Black Ice by Susan Krinard

Midgard, Book 2

Synopsis: 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.

Review: After enjoying the first book, I was excited to discover this second volume by Susan Krinard. I must say that I have a soft spot for everything about mythology and it’s true that this volume presents everything that can please me.

We thus find Mist, always equal to herself, and who finds herself increasingly at the heart of a war she must lead to save the world. Indeed, now that one of her sisters, Bryn, teamed up with her, she knows that she will have to find all the others so they help her to oppose Loki and his plan. Yet this is far from simple and new problems are constantly being added. Anna, a young woman, is strangely attracted to Mist and her bird encourages her to go to her. But as she tries to follow her instincts, it seems that Loki and other characters are very interested in her future. But besides that, Dainn is in a borderline control with the beast he carries in and he is not persuaded to stay long master of himself. Allies could become enemies and vice versa, but Mist should always keep a cool head in order to find the best solutions for all. But between the searches of her sisters, her desire to protect everyone and the control she must have over everyone, Mist will really have many things to do throughout the novel.

Our heroine has changed a lot throughout the two volumes, and it’s true that I’m pretty impressed with her composure and all she has to manage simultaneously. True, she does not have all the answers, but she tries to do her best at all times. Of course, her only weak point is that she must always monitor Dainn and to assure that he does not go wild. Mist also has a fiery temperament and is always demanded everywhere. The allies gather but it is just the beginning. We also have many revelations and turning situations throughout the story and I admit that I was surprised more than once by the particular purpose for which I was not expecting at all. We’ll learn here a little more about the past of the young woman as well as the ones of other characters. I also forgot to mention one of the new characters that we discover, like Danny? I admit that this autistic child immediately intrigued me and being the son of Loki, one wonders what will be his fate and what course he will take.

I had a lot of fun with this second novel and all the characters are found here. There’s really no downtime and mythology is more present than ever. Susan presents a nice mix of mythology, conspiracies, creatures of all kinds and a foretaste of a war that promises to be epic. So it was a very pleasant surprise and I look forward now to dive into the sequel that looks more than promising.