From the Earth to the Shadows

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgalley.com in exchange for my review.

Book two of Amanda Hocking's Valkyrie series, From the Earth to the Shadows, is at it's core, a creation myth story. Hocking jumps right into the storyline events at the moment after the first book ends; with Malin and her friends regrouping after the big boss fight. Throughout this novel, Malin continues to fight, continues to find items to help stop the big bads from destroying the world around her, and dealing with the coming-to-terms moments of what it means to be her. Fan favorite characters appear back in this book (yay for Bowie) and we're also treated to a few new players.

Hocking's writing is crisp and action-oriented. The scenes fly by and there's little room for introspection or sleep. This book is fast paced. It's like we went from setting up an initial sequence of bad events to a whole new level of apocalyptic occurrence in a compressed timeline. Some readers may enjoy this quick pace, however I personally feel the characters and their interactions suffer from the speed. It feels like Hocking wanted to wrap this book up so she could move onto something more inspiring.

With this title wrapping up the series, I wished the events in this book to be broken down across two books. I wanted to see more of the world building that Hocking treated us in book one. I wanted more of those moments of contemplation for what is going on and how the character's actions affect the rest of the human and immortal worlds. I think fans should've been treated to a three book series.

It occurred to me, after finishing From the Earth to the Shadows that this series describes an creation myth as it unfolds. The climax of From the Earth to the Shadows and the ritual of making everyone mortal sets this series up for more stories. The plot may have followed Malin around, but the story is about a world where the rules of who dies and who lives has changed and these struggles could form the basis for more stories. Even Malin acknowledges that there is a place for her and what the old valkyries did in this new world. I'd love to see more books featuring Malin, Oona, Asher, and Samuel, and the others. I want to see how they grow and become leaders during the world's transition period. It's my hope Hocking returns to this series later on and writes more on how the change affects everyone.