Book Review: Beasts of Jötunheimr by Baptiste Pinson Wu

Lost in the wilderness of Jötunheimr, the realm of their mortal enemies, Drake and his two companions struggle against beasts and the elements to find a path back to Asgard.

But surviving packs of giant wolves, blizzards, and hunger is just the first of their priorities. They must warn their brethren of the terrible truth; Loki is back, and his plan is in motion. Ragnarök is at Valhöll's doorstep, and none of them has realized it.

When duty fails to motivate Drake’s next painful step, his thirst for revenge takes over, filling his chest with the fire of hate and his mind with the vision of the traitors whose blood will spill by his hands.

If they can make it out of Ironwood.

GENRE: Norse Epic Fantasy

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Because life’s nothing without a good challenge, Baptiste decided to ditch regular-paying jobs to become an author, write on tremendously popular topics like Ancient China, or Samurai fighting Zombies, and publish all those nerdy, historical fiction novels from Japan. To preserve what’s left of his sanity, Baptiste spends great chunks of time visiting historical sites, bothering his Chinese wife with questions related to her culture she has no answer to, and wrestling with two untirable creatures called children, who, he believes, have been sent on earth to test the limits of his previously mentioned sanity.

When all of these fail, coffee, whiskey, a fuming bowl of ramen, or an episode of his favorite historical drama (currently Shōgun) do the trick.

His novels are packed with action, grumpy characters, brotherly love, and blades, lots of blades. They are set in ancient, brutal times where martial skills, stubbornness, and an appetite for trouble guarantee bloody adventures that might end up shifting the future of a realm or two.

Review

This is the sequel to Blood of Midgard and it did not disappoint! We still follow Drake's POV; as I mentioned in my review of book 1, I really find the "human perspective" refreshing among all these versions we have of Ragnarok. And we still get the author's unique spins on the myths, from the depiction of Ironwood and other key places to what the gods are like and how Ragnarok begins. Not once did I think "oh I've already read/seen this before" — which is saying something as I've consumed a lot of Norse and Ragnarok related media (the most recent being Twilight of the Gods on Netflix).

I did miss the rest of the Wolves, but it was nice to see new characters, especially several female ones!

Looking forward to the final book, Vengeance of Asgard, which will be out soon.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Vengeance of Asgard (The Army of One Book 3)

When the gods tremble,

Men must act.

While weak and fearful gods argue in their shiny halls, Drake and his Wolves step up and prepare Asgard for its last battle. The enemy ships have been spotted. Blood and fire are reaching the blessed island.

But a last mission awaits the Wolves before the prophecy ends. Freyja requests them to fetch her exiled brother, for he is the one fated to kill Surtr, the ruler of Múspellsheimr.

Drake has lost faith in the gods, but honor compels him to answer the call. Eleven warriors thus depart Asgard for the Elven realm and the most dangerous mission of their afterlife.

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨ Plus there's a swag kit coming soon! Includes a "membership card," a bookmark, a sticker, an origami dog, and an exclusive 500-word story 🫶🏼

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.