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Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras - Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead.
The new foster kid, Aidan, isn't helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.
Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she'd never belonged?
b00kr3vi3ws
Posted May 8, 2013
Move aside Vampires and Werewolves… Valkyries are here and they are her to stay. When I found this book on tour, I knew I had to be a part of it because I have been practically itching to try out something new. While, Vampires and werewolves make for an entertaining read, and I am always up for a good murder story, but every now and then something new feels refreshing.
Bryn Halbrook is lost in the foster care system ever since her father died he stay mother walked out of her life. She often feels lonely as she feels that she is different from those around her. For instance nobody around her can see the auras and nobody else has had to realise that the ‘gift’ that she has helps her know who is going to die only by losing their best friend. Then Aiden turns up and everything seems to shift in her life. She is attracted to Aiden, the brooding new kid in the foster family. But just as sudden as his appearance in her life Aiden disappears from their lives. Now Bryn is left alone to work out her inherited legacy.
As the protagonist, Bryn Halbrook is certainly an interesting character. True to her teenage years, she is having trouble in ‘finding herself’ and things are bit dramatic. But what’s teenage life without a bit of angst and drama? Her character grows over the story and she grows into someone I can like – quite practical (well most of the times) and strong. Aiden, with his brooding nature and good looks is intriguing. I always have a hard time believing in the love at first sight thing and so the ‘love’ between Bryn and Aiden was a bit too much for me to accept. I mean, they hardly knew each other before Bryn’s self admission of her one and only love.
The plot as such was quite interesting to me. I love Mythology even though I have very little knowledge of foreign mythology, I enjoy reading and learning more. Valkyrie was a new concept for me and I liked it. The novel is fast paced and the author has hardly wasted any time with unnecessary details or situations.
Overall I liked quite a lot.
Bex_n_Books
Posted November 15, 2012
There is no secret, I am a huge Mythology Geek and when I found out that I would be able to review this book, Dead Radiance by TG Ayer, and it had a lot do do with Norse Mythology, I got excited.
It started off very slow and some times I just wanted to push the book away and not come back to it... The problem? I didn't love the character Bryn at the beginning of the book. She tended to be kind of annoying. But that being said I continued through and am glad I did!
Once you hit about half way, the characters mature and you finally start to have the character love for Bryn, but some of the best characters were the supporting characters. And I loved the details around Norse Mythology.
Some of the romantic scenes seemed a bit off. I don't know if it was because of the instant love connection or not; (which I liked actually, I am a big believer in soul mates and love at first sight (it is not hard not to when your parents are prime examples of both) so I tend to be a bit of a sucker for instant love connections) but the relationship felt mildly forced in some spots, but that being said I highly enjoyed the relationship aspect of the book between Byrn and Adian.
There were some scenes where I wished the dialogue would have painted a better picture, but I wasn't too disappointed. As the book progresses we not only get to see the characters, but the author as well, come into their own. I think this is a great first book for the series and can't wait to start book 2! I give this 3 and 1/2 rating rounding to 4 for online sites.
Review written by Kati for Bex 'n' Books.
Disclosure: This book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review
DaniC
Posted August 2, 2012
I love this debut book by T. G. Ayer. I will admit that once I read the synopsis I was pretty much hooked. Dead Radiance is one of the best YA Mythology/Paranormal books I have read this year.
Bryn is a teen lost in the foster system since her father died. In her latest foster home, Ms. Craven has made her feel welcomed along with her foster siblings. Then Bryn sees the glow around one of the boys. This kind of glow she has seen before when she was younger but she never knew what it meant. She had seen this recently to two others and a few days later they died. Bryn turns to Aiden, the newest foster boy. He believes her and suddenly packs up and leaves. Bryn is upset and find he had left a book behind. This book is helps her learn who and what she is.
Bryn is a wonderful character who became more interesting as the story went on. Her relationship with Aiden is complex and I can’t wait to find out what happens to them. To say I am looking forward to the next book in this fabulous series is a serious understatement.
Crazyfourbooks
Posted July 27, 2012
The book begins with Bryn being a somewhat normal teenager. If it is normal to be a foster child who shares a home with three other foster children and a loving, understanding mother. Bryn's had an unusual ability since she was five. She can see a glow around some people and lately it's been shining around her best friend Joshua, so much so that she's been avoiding him. She doesn't know for sure what it means and she can't tell him or anyone else that she sees things that no one else is seeing.
