Loki: Where Mischief Lies

By Mackenzi Lee 

 

I am going to be reviewing the Marvel novel ‘Loki: Where Mischief Lies’ by the best-selling author Mackenzi Lee.

 

This book is a prequel to what we see of everyone’s favourite chaotic neutral god, Loki, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before his days of going toe-to-toe with the Avengers, a younger Loki is desperate to prove his worth, while everyone around him believes him untrustworthy and villainous. After the loss of his best friend and fellow witch, Amora the Enchantress, he is at a loss regarding his place in the world. That is until Odin sends him to investigate a series of magical murders on Midgard, a world known only for its unremarkable inhabitants and the realm’s distinct lack of magic. Falling from the Bifrost into nineteenth-century London, Loki finds that his mission is more than it seems, his murder suspect more than a simple villain and his powers greater than he ever could have imagined. 

 

This is an official Marvel story that explores the untapped potential of the God of Mischief. In my opinion, this book is absolutely brilliant. The cover illustration is beautiful, and the story even more so. One of my favourite aspects of the story is that Lee writes Loki as he is, a teenage pansexual genderfluid god. This is not particularly addressed within the films, so I really enjoy how Lee has portrayed this, from Loki’s high-heeled boots to his secret crush. I also love how this story incorporates links to Norse Mythology. There are mentions of Loki as the God of Evil and his part in Ragnarok, though all of this was added without altering the Marvel timeline. There were also links to Loki’s true heritage, such as his resistance to the cold and a moment where his skin may or may not have begun to turn blue. 

 

This is a must-read for people who enjoyed the graphic novel ‘Loki: Agent of Asgard’ or anyone who loved the character from the ‘Thor’ or ‘Avengers’ movies. I absolutely adored it and wish there was a sequel. This is a book for any age group and every paragraph is filled with magic, mischief and sass, just like the main character.

Bitch Doctrine

By Laurie Penny

Starting with a provocative title is always a good move when you want to get people’s attention, but it doesn’t stop there. Smart and provocative, this collection of Laurie Penny’s writing grabbed my attention from the start. From the shock of Donald Trump’s election and the effects it has on the wider world to online harassment and the transgender rights movement, these darkly humoured articles give readers the tools they need to survive in a society run by patriarchy, anxiety and fear. The extremely personal topics under discussion in this book bring to light the fears of the many and not just the one person. After reading this book I found myself beaming at the idea that change is not so impossible anymore and frowning at how many struggles there were left to overcome.

This book is one of the many books on feminism that I have on my bookshelf, but it is definitely one of the wittiest, most passionate and honest I have read to date. I found this book to describe not just one, but many topics, all of which are widely explored. I would rate this book for over tens as it discusses topics such as rape, harassment, assault and other topics that would be unsuitable for younger readers. I absolutely loved this book, though it left me a bit shell-shocked. Society has a long way to go before it can finally reach anyone’s level of satisfaction, so while you’re waiting for the next breakthrough, between trying to teach your friends what it means to be a feminist, curl up in your bed and read this book. You won’t be disappointed.