Strong, Valla Will Sail Right Into Your Heart
We’ve talked a little before about how I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with fantasy. Mostly love, but I forget or live in a state of denial or something. Well, I’m so glad I grabbed this one because I loved it! And I think I realized that I do much better with fantasy when I listen instead of reading. Possibly the level of complexity somehow works better with listening. Who knows!
About the Book
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/43NCXfJ
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/400OKFY
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32565780-the-book-of-bera
Author Website: https://www.suziewilde.co.uk/
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Born and raised in a stark, coastal village on the shore of the Ice-Rimmed Sea, Bera is the daughter of a Valla, the Vikings’ most powerful seers. But her mother died when she was young, leaving Bera alone with her gift, unable to control her feckless twin spirit or understand her visions of the future.
When this inability leads to the death of her childhood friend at the hands of a rival clan, Bera vows revenge. And learning that her father has sold her into marriage with the murderous enemy’s chieftain, she is presented with an opportunity even sooner than she had hoped…
As her powers grow stronger, her visions of looming disaster become more and more ominous until she is faced with the ultimate choice: will she exact vengeance? Or can she lead her people to safety before it’s too late?
My Thoughts
I adored Bera! Maybe not from the first page, but her character growth and arc are amazing. I can’t wait for the next book to see her grow even more. She’s pretty kick-ass from the beginning, but the Bera at the end of the book is a force to be reckoned with and I was here for it. She is an amazing character, and she alone is enough to recommend this book. But, of course, there are other things that make the book stand out.
Like any great heroine, Bera isn’t perfect. She is vengeful, she makes bad decisions, and she is on occasion unkind. But she does learn from her mistakes. The relationships she builds in this book, as well as the ones she has in her memories and recalls throughout the book, are strong and beautiful. She builds a found family that stands behind her when she needs them and helps her achieve her full potential, and then some probably.
Without giving anything away, the complexity of some of the characters is just mind-blowing. The growth, as well as the revelations of just how beautifully complex they were all along, is just wonderful. Twists that reveal things Bera didn’t know, and thus we didn’t know, made the book purely brilliant.
This beautifully complex and magical world seems well-researched. I believe it is an alternate reality/fantasy version of history, but it could very well be based on the religions and beliefs of historical people. I really couldn’t tell you. Either way, the setting seems rather accurate to a world during a similar time period. The author painted a rich tapestry of tradition and culture, even within a somewhat primitive environment. It is sometimes easy for us to imagine that because people didn’t have the same technologies or advancement they were somehow less cultured, and in some ways these people were. But this book showed clearly how they loved, celebrated, fought, and hurt, just like we do today.
Like so many young girls in a fantasy setting, the main character is strong beyond what is expected of her. She is sold in marriage as property, but the outcome is amazing. She is fierce and strong. These are the kind of characters that I want my daughter to read about, the sort of strong examples our daughters need in the world of literature. I am so excited to have read this book, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. I’m grateful to the author, the publisher, and Love Books Tours for including me on this Tour.
The audiobook was an amazing experience. The author narrated it herself, and I always enjoy that. I believe that the author knows better than anyone how the characters are meant to express their thoughts and such. It was especially nice that the author has experience with podcasts so she was expressive and narrated beautifully.
Who’s It For?
If you like Vikings, you’ll love this book. Also, if you love strong female characters and strong familial, especially found family, stories, this is the book for you. The main character is a young woman, but I don’t think this is a young adult novel. While I would love for my daughter to see Bera’s strength, there are quite a few situations within the pages that seem inappropriate for a child/young adult.
Content Warning: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Violence, Graphic Death, Kidnapping, Slavery, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault
About the Author
Suzie Wilde was born and raised with a cemetery between her and the sea. Her Welsh mother, a psychic who could smell death coming, gave her a love of her country’s myths. Mooching in book shops every Saturday, Suzie found a now-treasured copy of Norse Wonder Tales. Her early reading was horror comics like Tales from the Crypt; all Dennis Wheatley books and of course, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
With BA Hons degrees in English and Fine Art, she taught those subjects before marrying Rory Bremner and falling in love with Scotland. Her second husband Richard gave her a love of sailing and they headed south on their boat for five years, with Labrador Maud. On their return to the UK, she gained a Distinction in MA Creative Writing.
What else could she write but an epic Viking fantasy? Her latest professional challenge was to narrate the audiobook of the first book, Sea Paths, which is now on Audible.
You can also catch her popular podcast Talking Books, with Tim O’Kelly of indie bookshop One Tree Books. It’s monthly, with guest author interviews.
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Published by Amorina Carlton. Award-winning American author, Amorina Carlton, is currently working on her first novel. You can find more about her published work and works in progress on the home page. She also serves as the PR/Marketing Lead for Ravens and Roses Publishing, and reviews books, mostly by other indie authors, here and on Bookstagram.