Dead Radiance

I have never read a book about Valkyrie. I've seen them mentioned in books, but not as the main type of creature. Dead Radiance did not disappoint.

When you begin Bryn's journey, you don't really know what is going on. With Aidan's arrival, pieces begin to fall together. The only thing I didn't understand was the instant attraction between the two. I'm not sure if there is more to it other than he's hot and mysterious. I love the world building. We've seen Asgard in movies like Thor, but Ayer's description is a million times better. I could see the palace walls forming around me.

There were a couple of moments when the writing seems a little choppy, but that could be because I have zero knowledge on anything dealing with Norse mythology. show more I know a lot more though, and I love how the gods are portrayed in different books, as well as mythologies. I have been left wanting to learn more. :D

The characters were great. It was easy to be annoyed with Aidan considering how he behaves. I love Bryn. She's a strong character. She may not always make the right decisions, but she is loyal to those she cares about. She is also protective.

All in all, I really liked this book. I'm ready to jump into Dead Embers to see what Bryn is up against next. :D show less

Bryn Halbrook has always been able to see auras, but she just realized that they mean that the person will soon die. After the death of her best friend, a new guy (Aidan) moves into her foster home and she reluctantly starts to have feelings for him. However, he is no orphan, he was sent to find information about her. While dealing with Aidan's betrayal Bryn learns she is a Valkyrie and adventure begins.

Read the full review at Witchmag's Boekenplank

What an awesome book! Although it took some time to build the story, once that was over I was hooked and read till it was finished ^^ At first I thought this story would be about Valkyrie only, but there’s a lot more Norse mythology in this book! We get to know Asgard and the Bifrost. I really liked how detailed the world of the gods was, it was clearly thought through. It was so full of details and written in such a way that sometimes I got the feeling I was actually there! T.G. Ayer obviously did her research on Norse mythology, I even discovered some new facts! Did you know that not all soldiers who have fallen in battle go to Valhalla? It’s actually 50 / 50. One half goes to Freya show more and the other half goes to Odin.

And now on to our heroine: Bryn. At first I had a little trouble with the roller coaster of emotions that Bryn experiences. In a short amount of time, so many things happen. Initially I thought it would be because Bryn is a Valkyrie, and that’s why she experiences all those emotions. That or it’s because she’s a teenager, and teenagers have a lot of hormones… But it was good to see the change she went through after she discovers her heritage. She becomes more sure of herself, and I grew to love her more and more.

I was less thrilled about Loki and how he’s portrayed in this story. It’s a little easy to go this route. Okay he doesn’t have a good name in the world of the Gods, but I recently finished the movie Thor, and I liked him way better there. He was a lot nicer (of course that was before I saw the Avengers). Therefore it was a bit hard to put that Loki and this one together as actually being the same person. So I had some trouble with it, since the Loki in this books isn’t sympathetic at all.

The ending could have been better. T.G. Ayer obviously wanted to create one mayor cliffhanger and some things had to happen to build one. It just didn’t have the desired effect. The changes were too sudden and therefore became a little forced. This made some reactions not very likely, especially with the roles they played in the story. Besides I’m not that fond of cliffhangers ;)

Conclusion

4 HEARTS. I enjoyed this book immensely. The world of the Norse gods was written very well, with a lot of details. The story is also rock solid. I’d only prefer it if Loki was given another role and if there was a different build up to the ending, but that doesn’t mean I’m not waiting impatiently till I can read the next book! show less

A light, fun read with interesting characters and a world I'd like to learn more of. I was particularly taken with Ayer's version Fenrir.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I might pick up the next in the series. I really did enjoy the world and watching Bryn's growth throughout the story. Unfortunately there were several places that shook my suspension of disbelief (mainly where characters seemed to have far to easy a time accepting their world being turned upside down) and a few continuity issues. Like when Bryn seemed to planning to escape Asgard at the earliest opportunity, and then out of no where is thinking that she misses the real world, but wouldn't go back because it's so much better to have purpose in her life, the way she does show more in Asgard.

Folks who enjoy new takes on old myths will enjoy this one, and the romance between Bryn and Aidan is often very sweet. show less

I love this debut book by T. G. Ayer. I will admit that once I read the synopsis I was pretty much hooked. Dead Radiance is one of the best YA Mythology/Paranormal books I have read this year.

Bryn is a teen lost in the foster system since her father died. In her latest foster home, Ms. Craven has made her feel welcomed along with her foster siblings. Then Bryn sees the glow around one of the boys. This kind of glow she has seen before when she was younger but she never knew what it meant. She had seen this recently to two others and a few days later they died. Bryn turns to Aiden, the newest foster boy. He believes her and suddenly packs up and leaves. Bryn is upset and find he had left a book behind. This book is helps her learn who show more and what she is.

Bryn is a wonderful character who became more interesting as the story went on. Her relationship with Aiden is complex and I can’t wait to find out what happens to them. To say I am looking forward to the next book in this fabulous series is a serious understatement. show less

Dead Radiance by T.G. Ayer

Dead Radiance is a Mythology adventure, this is something I don’t normally read but to be honest I loved the cover and decided I should read it. T.G. Ayer writing is good, the story flowed well, character descriptions were well written well and I felt like I got to know and understand the main characters.

We meet Bryn Halbrook, her mother deserted her and when her father died she was placed into foster care. Bryn knows she is different and feels as she has never really fit in. Figuring out that she sees a person’s aura and when it lights up they usually end up dying. She of course tells no one. When a young man comes to live in her foster home things start to unravel for her. Finding out more about her show more father work and where she came from is very confusing, trying to piece everything together and realizing she is in danger she must leave her home to keep her foster family safe. The next part of this story then takes place Asgard, the city of Odin. Bryn learns she is a Valkyrie and a very powerful one. We meet some new characters and some old ones return. This story is faced paced, has some mystery/suspense and if full of some very interesting Mythology.

This book takes you on a Mythology ride and I quite enjoyed it.

I have rated Dead Radiance 4 stars and I cannot wait to read Dead Embers (Valkyrie, #2).


*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising* show less

Not sure what the Gods of Photoshop did to this poor model's head, but something is definitely amiss. However, Valkyries = HELL YES. Do not disappoint me, book.

Side note: it looks like Kindle owners who have Prime can borrow this for free with the Kindle Lending Library thing they do.