Review: Still Fun But Getting Stale. . .
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2014
DEAD CHAOS - TG Ayer.  3 Stars - read, action, adventure, paranormal, fantasy, fairy tale, romance, murder, YA<blockquote>“Everything seems to be falling apart for Bryn. She's lost her wings and she's losing Aidan. He's no longer the boy she loved. And then there's Joshua. Why does it feel so right to be with him?As if she doesn't have enough on her mind, Bryn learns of a prophecy that predicts that she will be the reason for Odin's destruction. Bryn is desperate to find a way to change her future, and sets of to Yddrasil to speak to the Norns.Can Bryn change her Fate? Can she help Aidan find his path, while making the choice between him and Joshua? And can Bryn finally save Brody from the clutches of the Frost Giants?”</blockquote>The book opens pretty much where the second one left off - Bryn has been rescued, but too late to save her wings. During the ten or so days that she been captured in Dr. Lee's lab all kinds of terrible things had been done to her. It was clear from her condition that once they'd gotten all the information they were after they'd have killed her - luckily her friends got there first. Valkyrie Sigrun, as well as einherjar Amiee, Joshua, and Aidan are all there. Aidan, Bryn's boyfriend and the man she repeatedly risked her life to rescue, behaves atrociously. His behavior shocks everyone, making Bryn realize she probably never really knew him, though of course that doesn't stop the pain his behavior causes. Nevertheless, Bryn sticks by her word, and she and the team assist Aidan in rescuing his mother and sister, who had been Loki's hostages.Back at Asgard Bryn speaks with The All-Father, Odin, and his wife Frigga. Rather than the pity she so deeply fears, she is greeted with kindness, as well as shock, anger, and sorrow over the loss of her wings. After being debriefed by Odin, Bryn is sent off for healing with Eir, the Goddess of Mercy and Healing. While healing Bryn overhears Frigga and Eir discussing a prophecy that states she will be the cause of Odin's downfall.Hearing of the prophecy sparks a chain of events, beginning with Bryn sneaking in to speak with Odin's Oracle/Uncle, Mimir. From there she is sent on a series of quests, including rescuing the Gjallerhorn from Loki, rescuing the God Heimdall, to whom the Gjallerhorn belonged, and wounding Loki with a weapon that had been covered with the water from the Hall of Fate, located beneath the Yggdrasil, otherwise known as the Tree of Life.Throughout her adventures there are many surprises to be discovered, some of the happy kind, and some of the heartbreaking kind, as well as some that were not yet determined, having the potential to fall either way. Bryn has grown up quite a bit from the person we met in book one, and she continues to grow and mature, though she doesn't seem to be very self-aware much of the time. She often seems oblivious to her impact on others, be they Huldra, Einherjar, Warriors, or Gods. And yet she is a strong woman, without being closed off from her own emotions.While I've enjoyed this series it is beginning to feel a bit repetitive to me, or formulaic. Bryn must go on seemingly impossible tasks, against all odds, and she somehow manages to succeed each time. This happens a few times in each book, with all of the books ending on some sort of fantastic cliffhanger to ensure the readers return to find out what happens next. And while that method certainly works, I think it would be nice to have the characters make me return, not because they are in dire straits, but simply because I am invested in their story and would like to know what comes next. One could argue the two ending types are the same, but I obviously disagree. With that said, I fully expect that I will be reading the fourth book in this series when it comes out.