{Review} Black Ice (Midgard #2) by Susan Krinard

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: August 12th, 2014
Finished Date: July 25th, 2014

Publishers: Tor Teen
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

New York Times bestselling author Susan Krinard continues the thrilling urban fantasy series that began with Mist in Black Ice.

Centuries ago, all was lost in the Last Battle when the Norse gods and goddesses went to war. The elves, the giants, and the gods and goddesses themselves were all destroyed, leaving the Valkyrie known as Mist one of the only survivors.

Or so she thought.

The trickster god Loki has reappeared in San Francisco, and he has big plans for modern-day Earth. With few allies and fewer resources—but the eyes of the gods and goddesses of an old world upon her—it’s up to Mist to stop him before history repeats itself.

The Review: Black Ice is the action packed sequel to Mist and book 2 in the Midgard series.
We join Mist almost immediately after her showdown with Loki in the finale of book one. Mist, Dainn and her allies are recovering from the battle with Loki, regrouping and working through the discoveries they made. They know that Loki will attack again but whether it’s today, tomorrow or months from now they have no idea, but one thing they do know is that they need to be prepared. They also know that they need to strengthen their side and to do that, they need to find more of the Valkyrie and the gifts they protect. On the other side, Loki is also looking at what he learned from the battle with Mist, he’s left wondering whether Mist is powerful in her own right or whether it all comes from her mother…. He knows he must find out though and he also has a few more tricks up his sleeve, one that will surely bring Dainn and his beast to heel.
The battle for Midgard is only just starting and both sides are preparing for the long game so now its all about getting your players and placing them on the board.
I thought Black Ice was a good sequel to Mist and I really enjoyed it. It was a really fast paced read filled with action, betrayal, misdirection and secrets galore, where it feels like everyone has an agenda and you never know who to trust.
Mist again is a great character, quite hardened by her warrior/Valkyrie status, she has the weight of the world on her shoulders at the minute and everyone is looking to her to be the leader, a position that makes her uncomfortable but she will own it. I would have liked to see her soften a bit because she is so stuck in her role and I had thought she might have found something with Dainn but alas not yet. Dainn is still mysterious but we get a couple of reveals about him that show him in a different light, he is still struggling with his beast and I thought it showed his crumbling will against it well but also his determination to keep in check – as if he needs to do this for Mist, but he’s still keeping secrets from her so I’ll be curious to see what becomes of that.
The storyline was a good progression and whilst it was action packed and a good few secrets were revealed, it did seem like it was all about building their allies up to create an army. Obviously Loki is still looking for ways to create portals so that he can gain the upper hand but Mist is always there to thwart him. Loki seems to hold all of the cards as well and that he is manipulating the whole story, playing Mist & Dainn like puppets, testing the powers, what they know and playing with emotions in a way only Loki can. I did enjoy the new characters in this and thought it was logical that Mist would be trying to locate her Valkyrie sisters, what they bring to the story is interesting and I liked how they were found and what they had to offer. Loki also brought some surprises to the story which opens the world up even further but brings a situation that really does require a stretch of the imagination. Freya will also make an appearance but whether Dainn’s plan to keep her out of Mists body has worked remains to be seen and as Mists power grows, she becomes more of a target. The plot is really jam packed with action and the pacing is very fast but I liked that, yes the story is complicated and there is a lot to keep track of but it was certainly easier reading that the first book now that we are well acquainted with the characters, their world and what is at stake. I’ll be looking out for book 3 for sure. 

Thank you to Tor Books  for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

A Review for Mist (Mist #1) by Susan Krinard

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: July 16th, 2013
Finished Date: July 21th, 2013

Publishers: Tor Books
Source: For Review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

New York Times bestselling author Susan Krinard launches her first urban fantasy series

Centuries ago, all was lost in the Last Battle when the Norse gods and goddesses went to war. The elves, the giants, and the gods and goddesses themselves were all destroyed, leaving the Valkyrie Mist one of the only survivors.

Or so she thought.

