ARC REVIEW: The Valkyrie's Daughter (The Helheim Prophecy #1) by Tiana Warner

The Valkyrie's Daughter (The Helheim Prophecy #1) by Tiana Warner
Rating: 4 Stars

Release Date: July 26, 2022

Format: eARC

Publisher: Entangled Teen

*Note: The original title of this book was The Helheim Princess, which featured a different cover (featured below)

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“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 Sigrid 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.

About the Book

Teenage stable hand Sigrid wants to become one of the mighty and fearless valkyries. But with only a wingless gelding as her bonded pair, there's no chance in Hel of that happening.

When a vision shows Sigrid leading a valkyrie charge on the legendary eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, a greater destiny becomes possible. Determined to fulfill it, she makes an alliance with an enemy valkyrie who has nothing to lose, who seems to have an agenda all her own, and who leaves Sigrid more than a little flustered.

Together, they cross the nine worlds, battling night elves, riding sea serpents, and hurtling into fire to learn the truth about Sigrid's birthright. An unexpected but powerful friendship forms, and Sigrid hopes even something more.

In the deepest realms of the cosmos, Sigrid must decide between a destined fate or a chosen path.

About the Author

Tiana Warner is an LGBTQ+ author from British Columbia, Canada, best known for her critically acclaimed, #1 Amazon bestselling series, Mermaids of Eriana Kwai. Her forthcoming YA sapphic fantasy novel, The Valkyrie's Daughter, launches soon with Entangled Teen.

Aside from writing stories, Tiana is a former programmer with a Computer Science degree, a lifelong horseback rider, and an outdoor enthusiast who loves to explore BC with her hyperactive rescue mutt, Joey. Contact her at tiana [at] tianawarner.com.

Interview with Tiana Warner, Author of The Valkyrie's Daughter

INTERVIEW 

Hi friends! I'm pleased to be featuring an interview with Tiana Warner today. Her latest novel, The Valkyrie's Daughter, will be released with Entangled Teen on July 26 (next week). You may also know this book as The Helheim Princess, as the book received a new cover and title in January of this year. Thank you to Tiana for agreeing to this interview and answering my questions! I appreciate the opportunity immensely. Don't forget to add The Valkyrie's Daughter to your TBR list - there is still time to pre-order the book before it's released in a week! 

Q&A with Tiana Warner

• If you could tell your younger writer self one thing, what would it be and why? 

• Enjoy the process! I spend a lot of time impatiently waiting for the end result, and I especially did that in my first few years as a writer. But it takes years to create a book from start to finish, and many more years to make a full-time career out of being an author (I’m still not there—though I’m closer every day!). Dreaming of big things is wonderful, but you also have to enjoy the journey, because you spend most of your time there.

• For readers who haven't discovered The Valkyrie’s Daughter, how would you summarize it in a tweet?

• A YA Fantasy with a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance. Sigrid wants more than anything to be a valkyrie, who are warrior women on winged horses. So she recruits the help of an enemy valkyrie and travels through the nine Norse worlds to find Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged stallion.

• What does your writing space look like?
• I can either be found at my wooden standing desk, which is a lovely space covered in books, journals, a Himalayan salt lamp, a succulent in a jar, and book-related trinkets… or on the couch wrapped in a blanket like a burrito. Honestly, it’s usually the latter.

• I love the Norse mythology references in the book. My favorite god in Norse mythology is Loki (I'm a big fan of tricksters) - who is your favorite figure out of Norse mythology? 
• I love Loki too! The mischief and unpredictability are so fun. I also love Sleipnir, because the idea of the most powerful horse in the world, who is faster, stronger, and can jump higher than any other, is pretty cool. I imagine him to be a total handful.

• What do you hope readers will take away from the book? 
• I hope readers will enjoy an escape into a mythical world, and I hope they’ll connect with Sigrid’s journey in some way. We’re all on a quest to discover our place in the world(s), and I think Sigrid learns some great lessons about fate
• What did you find easiest and hardest about writing the book?
• Writing Sigrid’s inner journey was both. When you’re writing an #ownvoices story, it’s easy to connect with the protagonist. It was easy to write Sigrid’s feelings and write about her process of discovering that she has a crush on a girl. But at the same time, it’s tough writing a character’s inner world, because they face obstacles we never have! Like, I’ve never had to ride to the underworld and face a hellhound, but I have backpacked through Europe and learned things about myself along the way, so… maybe similar emotions apply? This is what I love so much about reading and writing fantasy—you get to experience real, relatable feelings in an extraordinary setting.
• If you could be best friends with one person in your book, who would it be? I would probably pick Sigrid! 
• It’s really hard to choose. I love so many characters! Probably Sigrid. I think we would have fun galloping across Vanaheim’s grassy fields together.
• If readers enjoy The Valkyrie’s Daughter, what books would you recommend they read after? 
• They would like my Mermaids of Eriana Kwai trilogy, which is also a YA Fantasy with a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance. The success of that series inspired me to write this one! The first book in that series is Ice Massacre, and it’s being adapted into a comic/graphic novel, so if you like comics, definitely check that out too.
• What books are on your to-be-read list that you're most anxious to get to?
• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is next on my Audible wishlist.
• What projects are you currently working on?
• Several things to be excited about! 2022 is actually huge:
• The Ice Massacre webcomic is ongoing, and we release a new page every week.
• On Feb 2nd I’m launching patreon.com/tianawarner, where I’ll release a new sapphic story every week.
• I have a contemporary romance coming out with Ylva Publishing this summer.
• I have a paranormal f/f romance novella coming out in August, which will be part of a box set called Eternally Hers.
• And finally, the sequel to The Valkyrie’s Daughter is underway!
• I’m ridiculously excited for all of it. Please sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss them!

About the Book

A thrilling, intricate, and romantic #OwnVoices LGBTQ fantasy that builds on Norse mythology into a beautiful story all its own.

For as long as Sigrid could remember, she’s wanted to become a mighty, fearless valkyrie. But without a winged mare, she’s a mere stable hand, left wondering who her parents were and why she’s so different. So when the Eye shows her a vision where she's leading a valkyrie charge on the legendary eight-legged horse Sleipnir, she grabs the possibility of this greater destiny with both hands, refusing to let go.

Too bad that the only one who can help her get there is Mariam, an enemy valkyrie who begrudgingly agrees to lead her to Helheim but who certainly can’t be trusted―even if she does make Sigrid more than a little flustered. As they cross the nine worlds, battling night elves, riding sea serpents, and hurtling into fire to learn the truth about Sigrid’s birthright, an unexpected but powerful bond forms.

As her feelings for Mariam deepen into something fiery and undeniable, Fate has other plans for Sigrid. What happens when the one thing you think you were meant to do might end the nine worlds?

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About the Author

Tiana Warner is an LGBTQ+ author from British Columbia, Canada, best known for her critically acclaimed “Mermaids of Eriana Kwai” trilogy and its comic adaptation. Tiana is a lifelong horseback rider, a former programmer with a Computer Science degree, and an outdoor enthusiast who loves to explore nature with her musician boyfriend and their hyperactive rescue mutt, Joey. Find her online at tianawarner.com.

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