4 Star Book Review | The Asgardians by S.T. Bende

SUPERNATURAL CHRONICLES: THE ASGARDIANS (Dynamis in New Orleans #9)
by S.T. Bende
Published: December 21st, 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Mythology
Provided by Author for Review
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | GooglePlay

Inga Andersson just can’t catch a break. She’s supposed to be enjoying a ski week in beautiful Åre, Sweden, with her immortal-assassin husband. Instead, she and Gunnar are trapped inside a bizarre scavenger hunt, unraveling an incomprehensible riddle at the bequest of a mysterious being known only as The One. And if Inga and Gunnar don’t decipher the puzzle and deliver a mythological relic to a New Orleans graveyard within three days, they’ll be ejected from the Norse pantheon, stripped of their immortality, and cast as the solitary line of defense against the onslaught of frost giants and Helbeasts ready to bring about Midgard’s fall. What started as a party game has become a lethal challenge with irreparable consequences, not only for Inga, but for the god she loves . . . and the realm she adores.

Let the hunt begin.

The Asgardians is a standalone crossover novella set within both the Elsker and Ære Universe. It features The Elsker Saga’s Gunnar & Inga, AND The Ære Saga’s Henrik & Brynn!

Inga and Gunnar are enjoying a ski week vacation with Henrik and Brynn in Åre, Sweden, when their fun is interrupted by a message from the Norns. An unprecedented amount of dark energy has begun to surround Midgard and the Bifrost has been closed indefinitely. With the Bifrost closed, and their return to Asgard impossible, they will become mortal without Idunn's apples. To save Midgard and open the Bifrost, the Norns are sending these four Asgardian warriors on a scavenger hunt for an item that will prevent the darkness from taking over Midgard. They must find this item and take it to New Orleans, if they fail the Bifrost will be closed forever and Midgard will fall into darkness.

Supernatural Chronicles: The Asgardians is Book 9 in the serial series Dynamis in New Orleans. Each book has a supernatural race searching for an item that they need to deliver to New Orleans in order to save themselves and the world. The Asgardians takes characters Inga and Gunnar from S.T. Bende's Elsker Saga and Henrik and Brynn from her Ære Saga. Aside from the scavenger hunt part of the story, I also liked how Inga's past was incorporated into this story. Someone she loved dearly was killed and she wants revenge. I liked how well this second part of the story was interwoven into the main Dynamis story. It really brings all the stories together nicely.

I like the concept of all the stories in the Dynamis in New Orleans serial series and it was exciting getting another story in S.T. Bende's Norse worlds. Although you don't need to, I wish that I had read the previous 8 books in the Dynamis Serial to get the whole story. While this is a great addition to the Elsker and Ære Sagas, I really do think that it would be best to read the other Supernatural Chronicles if you want to understand the entire Dynamis story. I think this might have been why I wasn't able to give The Asgardians a five star rating. I felt like I was missing parts of the whole.

I absolutely loved seeing the two most outgoing and fun-loving couples in the Elsker and Ære Sagas in one book. Well, kind of a couple in Brynn and Henrik's case. In their respective series, these characters lighten the otherwise seriousness of the story. Because of this, The Asgardians was a more light and fun story than the others in the Elsker and Ære Sagas. I especially liked how during the fight scenes, while there's a serious reason for them fighting, they are able to have fun while doing it. Basically what I'm saying is that because of these characters personalities, this book was a fun and entertaining experience, even with the seriousness of the reason behind the events that happen.

S.T. Bende has a beautiful way of writing a story. Everything flows together so perfectly and that really allows the world to come to life and the characters personalities to shine. The only thing about this book that I think could have been changed is making Chapter 1 a prologue. Because the events in Chapter 1 happen six years before the events in Chapter 2, it felt more like an introductory prologue than the first chapter of a book. Otherwise, I really found no other problems with The Asgardians. It was a fun read and a great addition to S.T. Bende's Norse worlds.

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Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, S.T. Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of McVities cookies. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the books of The Elsker Saga and The Ære Saga. She hopes her characters make you smile, and she dreams of skiing on Jotunheim and Hoth.

Find S.T. on Twitter @stbende, her website (www.stbende.com), or send her an e-mail. While you're at it, introduce yourself to @UllMyhr and @TyrFredriksen—when they’re not saving the cosmos from dark elves, they love meeting new friends . . . especially the human kind.

Want to connect with fellow Norse god fans? S.T.'s readers have created a Facebook group! Head over to the RagnaRockstars page to chat with other readers, talk with S.T., and get access to exclusive content . . . including Ull POVs and sneak peeks at upcoming Ære Saga books!

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Skål, y’all!