When a snowy winter descends upon modern-day San Francisco in June, Mist’s quiet existence starts to feel all too familiar. In quick succession, Mist is attacked by a frost giant in a public park and runs into an elf disguised as a homeless person on the streets…and then the man Mist believed was her mortal boyfriend reveals himself to be the trickster god, Loki, alive and well after all these years.

Loki has big plans for the modern world, and he’s been hanging around Mist for access to a staff that once belonged to the great god Odin. Mist is certain of one thing: Loki must be stopped if there is to be any hope for Earth. But the fight is even bigger than she knows….

Because Loki wasn’t the only god to survive.

The Review: 3.5 Flowers!

Mist is an interesting start to a new series based on the Valkyrie of Norse mythology. Centuries ago Mist was sent to Midgard (earth) along with her Valkyrie sisters at the start of what they believed to be Ragnarok – the last battle - each with a treasure of the Norse Gods to protect from getting into the wrong hands. Mist is charged with keeping Odin’s spear safe, with it & her sisters, they take it upon themselves to protect humans from the evil of the world, putting the treasures to use for good until events during the second world war brings disaster to the sisters and Mist turns her back on defending the weak. Fast forward a few decades and Mist is in San Francisco, enjoying a normal life with her boyfriend Eric – until one fateful night when strolling in the forest, she is attacked! Only the thing that attacks her cannot possibly be in Midgard, for a frost giant is not from this realm and it knows her, knows what she is…… in a lucky escape she stumbles across what appears to be a homeless man, who then turns out to be an Elf – with a message – Ragnarok was stalled but the gods & goddesses are trapped in a void and Mist needs to prepare for their coming. Upon heading home she discovers that her boyfriend Eric, is infact Loki – the trickster god – who has managed to find his way to Midgard and he has plans, big plans for earth and the humans, plans that involve stealing all of the hidden treasures and using them to his advantage…. Starting with Mist’s treasure – Gunginar.

So, I enjoyed this book, I thought it was good and has some potential but it was quite confusing. I liked Mist’s character, I like what she is, what she can do and what it appears she is destined for. I didn’t gel with her emotionally but I can appreciate a strong leading lady with the propensity to become epic. I liked Dainn, he has my interest, I want to know more but I also need him to be more defined about his allegiances before I can see him differently because it wasn’t clear if he was friend/foe/love interest. I’m sure this was intentional but as I said, I need it to be clearly defined. The storyline has a good amount of potential, I am a fan of Norse mythology and have read some amazing books with that premise but this is the first where a partial Ragnarok is meant to have unfolded and I liked that angle. I really liked the idea of the most trusted Valkyrie, each being given a treasure of the gods i.e. Odin’s spear, Thor’s Hammer etc to be kept in safe keeping as not to fall into the wrong hands with the power they could produce. We only really meet a couple of the sisters in the beginning of this and I was impressed by how they used them and what for, but then they stopped. I also liked the different type of magics that were used, particularly the runes which aren’t used a lot in books and really interest me and there were some great action scenes with magic at play.

I think that whenever I read a story of the Norse gods there is never any question of who the bad guy will be because it’s obvious – Loki – and he is a formidable enemy to have to deal with and because he seems to be the only god around, he is unstoppable. I liked him as a threat because there seems to be no limits to what he can & will do to get his own way which can give the reader some fun. However, Mist & Loki are the only people who I can definitely put into sides – good & bad – because its quite confusing about who is working with whom, who has alternative agendas, who is actually who they say they are, who has feelings for whom and so on… I felt like Puck from A Midsummer Night’s dream had nipped into the book and sprinkled some love dust on everyone not to mention the game playing that was going on behind the scenes... I don’t mind a bit of subterfuge but this was way over my head and far too confusing which did spoil my enjoyment of the book unfortunately. I understand that Loki is notorious for this type of game playing and it was in character but it was overkill. I would probably read the sequel because I do like the idea behind it and I liked the reunion at the end but hoping for less confusion.