Summary:

Born hearing the call of Valkyries.
Dreaming of distant shores.
Torn between the past and the future.
Destined to become a legend.

Iceland, 976—Freydis Eiriksdottir, born to a völva mother and berserker father, lives a quiet life on her remote farmstead in Iceland. Busy dreaming of the sea and haunted by the loss of her mother, she has no idea what the Norns have in store for her. When her father, Eirik the Red, marries the daughter of a powerful chieftain, the course of Freydis’s life changes forever.

Deciding that Freydis would be better off with the gothar, Eirik sends his only daughter to serve the Norse gods. Freydis learns the ancient ways and discovers that her world is endangered—a rising new religion threatens to reshape everything.

Amidst the uncertainty, a distant land beckons Freydis. However, as Freydis forms a close bond with Brien, an Irish thrall, she confronts the harsh realities of their world.

My Thoughts:

Heart of a Valkyrie is unlike any book I’ve read in a long time. A historical esque fiction following Freydis through her albeit rough and somber life. In fact, the entire book was rough, somber, quite sad, and dark. A father who abandons her, slaves who care for her but are taken away, people who hate her for being her father’s daughter. This novel is a testament to Freydis’ strength and resilience as a person – she does not let any of these things get her down, and continues through life with her viking toughness to become a strong woman.

I will admit, I was expecting ‘serving the gods’ to mean something a bit different than training with the healers, but for a historical fiction, it makes sense.

Overall, Heart of a Valkyrie by Melanie Karsak was enjoyable and set us up very well for book 2. It will be interesting to see what happens in the sequel. If you like viking history and following a girl through many trials and tribulations, then this is the book for you.