Rise by Freya Finch
Published by Disney
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Asexual Characters, Transgender Characters, Coming of Age, Family Drama, Knight Characters, Magic Users, Villain Characters, Mobility Aids, Physical Disabilities, Modern Fantasy, Theological Fantasy, Monsters, Mythological Creatures, Trolls, Undead, Valkyrie, Norse
My Rating:
Published on: 2nd July 2026
Pages: 384
Disability Representation: Wheelchair user, broken back.
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK
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The action and adventure of Percy Jackson meets the complex heroines of The Cruel Prince as a family of valkyries fight to stop Ragnarök.

For seventeen-year-old Bryn, being the youngest, messiest, most rebellious sister in a family of valkyries isn't easy. Especially considering home is a Renaissance faire in Chicago full of costumed workers who see her as nothing more than a nuisance. When her mother disappears on a mission for Odin, Bryn begins having strange visions about the impending Ragnarök. Bryn senses their mother is in great danger, but her annoyingly perfect older sisters refuse to take her seriously. Their mother is, after all, captain of the valkyries.

Things only take a turn for the worse when a half human, half giant named Juniper crashes the party with a violent zombie in tow, confirming Bryn's worst fears--her visions of Ragnarök are real. If that wasn't enough, the faire's mysterious new addition, Wyatt the Black Knight, just so happens to have a ferocious secret that threatens everyone around him. Determined to survive Ragnarök, Bryn, Juniper, and Wyatt team up to combat the horde of monsters that keeps appearing throughout the faire. But after Bryn ignores the call to deliver Wyatt to Odin's eternal warriors in Valhalla, choosing to save his life instead, she starts to wonder if she'll ever get this valkyrie thing right.

Whispers of divine interference--including sightings of the mischievous Loki--reach Bryn's ears. Soon everyone at the faire becomes a suspect, leaving Bryn, her sisters, and their newfound friends the only ones who can stop the war to end all realms. Whether she's ready or not, Bryn is about to learn how the ties between fate and choice are as interwoven and unbreakable as the bonds between sisters.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

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Rise by Freya Finch focuses on the lives of three Valkyrie sisters who live and work at a Renaissance Faire. Bryn, the youngest, is the narrator and has yet to come into her full powers, much to her irritation. Her two elder sisters seem to have everything worked out and excel at what they do. Whereas her? Not so much. She seems to find trouble more often than not. Things come to a head when their mom, the Captain of the Valkyries, goes missing on a mission. With tensions rising between the three sisters, the last thing they need is a half-human, half-giant called Juniper who appears with an accompaniment of zombies. Oh, and Juniper is their half-sister… 

Bryn is convinced that she’s been having visions of Ragnarök starting, and teams up with the new guy, Wyatt and Juniper to try to keep the Faire safe from monsters seeking to harm Yggdrasil, the world tree. What they really need is Bryn’s mom, especially when they start seeing glimpses of Loki, the trickster god. Struggling to find her place in her Valkyrie family, Bryn’s confidence is shaken when she does the exact opposite of what a Valkyrie is supposed to do. When Wyatt dies, she ignores the call to take him to Valhalla, saving his life. How can her actions be so wrong when it felt right to save him?

I’m always here for mythology-inspired fantasy, and I loved the modern interpretation of Norse mythology in Rise. The unique setting of a Renaissance Faire was a nice touch and provides Finch with an interesting backdrop for fight scenes. The plot and the world-building were solid, and I particularly liked the way the story went. If you’re a little tired of the whole ‘oh look here comes Ragnarök’ thing, then this is the book for you. I can’t say much more without spoiling everything, but Finch manages to stay true to mythology while also making the story her own.

What didn’t quite work for me was the characters themselves. I found the never-ending bickering between Bryn and her elder sister to be repetitive. Maybe that’s my only child speaking, or because I’m reading this as an adult. Either way, I had a strong urge to smack their heads together. I have to say Bryn wasn’t my favourite character. We’re reminded constantly that she’s a mess, a failure, always doing the wrong thing, and maybe that is what young adult readers need to hear. It just felt like the reader was being bombarded with it a bit too much, and it made her come off a bit one-dimensional at times.

About Freya Finch

Freya Finch writes young adult fiction that her younger self would have devoured in a day. She earned her master’s degree in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University in Chicago. Despite being a Midwesterner through and through, she moved to the mountains of Poland where she lives with her husband, two cats, and German Shepherd dog.

Website | Goodreads | Tumblr | Blue Sky

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