Loki

There are some writers that you can just rely on. Mackenzie Lee is without a doubt one of them for me. Her writing is always so swift, her characters rich and engaging, and while her stories can twist and turn in unconventional ways they always hold my attention.

Loki: Where Mischief Lies is not quite good as the two books of the Gentleman's Guide series, but it has a similar flair and pace that keeps you turning the page. Loki, much like the MCU character we meet in the first Thor film, is a young prince struggling with his identity and his role as a likely second in line to the throne, but never first. His closest friend - and big fat crush - is Amora, a confident and powerful young sorceress who encourages him to grow his magic and take risks. When Amora is banished to Midgard for taking the blame for one of Loki's schemes gone wrong, effectively killing her slowly as Earth will gradually drain her magic away, Loki is left with nothing but to do his best to be the perfect prince, the perfect diplomat, the person his father wants him to be. Naturally, he never quite get its right. When he's sent to Midgard to solve a mystery that Odin can't be bothered to address himself, he finds Amora, some charming humans and gets in touch with his inner villain.

Loki is a natural choice for a tie-in book like this, as his portrayal by Tom Hiddleston in the MCU has captivated so many (myself included) but never underestimate what a challenge it can be to write from the point of view of a villain. Especially when he's not quite the villain yet. How gray to make him really? How naive? How dangerous? I think what's so interesting about Lee's version of Loki is that he is so unapologetic about who he is and what he wants that it makes sense that being denied the ability to use the magic that comes naturally to him, to be the sorcerer he was meant to be, is so grating. It's what pushes him towards Amora, what frustrates him about how Thor is so easily loved when his magical abilities and cleverness should be considered just as valuable as Thor's strength, and what sews those seeds of darkness and arrogance in him. His characterization is solid, but I think Lee struggled a little bit with how far to take things.

I think there was a lot Lee wanted to do here that she only got to skim over. Loki's relationship with Theo and the other humans he meets is a lot of fun but feels more abbreviated than it should have been. Like, I felt like the story was on a really good roll with Loki developing stronger and stronger ties to Theo and Mrs S until suddenly it wasn't. The more substantial relationship is between Loki and Amora, and don't get me wrong, I loved it. Their energy is incredibly sexy and intense. But even the ambiguity, the inherent danger in their relationship, kind of gets cut off before it can really be explored. As such, you neither get the vulnerability that would have come from him falling for Theo or the darkness and temptation that comes from his love for Amora.

What this story does best is the slower stuff. The spooky atmosphere of a 19th century seance, the muck of London streets. I wish the structure of the story had stuck closer to that of a mystery, because that is what really got me invested. When it moves into the third act, which resembles those of many MCU films, I found myself drifting away. I appreciate what Lee was trying to do - cool action on a speeding train, writhing hordes of the undead, and of course a double cross - but I think I would have liked something that was a little subtler. A little more like Loki himself.

A very solid 3.5 stars rounded up because I undeniably enjoyed this - it's fun, funny, fast and surprisingly sexy - it's just overall its a little thematically convoluted, and the last act felt too conventional for my tastes.