Brynhild is a Valkyrie: shieldmaiden of the All-Father, chooser of the slain. But now she too has fallen, flightless in her exile. Gudrun is a princess of Burgundy, a daughter of the Rhine, a prize for an invading king – a king whose brother Attila has other plans, and a dragon to call upon. And in the songs to be sung, there is another hero: Sigurd, a warrior with a sword sharper than the new moon. As the legends tell, these names are destined to be rivals, fated as enemies. But here on Midgard, legends can be lies… For not all heroes are heroic, nor all monsters monstrous. And a shieldmaiden may yet find that love is the greatest weapon of all. From Sunday Times bestselling author Kate Heartfield comes a glorious, lyrical retelling of one of Norse mythology’s greatest epics.
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3.5 stars
The Valkyrie by Kate Heartfield is a beautifully poetic retelling of the story of Brynhildr and Gudrun. The story reads as a conversation between two women in love as they discuss their lives before they meet again in the end. There are battles fought, lost and won. There are historical moments mentioned throughout and visceral descriptions of war and the battlefield. When we first meet the two narrators of the story, Brynhildr is an exiled Valkyrie, punished for not following Odin’s orders and Gudrun is a princess off to marry Atilla’s brother Bleda in an attempt to garner peace. ‘The Valkyrie’ is bathed in Norse mythology with Odin, Loki, Freyja and Hel appearing throughout.
There was a reflective tone to the story, as two people who are looking back at the end of it all. There were sweet moments but if the characters hadn’t been telling me in their narrative what their feelings for each other were I wouldn’t have thought for a second that they cared for each other at all.
Thank you so much to the Author, Harped Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. I can see that there was a lot of work and love put into the books creation.
0When I first grabbed this book, I didn't know what this book contained — a sapphic romance between Brynhild and Gudrun — until later on. And I quite enjoyed it so much more! (Even teared up at some parts lol-) The way the author brought in this interpretation of Norse Mythology is amazing and I wanted to eat it all up and keep it in my soul for all eternity!
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