
The Strange Maid
Book 2 of United States of Asgard
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $22.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Cynthia Holloway
-
By:
-
Tessa Gratton
About this listen
Fans of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater will embrace the richly drawn, Norse-influenced alternate world of the United States of Asgard, where cell phones, rock bands, and evangelical preachers coexist with dragon slaying, rune casting, and sword training in schools. Where the president runs the country alongside a council of Valkyries, gods walk the red carpet with Hollywood starlets, and the US military has a special battalion dedicated to eradicating Rocky Mountain trolls. Signy Valborn was seven years old when she climbed the New World Tree and met Odin Alfather, who declared that if she could solve a single riddle, he would make her one of his Valkyrie. For 10 years Signy has trained in the arts of war, politics, and leadership, never dreaming that a Greater Mountain Troll might hold the answer to the riddle, but that’s exactly what Ned the Spiritless promises her. A mysterious troll hunter who talks in riddles and ancient poetry, Ned is a hard man to trust. Unfortunately, Signy is running out of time. Accompanied by an outcast berserker named Soren Bearstar, she and Ned take off across the ice sheets of Canadia to hunt the mother of trolls and claim Signy’s destiny.
©2014 Tessa Gratton (P)2014 Listening LibraryListeners also enjoyed...
-
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 1
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Bradley Foster Smith, Karen Novack, Scott McCormick, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
-
-
Amazing book, but bad audio book!
- By Amazon Customer on 07-08-22
By: Sarah J. Maas
-
Lady Midnight
- The Dark Artifices, Book 1
- By: Cassandra Clare
- Narrated by: Morena Baccarin
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Together with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn't lead her in treacherous directions....
-
-
New Players and New Plots
- By RayRay1974 on 03-14-16
By: Cassandra Clare
-
Prince of Fools
- The Red Queen's War, Book 1
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister - unseen by most and unspoken of by all. The Red Queen's grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth - drinker, gambler, seducer of women - is one who can see The Silent Sister.
-
-
A fantasy odd couple caught up in a bigger game
- By Lore on 04-10-16
By: Mark Lawrence
-
The Map of Salt and Stars
- By: Zeyn Joukhadar
- Narrated by: Lara Sawalha
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer. Her mother, a cartographer who creates unusual, hand-painted maps, decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. But the country Nour's mother once knew is changing, and it isn't long before protests and shelling threaten their quiet Homs neighborhood. More than 800 years earlier, Rawiya, 16 and a widow's daughter, knows she must do something to help her impoverished mother. Restless and longing to see the world, she leaves home to seek her fortune.
-
-
An Amazing Audible Experience
- By Zu-Zu on 08-12-18
By: Zeyn Joukhadar
-
The Boneless Mercies
- By: April Genevieve Tucholke
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies - girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life. When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.
-
-
BUY THIS BOOK!
- By GPChlorine on 11-08-18
-
The Ninth Rain
- The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Jen Williams
- Narrated by: Jot Davies
- Length: 20 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jen Williams, acclaimed author of The Copper Cat trilogy, featuring The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.
-
-
Couldn’t put it down!
- By Renae on 09-09-22
By: Jen Williams
-
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 1
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Bradley Foster Smith, Karen Novack, Scott McCormick, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
-
-
Amazing book, but bad audio book!
- By Amazon Customer on 07-08-22
By: Sarah J. Maas
-
Lady Midnight
- The Dark Artifices, Book 1
- By: Cassandra Clare
- Narrated by: Morena Baccarin
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Together with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn't lead her in treacherous directions....
-
-
New Players and New Plots
- By RayRay1974 on 03-14-16
By: Cassandra Clare
-
Prince of Fools
- The Red Queen's War, Book 1
- By: Mark Lawrence
- Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister - unseen by most and unspoken of by all. The Red Queen's grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth - drinker, gambler, seducer of women - is one who can see The Silent Sister.
