Book Review: ‘Loki: Where Mischief Lies’

by | Sep 3, 2019 | Books | 0 comments

Review by Lauryn Angel

I’ve long been an unabashed Loki-lover – both the figure in Norse mythology and the Marvel incarnation. I’ve also been known to read quite a bit of YA fiction. So when I discovered my favorite Marvel villain was getting a YA novel, said novel shot to the top of my to-read list.

I admit that I haven’t read Mackenzi Lee’s Montague Siblings series, but with names like The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, you can bet I’ll be reading them soon. But Lee was the perfect person to tackle a character like Loki, whose gender is as fluid as his morals. And then, putting him. in Victorian London? I can’t think of anything Lee could do to make me more intrigued by Loki: Where Mischief Lies.

Lee’s incarnation of Loki isn’t the same Loki we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nor is he quite the Loki of the comics. He’s probably closest to the incarnation of Loki: Agent of Asgard, but the Loki in this novel is still young enough to crave Odin’s love and jaded enough to realize he’s not likely to get it. So when Odin sends him to Midgard to solve a mystery, Loki is eager to prove himself, even as he realizes he’s being sent away as a form of exile, while Thor is given a more important mission. Of course Loki believes the Midgardians and their troubles to be beneath him – but he has a lot to learn.

In addition to Loki, Thor, and Odin, Lee makes use of another important character to the Thor mythos – The Enchantress. Her motivation is just as murky as Loki’s, which makes her a fitting character for this story. Loki must determine whether he can trust her – or whether she’s manipulating him for her own ends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, in which my favorite trickster strikes out on his own to make a name for himself. However, there were a few moments in which Loki acted out of character – that is to say, my idea of his character, anyway. But this Loki is still young, and his character is developing, so I wasn’t as put off by these deviations as others might be. Putting this aside, the story is fun, and Loki’s snark is fully intact, making this a delightful diversion until we see next see Loki on the screen in 2021.