The Rise of House Valdis (House Valdis Book 1) by Naomi Valkyrie – Review by Angela Hayes

The Rise of House Valdis by Naomi Valkyrie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Rise of House Valdis is the first intriguing story in the House Valdis series, and debut novel by Naomi Valkyrie. This is a very original fantasy, with sci-fi elements, action, danger, ‘powers’, responsibility, discovery, and more. I fell in love with the cover, before I even knew anything about the book. I wanted to read it as soon as I laid eyes on that gorgeous cover. I was so curious to find out what it was all about and couldn’t wait to dive in.
As I said, the story is quite original, with quirky characters who were really well developed and interesting. I definitely wanted to follow Xenobia and the rest of the cast to see how everything would play out in the end. The danger and suspense that was woven into the story added a great level of tension and drama. There was also an emotive quality to parts of the story, which also added to the overall ‘feel’ of the book.
The story is told from multiple, alternating points of view, which gives the reader a broad perspective of everything that’s going on. Naomi Valkyrie style is descriptive and detailed, painting each scene in vivid detail. But I did find that at times the story lagged a bit as we get a little ‘lost’ in the descriptive details. Then at other times I felt there were aspects which weren’t detailed enough- where I had to draw a few of my own conclusions, or where I felt I may have ‘missed’ something (but hadn’t). I did re-read some parts because of this and still was left wondering. This didn’t distract from my overall enjoyment of the book- and I feel it was just a case of Ms. Valkyrie ‘finding her feet’ as a new author. I have debated over what to rate this book , trying to decide between 3 and 4 Stars, but finally settling on 4 for originality. She also deserves credit for a job well done, producing an enjoyable story for her debut.
The ending definitely leaves an opening for another book, or books. After the way this ended, I am intrigued to see where the story might lead us!

Thank you, Naomi Valkyrie!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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