim, Sigrid’s home. She then is forced to confront the prospect of her destiny or carve her own.

The book followed a fairly expected plot, though the relationships between Sigrid and her horse as well as between her and Miriam were enjoyable. The romance was a slow burn that had an enjoyable, though not immediately obvious, conclusion. It was not the point of the book, which I really appreciated. The battles were well-described and exciting. The author did a great job making the mythology understandable and relevant to the plot. She did not excessively world-build for the sake of it. She even adapted certain elements to suit the story in a way that made sense with her version of the world. A fun read-alike for fans of Rick Riordan, Norse Mythology and Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas.

2.5 stars Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! First, I’m quite pleased to see a fantasy novel with Norse mythology and a LGBTQ+ love interest. It’s about time I read a book for young readers and see that. It had some action in it that younger readers would love also. While I loved those aspects, the overall story development and interactions left some things to be desired for me. The things Sigrid was saying and thinking just seemed too juvenile. Part of the story dragged for me towards the end, & I found myself skimming. I also wasn’t feeling the plot twist. So, yay for diversity because it had all the sappy feels of the average YA just with the girl having feelings towards another girl, which was refreshing, but meh on dialogue and characters overall. Very clean. Not too much violence. Good for even middle grade readers with just some kissing

The Valkyrie's Daughter was OK, but certainly did not live up to the blurb/synopsis.

What we were promised was a queer Norse mythology novel in which the fate of the nine worlds rests on an orphaned stable hand (the latter part of which had me thinking of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain (suitable for young readers, but which if anything are more rewarding to a mature reader). What we instead got was Rick Riordan-lite, a slow-moving book with choppy writing, stilted dialogue, and a "love" story that really doesn't go anywhere (it takes until the end of the books for the characters to kiss, and then they just...go their separate ways, to different worlds, with a "see ya later!"). The conflict introduced at the start of the book (Sigrid trying to find her place, constantly being snubbed by the valkyries, etc.) just mostly gets dropped. Suddenly the valkyries decide that she's fine, and then the goes back to being a stable hand and just hides Sleipnir in the woods? Absurd!

Overall, this was moderately interesting but nothing special, not terribly well plotted or well written, okay for a young reader who likes fantasy but generally forgettable.

I had wanted to love this, but the main character was so ridiculous in how she felt like she could only be a Valkyrie. People literally called her on it, being like, you can do something else, and she absolutely refused. Also, making the awesome warrior women absolutely horrible and mean made me really angry. I had a hard time wanting the main character to get her dream when she sucked and so did all of them.