Mist (Midgard #1) by Susan Krinard

Series: Midgard #1
384p.
Publisher: Tor Books
Available Now
Source: From publisher for review

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.

My thoughts:
 Norse mythology heavy, I really wanted to dive right into this book. In fact, it was so mythology heavy I had to at times reread sections just so I got it straight. This isn't a bad thing because I do like books that just take you for a ride and hope you catch up. I'm not as familiar with Norse mythology as I'd like to think and this one challenged my knowledge. Yes, I did like that. However, some people might have a bit of a problem with having to go back and reread sections. Perhaps a small section at the end with the terms and gods defined would help.

Mist is a good heroine and a badass valkyrie, but also a bit naïve despite her time with the gods and on midgard. She trusts when I personally didn't think it prudent, but yet I understood as time was short and she had to make decisions fast. If she made a wrong decisions at least she didn't shy away from her responsibility. Her powers are new and she is also in her infancy learning about them. I questioned that since you would have thought she would have had some inkling about the powers because there was no reasoning as to why she was unaware, no magical binding. There is also a hint of a romance between her and a wayward elf but nothing more than that.

I give Mist 3 1/2 stars. I enjoyed the world and the mythology presented. You could tell that it was well researched. I still would have liked a bit more labor done with the characters to draw me in through Mist and her companions. I do think that will easily come as the series progresses and I can see why there was so much spent on the world building. The plot demanded it. I am looking forward to more adventures with Mist and defeating the irrepressible Loki.