Series: Loki #2
Release Date: 17th May 2018
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 320
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy to review.

Synopsis

Ragnarok was the End of Worlds.

Asgard fell, centuries ago, and the old gods have been defeated. Some are dead, while others have been consigned to eternal torment in the netherworld – among them, the legendary trickster, Loki. A god who betrayed every side and still lost everything, who has lain forgotten as time passed and the world of humans moved on to new beliefs, new idol and new deities . . .

But now mankind dreams of the Norse Gods once again, the river Dream is but a stone’s throw from their dark prison, and Loki is the first to escape into a new reality.

The first, but not the only one to. Other, darker, things have escaped with him, who seek to destroy everything that he covets. If he is to reclaim what has been lost, Loki will need allies, a plan, and plenty of tricks . . .

Review

This is the second of Joanne Harris’s books featuring the trickster God Loki. I absolutely loved The Gospel of Loki so I was really excited to return to this series. In this instalment Ragnarok has occurred, Asgard has fallen and Loki has very few options. By chance he escapes eternal torment only to end up sharing the body of a young teenage girl.

One of the things I really adored about this book is the way that Joanne Harris writes this series. Loki is of course a trickster, he’s mischievous and scheming and that really comes across in the narrative. It’s very much like you’re sitting down with Loki and he’s regaling you with his greatest feats. I loved seeing things from his perspective and watching as he managed to worm his way out of every situation.

The Testament of Loki really was an emotional read. There were bits I was laughing (Loki attempting to understand the modern world of mobile phones and pizza) to the sadder moments as Loki grows as a person and learns to care about people other than himself. I really liked Jumps, (Loki’s host) she was a fascinating character and she had a terrific amount of character development as she dealt with her problems and became who she wanted to be.

The story is fun and fast paced, with plenty of Loki’s schemes leaving you wondering what on Earth he’s going to do next. These books are such a fun and accessible way to learn about Norse mythology and I can’t recommend them highly enough.