Debut Highlight: Rise by Freya Finch
Today on the Rambling Realm, I’d love to highlight an incredible novel by debut author Freya Finch. Rise is a YA fantasy novel about a family of valkyries’ fight to stop Ragnarök in a story that combines the action and adventure of Percy Jackson with the complex heroines of The Cruel Prince.
Pitch
The youngest valkyrie in her family must solve her mother's disappearance and stop Ragnarok.
About the Author
Intrigued? Well, why not read the full plot description?
Description
For seventeen-year-old Bryn, being the youngest, messiest, most rebellious sister in a family of valkyries isn’t easy. Especially considering home is a Renaissance faire in Chicago full of costumed workers who see her as nothing more than a nuisance. When her mother disappears on a mission for Odin, Bryn begins having strange visions about the impending Ragnarök. Bryn senses their mother is in great danger, but her annoyingly perfect older sisters refuse to take her seriously. Their mother is, after all, captain of the valkyries.
Things only take a turn for the worse when a half human, half giant named Juniper crashes the party with a violent zombie in tow, confirming Bryn’s worst fears—her visions of Ragnarök are real. If that wasn’t enough, the faire’s mysterious new addition, Wyatt the Black Knight, just so happens to have a ferocious secret that threatens everyone around him. Determined to survive Ragnarök, Bryn, Juniper, and Wyatt team up to combat the horde of monsters that keeps appearing throughout the faire. But after Bryn ignores the call to deliver Wyatt to Odin’s eternal warriors in Valhalla, choosing to save his life instead, she starts to wonder if she’ll ever get this valkyrie thing right.
Whispers of divine interference—including sightings of the mischievous Loki—reach Bryn’s ears. Soon everyone at the faire becomes a suspect, leaving Bryn, her sisters, and their newfound friends the only ones who can stop the war to end all realms. Whether she’s ready or not, Bryn is about to learn how the ties between fate and choice are as interwoven and unbreakable as the bonds between sisters.
When asked why she wrote Rise, Freya’s answer to an arguably ridiculous question was,
“Because valkyries, lol.”
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Alcohol use
Blood
Death/dying
Drugging
Mention of kidnapping by a parent
Near-drowning
Scars
Violence (fantasy)
Warfare (fantasy)
Weapons (bows and arrows, knives, spears, swords)
What else should you know?
Release Date for Rise is July 2, 2024. Don’t forget to add the book to your Want-To-Read! You can get your copy now by following this link. You can also keep up with Freya Finch's future work and latest updates by visiting her website or following her on Instagram, Tumblr, and Goodreads.