-
-
A fantasy odd couple caught up in a bigger game
- By Lore on 04-10-16
By: Mark Lawrence
-
The Map of Salt and Stars
- By: Zeyn Joukhadar
- Narrated by: Lara Sawalha
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer. Her mother, a cartographer who creates unusual, hand-painted maps, decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. But the country Nour's mother once knew is changing, and it isn't long before protests and shelling threaten their quiet Homs neighborhood. More than 800 years earlier, Rawiya, 16 and a widow's daughter, knows she must do something to help her impoverished mother. Restless and longing to see the world, she leaves home to seek her fortune.
-
-
An Amazing Audible Experience
- By Zu-Zu on 08-12-18
By: Zeyn Joukhadar
-
The Boneless Mercies
- By: April Genevieve Tucholke
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies - girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life. When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.
-
-
BUY THIS BOOK!
- By GPChlorine on 11-08-18
-
The Ninth Rain
- The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Jen Williams
- Narrated by: Jot Davies
- Length: 20 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jen Williams, acclaimed author of The Copper Cat trilogy, featuring The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.
-
-
Couldn’t put it down!
- By Renae on 09-09-22
By: Jen Williams
-
The High Mountain Court
- The Five Crowns of Okrith, Book 1
- By: A.K. Mulford
- Narrated by: Mela Lee
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirteen years fleeing witch hunters and the looming threat of death. Nineteen-year-old Remy knows she is possibly the last red witch alive, and she is determined to stay that way. The Northern Court King has slaughtered her home court and placed a bounty on red witch heads. When four fae warriors enter her tavern refuge, Remy tries to flee, but her magic isn’t strong enough to stop a fae prince on a mission.
-
-
I don’t know
- By Victoria on 03-09-22
By: A.K. Mulford
-
Echo North
- By: Joanna Ruth Meyer
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Echo Alkaev's safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf - the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: if she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes.
-
-
Nice little story with fun magic...
- By Sophia on 05-06-19
-
Furyborn
- By: Claire Legrand
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first. One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable - until her mother vanishes.
-
-
Fun Action Thrill Ride
- By Caffaenated on 06-01-18
By: Claire Legrand
-
Beautiful Wreck
- By: Larissa Brown
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a desolate future built on virtual reality, Ginn is a romantic who yearns for something real. She designs environments for people who play at being Vikings. But when her project goes awry, she's stranded in the actual 10th century, on a storybook farm in Viking Iceland. Heirik is the young leader of his family, honored by the men and women who live on his land. But he is feared and isolated because of a terrible curse. Ginn and Heirik are two people who never thought they would find a home in someone else's heart.
-
-
Poorly written and thought out.
- By Michael Kasper on 06-27-19
By: Larissa Brown
-
The Glass Spare
- By: Lauren DeStefano
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wilhelmina Heidle, the fourth child and only daughter of the king of the world's wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father - whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war - Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance. Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone.
-
-
Story doesn’t finish (and a warning for parents)
- By GLENNO on 03-17-22
By: Lauren DeStefano
-
Thorn
- By: Anna Burke
- Narrated by: Annette Romano
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a cold day deep in the heart of winter, Rowan’s father returns from an ill-fated hunting trip bearing a single, white rose. The rose is followed by the Huntress, a figure out of legend. Tall, cruel, and achingly beautiful, she brings Rowan back with her to a mountain fastness populated solely by the creatures of the hunt. Rowan, who once scorned the villagers for their superstitions, now finds herself at the heart of a curse with roots as deep as the mountains, ruled by an old magic that is as insidious as the touch of the winter rose.
-
-
An excellent story very well told
- By Carleen on 04-04-19
By: Anna Burke
-
Labyrinth Lost
- By: Zoraida Cordova
- Narrated by: Almarie Guerra
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives. Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can't trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange marks on his skin. The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos.