After an accident claims Joshua's life but leaves her alive, she becomes a pariah. Everyone thinks she's a freak that took one of their best away from them. They feel that it should have been her instead. Not long after, Aidan, a new foster kid moves in. They have a love/hate relationship from the beginning.
Bryn starts to depend on Aidan and he leaves. Not long after that goons come looking for her and things really get interesting when she gets whisked away to a place that she thought was only make believe.
I have to say that the characters have personalities that are very believable. We do find out what the glow means and so much more! This book has some Gods and Goddesses, ulfrs which are shapeshifters, valkyries, and a story that has you entranced from the beginning till end.
T.G. has such a wonderful imagination! She's so descriptive that you can almost visualize being there with Bryn. Dead Radiance was completely different. There was not one deja vu moment! :D
Dead Radiance had intrigue, action galore (look at the cover, that sword's not just a decoration!), and a touch of romance. I could go on and on I enjoyed it so much! I recommend this book to everyone who's looking for a great paranormal story to read.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I honestly loved it! I can't wait to read her next book Dead Ember
I am proud to admit that I am a paranormal junkie. I enjoy all the supernatural beings and whatnot. But even a die-hard fan like myself can get burnt out reading the same stuff all the time. And I was ready to turn in my PN hat, call it quits and possibly convert to reading contemporary, or *gasp* quit reading all together for a bit. So at first, I saw this book and thought nothing of it. I just assumed it to be like any other paranormalesque book I had read. But something made me read the synopsis, and boy am I glad I did.
This book is about topics that I had never really read about, nor have I seen that many authors take on these subjects. Dead Radiance was about Valkyries and Norse mythology. That was the first thing this book had on it's side:newness. TG Ayer took on a topic that wasn't over done and dead. She made a tired genre alive and new again. A hard task to do. She was also able to introduce me, somebody who knew nothing about this topic, into this world, without feeling like I was in school again. I read fiction to get lost in a new world, not to be lectured. And I didn't feel that way at all while reading this book. I felt that the descriptions were perefect and not too wordy.
The characters that the author has created are wonderful. I instantly fell in love with Bryn (first off, jealous of the name....) I felt a connection with her from the first time we are introduced to her in the book. I've said this before, I am a character driven reader, so the characters take priority for me. I love it when I can see parts of myself in the people of the book I am reading, especially when they are the kick-ass lead (with a cool name might I add..again). Bryn was an isolated character, always feeling out of place and like she didn't belong anywhere. Growing up in a foster care was a huge factor in that. Plus, seeing auras around people probably contributed as well. But needless to say, she never really had too many friends. And she kept to herself. Another character that I MUST mention, Aiden Lee, motorcycle bad boy. Again, I fell for this character almost as fast as Bryn did...
Which leads me to my only problem with this book. I am not a huge fan of insta-love, and with that, insta-hate. I feel that Bryn hated/loved Aiden too quickly. She at first wanted nothing to do with him, and then bam, they were together. This was all at the beginning mainly, so this point can be easly overlooked (obviously, it still gets an OUTSTANDING rating).
TG Ayer definately has a way with words. She has a wonderful and unique writing style. I am not one who usually notices writing style, unless it gets distracting and I don't like it. But other than that, I just read the book. With this one, I noticed the flow of the book, and the wording of different parts. And I enjoyed it. I felt that the writing contributed something great to the actual story.
I would definately recommend this book to anybody wanting something new and exciting, and just plain great.
Natasja1975
Posted July 20, 2012
Dead Radiance by T.G. Ayer is the first novel in her Valkyrie Series and it was great. I knew I had to read the book when I read the book description and I can tell you the story didn’t disappoint me. It pulled me right in from the start and I couldn’t put it down.
Bryn Halbrook has been in the foster system since her father died a couple of years ago. As long as she can remember she sees a gold glow around some people, but she always kept her strange gift to herself. It is until now in her new foster home and a very understanding foster mom that she understands what it all means.
When Aidan moves into her foster home, she is immediately drawn to him. But Aidan hides something from her and she is determined to find out what. So when she investigates some books he leaves behind, she discovers that she is his topic and finally understands what she is and why she sees the gold glow.
I loved Bryn and Aidan as main characters. Bryn is nice, strong and very determined young woman; who is finally learning more about her heritage and try to deal with the changes in her life. Aidan is the bad boy when he steps into Bryn’s life, but with his knowledge of the Norse Mythology he is a strong link in her journey.
