DNF Review – Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 496 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: July 6, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1423109679
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Won
Rating: 3/5 stars

“Halli Sveinsson is stumpy and swarthy, with a quick mind and an aptitude for getting in trouble. Bored with everyday chores and shepherding, he enjoys playing practical jokes. When he plays a trick on Ragnar of the House of Hakonsson, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever alter his destiny. He is forced to leave home and go on a hero’s quest complete with highway robbers, terrifying monsters, and a girl who may be as fearless as he is. Along the way he will discover the truth about the legends, his family, and himself.”

I have had this book for quite a while and was looking forward to finally getting to read this one. I was a big fan of Stroud’s Bartimaeus Trilogy and an even bigger fan of his Lockwood and Co series (one of my favorite series of the last few years). Given that, I was excited to read a stand alone novel by him. This novel ended up being…disappointing. I read the first hundred pages and not a lot happened.

The writing style is well done, in keeping with Stroud’s other work. However the story lagged and nothing much happened. It starts out pretty promising. I liked the mythology and history of the Valley. I even like our anti hero Halli who is a trickster and a trouble-maker. The book has a very old Norse mythology feel to it.

My big issue was with the pace of the story. It was just so slow and flat out boring. I thought things were picking up pace when Halli is forced to watch some sheep and one of them is mysterious torn to pieces…then just nothing. There is a Gathering Halli is forced to skip because of his shenanigans and he doesn’t really do much about his punishment. He causes a little trouble but mostly the story just kind of stops as we deal with all these different clans and their politics.

In the end I kept falling asleep while I read this and decided it was time to stop. I found myself re-reading pages after my mind had wandered onto something else. This story was just not engaging or well paced.

Overall parts of this book were okay but the majority was pretty slow and boring. I only read the first 100 pages but I struggled with staying awake during those first 100 pages and decided to throw in the towel after that. Not recommended; I would highly recommend reading Stroud’s Lockwood and Co series though…that series is absolutely spectacular!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge