Release Day Review: Perfekt Control by S.T. Bende

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. meets Norse mythology in Perfekt Control, the second book in S.T. Bende’s The Ære Saga. Available Now!

Perfekt Control (THE ÆRE SAGA #2) by S.T. Bende

Genre: Upper YA Paranormal, Fantasy (Norse Mythology)
Release Date: TODAY!! February 9th, 2016

Rule the realms.

Brynn Aksel is a valkyrie—a battle goddess tasked with protecting both the God of War and the future of Asgard. She fends off giants and dark elves with an iron fist, a glossy smile, and no less than perfekt control. She’s focused one hundred percent on rising through the valkyrie ranks, and not at all on her lifelong crush on Henrik Andersson—the one guy in all the realms who could be her undoing.

Henrik serves as War’s other bodyguard, and he’s too focused on protecting their shared charge to realize that Brynn’s a girl. When an unprecedented surge of darkness abducts the Goddess of Love, Brynn’s already-steely focus is singularly directed on her new assignment—accompany Henrik to recover the realms’ source of light before the cosmos descends into chaos.

While battling demons, dragons, and the not-quite dead, it becomes clear that immortality does not equal invincibility. And when Hel herself puts a hit on Brynn, the valkyrie has to decide if staying in control is worth losing everything for . . . or if it’s time to rule the realms.

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Excerpt:

“Sorry we’re late.” Elsa rubbed her hands on her leggings. “There’s a teensy situation at the portal.”

Every god in the room snapped to immediate attention. The mortal simply stopped breathing.

“What do you mean ‘a situation?’” Henrik pushed off the couch and stepped slightly in front of me. I jumped up and moved around him so we stood side by side.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“We’re not exactly sure.” A V formed between Forse’s brows. “It’s been sparking for the last hour. Tiny electric currents are shooting off the outline of the portal, traveling roughly three meters on due south, then disappearing before they hit the ground. We don’t understand what’s absorbing the energy. We would have come over sooner, but we didn’t want to ruin the party.”

“Disappearing?” Henrik’s frown matched Forse’s. “That’s not right. If the portal’s being activated, the current should flow to the dirt and ground itself. At least, that’s what it did last time.”

“I know. I wouldn’t believe it unless I saw it.” Forse shifted in the entryway.

I tapped Henrik’s exceedingly firm shoulder. Great Odin’s ravens, how much was he benching these days? “Um, could your blocker be doing it?”

“Huh? Oh! Right.” Recognition dawned in Henrik’s eyes. “I installed the prototype of a new blocker that should provide an extra level of security.” Henrik glanced at Tyr. “But I haven’t locked down the tech. Maybe it’s short circuiting because of the rain?”

“It’s not raining yet,” Elsa countered. “Forecast says tomorrow. You sure that’s it?”

“No.” Henrik paused. “We should go check it out.”

The front door burst open, knocking Forse out of the way. He caught his footing and turned, shielding Elsa with his body. Tyr, Henrik and I leapt into action. I threw myself in front of Mia and herded her back into the living room, while Henrik opened the weapons closet and threw a sword at Tyr. Tyr plucked it out of the air and stood en garde, while Henrik aimed the crossbow he’d chosen at the intruder.

Oh, skit. Here we go again.

Review:

[book rating=5/5]

“Four down,” I called to Henrik.
“Two to go.” He grinned.
In spite of myself, I grinned back. Ending Asgard’s enemies always gave me a rush. And doing this right now was kind of like a really bizarre therapy. Fighting alongside Henrik was natural, and easy, and strangely satisfying. Maybe we’d been through enough together that we’d get through this, too.

Perfekt Control centers on Brynn, the intelligent and bubbly bodyguard of Tyr, the God of War. She has been in love with her friend Henrik for, oh, a few millennia; however, as a Valkryie, Brynn is forbidden to enter into a relationship until it is approved by Freya, the Goddess of Love and leader of the Valkyries. In the meantime, Brynn has to be content with longing for Henrik from afar…or not so afar, because he is the God of War’s other bodyguard.

When I read Perfekt Order, the first book of the Ære Saga, I said that it was my favorite of S.T. Bende’s books, but I need to amend my statement because Perfekt Control is now my absolute favorite. This book has everything you could possibly want: a fun and engaging heroine who is sweet and massively intelligent, particularly when it comes to the sciences; a hunky hero who is calm, rational, and appreciative; an amazing amount of action; and, of course, a happily ever after ending.

The amount of research that S.T. must put into her books is consistently astounding. Her handle on Norse mythology is always impressive, but in the Ære Saga, particularly Perfekt Order, she introduces a whole new level of technological and medical expertise that is beyond impressive. Brynn and Henrik (or Brynnik, as they are collectively known) remind me of an Asgardian Fitz and Simmons from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. They often speak to one another in their own technological language, much to the amusement and confusion of those around them, and they clearly love one another, even if Brynn can’t act on it and Henrik won’t confirm his feelings.

I can’t gush about this book enough. The writing is vivid and so funny, with a sense of love and bemusement woven throughout. Brynn held my heart from the moment she appeared in Perfekt Order, and I love the journey her story takes. She is a heroine in her own right and is on equal footing with Henrik and Tyr in terms of skill and knowledge. I loved the scenes where she was kicking butt and taking names. I really like Henrik. A lot. When I was first introduced to him in Perfekt Order, I pictured him as Nicholas Hoult’s Beast from The X-Men movies: sort of a geeky-but-handsome guy who was smart and funny. In Perfekt Control, that geekiness is gone. Long gone. He is an all-out stud, but he is also very kind and attuned to Brynn. His patience with her and understanding of her was refreshing.

This is a five star, must-read-now book that will have you laughing, crying, and smiling from the beginning until the end.

 

 

Author Bio: S.T. Bende

Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, S.T. Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (where she 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, her website, or Facebook. 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!

Links:

WEBSITE – AMAZON – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – WATTPAD – GOODREADS

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Skål, y’all!