There are some very interesting secondary characters that make the story complete. I love Fenrir, who’s training Bryn in her Valkyrie role. Sigrun is a Valkyrie and becomes Bryn’s friend in Asgard and of course a lot of the Norse Mythology characters like Odin, Freya and Loki.
T.G. Ayer has written a fantastic novel, created a fabulous world with great characters. The way she uses the Norse Mythology is great and I can honestly say that I will be looking forward to the second book in this series. Because with an ending like this, you really need the next book to see how it will turn out.
I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys young adult novels with a mix of Norse mythology, you won’t be disappointed.
MarissaA
Posted July 18, 2012
This was a really good story to read. There is so much to this book; a lot of background information, and new things to learn, especially for Bryn. She, herself seems at first a loner, as others around her see her as trouble, due to an unfortunate car accident that killed Joshua, Bryn's new friend in school, and a very popular guy. There are interesting qualities that Bryn possesses, such as the ability to look at someone's aura before they are going to die. She tries to seek help from Aiden, a mysterious new Foster kid. After a sudden turn of events, Bryn finds herself at a place she thought was impossible to be at, and learns that she is different for a reason; can see auras for a reason. The locations, especially in the other world were nicely written. I did like how this story moved, from Bryn having no sense of direction to going on a journey that builds strength within herself. This was a good novel, and I hope you read it.
Andreat78
Posted July 17, 2012
Fair warning: This review is a study in contradictions. Weird, right? But here's why, I am going to be contradicting myself the entire time because what I liked about DEAD RADIANCE is also often what didn't work for me. Confused? Let's see if I can make sense of my own ramblings. There are two areas I'm going to discuss, the plot and the love story.
The Plot
What worked for me: DEAD RADIANCE was something different! A Valkyrie is a "beautiful maiden who rides to Midgard to collect the bodies of Warriors fit to serve in Valhalla, brave and courageous Warriors who would fight for Odin in the Great War of Ragnarok". (ebook, 13%) Sounds pretty cool, right? All I know about Norse myths is what I learned about Thor, in the movie Adventures in Babysitting. And believe me, I'm always down for learning cool stuff like that. Once Bryn becomes immersed in the world, the action is pretty great. I never knew what was going to happen until the very end.
What didn't work for me: Here comes the first contradiction. That description of the Valkyrie I just quoted, it kind of lost me. On one hand, how cool! On the other, say what now? The Valkyrie is a maiden who collects warriors to go where to fight whom? I was so on board with DEAD RADIANCE at the beginning. Bryn was a character I felt for and liked. I loved seeing the interactions between Aidan and her. But then, Bryn is taken away, to become a Valkyrie and to be honest, I felt lost most of the time. I just didn't catch so many of the details of the inner workings of that society. And I will stress, that is simply my perspective. And that's why I stated above that I did think the plot was cool, it's just not for me.
The Love Story
What worked for me: From the moment Aidan popped into the story, I was hooked. He was mysterious, handsome, and he drove a motorcycle (a fact that doesn't appeal to me in real life, but hooks me every time in books). The attraction between Aidan and Bryn is instantaneous (I know, I know) and smoking hot. Every time the two were in close quarters, I was fanning myself. The author did a fantastic job of making Bryn, and me, swoon.
What didn't work for me: Insta-love. Here I go with another contradiction. I know that I said I loved the Bryn/Aidan chemistry from the start, and I did. Chemistry is one thing, love is another. Speaking for myself, I have felt instant chemistry with a guy, but I didn't love the guy. I'm pretty sure most of the time I didn't even like him. I just felt, in this story, that the leap to love was too fast. And later in the story, which I can't talk about in-depth because of spoilers, Bryn is talking to someone else about Aidan and how they had been in love. I didn't recall them ever having talked about being in love before the were separated. But maybe this is me being a cynic.
So I know that for a lot of this review, I sound like a big grump. And I honestly don't mean to. I liked DEAD RADIANCE sometimes, then other times felt it was okay. And these types of feelings make it so hard to write a review. I want to be completely honest in my feelings, and nice about it. And to be perfectly honest, I'm almost apologetic when I shouldn't be. But I also don't want to discourage those who might enjoy DEAD RADIANCE from reading it. Those details that left me feeling lost may be exactly what another reader is looking for! And I will say that I did enjoy the author's style and tone. DEAD RADIANCE may not have been my cup of tea, but it was still a good book.
