Before the days of going toe-to-toe with the Avengers, a younger Loki is desperate to prove himself heroic and capable, while it seems everyone around him suspects him of inevitable villainy and depravity . . . except for Amora. Asgard’s resident sorceress-in-training feels like a kindred spirit-someone who values magic and knowledge, who might even see the best in him.
But when Loki and Amora cause the destruction of one of Asgard’s most prized possessions, Amora is banished to Earth, where her powers will slowly and excruciatingly fade to nothing. Without the only person who ever looked at his magic as a gift instead of a threat, Loki slips further into anguish and the shadow of his universally adored brother, Thor.
When Asgardian magic is detected in relation to a string of mysterious murders on Earth, Odin sends Loki to investigate. As he descends upon nineteenth-century London, Loki embarks on a journey that leads him to more than just a murder suspect, putting him on a path to discover the source of his power-and who he’s meant to be.
Cover
I really love the cover for this book! I think it captures Loki and I really like how they put a shadow of the Loki we know and love in the background and put his younger self at the forefront. But, in the book, Lee makes sure to reiterate how much the god loves his high heeled boots and I wish they put that element on the cover to really show who Loki is (but I’m glad they did the black nail polish).
Plot/Characters
This was a really quick read for me. I couldn’t put it down, and when I did it was reluctantly. That saying, I feel like this read closer to a middle grade novel than a YA novel. It felt really young and the “plot twist” could be seen from miles away. I also wish there were more “adult” aspects in this book and it explored Loki’s relationships more.
We are told and sort of shown that his relationships with Odin and Thor are tumultuous but, there isn’t much of it. I think Lee needed to connect Loki with the humans of SHARP more because I really felt nothing for them. If Loki is supposed to be attached to them, we should’ve seen more of them interacting and maybe the god could’ve opened up to one of them about his life and how he felt in Asgard.
The romance aspect was also a wasted plot line for me. Lee could’ve done so much with Loki and Theo but instead she forced the fact that Theo liked Loki and then threw him aside. I wish there was a concrete ending (like Theo and Loki liking each other but are separated by Odin) and I wish they had more meaningful interactions so that their attraction made more sense. I know Theo read Norse Mythologies and stories about Loki but that didn’t make me attached to them as a couple.
But, I did like that Loki is obviously genderfluid and pansexual. That’s who Loki is in the comic books as well so it was nice to see that reflected in his novel. We also have rep for disability with Theo which was nice.
I’m also a sucker for backstories. I love learning about characters’ pasts and who they were when they were younger so this book really jumped out at me for that reason. I liked getting inside Loki’s head a bit more and returning to my favorite character in the Marvel Universe.
If you want a quick read about a classic comic book villain in his younger years, then I would definitely pick this one up. It wasn’t the most amazing book I’ve ever read but I did enjoy myself while reading it.
Check the book out on Goodreads!
The Amarna Movement 