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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hey [a: Joanne Harris|9432|Joanne Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1411031584p2/9432.jpg] I hope you read this, because I know you hate criticism in anyway shape and form. So fight me basically I hated it. Here are the reasons why:
The narrative voice chosen is a really bad choice —> isn’t suave enough nor is it charming. I always imagined even of Loki was to speak in a modern context he’d retain an air of elegance and aloofness, just like Loki from the MCU. Im not saying that he should be professing everything in Shakespearean sonnets but some poise befitting of a god would be nice.
“But, as it happened, I’d assumed the form with which you may be familiar; that of a young man with red hair and a certain je ne sais quoi.” hOW TF DOES HE KNOW FRENCH? If you don’t have time to explain it rationally dont put it in at all.
“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as pink and virginal. And speaking of which, if you could find your way to lending me some clothes . . .” You just copied Shakespeare and didnt even acknowledge it.
I dont think the use of “glam” is right, use glamour instead if ur talking about magic
Harris doesn’t do the myths justice, they literally sound like embellished wikipedia entries.
I’m pretty sure Lokabrenna doesn’t really translate into “Gospel of Loki” (on the topic of titles I really wished she hadn’t used this, I was going to use it for my own poetry collection on Loki, actually the title is the reason why I even picked up the book)
Butchered the origins of Loki’s backstory, really wanted to see Laufey and Farbauti more as well as his Jotun heritage, reduced him to a demon which buys into the Christian overlays
Loki is the definition of demon Mary Sue, it takes me back to My Immortal, but at least My Immortal had a comical sort of flair to it. This book is trying hard to be serious with Loki’s character and failing miserably.
The gods are very flat, it's not as nuanced as how even the Norse Myths represent them.
Why are all the chapters titled “Never trust a..” We get lokster toaster dont trust people dont need to shove that fact up my ass
The word Xenophobia is out of place here
There are a lot of the people named the silent because they are chatterboxes the technique gets old the second time you do it hun
‘Chillax’ is also out of place
I dont really have a huge problem with this but I always saw Loki as a genderfliud pansexual being, it made more sense considering that his character was very flighty, its really weird seeing him being heteronormatised, each to their own I guess.
“Sigyn, a motherly type with a soupy expression and a not-unpleasant figure, which she hid under a series of demure floral housedresses” - I can’t express how much I hate the description of one of my favourite Norse Goddesses.
“Put the screws on me” umm the modern slang sounds outta place
In the versions of the myths that I read, I dont think Thor was there when Loki conceived Sleipinir
“Till tomorrow, demon boy. Then I’m going to kick your ass.” So many things wrong with this in context of the time period.
“Aesier vs Vanir football tournament” I’m sorry I didn’t realise the Norse Gods knew what football was in the ancient times
Every time he uses “Yours truly” I want to nek myself
“Hair extensions” k fam didn’t know the gods had modern hair salons
“ he was Freyja’s brother, and I needed to get her back on my side.” What does freyja have to do with Sif’s hair getting cut off
“Sigyn, who was watching me with a disturbingly motherly look, as if at any moment she might be impelled to put a soothing hand on my forehead.” Why is he so weirded out by her. He loves her in the myths (as much as a trickster can), while they aren’t the paragon of a married couple I dont think he’d marry her if he was so disgusted by her. He must have cared for her at some level, enough to at least make Odin know that the only way to actually break Loki was by torturing her.
Aww poor bby Loki what a speshul bby snowflake poor darling who is so mistreated, goddammit if your going to pull the sympathetic Loki narrative at least try to give him more depth other than “omg they laughed at me I must have my revenge”
Too much playing around with the “god” and “dog” thing
“Envy, hatred, sorrow, fear, remorse, humiliation – all of them messy” ten seconds ago he was all like “I’m a child of chaos” If he really was a child of Chaos I think he would revel in these messy emotions not be disgusted in them
“There were perks to living in Asgard. The food was good, there was plenty of wine and the view was the best in the Nine Worlds.” You already stated this with the exact same words.