Anonymous
Posted July 16, 2012
Norse mythology and Valkyries, things we don't read about everyday. In the first installment in the Valkyries series, T.G. Ayer weaves a mythology within a story. A story of a teenager's life, Bryn's life. A well-built world with an 'outside the Earth life' theme in it that would captivate the readers. A well-written book with a good storyline, actually it was the epitome of paranormal.
The novel follows Bryn Halbrook through the journey of her life as a massive transformation happens that turns her life upside down. Bryn always felt as an outcast. After her father's death, Bryn was forced into the life of foster homes which weren't all quite easy. Add on this her weird ability. Bryn used to see those golden auras on people and as she grew, they were still there. But not until her only best friend Joshua dies after the seeing the aura on him that things started to come together in front of her. Those auras meant one thing. Death, that the person's life, whoever he is, is coming to an end soon. With Joshua's death, she is all alone again. Alone until Aidan came into the picture. Together, they rock on what seems like a relationship and through him, Bryn discovers new stuff about herself and what she really is and where does she belong...
Unfortunately, I didn't like the love story between Bryn and Aidan. Or rather I didn't like how it started, it seemed weird and unrealistic, some sort of an extra-instant-love story and I couldn't really see when this love story was formed but it still had some sweetness to it though. And it's funny how at first, Bryn wasn't the type of swoony-girls-over-hot-guys type of girl but that didn't happen when she saw Mr Perfect, the hot biker-boy, Aidan Lee :)
Surprisingly, I didn't warm toward any of the characters, which I'm sad about because the characters would have played an important role in enjoying this book. They were all good but I simply didn't like them. Bryn for example was a bit aggressive, brave, loyal, kind and I loved how her character developed. She was someone who was all shut on herself, a loner but then as the story goes on, with the new things she encounters and the people, or rather the new creatures she meets, she adjusts quite well with all of it and even got stronger by the time but still I didn't find myself accepting her reactions. And Aidan, initially, I thought of him a cool hot guy but then despite being sort of caring and supportive towards Bryn, his character seemed shallow. Honestly, of all the characters, I liked Fenir the most and I'm looking forward to knowing more about him and how is he going to affect Bryn's life. He sounded like a mystery to me and I want to know more about him and his wolf/human form. Basically, he used to train Bryn, fighting and defending and all those movements with the swords and stuff. But then he had this wolf form that he can switch to, if I understood well then that's it. You see, it was a bit perplexing when it came to some aspects of the nature of the various creatures in this book which I really wanted to know more about.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book and I'm looking forward to reading the next book, The Dead Embers which is to be released in August. But do I recommend it? Oh yes, I do. I really like how different this story was despite the minor flaws, the idea of the story itself felt unique but I believe that the story won't appeal to everybody, that's for sure. I think it's most appropriate for people who accepts sci-fi and fantasy novels with open minds. This book was a mix of fantasy, romance, action, hope, hardship, all mixed within a mythology and told through a girl, well, more a Valkyrie than human.
Dead Radiance by T.G. Ayer
Dead Radiance is a Mythology adventure, this is something I don’t normally read but to be honest I loved the cover and decided I should read it. T.G. Ayer writing is good, the story flowed well, character descriptions were well written well and I felt like I got to know and understand the main characters.
We meet Bryn Halbrook, her mother deserted her and when her father died she was placed into foster care. Bryn knows she is different and feels as she has never really fit in. Figuring out that she sees a person’s aura and when it lights up they usually end up dying. She of course tells no one. When a young man comes to live in her foster home things start to unravel for her. Finding out more about her father work and where she came from is very confusing, trying to piece everything together and realizing she is in danger she must leave her home to keep her foster family safe. The next part of this story then takes place Asgard, the city of Odin. Bryn learns she is a Valkyrie and a very powerful one. We meet some new characters and some old ones return. This story is faced paced, has some mystery/suspense and if full of some very interesting Mythology.
This book takes you on a Mythology ride and I quite enjoyed it.
I have rated Dead Radiance 4 stars and I cannot wait to read Dead Embers (Valkyrie, #2).
Bookworm_Lisa
Posted July 13, 2012
I loved that this book dealt with Norse Mythology. Bryn has been in foster care and pretty much shunned by society. She discovers some unsettling truths about herself and her conception. She learns about the Valkyrie.
