The Rise of House Valdis (House Valdis Book 1) by Naomi Valkyrie – Review by Sarah Oakes

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

A great read about protection. Xenobia Valdis is an alien being who helps young women out of situations and runs her own company. One day, a man comes into her house with a strange request to save his daughter. Xenobia agrees to help but events unravel and soon she has policemen at her door digging for the truth. Can she make sure her girls stay safe?
A great read. Well developed plot with twists and turns. Well developed characters like Xenobia determined but caring underneath or Matt with a gruff exterior but kind interior. Great cast of supporting characters like the supportive Maggie or the mysterious Javier
However soemtimes it felr like there were too many girls and characters to keep track of which could have been reduced. .
I loved the visual detail throughout the novel like with Xenobias and her blue skin and black eyes making her otherworldly and fascinating and beautiful. Or with the cabin later on with the trees and the lake and the quiet for a sense of peace away from everything. Or the dreams with their sights and sounds so vivid it’s a sid you’re actually there.
A great example of world building with fantatsical creatures living alongside humanity with their own rules and laws and societies. I liked Xenobias creature as was something different to the fantasy genre.
The switch of perspectives worked well to display all the different sides of the story and was easy to follow with names in chapter titles. The only issue I would raise is that the book felt more centered on romance than the supernatural which may deter some readers. There were also some long sentences in places that were hard to read which could be resolved with a variety of sentence lengths. Overall, a great read and I would give it four stars.

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