The Strange Maid by Tessa Gratton (review)

This companion novel to The Lost Sun (BCCB 9/13) treats the same events but from a dramatically different perspective—instead of seeing the world from the point of view of Soren, the berserker who wishes he wasn’t, the reader is introduced to Signy, a Valkyrie-to-be who just needs to solve a riddle in order to take her place beside Odin. Signy begins with the single-minded mission of finally figuring out what the stone heart in her riddle might be, but along the way she finally learns to see beyond the grief and desperation that have long marked her behavior to understand that others might care about her a great deal. Because of the new protagonist, Gratton is able to smoothly orient new readers to this alternative United States (of Asgard), where Norse gods and goddesses are physically present in the lives of the characters (while most are only mentioned briefly, berserkers, trolls, and goddesses dripping with sexual power abound). The sharp pace and snappy narration from the other novel carry over as Signy, like Soren, is bright, intense, and more interested in action than contemplation. Her tendency to dive in first and consider later is expertly contrasted with a philosophical tone about fate. Readers will probably benefit from a love of, or at the very least, a deep curiosity about Norse mythology in order to maximize the references they catch, but for Thor fans and other Norseophiles there is much humor and wry analysis as well as a lively story.