This book has much to offer. I really enjoyed the Norse Mythology aspect. I usually read about the Greek and this book was a fresh voice into another realm that I don't know a lot about.
This book has tough heroines, valiant warriors, and of course, the Norse Gods.
There is some swearing and kissing, but overall a pretty clean read.
I received an electronic copy of the book to review. This did not sway my opinion of the quality of the book. There are my thoughts and impressions without bias.
'Dead Radiance' is a fun paranormal YA novel that deals specifically with Norse mythology and the myth of Valkyries. I found the mythology portion of the storyline to be very interesting and fresh from the other mythology fiction out there right now. The myth of Valkyries is really different and I think it was a great pick for a YA fiction novel. The characters are rather flat with no unique personality traits. They seem to be generic in nature with no real identities to set them apart.
The plot itself is interesting and mysterious, but it felt a bit cliched at times. The feelings for the cute bad-boy are a bit stale and the teen angst of not fitting in is nothing new either. I liked that Bryn is a strong female lead and that redeemed part of the plot for me. The underlying themes of self-discovery, courage, destiny, family, and love are all present and Ayer did a good job implementing them into the narrative. The book is a fast-paced story, which makes the book a quick and interesting read. It's great for introducing readers to mythology other than Greek and to some awesome mythological characters. Besides that, it is a fun (if a bit cliched at times) read that most people will enjoy.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
1.5 stars. -
It's no secret that I love reading mythology fiction. I just love imagining the lives and powers of those only known in myths. This book has a lot of good mythological aspects, and goes into great detail about Odin, Loki, the valkyrie, and such.
But aside from that, there wasn't much that held my attention. Key relationships in the book are formed instantly, with very little substance, yet are supposed to be deep and trusting connections. The main character seems to always know the answers to her many questions--including who is friend and who is foe--right off the bat, because of an inner instinct that comes and goes whenever is most convenient. Conversations between characters were often awkward, especially when they represented a depth of emotion that hadn't been justified by previous actions or knowledge of the people's feelings.
So many things happen throughout the book, that it felt like enough time wasn't given to let things set in properly. It felt like two different books could have been made out of this one...either that, or the slower parts at the beginning could have been shortened to give more time to letting the details of the story come out (showing, instead of telling).
Ultimately, I think this just wasn't the book for me, although I was interested to know how the characters fared, despite all of the above. I think it was the mythology aspect that kept me reading, wanting to know what mythological tale would come into play next. And there was just enough action and drama to keep me guessing what would happen next.
End thoughts: Not for me, but I think it's definitely worth giving a try, if you like Norse mythology.
In "Dead Radiance (Valkyrie 1)", T.G. Ayer pens her characters strong along within a story line that flows smoothly with a good pace to where you will not be bored and an excellent plot. T.G. Ayer has an impressive knowledge of Norse mythology and brings their ledged to life unlike any mythology book I've seen. The only thing I would have liked to see is a bit more romance, but that's just my opinion. A great start to a new series and honestly, I can not wait for the next book. A must read for anyone into romance, mythology and YA.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.First, how about that cover?? Beautiful!! Okay, on to my thoughts. I really don't know much about mytholgy so I loved the fact that Dead Radiance is full of Valkyrie's, Warriors, and Norse Gods.
It all began with an archaeology dig, a strange find, and a man with his own agenda for the DNA taken from the find.
When foster-child Bryn's best friend dies in a car accident, while she is with him, Bryn becomes more of an outsider than she was before. While the snide remarks and dirty looks continue after the funeral, Bryn is feeling more alone than ever. Then the sexy Aiden moves into Bryn's foster home, leaving Bryn more confused than ever. Out of nowhere, in the blink of an eye, Bryn is transported to a land that was only thought to exist in fairy tales. I found it odd how Bryn accepted the fact that she was in this new world, talking with gods, people have tales, and she is training for a long for-told fight. I would have been freaking out but Bryn just seems to accept it all in stride. One of her new jobs is to go back to earth and rescue those who have died and bring them back to train to fight in an upcoming battle that will determine the fate of the world.Her first rescue comes as a shock but also will bring a little bit of "home" back with her.
After being sent on a special mission, someone's life hangs in the balance and it is up to Bryn to save the day.
I look forward to the next book in this series. Ayer has done a great job introducing us to this new Norse world and all of the characters.
Anonymous
Posted October 24, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
I finally knew what the glow meant.
I was a freak and Joshua was going to die."
Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras - Death. Alone, lost in...