4.0. To me, Viking Academy was a tiny bit better, but there is still plenty of action, suspense, great characters, and the perfect amount of romance to make Viking Conspiracy a fun read.
Plot:
Saga continues to grow closer to Erik and the people of Valkyris. But as she trains to protect them from the imminent Clan Bjorn attack, a new prophecy reveals that she may be the cause of their destruction.
Characters:
Saga is a great heroine. She’s smart, determined, and kind. She’s also strong and refuses to be seen as a damsel in distress. In the previous book, Erik was your typical Alpha male — sexy, hard-headed, protective, and occasionally overbearing. In Viking Conspiracy, he’s actually sweeter, more sensitive, and gentle and at times, even vulnerable. I do like how their relationship is growing organically, but there is one thing I would change about their interactions…. Saga says the word butt about a million times, and for some reason that kills the romance for me. 😊
The supporting characters are also pretty awesome, and we continue to learn more about the people Saga met in the previous book. Erik’s mother, Freia, continues to be a great example of a strong, intelligent woman who fights for her beliefs, and his cousin, Helene, is still spunky and fun-loving, though her perkiness can be overwhelming at times. We get to know more about Ingrid and Vidia, and it’s fun to see their relationships with the people of Valkyris develop. However, my favorite character is still Axel. Axel is strong, brave, loyal, and funny and would be a great hero for his own book.
Writing:
When it comes to world building, Bende is one of the best authors around. She always manages to squeeze in a lot of background explanation without things becoming boring. Like most of her books, Viking Conspiracy is to read because there is so much action and suspense with just the right amount of romance. If I had to rate the book on movie terms, I would give it a PG or PG-13. There’s little to no cussing, but there is some violence. Also, as Saga’s relationship with Erik grows stronger, so does their sexual tension.
Bottom Line:
Like Viking Academy, Viking Conspiracy is one of those books where you’re just reading along, and it’s suddenly over. There’s lots of suspense as the pool of potential traitors continues to grow. The action amps up quite a bit, which means more dragon time! And in addition to Saga and Erik’s romance, it seems like Axel is taking a shine to someone, too. I’m really looking forward to the third book to see how everything progresses.