Book Review: Blood of Midgard by Baptiste Pinson Wu

The end is near. The war is just beginning.

Ragnarök’s shadow looms over Asgard. The gods grow fearful, and Odin, in a desperate attempt to fill the benches of Valhöll with more slain heroes, sends his elite warriors to Midgard to spark conflicts. Drake, their leader, would rather fight to prevent the end of the world before it began, for Muninn, Odin’s daughter, is fated to die during the last great battle.

But as Drake and his brothers strive to accomplish Odin’s will on Midgard, a plan born in the darkness of Loki’s cell—and acted upon by someone close to Drake—is set in motion. The snare tightens around Drake, and every step the warrior takes toward the woman he loves in secret brings Ragnarök closer.

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.

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Review

I love Norse mythology retellings in practically every form, especially if they touch upon Ragnarok. It's just really fascinating to me that the Norse gods are concerned about death, which a mortal concept — and so unlike other pantheons.

This book is so unlike others, too, in that it focuses on the einherjar instead of the gods and the other creatures. It reminded me of what I loved about the videogame Valkyrie Profile (which actually started me on my Norse myth kick): following the life stories of the mortal characters and how they ended up in service to the gods, and then journeying with them as they prepare for Ragnarok. This book's not quite the same, but the focus is on the human aspect of the whole thing, and in the process it brought to life many cool stuff and interpretations of the myths that I don't think I've seen elsewhere before (like how the einherjar travel back to Asgard).

The story begins with a familiar scene — Loki trapped in his cave prison — but quickly subverts it, and I just love it when stories do that! I'm not even the biggest fan of prologues, but this one has a really strong opener that sets the tone for everything else. I also think first person POV is a great choice for this book, as unpopular as that opinion might be in general.

It all moves pretty quickly that I was surprised how soon we were nearing the end. Some chapters are longer than others, but also warranted, especially when there are battles involved. There are so many good twists and surprises from what we know about the myths! Many scenes hit home and drew emotions out of me, too, which is great, considering the kind of story this is. I'd have been disappointed otherwise.

And the characters! Drake is a compelling protagonist, and there are many other cool ones too. BUT ESPECIALLY [REDACTED]. I'M HERE FOR [REDACTED].

I could go on and on, but I just really loved this book, and I say this as someone who's also written a whole series about Ragnarok! 🙈 I loved the unique spins to the myths and the fact that this is Ragnarok from everyone else's POV. It gets harder to put down the further along the story it goes, and it has many delightful twists and fantastic characters. Definitely one of my favorite reads of 2024, and I'm getting a print copy for my shelf!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Indie August Reading Challenge

Why not diversify your reading this month and read along with many others using this bingo card? If you're not sure where to start, you can check out these recommendations on Twitter, my list of recommendations during Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, this Pinterest board of all the entrants to the Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award, this Pinterest board of indie releases for the first half of 2024 — or my books, as I'm a BIPOC woman author with a book published in 2021, a completed trilogy, and an anthology 😉

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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.