-
-
Good book, non Spanish speaker narrator
- By Ivonne on 11-15-17
By: Zoraida Cordova
-
Because You Love to Hate Me
- 13 Tales of Villainy
- By: Ameriie - editor
- Narrated by: Ameriie, Kevin T. Collins, Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this unique YA anthology, 13 acclaimed, best-selling authors team up with 13 influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view. These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like Medusa, Sherlock Holmes, and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage - and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
-
-
I enjoyed more than I expected
- By Doha on 08-30-17
By: Ameriie - editor
-
Steel Sirens
- A High Fantasy Harem Adventure
- By: Maxx Whittaker
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I've known one thing all my life: I belong to the Fortingall Wood. I was born there and I'll die there. It's in my blood. When slavers of the Hand take my brother, sister, and our entire village I discover nothing I know is true - not my place as a ranger or even who I am. With the help of the Sirens, ancient warriors imbued by a goddess, I may have a shot at saving my family. But the Sirens have trouble of their own. If I want their help I'll have to free each woman from her magic-induced exile. First, I have to find them.
-
-
I loved it
- By Gavin Markowitz on 11-21-19
By: Maxx Whittaker
-
Exquisite Captive
- Dark Caravan Cycle, Book 1
- By: Heather Demetrios
- Narrated by: Erin Mallon
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jinni. Empress. Warrior. Slave. Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she's now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters' every command. She'd give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.
-
-
Interesting Story
- By Ess Bee on 11-09-14
-
Bloodleaf
- By: Crystal Smith
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her.
-
-
Not Understanding All the Praise
- By GPChlorine on 08-23-19
By: Crystal Smith
-
Unbound
- Unbound, Book 1
- By: Shawn Speakman
- Narrated by: Dick Hill, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Nick Podehl, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Not bound as a book. Free. Like Unfettered before it, the contributing writers of Unbound were allowed to submit the tales they wished fans of genre to hear - without the constraints of a shackling theme. The result is magical. Twenty-three all-original stories are sure to captivate you - some will move you to tears while others will keep you listening long into the night. The power of Unbound lies in its variety of tales and the voices behind them. If you are a fan of discovering new writers or hearing the works of beloved authors, Unbound is for you.
-
-
There are some gems in this one
- By Gyula Mészáros on 04-16-18
By: Shawn Speakman
What listeners say about The Strange Maid
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JGillSt
- 05-07-16
Solid Second Book
I went into The Strange Maid knowing that I probably wouldn't love it as much as I loved the first book in the series The Lost Sun, which I loved with an almost inexplicable fervor, and I was okay with that.
Tessa Gratton's newest book in The United States of Asgard series follows Signy Valborn. Signy was chosen by Odin the Alfather himself to be a Valkyrie when she was a child. Now grown, she must prove herself before she can take her place on the Valkyrie counsel by solving a riddle. Its answer eludes her.
The Strange Maid begins before the events of The Lost Sun and eventually reaches beyond Baldur's return. It answers a plot point that was never really resolved in The Lost Sun: what of all the trolls that attacked while Baldur was missing? Signy's riddle is the answer to this question. She and a motley band, including a poet, Soren Bearskin, and several Berserkers, seek the answer to her riddle by stopping the troll attacks.
When reading a series, it's hard when the second introduces a new main character when you loved the characters in the first so much. I was immensely glad when Soren finally showed up on the scene. I like Signy too, but she is, in many ways, the opposite of Soren. She embraces Odin's madness and has a violent streak to her. She is ambitious and eager to bring back the old ways.
The writing itself is beautiful, and I love how Tessa Gratton combines the poetry and myth of old with a modern society. I love how the past and the present are connected in this story. The tale of Beowulf and those of the ancient Valkyrie resonant and are mirrored in the modern setting. It's a really lovely construction. I'll definitely continue reading this series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jenn
- 04-21-15
Compelling
Fans of Tessa's
first book will not be disappointed by the second, a book that is much darker, and far more complex than you might initially think. Cynthias narration is different from bk 1, with the male narrator being missed at first, but she becomes each character so completely that she is perfect for the roles.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!