Silver Valkyrie: This series has plenty of adventure! There are good guys and bad guys, heroes and villains (and those categories don’t line up as simply as you might assume), explosions, rooftop fights, futuristic gadgets and heroic rescues. Good comic book style fun.
Princess Raqpunzel: There are multiple threads of romance through the series–because of the premise, there’s a lot of tension and secrets in the main relationship, but I thought it was a nice blend of them genuinely getting to know and like each other while also trying to deal with their own secrets and confused loyalties. It was one of the side romances that made me cry a little though…
There are also a number of strong friendships (some of which are also muddled by the same secrets and confused loyalties) and good sibling relationships. (I’m always a sucker for a good big brother character, even if that’s not his main role in the story…)
Hammer of Justice: This is going to sound strange coming from me, but if anything, I wished for the moral issues to be a little less clear cut. I liked how the author played against stereo types, and sometimes ‘heroes’ did the wrong thing, and sometimes ‘villains’ were really trying to make the world a better place, but for each individual choice, it seemed very clear cut and simple whether that choice was right or wrong.
As a personal preference, I would have enjoyed having some situations that I had to really think through and figure out who was right and who was wrong. That said, the simple clarity of right and wrong combined with the complexity of human motivation and choices is probably perfect for younger readers.
Content Warning:
(This is accurate to the best of my recollection, but always has a chance of being incomplete.)
Violence: There is a lot of fighting with fists, guns and various superpowers (lasers, icicles, shockwaves, etc) and corresponding injury (ranging from minor to life threatening or life altering). There are occasional deaths. Details are minimal, but some blood and pain and such is described. Minor spoiler for possibly upsetting content that occurs in the first chapter (highlight to view text): The death of an infant happens offscreen and is referenced repeatedly throughout the series.
Language: A peppering of made up curse words, most notably, “great skies” and “sweet rot”.
Sex/Nudity: A few kisses and hugs, only once described at any length, and still with minimal detail.
Other: There is a reference to child molestation. A homosexual couple appears as secondary characters throughout the series–the focus is not on their relationship, but they are frequently referenced as a major character’s ‘two dads’.
Summary: This trilogy didn’t quite live up to it’s potential to make me love it, but was still a good time, and well worth reading if you enjoy superheroes and teens trying to save the world.
(This post contains affiliate links.)
Valkyrie Reads 