Helpful Score: 2
I was given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
First off, let me say I am a huge Shelly Laurenston fan. Whether she's writing as Shelly Laurenston or G. A. Aiken, I have loved all of her previous books and have always had them on my "must buy" list. I was excited to get to read this book since it is the first in a new series--or is it?
Laurenston had previously released a book called Hunting Season, and while I did like it, I did not find it to be as strong as her other series books. This book takes place in the same world as Hunting Season, where the main character Kera has died and become a Crow in the service of the Norse pantheon's Skuld. She falls in love with former Viking and current Raven Vig, and learns to fight and protect the world while maintaining her honor and moral compass.
Overall, while Laurenston's trademark humor is present, the chemistry between the main characters is not as hot as what I am used to from her other books. Also, Laurenston's characters usually have a healthy dose of crazy in them, and while Vig has potential as a crazy character, Kera just wasn't crazy enough for me. I found myself liking her mentor Erin or the leader Chloe much more as they seemed much more typical of the type of characters Laurenston usually writes.
Potential was shown for a sequel with Erin and Steig possibly getting togther, and I will most likely continue to read the series because I love this author so much. However, I do not think this was as strong a start to a new series as it should have been for fans already familiar with Laurenston's work.
First off, let me say I am a huge Shelly Laurenston fan. Whether she's writing as Shelly Laurenston or G. A. Aiken, I have loved all of her previous books and have always had them on my "must buy" list. I was excited to get to read this book since it is the first in a new series--or is it?
Laurenston had previously released a book called Hunting Season, and while I did like it, I did not find it to be as strong as her other series books. This book takes place in the same world as Hunting Season, where the main character Kera has died and become a Crow in the service of the Norse pantheon's Skuld. She falls in love with former Viking and current Raven Vig, and learns to fight and protect the world while maintaining her honor and moral compass.
Overall, while Laurenston's trademark humor is present, the chemistry between the main characters is not as hot as what I am used to from her other books. Also, Laurenston's characters usually have a healthy dose of crazy in them, and while Vig has potential as a crazy character, Kera just wasn't crazy enough for me. I found myself liking her mentor Erin or the leader Chloe much more as they seemed much more typical of the type of characters Laurenston usually writes.
Potential was shown for a sequel with Erin and Steig possibly getting togther, and I will most likely continue to read the series because I love this author so much. However, I do not think this was as strong a start to a new series as it should have been for fans already familiar with Laurenston's work.
