Valkyries tells the story of a teenage girl in the '70s who commits herself to Jesus at a tent meeting and is then immediately plunged into her family's traumatic breakup, which results in violent abuse from her father and neglect from her mother. Finally sent away to a Catholic boarding school for girls, Tracey recognizes some hard truths about her own anger and her inability to possess inner goodness - in spite of being a Christian. She also discovers, in the course of things, an unexpected talent for basketball.All Through the Blood follows Tracey's story as she continues her schooling and her quest for spiritual purity, despite tragic events that threaten to leave her in despair.About the title: The Valkyrie, a female warrior from Norse mythology, is the basketball team's mascot - but this mythological figure takes on much deeper significance for Tracey as she struggles for spiritual victory.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
VALKYRIES
“Above all, “Father Williams said, “be examples. You know, nobody ever really took the Valkyrie mascot very seriously until this year. I want each of you to think about what a Valkyrie is: a shield maiden of heaven. Could we convert her to our faith, we would call her a shield maiden of the Lord of Hosts. That’s quite a title. Each of you has taken upon yourself a serious and maybe a sacred emblem.”
Most days, life seems more like a prison than an adventure to Tracey Jacamuzzi. She feels like a failure than a Valkyrie. And it’s no wonder. Her junior year is marred by her parents’ divorce, the death of a classmate, and the continued violence of a fellow basketball player. Even her mentor and best friend, Liz, has changed. Tracey’s state of exile as a resident student at the Sanctuary of Mary and Joseph— known as the last resort before juvenile hall—shows no sign of nearing an end.
Tracey finds a place for herself through basketball and Maddie Murdoch, the volunteer bus driver who sets her heart on loving Tracey the way God Himself loves her. Tracey’s faith in Christ is growing, and she is achieving excellence as an athlete. But she can’t seem to control her own actions or rise above her violent past. At her lowest point, she begins to understand the potent mercy of the God who refuses to give up on her.
All Through the Blood is the triumphant conclusion of the story begun in Some Through the Fire. Readers will recognize God’s determination to turn a rough-and-tumble survivor of a sordid past into a good Valkyrie through and through.
JERI MASSI came to Christ as a teenager. She has been writing fiction for most of her life, seeking to develop a style of straightforward honesty that creates powerful narratives.
About the Author
Jeri Massi came to Christ as a teenager and was captivated by C.S. Lewis and other great Christian writers. She has been writing fiction for most of her life, seeking to develop a style of straightforward honesty that creates powerful narratives. Her choice of the Valkyrie as the symbol of the victorious Christian is taken from the ancient belief that God chooses weak and frail creatures and fills them with the strength of heaven to glorify Himself.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An outstanding achievement in Christian fiction,
By "synaesthete7" (Stratford, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: All Through the Blood (Valkyries Series) (Paperback)
The two-volume story VALKYRIES has been billed as "a hard-hitting novel about the grace of God". The description is indeed apt, because this story pulls no punches. It is by far the most honest, compelling, non-stereotypical, and thought-provoking Christian novel for young adults that I have ever read. The heroine, Tracey, is not some paper saint -- she is a fully believable character whose struggles and doubts are very real. Nor are the challenges that she faces as a young believer downplayed or oversimplified. As Tracey seeks to grow in her newfound faith and take a stand for Christ in a hostile environment, the errors she makes and the failures and disappointments she experiences teach important truths about God's mercy, grace, and love. Yet the story is far from preachy, and the lessons are never glib. One of the most remarkable things about this story is the richness and depth of the characterization. Although Tracey's conversion from Catholicism and her subsequent opposition to Catholic doctrines and practices are central to the book, the Catholic characters are not demonized, nor the evangelicals glorified. Neither can any one of the characters be reduced to a mere stereotype -- not even the apparent villains of the piece, like Tracey's abusive father or the harshly dictatorial principal of her Catholic school. Each person Tracey meets, regardless of their beliefs, is portrayed as a real human being, with virtues as well as faults. As such, the story rings true to life. The dialogue in the book flows easily and naturally from the characters, without any of the golly-gee hokiness or wooden diction that infects many Christian novels. It also shows real wit -- some of the quips made by Tracey's schoolmates are laugh-out-loud funny -- yet the humour is never forced or contrived. The narrative style of the novel is highly readable, clear and straightforward, providing just enough detail to create a picture in the reader's mind while spare enough to keep the action moving right along. Although Tracey's story unfolds slowly, each scene advances the plot, adds interest and depth to the characters, and none of it feels superfluous or wasted. I am a non-athlete and have no interest in team sports as a rule, but Tracey's high school basketball career -- an element which is crucial to the book, and not presented merely to add excitement or to glorify sport for its own sake -- is so skilfully described that I was captivated by it. Reading VALKYRIES, I was moved to both laughter and tears -- a rare experience for me. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a forthright, uncompromising, and deeply moving portrayal of what it really means to be a Christian and a child of God.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing story and the triumph of Grace!,
By A Customer
This review is from: All Through the Blood (Valkyries Series) (Paperback)
At last I've found a Christian book that's really about Christ in us. This is the second half of a two-part story that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Told in a rapid, rat-a-tat style with quickfire dialog that is often hilarious, VALKYRIES shows every aspect of being a Christian: faith, doubt, tragedy, warmth, and the constant seeking and learning of Christ. On one level, it's a story about a girls' basketball team, but you don't have to be sports enthusiast to get drawn into the action. The amazing array of characters, from the cruel and grasping Scooter to the lively and irrepressible Dibbles, provide plenty of interest. On another level, it's a story about Sanctification. There are no perfect Christians in this book, just very real people with very real struggles and a very real Saviour who keeps them and gives them His grace. This book is funny, heartbreaking, breath taking, and insightful. At the end of it all, the reader sees all over again that salvation is all of Christ.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good sequel,
This review is from: All Through the Blood (Valkyries Series) (Paperback)
I liked the book a lot. I bought the first one separately, and this one makes a nice ending, although I think the relationship between Maddie and Tracey is a little bit unbelievable, at least at first.
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