I received this book for free from the author as a free story in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the author as a free story
"Freeze Warning"
by
Susan Krinard
mythic fantasy, urban fantasy in eBook edition that was published by Tor Books on October 23, 2013 and has 32 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Chicks Kick Butt, Black Ice
This is a freebie contracted for by TOR Books and is the prequel to Krinard’s Midgard series revolving around Mist, a Valkyrie sent by Odin to Midgard to protect a treasure of the gods.
My Take
Okay, it’s got a few issues, but I did like this introduction to Krinard’s Midgard series. I’ll definitely be looking for Mist, 1.
There’s nothing particularly twisty about this intro to the Midgard series. Unless you count Norse mythology as “different”, LOL. I certainly haven’t encountered a lot of stories which incorporate Norse gods although many authors do like to use the threat of Ragnarök.
However, Krinard has left me with questions to which I want answers, including the whereabouts of Mist’s fellow Valkyries: “Hild gripping the reins of Odin’s eight-legged steed, Sleipnir; Regin with mighty Mjollnir, Thor’s Hammer; Bryn with Freya’s cloak, which let its wearer fly like a falcon; Sigrun with Gleipnir, the chain that could not be broken, which had snapped when the world began to crumble and released the Great Wolf Fenrir upon Asgard”…”Kara with the Gjallarhorn, already sounded by Heimdall to mark the beginning of the end; Eir with the apples of Idunn, which kept the gods forever young; and, Horja, Olrun, Rota, Skuld, Hrist, each with her own Treasure”.
Naturally, any story that begins with its heroine assuming that the need for care is over is simply a foreshadowing in itself of great danger to come. So I wanna know what form this will take.
With my fascination for history, I want to know more about the events in which Mist has participated — besides the WWII adventure in Norway! Yup, I also want to know what went wrong, dagnabit! Ah, the stories Mist could tell…
There’s something Krinard isn’t telling us about Eric or Bella either. And inquiring minds (mine!) want to know!
The Story
It’s been too long, and “Mist believes all the gods are dead, and she’s slowly settling into a normal life in San Francisco. Just when Mist is ready to give up the duty the All-father laid on her, she meets a mysterious woman … and a man who helps her save Bella’s life…”
The Characters
Mist Bjorgsen is one of the Valkyrie, a guardian appointed by Odin, the All-Father, to protect “the greatest of the Norse god’s treasures — Odin’s spear Gungnir. Kirby and Lee are her Norwegian Forest Cats.
Eric Larsson is a legal consultant who travels the world. And has a heart of gold.
Bella Stratus is a woman who has given up, and yet seems to know more than expected.
Asgard is the home of the gods while Midgard is Earth. The Einherjar are fallen warriors who were deemed worthy and collected by the Valkyries from battlefields to help battle the enemy at Ragnarök, the battle at the end of the world. The Aesir are the Norse gods; the Alfar are elves; and, the Jotunar are frost giants. Loki is the trickster god who will be freed from imprisonment when Ragnarök begins.
The Cover and Title
The cover is certainly brilliant in its pinkness! I must confess that I never associated the Valkyrie with feathers (Freya’s cloak?) nor with pink and both surround and engulf — along with bat wings and what appear to be spine chains of bone (Gleipnir?) — a jean-clad Mist holding Gungnir.
The title is a curiosity as well unless “Freeze Warning” is intended as a warning that Mist “stop” what she’s thinking.