“Desire, unveiled and in Aspect; as I said, even Odin, married to Frigg and a seemingly happy father-of-three, had been known to lust after Freyja, although he kept his feelings at bay and hidden to all but Yours Truly.” Reading this my head like ‘what kinda raunchy conversations do Loki and Odin have with each other’ also another 'yours truly’ lemme just die.
“OK, so I watched. Is that so bad? Besides, it was a Hel of a show. I knew that Freyja was shallow, but until that moment I hadn’t been sure how far she would go for the sake of personal adornment. Well, folks, she went all the way, every way – and not just once, but four times, with four uncouth and demanding men who hadn’t had a woman in years. Still, she got what she wanted, and I watched as the Sons of Ivaldi fastened the necklace around her neck, leering and smirking and touching her all over with their horny hands. I followed her as she fled back home to Asgard and a long bath – and then I made for Odin’s hall and told him everything I’d seen.” She just was forced into sexual acts, basically rape, why are you as a female writer so blasé about it. I know that this is Loki’s perspective but god at least have some sympathy for the poor girl. Even I don’t think Loki is such an asshole that he would think that she deserved what was coming.
Loki seems to be blowing people alot of kisses, makes him seem childish, not exactly the flighty but poised trickster
“Loki has shown more loyalty than any of your people. Lay a hand on him again, you overgrown canary, and I’ll knock you off your perch for good. All right” and this is coming from the man who was the main instigator of Loki’s angsty bullshit. k gurl
Freyja is reduced to a gold-digging prostitute, I think the goddess of death, fertility, desire and womanhood definitely has a lot more nuances to her character that someone who would sell herself to anyone. Also Loki and Odin’s treatment of her selling her body for the necklace is disgusting.
“ There was darkness in Odin, a darkness that only I understood” Im starting to ship odin and Loki a little
The description of Skadi was weird, like ur typical ice queen by also dum blond, idk she seems pree badass in the myths
“Loki’s just a little wild,’ she said. ‘He needs a good woman.” While I dont think we exactly know how or why Loki chose to marry Sigyn I find this a little disrespectful to Sigyn and Loki’s relationship being boiled down to a “He just needs a good woman”
“Was I ungrateful? Perhaps I was. But Frigg, who was wise enough in other ways, had totally failed to understand my nature or, indeed, my needs. A month of living with Sigyn in her little place in Asgard, all chintz and roses round the door, of eating Sigyn’s home-made cakes, of listening to Sigyn’s views on Life, of sleeping with Sigyn (lights out, of course, and veiling her charms beneath an assortment of almost impenetrable flannel nightdresses), was enough to confirm my initial belief that Frigg was wrong and that what I really needed was the love of a very bad woman.” Once again I find this depiction rather horrifying that she is reduced to a sugary housewife
“Yes, before you condemn my faithlessness, that’s what Sigyn was like, folks. And all in all, with Angie’s help, I think I managed to cope pretty well. I lived in Asgard most of the time, and when domesticity became too much for me, I fled to my mistress in Ironwood. The concept of monogamy was not unknown to me, of course, but, like pain, lutes and poetry, I just didn’t see the point.” This representation of Sigyn and Angrboda is really annoying and flat. I feel disgusted even reading it.
The dialogue is really childish I just realised, not at all in place for a “hight fantasy adult” novel.
“Oh, that’s so Loki” Sounds really weird, too modern for 13th century or earlier
Thialfi and Rovska are reduced to fangirl and fanboy seriously Jo where the fuck is ur characterisation
Now that Fenris is mentioned I don't recall Jo ever giving us the story of Tyr and Fenris, I could be wrong tbh
Okay it gets really boring in many aspects I have to force myself to read through alot of it, I’ve given up and skimmed some
You know what this is really boring I’m going to DNF it
The narrative voice chosen is a really bad choice —> isn’t suave enough nor is it charming. I always imagined even of Loki was to speak in a modern context he’d retain an air of elegance and aloofness, just like Loki from the MCU. Im not saying that he should be professing everything in Shakespearean sonnets but some poise befitting of a god would be nice.
