A solid debut book in a series, Valkyrie Rising takes readers to the shores of Norway where mystery, fantasy, and adventure is abound and where Elsa (the main character) finds herself. For the first half of the book I felt the characters were a tad one dimensional, but thankfully Paulson just sets readers up for a fantastic story-line. While there is a love interest, Valkyrie Rising is not saturated by it. It is only one of the ingredients (flavorings?) that aid this book to what it is: a fantastic adventure for anyone curious about what it takes to really know- and own - who you are. Even when Norse Gods are want to meddle in human affairs.