Blurb: Her dream comes at the price of human souls.
Ylva has always wanted to become a Valkyrie, and now she's enrolled in her first year at Afterlife Academy, she's getting her chance. But nothing is simple about bringing souls to Valhalla and she soon finds herself embroiled in ancient rivalries and new friendships.
With more human souls in need of collection than ever before, Ylva and her classmates are about to get a crash course in death.
My review: Stepping onto the grounds of the Afterlife Academy, Ylva is ecstatic. She's always wanted to be a Valkyrie like the other females in her family. At the school, students learn to help human souls pass onto the next phase. She's determined to be the best there ever was, but it's a bumpy start when her roommate turns out to be a dragon and a peppy elf tries to befriend her. Plus classes keep getting canceled and the teachers are whispering about things Ylva doesn't understand. She's going to solve the mystery, though, but will doing so end with her needing a guide to the afterlife?
This is a great start to this urban fantasy academy series. Ylva is a bit stuck up at the beginning, but her biases soon crumble as her eyes are opened to the world beyond the culture of the Wind Children (which she is). I especially love Ylva's Dragon roomie, Ryoko, and the wonderful descriptions of her. There is romantic tension between them, but Ylva doesn't know what to do with it. It's sweet and not rushed, and I can't wait to see where their possible relationship may go in future books. There is a lot happening on many layers, and I love the concept of a school where supernatural beings go to learn how to help human souls carry on to their appointed afterlives. I wanted to hug a dusk wolf no matter how fierce they are, and the dust bunny is just plain adorable!
You can find Arizona Tape on her website and buy Valkyrie 101 here!