“But, as it happened, I’d assumed the form with which you may be familiar; that of a young man with red hair and a certain je ne sais quoi.” hOW TF DOES HE KNOW FRENCH? If you don’t have time to explain it rationally dont put it in at all.
“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as pink and virginal. And speaking of which, if you could find your way to lending me some clothes . . .” You just copied Shakespeare and didnt even acknowledge it.
I dont think the use of “glam” is right, use glamour instead if ur talking about magic
Harris doesn’t do the myths justice, they literally sound like embellished wikipedia entries.
I’m pretty sure Lokabrenna doesn’t really translate into “Gospel of Loki” (on the topic of titles I really wished she hadn’t used this, I was going to use it for my own poetry collection on Loki, actually the title is the reason why I even picked up the book)
Butchered the origins of Loki’s backstory, really wanted to see Laufey and Farbauti more as well as his Jotun heritage, reduced him to a demon which buys into the Christian overlays
Loki is the definition of demon Mary Sue, it takes me back to My Immortal, but at least My Immortal had a comical sort of flair to it. This book is trying hard to be serious with Loki’s character and failing miserably.
The gods are very flat, it's not as nuanced as how even the Norse Myths represent them.
Why are all the chapters titled “Never trust a..” We get lokster toaster dont trust people dont need to shove that fact up my ass
The word Xenophobia is out of place here
There are a lot of the people named the silent because they are chatterboxes the technique gets old the second time you do it hun
‘Chillax’ is also out of place
I dont really have a huge problem with this but I always saw Loki as a genderfliud pansexual being, it made more sense considering that his character was very flighty, its really weird seeing him being heteronormatised, each to their own I guess.
“Sigyn, a motherly type with a soupy expression and a not-unpleasant figure, which she hid under a series of demure floral housedresses” - I can’t express how much I hate the description of one of my favourite Norse Goddesses.
“Put the screws on me” umm the modern slang sounds outta place
In the versions of the myths that I read, I dont think Thor was there when Loki conceived Sleipinir
“Till tomorrow, demon boy. Then I’m going to kick your ass.” So many things wrong with this in context of the time period.
“Aesier vs Vanir football tournament” I’m sorry I didn’t realise the Norse Gods knew what football was in the ancient times
Every time he uses “Yours truly” I want to nek myself
“Hair extensions” k fam didn’t know the gods had modern hair salons
“ he was Freyja’s brother, and I needed to get her back on my side.” What does freyja have to do with Sif’s hair getting cut off
“Sigyn, who was watching me with a disturbingly motherly look, as if at any moment she might be impelled to put a soothing hand on my forehead.” Why is he so weirded out by her. He loves her in the myths (as much as a trickster can), while they aren’t the paragon of a married couple I dont think he’d marry her if he was so disgusted by her. He must have cared for her at some level, enough to at least make Odin know that the only way to actually break Loki was by torturing her.
Aww poor bby Loki what a speshul bby snowflake poor darling who is so mistreated, goddammit if your going to pull the sympathetic Loki narrative at least try to give him more depth other than “omg they laughed at me I must have my revenge”
Too much playing around with the “god” and “dog” thing
“Envy, hatred, sorrow, fear, remorse, humiliation – all of them messy” ten seconds ago he was all like “I’m a child of chaos” If he really was a child of Chaos I think he would revel in these messy emotions not be disgusted in them
“There were perks to living in Asgard. The food was good, there was plenty of wine and the view was the best in the Nine Worlds.” You already stated this with the exact same words.
“Desire, unveiled and in Aspect; as I said, even Odin, married to Frigg and a seemingly happy father-of-three, had been known to lust after Freyja, although he kept his feelings at bay and hidden to all but Yours Truly.” Reading this my head like ‘what kinda raunchy conversations do Loki and Odin have with each other’ also another 'yours truly’ lemme just die.
“OK, so I watched. Is that so bad? Besides, it was a Hel of a show. I knew that Freyja was shallow, but until that moment I hadn’t been sure how far she would go for the sake of personal adornment. Well, folks, she went all the way, every way – and not just once, but four times, with four uncouth and demanding men who hadn’t had a woman in years. Still, she got what she wanted, and I watched as the Sons of Ivaldi fastened the necklace around her neck, leering and smirking and touching her all over with their horny hands. I followed her as she fled back home to Asgard and a long bath – and then I made for Odin’s hall and told him everything I’d seen.” She just was forced into sexual acts, basically rape, why are you as a female writer so blasé about it. I know that this is Loki’s perspective but god at least have some sympathy for the poor girl. Even I don’t think Loki is such an asshole that he would think that she deserved what was coming.
Loki seems to be blowing people alot of kisses, makes him seem childish, not exactly the flighty but poised trickster
“Loki has shown more loyalty than any of your people. Lay a hand on him again, you overgrown canary, and I’ll knock you off your perch for good. All right” and this is coming from the man who was the main instigator of Loki’s angsty bullshit. k gurl
Freyja is reduced to a gold-digging prostitute, I think the goddess of death, fertility, desire and womanhood definitely has a lot more nuances to her character that someone who would sell herself to anyone. Also Loki and Odin’s treatment of her selling her body for the necklace is disgusting.
“ There was darkness in Odin, a darkness that only I understood” Im starting to ship odin and Loki a little
The description of Skadi was weird, like ur typical ice queen by also dum blond, idk she seems pree badass in the myths
“Loki’s just a little wild,’ she said. ‘He needs a good woman.” While I dont think we exactly know how or why Loki chose to marry Sigyn I find this a little disrespectful to Sigyn and Loki’s relationship being boiled down to a “He just needs a good woman”
“Was I ungrateful? Perhaps I was. But Frigg, who was wise enough in other ways, had totally failed to understand my nature or, indeed, my needs. A month of living with Sigyn in her little place in Asgard, all chintz and roses round the door, of eating Sigyn’s home-made cakes, of listening to Sigyn’s views on Life, of sleeping with Sigyn (lights out, of course, and veiling her charms beneath an assortment of almost impenetrable flannel nightdresses), was enough to confirm my initial belief that Frigg was wrong and that what I really needed was the love of a very bad woman.” Once again I find this depiction rather horrifying that she is reduced to a sugary housewife
“Yes, before you condemn my faithlessness, that’s what Sigyn was like, folks. And all in all, with Angie’s help, I think I managed to cope pretty well. I lived in Asgard most of the time, and when domesticity became too much for me, I fled to my mistress in Ironwood. The concept of monogamy was not unknown to me, of course, but, like pain, lutes and poetry, I just didn’t see the point.” This representation of Sigyn and Angrboda is really annoying and flat. I feel disgusted even reading it.
The dialogue is really childish I just realised, not at all in place for a “hight fantasy adult” novel.
“Oh, that’s so Loki” Sounds really weird, too modern for 13th century or earlier
Thialfi and Rovska are reduced to fangirl and fanboy seriously Jo where the fuck is ur characterisation
Now that Fenris is mentioned I don't recall Jo ever giving us the story of Tyr and Fenris, I could be wrong tbh
Okay it gets really boring in many aspects I have to force myself to read through alot of it, I’ve given up and skimmed some
You know what this is really boring I’m going to DNF it
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nothing special, but a good book nevertheless. Quite entertaining. An easy, light and interesting story.
I've read Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology and loved it, and I've always had a soft-spot for our favorite trickster god, so picking this up was a no-brainer. I got the audiobook from my library and devoured it. It is hilarious and entertaining, definitely a worthwhile read. Also these updated covers are stunning.